The CODE 118 Wallet —

Is It Really As Good As They Say?

Lately, all I've been seeing on my Instagram feed has been the same high-tech wallet from CODE 118.

If you've never heard of it, it's a sleek, RFID-blocking wallet that blends tech, style and utility into one seamless design.

When I first saw it in action, I couldn't believe a product like it existed. Its main claim to fame is a special trigger mechanism that ejects your cards instantly.

I did some research and discovered the company is a recent startup, founded just a couple years ago by two guys who have a passion for quality EDC gear.

They've recently gone viral across social media, and have caught the media's attention. They were even featured on several news sites like FOX, CBS, MSN and USA TODAY. 

After a little more digging, I managed to get in contact with one of the founders and asked him what his motivation was for starting his own brand.

He said, "Many of the EDC and wallet companies I used to admire most were priced way out of my reach. I wanted to create a brand that could provide the same materials & quality the big guys were known for, minus the big-name markup."

After emailing him back and forth for a couple days, I had a pretty good understanding of why they started the business.

Most companies use big-name influencers that charge tens of thousands of dollars for a single post to promote their products.

Not to mention, many of the same companies also invest heavily into expensive product packaging. (Which can cost upwards of $10-15 per unit to produce!)

At the end of the day, all of these expenses make their way to the end customer — people like you and me.

CODE 118 knew if they wanted to pass on the savings to their customers, they had to do things a little differently.

They don't invest heavily into influencer marketing, and they don't use gimmicky packaging to make their products seem more premium than they are. (Although their minimalistic packaging is quite nice!)

Instead, they invest nearly all of their time, money, and resources into the product itself. 

This gives them the unique ability to sell extremely high-quality products, at a fraction of the price their competitors charge.

After hearing that directly from one of the founders, my curiosity was fully peaked, so I decided to order one and see for myself if it was true.

When it comes to purchasing products online, what you see isn't always what you get.

Naturally, I was a bit skeptical about ordering something I originally saw on an Instagram ad.

Fortunately, after the package arrived at my door (4 days via the cheapest shipping option), I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

The material of the wallet is made from genuine 3K carbon fiber and forged 6061-T6 aerospace-grade aluminum.

If you've never heard of that type of aluminum before, it's the same high-grade stuff NASA uses to build their spacecrafts. Apple also uses it on their iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

Let's just say that when you feel the smooth-textured finish in your hands, you instantly know you're holding something premium.

Moreover, CODE 118 uses a special anodizing technique to achieve the color of the wallet.

Unlike most products that you see where a color is simply painted on, CODE 118 uses a combination of superheated molecules that color the wallet without paint (this means the color will not fade over time).

Pretty cool, huh?

Here's a quick rundown of the wallet's features:

1. It's both RFID & NFC protected. The aerospace-grade aluminum construction acts as a "digital firewall" to protect your cards from data skimmers.

2. Despite being just 0.29 inches thick (thinner than an iPhone 13), it can still fit up to 10 cards at full capacity — 7 inside the main chamber and 3 under the strap.

3. The cash strap can hold 10-15 twice-folded bills with ease, plus some additional credit cards if need be. Perhaps my favorite feature are the hundreds of silicone dots along the inside of the strap. These dots grip your cash the same way a wide receivers gloves grip a football.

4. There is an ingenious internal safety mechanism that ensures cards are only ejected halfway. This safety feature also keeps cards inside the wallet at all times — even if you're shaking it upside down.

5. The quick-access trigger mechanism easily fans out your cards in a staggered fashion. This allows you to choose your desired card one handed, which saves time when you're paying at the cash register.

Now, I know I mentioned above that the wallet could fit a max of 7 cards (or 10 if you use the strap).

However, this is what really makes the CODE 118 Wallet an ingenious product if you ask me. 

The Modular backplate is essentially an additional piece of aerospace-grade aluminum with a cut-out in the middle that binds it to the CODE 118 Wallet's strap.

This unique design allows it to expand the wallet's storage to fit up to 15 cards. So, if you're someone like me who carries more than 7-10 cards at all times, I would definitely consider the backplate.

Another cool use you can get out of it is to conceal your cash. You can just as easily store your cash under the backplate where no one can see it.

Overall, my experience with the CODE 118 Wallet has been great to say the least.

I've been testing it out for about 3 months now and I have no complaints. The mechanism is as smooth as ever, and feels like it will last a very long time.

Even if something were to happen to it, it's great knowing that CODE 118 backs their products with a full, unlimited Lifetime Warranty. 

It gives me peace of mind knowing I can contact them at any time and get a replacement free of charge. (When I spoke to the founder, he told me they don't even charge customers for shipping on Lifetime Warranty claims!)

I'm not usually one to speak so highly of a product, but when everything lines up perfectly like this — quality, usability, practicality, and value for the money — I always do my best to get the word out.

I bought mine for a cool 50 bucks (well, $49.95 to be exact). At that price, this product is an absolute bargain, especially considering similar minimalistic wallet brands have been known to charge double, and even triple that for the same quality products.

The crazy thing is that I just checked their website, and at the time of writing this (February 12, 2024), their CODE 118 Wallet is 40% off — making it just $29.95.

At that price, it's a no-brainer if you ask me.

Of course, there is one small criticism I have with this company.

Since CODE 118 produces their products in small batches (to ensure quality control), they have been known to sell out of stock rather quickly. 

Heck, I believe they've sold out 2-3 times already this year, and it always ends up taking a month or two to finish manufacturing the next batch.

However, I guess you can't fault a startup for failing to keep up with demand. 

All in all, they may not have the fanciest packaging, the biggest advertising budget, or the hottest influencers hyping them up...

But what they do have are innovative, useful, quality products — without a ridiculous price point or any of the B.S.!

If you want to check them out for yourself, I've left links to their site throughout this blog post, and I'll leave another one below.

Until next time, cheers.