It’s rare these days that a piece of tech completely wows me with being original, but even rarer is that device isn’t connected to the internet. I’ve been on the search for the perfect keyring and I think I may have found it in an unlikely place… in a wallet. The MKC Tab Wallet just might be the perfect device for all my personal identification and keys.
My keychain search has turned up many contenders like KeySmart and KeyBar. I’ve carried two generations of the KeySmart with the Tile integrated model being the latest. Despite this, I’ve felt like it was still bulky and not quite what I wanted.
MKC which is a sub-brand of a company called IPPINKA may have filled that void and more with the Tab Wallet. Allow me to expand on just how impressive this wallet really is in my full review.
Design
The tanned leather look of the MKC Tab Wallet looks fairly normal when you pull it out of the box. You have a front pocket meant to store a single, or at most, three cards. I’ve chosen to use this as my placeholder for my driver’s license and insurance card.
Inside the main compartment, you have a larger slot for your main credit and debit cards to live. The company says this will contain three to six cards, but may need time for the leather to conform to the higher end of that capacity. I’ve found that to be true. I started with three cards and added additional cards to five total within a week. This compartment is also RFID protected.
So, far you’re right. This is a standard minimal front pocket wallet by MKC. However, flip the Tab Wallet over and you’ll see what looks like two brass buttons. These are actually Chicago bolts that screw into studs on the other side of this leather back.
And this is where the magic happens! Each stud will hold up to three standard-size keys for your household locks. Once in place, you screw the bolt through the keys and you now have your main keys and money all in a single MKC Tab Wallet.
Real-World Experience
While most of us probably don’t have a ton of keys, I do have more than one and this multi-functioning MKC Tab Wallet hits a sweet spot and is still very slim in pocket real estate. This allows me to have my house key, my parents key, a bottle opener, and a SIM tool (nerd alert) all hidden in the same wallet I’m going to carry every day.
The MKC Tab is also a better wallet in general than what I was previously using. I previously had one that had a tiered card slot on one side, a large pocket in the middle, and a plastic-covered ID slot on the back. I was always having issues with the plastic sticking to my license while ordering drinks and the card slots overlapped just enough to make getting to any card cumbersome.
The MKC Tab instead offers you a front pocket to easily get to my license or other documentation more freely. I don’t have to fumble through a plastic wall to get to them when a tasty beer is at stake.
It also makes paying the tab quicker with a tab. You pull the elastic band around the bottom of the main card slot and all your cards pull right out ready to be used. Once the cards are returned the tab slides back down into place tucked away into the Tab Wallet.
Now, the elephant in the room is car fobs. These are usually obnoxiously large and bulky. Well, that’s the one downside to this MKC Tab Wallet, but that’s not unusual. Every keychain I’ve tried on the market simply doesn’t make a great home for these keyless entry units.
It did however limit the bulk of my pockets by utilizing the wallet I was already carrying. I’ve always been a keys in the left pocket and wallet in my right kinda guy, but with a couple of keys and a couple of car fobs, this had gotten cramped over the last few years as phones have gotten larger as well.
MKC has freed up space around my keyless car fobs for my Pixel 4 XL and we all couldn’t be happier. And if I do need to carry them all at once, I put a locking carabiner on my car fobs and a small ring on my MKC Tab to be able to take both in the gym, etc.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyPTGDD-S_c?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]
Final Thoughts
I’ll wrap up by saying I am pretty sure this is the closest thing to a perfect combination of front-pocket wallet and a key organizer you’ll find on the market. MKC has a great build of real leather and functional compartments that I’m still impressed by.
You can snag your own MKC Tab Wallet, or it’s big brother, at the company’s website or Amazon. The Tab is available in black or brown leather for $72. Let me know what you think in the comments if you’re liking what you see from MKC.