Review: Monk Made Goods Short Wallet

After a decade-plus in this hobby, I’m rarely taken by surprise. There are seemingly self-evident truths that are rarely violated. Selvedge denim has more character than non-selvedge. Unsanforized denim fades better than sanforized. Japanese shirts often don’t fit westerners right. Cotton stitching ages and feels better than polyester. And so on.

One of the seemingly inviolable precepts is that Japanese leathercrafting is simply the best, particularly as it pertains to wallets, bags, and other things more complicated than belts. (There have, over the past decade, emerged plenty of fine beltmakers, such as Equus in England, and Hollows and Pigeon Tree Crafting in the United States.) It’s not clear to this inauspicious author how exactly this came to be the case, but Japan certain seems to make the world’s best rugged-style wallets. Redmoon, The Flat Head, Tenjin, Kawatako, Leather Works Brother, and Samurai Craft all stand as exemplars of this. These brands all incorporate extremely high-quality leather and other materials, as well as superlative craftsmanship.

It’s fairly easy to identify ground zero for Japanese wallets – Redmoon’s HR-01A short wallet, and CW-02 long wallet, which came about in the early 1990s when vintage jeans had skyrocketed in value and repro jeans made by brands like Denime, Full Count, and Evisu were rising in popularity. But while Redmoon’s native American craft-inspired aesthetic went well with vintage and repro jeans, it doesn’t seem (as far as I can tell) to be an actual reproduction of anything – rather, an application of native leatherworking seen in saddles and other such things to a different product.

Pretty much all of the other significant Japanese brands owe a huge debt to Redmoon in terms of their basic design philosophy and construction, which differs dramatically from that of a wallet you’d buy in a western department store. Thick panels, made from vegetable-tanned leather, with smooth burnished edges, are a hallmark of this style. Over time, as the western denim community emerged in the mid-2000s upon Superfuture and other streetwear forums, western makers started to offer products inspired by Redmoon and Japanese wallets. Some notable examples include Leather Goods Connection, and Corter.

However, these western brands never at any point approached the quality of Japanese ones. A major limiting factor is availability of materials – the proprietary saddle leather of Redmoon, and oily bridle leather of Flat Head, to give a few examples, is far superior to the commercial grade used by brands like Corter or Tanner Goods. But the construction was uninspiring and often sloppy – forgivable from one-man workshops hand-stitching, but less so from larger brands. From the late 2000s to the mid 2010s, a plethora of small makers proliferated, with little to distinguish their craftsmanship, designs, and materials, although a few, like Don’t Mourn Organize and Hollows were clearly a step above by all these metrics. Value-conscious enthusiasts could get more for their money through Taiwanese artisans like Angelos and Tim Leathers, which closely approximated the Japanese craft and aesthetic.

Now, in 2020, there are a handful of small makers, including Guarded Goods and Australia’s Mill Handmade, that approach or equal the quality of the Japanese masters. One maker, in particular, stands out in my eyes, not only in quality of craftsmanship and materials, but in cost value as well. That would be Jason Boone of Monk Made Goods.

Monk Made first came to my attention through Japanese Americana reviewer and wallet expert Indigo Shrimp, who reviewed a bifold several years ago on his blog. I was immediately impressed by the quality of handstitching, which reminded me of Flat Head’s (very expensive) Stockburg leather crafts.

I didn’t wait too long to get a piece of my own, ordering a bifold made from Italian Buttero saddle leather. An outstanding wallet with flawless craftsmanship, after about a year I nonetheless went back to my old Tim Leathers mid wallet because I came to the realization that I do not like using bifolds (or the fade they leave on my jeans pocket.)

Well, here we are in 2020, and I have a new, custom Monk Made short wallet, and I might have found my ultimate wallet, at long last.

Design

When I lived in Japan, my favorite wallet was a Redmoon CW-02A. This long wallet was perfect for living in a cash-based society where I needed lots of room for cash and coins. As a left-handed guy, I also loved how the coin case was on the right side of the wallet, making it easier for me to operate with my dominant hand.

But back in the US, long wallets quickly felt impractical since I didn’t need to carry much cash. As I went through a couple wallets over the years, I still missed my Redmoon and its simple, intuitive design. I didn’t miss the fragile, cotton stitching, though. I considered getting their classic HR-01A wallet, which is basically the short version, but given the concho snap’s tendency to leave a conspicuous fade on jeans and eventually tear a hole in the back pocket, I wasn’t crazy about that idea either.

This Monk Made short wallet solves all of these problems. It is a similar form factor to the HR-01A, but without the concho and snap flap. It has more card storage slots, but includes the coin case that’s regretfully rare on such wallets outside Japan. And it’s hand stitched with highly durable Japanese polyester thread.

This wallet has a simple, straightforward design that matches with my present-day aesthetic. When I evaluate a wallet, one of the first things I consider is what kind of impression it’s going to leave in the back pocket of my jeans with extended wear. This is one reason why I don’t like more elaborate designs or wallets made from exotic materials like ostrich hide – they leave a more conspicuous imprint. The external design of this wallet is simple and classic, and I like how it’s wide enough that it doesn’t tilt at an angle like narrower wallets.

