Ridge Biflex Wallet Review: A New Minimalist Design With One Big Trade-Off

Introduction

Ridge built its reputation on one wallet design and, for years, stuck to it. Different materials, different finishes, but the same core silhouette. The Biflex changes that. It is the brand’s first genuinely new model: still a slim aluminum-and-leather minimalist wallet, but now with two pockets instead of one, wrapped in full grain leather and elastic with a touch of microfiber inside.

We have spent real carry time with both the standard Biflex and the jet black special edition, and the verdict is genuinely mixed in the most useful way. This is a well-made, very light wallet with a clear weakness that will matter to some buyers and not at all to others.

Three Colors, Two Designs

The Biflex launches in three versions: cobalt blue, tobacco brown, and a jet black special edition. The blue and brown models come with a Ridge information card and a protective insert, while the black edition ships with its own branded card and matching branded insert. At the time of writing, the black version is only available in that single jet black colorway.

The design differences between the versions are subtle. The standard Biflex carries the traditional semicircular thumb cutout on the left side of the wallet. The black edition moves that cutout to dead center and adds a small logo in the corner, with everything else blacked out. Functionally, they are the same wallet, but the centered cutout is arguably more practical: pushing cards up from the middle feels slightly more natural, and it is the version we preferred during everyday carry.

Materials and Build Quality

The Biflex is made from full grain oil wax leather, with elastic and some microfiber on the interior, held together by a machine stitch. The leather itself has a nice smooth grain, though sourcing details are not published. The stitching is a machine stitch rather than a hand saddle stitch, which is what you would expect at this price point, and it is backed by a lifetime warranty.

The elastic deserves specific praise. It feels genuinely high quality, with none of the flimsiness you find on many minimalist wallets, and it has held up without issue during testing. There is one structural caveat worth knowing, though: the leather runs as a single continuous piece that is sewn into the elastic. Unlike previous Ridge models, where you could unscrew the top plate and swap in a spare piece of elastic, there is no user-replaceable elastic here. If the elastic ever degrades from years of use, the entire wallet has to be replaced. That is exactly why the lifetime warranty matters on this model.

The wallet also includes RFID protection, with blocking material sewn between the leather and the microfiber lining. Some buyers see this as a must-have; others consider it an unnecessary lining layer that cheapens a leather wallet. If RFID protection matters to you, it is here.

Size, Weight, and Capacity

Dimensions come in at 3.43 inches by 2.24 inches with a thickness of 0.47 inches. The weight is just 0.5 ounces, or 14 grams, which makes this one of the lightest full-featured wallets you can carry. For a leather wallet with an aluminum core, that number is genuinely impressive.

Capacity is where the Biflex differs from the original. The two opposing pockets hold up to 8 credit cards total, versus 12 on the original Ridge wallet. During testing, we carried 7 cards plus 10 bills folded into quarters without any problem. If you prefer folding bills into thirds, that works too, though quarters fit our carry better.

Card Access: The Familiar Ridge Experience

Card functionality is essentially identical to the original Ridge wallet, just slightly softer thanks to the leather and elastic construction. Push all your cards up through the semicircular cutout, pull them out, and fan them to see everything at once. Or pull out just your top card, which is usually your most-used one.

One small trick carries over well: pressing up on the top card from the thumb cutout slides your most-used card out of the way without pushing the whole stack. With seven cards loaded, access is quick and predictable, and the black edition’s centered cutout makes the whole motion feel a touch smoother.

Cash Carrying: Where It Falls Short

This is the Biflex’s biggest compromise. The rear pocket technically holds cash fine, but getting the bills out is awkward. The oval cutout on that pocket looks like a thumb push point, but it provides no actual functionality: pressing bills or cards up through it barely moves anything. In practice, you have to pry the pocket open to pull your cash out.

It works, but it is not enjoyable. If you carry only cards, none of this matters and the second pocket is a genuine bonus. But for anyone who regularly carries bills, the original Ridge wallet with the money clip or cash strap remains a better solution. The cash strap in particular still feels excellent, and we would recommend thinking twice about the Biflex if cash is a daily part of your carry.

Price and Buying Advice

At the time of writing, the Biflex costs $85, while the standard aluminum Ridge wallet with money clip or cash strap costs $95. That is an interesting positioning decision: for $10 more, the aluminum version gives you better cash carrying, or for $10 less, the Biflex gives you full grain leather, RFID protection, and the new dual-pocket design with a weaker cash solution.

Choose the Biflex if you are primarily a card carrier who values an ultra-light, leather-wrapped minimalist wallet and you appreciate the peace of mind of a lifetime warranty. Choose the original Ridge if cash carrying is important to you.

Conclusion

The Biflex is a step in the right direction for Ridge. It shows the brand is willing to design something new rather than re-releasing the same wallet in different materials, and the build quality, elastic, and weight all impress. The centered thumb cutout on the black edition is a small but welcome improvement over the original layout.

That said, this is not a wallet for everyone. Cash access is clumsy, capacity is lower than the original, and the non-replaceable elastic means the lifetime warranty may end up doing real work. If you are a card-first minimalist carrier, the Biflex is an easy recommendation. If you carry cash every day, the original Ridge with a money clip or cash strap is still the better buy.