Before I start the review, I want to apologize to anyone who’s been following me for the last few months. I have always struggled with maintaining an acceptable level of quality content, but in the last eight months, I have been doing significantly better. This increase has been in no small part due to my subscription to Sips by™. Ever since I started that subscription, I have been reviewing the tea they send me. These monthly reviews have resulted in at least one good post per month, until two months ago. No, I have not canceled my subscription, but I did move. That move brought with it a ton of headaches that resulted in missing two months of my subscription. Thankfully, I’m all caught up and just received my first box at my new address, so a new tea review will be coming shortly.
With all of the work I’ve put into simplifying my life over the last year or two, I have consistently ignored my wallet. If you’re anything like me, your everyday carry wallet is probably overly stuffed with things you never use; old rewards cards, business cards, receipts and the like adding unnecessary bulk. I have considered replacing my wallet with something more simplistic numerous times, and have even gone through mine and figured out what I do and do not need to carry with me daily. The short answer is “not much.” Out of all of the things that are in my wallet typically, the only things I have a compelling reason to keep on me are a few IDs and a single credit card.
Recently, I decided it was time to try something new and, after a ton of research, I decided to give the Dango M1 Maverick a try. The Maverick, like all of Dango’s wallets, is rugged and simple. The version I opted for is the Spec-Ops four-pocket DTEX variety in OD green.
What is DTEX?
Dango offers many of their wallets in both leather and their proprietary material called DTEX. DTEX is a custom fabric-like material that is tough, durable, and water-resistant. While I haven’t had the opportunity to test whether or not DTEX is as water-resistant as they claim, I can attest to its durability thus far. It is a remarkable material that feels somewhere between suede and synthetic leather.
What about the rest of the wallet?
The main body of the M1 Maverick is CNC-machined from 6061 aerospace aluminum and is Cerakoted to whichever color you buy. For those who aren’t familiar, Cerakote is a ceramic paint common to the firearms industry which is well-known for its durability. This wallet is tough!
While mine hasn’t seen anything beyond normal wear and tear at this point, it still looks factory new, and I have little doubt that it will look pretty much the same in a month or two.
Additionally, the M1 series comes with the MT04 multitool, a high-carbon heat-treated tool designed for carrying in the wallet. The MT04 has ten functions including a seat belt cutter, blade, ¼ inch hex wrench, bottle opener, and even an O2 tank wrench. The whole multitool takes up about the same amount of space as three-four credit cards, so you can choose to remove it if you value the card space more than the multitool.
How does it work as a wallet?
Whether or not this wallet is for you is sort of dependent on what you need from it. If you’re looking for something super slim, this isn’t for you. While the M1 is slightly thinner than my old bi-fold, the difference isn’t significant enough to make any real difference. The real distinction between the M1 and a normal bi-fold is in two factors; the apparent durability of the wallet, and that it forces you to be more selective with what you carry daily.
Admittedly, this isn’t a wallet I expect to see many minimalists carrying around. While I do think it warrants the minimalist title given its intended purpose, the bulkier size sets it apart from what most minimalists would consider acceptable. Despite the not-so-minimal nature of the M1, it does seem to be a very well-made wallet that is worth putting some more time into testing. Hopefully, it lasts six months; if so, I’ll be posting an updated review in January!
The materials and construction of the M1 are nothing short of outstanding. It’s very well designed, seems remarkably durable, and, as of now, I have no complaints. I did dock a few points due to the size of the wallet. I can’t think of any way they could have made it smaller, but the idea of a large minimalist wallet feels counter-intuitive. That said, for me, I think the size is ideal. It’s thin enough to be unobtrusive but big enough that I’ll know if it’s missing. I also docked a few points on functionality not because the M1 lacks anything in particular, but because I almost feel like they tried too hard to cram features in. I do carry the multitool with mine, but to be honest, I doubt it’ll see too much use outside of the bottle opener.