Inside, the wallet has a surprisingly vast amount of storage space. There are two top-level card slots, on each side, where you can easily stack multiple cards. I tend to prefer this over lots of individual card slots, since I don’t carry too many cards anyway. Beneath these are pockets where you can fit more cards – I tend to use this area for things like point cards, my auto insurance card, and generally more fragile documents.

Beneath the right card compartment is a coin case. This is easy to use and access, and is perfect for storing a couple coins, a guitar pick, a paperclip, or whatever else you might need. I don’t like keeping these kinds of things in my pockets, and I find that storing them in my wallet instead makes it easier to keep track of them. I always think it’s a good idea to have a couple of each coin denomination on hand, just in case you drive through a toll road, or end up in Aldi. Because of this, I invariably find wallets lacking a coin compartment to be sorely lacking.

The billfold is easy to access and spacious, with plenty of room for bills. The open space at the bottom makes it easy to pop open with a finger while you reach for your cash with the other hand.

All in all, this is a wonderfully-designed short wallet that’s true to the origins of vintage Americana wallets, while maintaining a subtle, classy character of its own.

Materials

This wallet is made from Italian Buttero saddle leather, the same leather used on my Monk Made bifold from a few years prior. It’s a rich, smooth-feeling saddle leather that’s not as pasty as most, and it smells absolutely wonderful, with a rich, buttery smell. Compared to your average Tandy-grade veg tan leather that’s commercially available to pretty much anyone, and used by most American small makers, this Italian leather is more supple and feels noticeably higher quality.

After a couple years with my other Monk Made wallet, I can say that this leather does seem to age more slowly than most natural veg tan cowhide I’ve seen, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In terms of its quickness to oxidize and change, it lies somewhere between Redmoon’s extremely fast-aging and raw saddle leather, and Flat Head’s oily, heavily treated “Tashikawa” cowhide. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: Redmoon’s leather looks beautiful in the intermediate stage of aging, but I’ve seen some heavily worn examples that look fairly ugly, and it’s very reactive to stains from raindrops and that sort of thing, which leave marks that basically never go away. This Buttero leather requires little maintenance compared to others I’ve used, and should assume a lovely shade of golden brown over a few years of wear time.

Monk Made also offers plenty of interesting materials besides this one. Jason is unusual in that he offers cordovan from both Horween and Shinki, the latter being rarely seen outside Japan. He also offers various other types of cowhide in other colors, but natural veg tan cowhide is my favorite material for a wallet, so I didn’t opt to get too crazy with my short wallet.

The billfold compartment is lined with honey-colored goatskin. I love lined billfolds for the smoothness of getting contents in and out, a feature not found on Redmoon’s wallets. The color goes nicely with the Buttero leather, and more contrast will emerge over time as the Buttero ages.

The wallet is sewn by hand with super heavy-duty Japanese polyester thread. I love cotton stitching on jeans, but not on wallets. Cotton and linen thread are often used for stitching wallets of this type, even with small makers, and the principal problem is that it breaks very easily. The polyester thread Jason uses on Monk Made wallets is not as dense as that used by Flat Head, but this is actually a good thing, since it’s less conspicuous and gives Monk Made wallets a more understated, neutral appearance. Jason’s thread is just a little bit beefier than a standard stitch, and the off-white color of the thread suits the natural leather perfectly.

Construction

As good as all of this is, construction is where Monk Made really shines. Jason’s stitchwork is simply excellent – it really doesn’t get much better than this. The holes and stitching are aligned with an absurd level of precision for something made pretty much entirely by hand. This level of stitching precision is what puts Monk Made head and shoulders above the likes of Corter, or, for that matter, brands that machine stitch, like Tanner Goods. And again, I must stress – Monk Made is very reasonably priced, which adds to the value presented.

This incredible craftsmanship extends to the other aspects of construction. The leather is cut carefully and precisely, with impressively straight lines and consistently rounded curves and edges. The burnishing is terrific, and matches the benchmark set by makers like The Flat Head and Angelos. Basically, every aspect of the construction is performed at a level as close to flawless as anyone could reasonably expect.

Conclusion

Monk Made is easy to recommend because there’s no other wallet maker out there offering a better balance of price, construction quality, design, and materials used. My Monk Made short wallet is my favorite type of product in this hobby – one that is simple and classic in concept, and executed to a virtually flawless standard.

The only knocks against this wallet are purely subjective criteria – many would find it too bulky, especially if your pants fit tight enough that you actually sit on your wallet. But the great news is that Monk Made offers a wide range of slim and minimalist style wallets that are easily compact enough to fit in a front pocket, jacket, or shirt, so this is easily rectified by simply ordering a different style.

The only thing I could possibly suggest to further improve Monk Made is to offer more leather options – I’d love to have some Tochigi or other Japanese saddle leather offered, which would eliminate the one remaining advantage of Japanese makers over Monk Made, though again, I’m quite satisfied with the Buttero leather, and the option of both Horween and Shinki cordovan should be enough to please most non-fanatics. Additionally, I think it would be cool to see Jason offer some non-wallet accessories like watch straps, keychains, or leather wallet chains.

Monk Made is simply one of the most noteworthy leather brands out there, and easy recommend to a denim and leather hobbyist at any stage, from newcomer to veteran.