Inside Stealth 2.0

This week, we'll be looking at the newly released Stealth 2.0 and our journey to redevelop the original Stealth range from the ground up. We achieved this by going back to our roots of metal constructed wallets and doing away with 3D printing (for the most part).

Stealth 2.0 began its life very differently from where it ended up. Originally, we wanted to create a cardholder that approached the every day carry scenario in an 'Indiana Jones' style aesthetic: something rugged, incorporated leather and melted Nazis.

Truth be told, we just couldn't get it to work the way we wanted (especially the melting). We tried a whole load of different approaches and it became more and more complex, more impractical in some cases and more and more expensive for anyone to buy.

It's a shame that we had to shelve the original idea but then we took what we had and applied it to the Stealth range. We'd always wanted to do a full metal Stealth wallet and now it seemed that we could.

We already had the basic shape, now we needed to take inspiration from aviation to truly put this wallet into a Stealth mode.

Drawing upon legendary stealth aircraft, much as we had done with the original design, Stealth 2.0goes one step further, utilising original artworks created here in house to decorate the front of the wallet. Blackbird, Nighthawk, Spirit and Raptor all added to the legacy of stealth aircraft . But we also wanted to add something in that went into the void. We chose the Space Shuttle Discovery as our fifth and final design, taking aviation to the stars.

Design: done. Now, sourcing components. 

Getting the body case made and colour matched with the front plates was our Everest. Having two different companies cooperate like this was a first for us to achieve. Without doing so, the colours could be slightly off and the whole thing would look wrong. 

If colour-matching was our Everest, then the money clip was the Murderhorn.

The precision required to get the right tension, the choice of steel being made, the finish and laser etching. All these added to a simple piece of steel being correctly shaped, polished and etched. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Top tip: never give up on learning more about physics.

In the end, we had our parts come in in quick succession. Cases and frontplates arrived, then screws of varying size and finish, tools, money clips, ejection mechanisms, springs, tension bands, buttons, linings, boxes, certificates.

There's no margin for error. If a case is scratched, it's unusable. If a frontplate is scratched, it's scrap. Each wallet is meticulously built up and finished by hand, tested and checked over before boxing up. Every single wallet. 

But it's all worth it in the end. What we've created with the help of our backers is a solid, reliable product that looks incredible, is great to use and will give enjoyment and security to owners for years to come. We've overcome our Everest and our Murderhorn and we're on to the next mountain.