Atomic Charge Wallet is an aluminum cased wallet that doubles as a cellphone charger. Does it work as advertised? Here is our Atomic Charge Wallet review.
About Atomic Charge Wallet
Atomic Charge Wallet is a compact wallet with an accordion design that features a slim aluminum casing, RFID blocking, and a built-in phone charger. The official website is atomicchargewallet.com, with a registration date of April 2017. The screen capture below was taken of the product website in May 2017.
Note: As of this 2021 update, Atomic Charge Wallet is no longer sold.
Claims & Features
- Accordion design stores cash & credit cards
- Doubles as a phone charger
- Slim casing of durable aluminum
- Compact, lightweight, & water resistant
- Lined with RFID blocking technology
Cost
Atomic Charge Wallet costs $19.99 + $9.99 shipping for a total of $29.98. There is also a special double offer where two wallets can be purchased for $29.98 + $9.99 shipping which adds up to $39.97. The wallet is available in three different color variations: black, white, or silver.
Atomic Charge Wallet is now available in stores. I purchased it at a local Bed Bath & Beyond in August 2017 for $20.
Atomic Charge Wallet Review
You’ve probably seen ads for Atomic Beam, Atomic Beam Lantern, and Atomic Beam Headlight. Now the makers are back with the latest product under the Atomic brand: Atomic Charge Wallet.
In March 2017 I wrote about a product being test marketed under the name Power Plus Wallet, which soon disappeared. It appears, however, that Atomic Charge Wallet is the same item, now re-branded under the “Atomic” umbrella of products. I say this because the advertising was nearly identical, and featured the same spokesman.
A few years ago, As Seen on TV marketers jumped on the over-hyped RFID-blocking craze and dumped a number of wallets in this category on the market. Thus, at first glance it would seem that Atomic Charge Wallet is rather late to the RFID-blocking game, but this item includes an extra function those older wallets didn’t: an included cell phone charger.
As someone who has carried a second power pack around, I can see this being a valuable item to those who constantly need to charge their phones. The convenience reminds me of similar charger phone cases that have risen in popularity in recent years. If you’ve used one of those, you probably understand the value of having extra battery power on hand. The charger only offers a modest 2,500 mAh, which probably won’t fully charge most modern smartphones. I was able to get about 50% of a charge for my iPhone 7 Plus out of it.
It took me about 5 hours to fully charge my Atomic Charge Wallet, and then about 90 minutes to use it to charge my phone up about 50%.
Atomic Charge Wallet sports a hard shell case, which is a common design that some people do like. I’ve tried both the Atomic Charge Wallet and E-Charge Wallet, which both sport this type of design, but didn’t favor the unforgiving material in my back pocket. They are less comfortable than a slightly pliable leather wallet. The accordion inner design may also take some getting used to. Some people swear by this type of configuration, while others tend to prefer a more traditional two or three panel billfold with a money compartment.
The RFID blocking technology brings up a topic (that remains debatable) whether or not any actual threat exists from skimming. When the RFID-blocking craze exploded a few years ago, Popular Mechanics pointed out, “No one we spoke with actually heard of RFID ‘skimming’ occurring outside a lab.”
Atomic Charge Wallet is well-made, and slightly larger than the “other” charging wallet out there called E-Charge Wallet. That product also had a rather weak latch, which Atomic Charge Wallet doesn’t have. I’m able to shove all of my cards and cash in the Atomic Charge Wallet without the latch popping open.
A hard-shell wallet with an accordion design may take some getting used to for some consumers, but if the advertising looks compelling to you, this could be worth trying out. I’m not particularly fond of hard wallets, and I’m not convinced that RFID blocking is a necessity. And keep in mind that the charging feature may only give you about a 50% battery boost. There are those who covet many of the features included in this wallet and they will surely enjoy such an item.
It will be interesting to see if this re-branded wallet can make an impact with consumers this go round. Because it has already arrived in stores, it would appear that Atomic Charge Wallet is here to stay.
Alternatives
There are, of course, other wallet chargers on the market. This Nomad Wallet is one such example. If the charging feature isn’t of interest, you can find this Amazon Best Selling stainless steel wallet for $9.
What are your thoughts about Atomic Charge Wallet? Drop a comment below and a star rating above to let us know what you think about it.
Updated November 2021.
Thank you for the review!!!
I left a comment earlier regarding the barrier that the Atomic brand professes to have. Please could you answer my inquiry. I’m not nearly as bad as my ID suggests! lol
I just checked and found it listed on this page as “Lined with RFID blocking technology”
You didn’t mention it in your review and I don’t know a lot about this stuff so I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know? Thanks
(and again, I’m not nearly as disagreeable as my ID suggests!!! 🙂
I did touch on this in the written text above, quoted:
The RFID blocking technology brings up a topic (that remains debatable) whether or not any actual threat exists from skimming. When the RFID-blocking craze exploded a few years ago, Popular Mechanics pointed out, “No one we spoke with actually heard of RFID ‘skimming’ occurring outside a lab.”
It is my opinion that the threat of RFID skimming is overhyped for marketing purposes.