Liking Everything About It
Been using the Fantom M wallet for a while now. Started getting into these slim wallets when I went back into motorbiking, because my regular "fat" wallet wasn't comfortable to wear for long rides. I've had a few slim wallets, with the Fantom being my latest, and I'm pretty happy with this one.
Being from Canada, myself, I expected the shipping to be a little faster. That said, the delays could have easily been due to the mail service itself. Most of our west-coast mail flies right over our head, down to Toronto, before being filtered back up here to Northern Ontario. That, plus the mail strike that was looming at the time, meant it took forever to receive the shipment. Was something like 3.5 weeks. It's not Fantom's fault, and I'm not gonna ding them for it. I just thought I should mention it because it was part of my experience.
I got the version with the walnut inlay and it looks awesome. They advertise it holds 5-10 cards. I got 7 in mine. I could probably get in 8 if I installed them 180-degrees face-to-face so the card's raised print is offset between the cards. That said, my 7 cards include a couple I don't even really need to have with me, so I'm satisfied.
Before writing this review I actually looked at a couple other reviews here. Dunno what the one reviewer was saying about getting a plastic wallet, because the wallet I got is 100% made out of a coated aluminum. The walnut insert might be plastic, hard to tell, but that's just window-dressing. The actual wallet itself is undeniably aluminum.
I really like the fanning mechanism. I had gotten one of the competitor's metal wallets before this one, where the cards would kind of eject, but the mechanism only lasted a couple weeks before jamming. When the eject failed, on that competitor's wallet, I was standing at a cash register with a lineup behind me and couldn't get my card out. It was an absolute nightmare! My Fantom wallet feels very durable, and even the lever is aluminum. It doesn't rely on a spring mechanism to raise the cards either. I also like the little slot that's cut into the case so you can easily thumb out the cards without even using the lever mechanism. I keep my debt card right up front, since it's the one I use the most. Oh, I also love that I don't even have to pull the wallet off my phone to slide out the debt card. That's a pretty nice capability.
Speaking of which, attaching the wallet to my phone case works great. I do that right before sliding it into my pocket. The rubber backing (which I didn't even realize it came with) has been a huge bonus too. I don't have to worry about the wallet scratching the phone case or vice versa. I don't know if the magnet is as strong as advertised, but it holds well and I have no worries about it falling off.
The only downside I discovered was when I accidentally dropped the wallet on some pavement. I was trying to hold it in one-handed and thumb the fan lever down, but I fumbled it right out of my hand. The black paint on the corner got a little scuff. That said, it was totally my fault. I easily touched it up with a few dabs of a black marker and a tiny brushing of the wife's nail polish. I couldn't even get (my former wallet company) to replace their defective garbage. With Fantom, even if I do dumb again I could get a replacement at a discount with their "wear and tear" trade-in deal. Like, come on. What other company is offering that?! Makes me proud to know they're a Canadian company.
I've definitely gotta give this wallet a 5* review. Made life on my motorbike a hell of a lot nicer, I have no fears of the mechanism failing, and the thing looks amazing.
