Your own experience with hardware wallets.

[Gorilla22]

For sharing with each other. Info about own real-life experience with hardware wallets.

Both positive and negative.

What hardware wallet do you own or did own?

Works/worked well? Any problems with it?

Do you like your wallet? Please tell why and what you like about it.

Don't you like your wallet? Please tell why and what you don't like about it.

Like this :-)

Please write whatever you want about your own experience.

[1714986640]

1714986640

[1714986640]

1714986640

[1714986640]

1714986640

[BitMaxz]

Why you don't bring this to the right section we have a hardware wallet section here on the forum that you can find here.

We also have old post reviews for a few well-known hardware wallets you can check them here Hardware wallets reivews

[mk4]

Been a Ledger hardware wallet user for like 5 years; and I've used it for BTC/ETH/SOL/ATOM chains. No complaints with the device, besides the fact that there have been like 2-3 software updates where I needed to re-import the recovery phrase to the hardware wallet — which is quite tedious.

[NeuroticFish]

I have a Ledger Nano S. I use it for some years now without problems. I like it connects via cable, I don't like the official Ledger Live software (wallet + updater). I use the HW with Electrum.

A very important note is to read more about Ledger, since I may have been just lucky:
* Ledger has leaked customers' data and handled the situation very bad
* Ledger products are sometimes unreliable (from bad batteries to bad screens)

Right now I would not buy Ledger, I would rather go for something way different, maybe SeedSigner.

[Gorilla22]

BitMaxz,

My idea was to have a more basic discussion in "Beginners" part of the forum, so that beginners can easily and quickly get basic general understanding of hardware wallets market!

[examplens]

BitMaxz,

My idea was to have a more basic discussion in "Beginners" part of the forum, so that beginners can easily and quickly get basic general understanding of hardware wallets market!

We can't move all discussions to the B&H section. even beginners have to learn to use the forum with all its possibilities beginners have to learn to use forum with its possibilities. otherwise, what are the purpose of the other boards and the discussions that take place there?

not to be completely off-topic here, I've been using Trezor for years. I really can't complain about any problem for now. Very easy to use, especially now with his official app Trezor Suite. Also, it is quite compatible with many 3rd party applications and wallets.

[coolcoinz]

Ledger nano user here.
I bought it a few years back to try it out as it was at a 50% discount. I think it was in 2020, so I have it for a little over 2 years. I don't keep all my money on it because I don't trust it 100%. Wouldn't want to get an issue with it that takes weeks or months to resolve and lose access to all my coins.
I think it's built pretty good, although the plastics are much thinner than what an average mobile phone has to offer. It reminds me of an early 2000 mobile phone.
I had no issues with it, but I feel like an air gapped system offers a comparable level of safety with a faster access and even easier recovery.

Main pro IMO is that it's easy to hide and transport and offers more protection than your phone or a thumb drive. Top choice if you travel a lot and want to take your coins with you.

[n0nce]

I've had hands-on with a whole bunch of hardware wallets over the years.
In general, I'm a big proponent of using these over software wallet, since a good hardware wallet can be almost as convenient as a software wallet, while being much more secure and usable across devices.

So far, nothing has beat the Foundation Passport, as it combines all my needs:

• Convenience: Usable with all my devices, compact size
• Airgap = smaller attack surface, no need to always carry a cable
• Large screen and keypad = quick to use and easy to check addresses
• Secure element for security against hardware-attacks

As well as my general requirements for wallets:

• Open-source (hardware & software)
• Reproducible builds

It does have a battery problem, but when you get used to use it, the time spent with screen on is so minimal that batteries don't have to be replaced too frequently.
You can turn the device on, enter PIN, scan and sign a transaction, as well as check addresses, in half a minute. Therefore it doesn't draw a lot of power.
Due to metal parts and form factor, it's also more rugged than the other wallets that I've held in my hands in the past.

Review

After owning the Foundation Devices Passport 'Founders Edition' for a few months, I would like to share my thoughts / experience!
I kept notes of stuff I tried so far, so I hope I'm not missing anything.
[...]

[mk4]

I think it's built pretty good, although the plastics are much thinner than what an average mobile phone has to offer. It reminds me of an early 2000 mobile phone.

To be fair — a Ledger Nano S was like $60 or something? Can't really expect to have a top-notch material build with that cheap of a price. Though the more expensive Ledger Nano X has a far better build.

tl;dr I guess what's important is that the device does it's job really well.

[Lucius]

Though the more expensive Ledger Nano X has a far better build.

That's how it seems at first glance, and if you take both devices in your hands, X is much bigger and heavier and and gives the impression of better quality. However, it seems that the materials in both models are similar or maybe even the same. In the end, everything depends on how the device is used, because someone keeps it in ideal conditions and rarely uses it - someone else may carry it in their pocket every day, and after 4-5 years of intensive use, there will certainly be visible marks on the device.

tl;dr I guess what's important is that the device does it's job really well.

That should be the most important thing, because such devices are bought for safe storage and safe ways of transaction, and the physical appearance should not be too important.

[coolcoinz]

I think it's built pretty good, although the plastics are much thinner than what an average mobile phone has to offer. It reminds me of an early 2000 mobile phone.

To be fair — a Ledger Nano S was like $60 or something? Can't really expect to have a top-notch material build with that cheap of a price. Though the more expensive Ledger Nano X has a far better build.

tl;dr I guess what's important is that the device does it's job really well.

I agree, but you can get a casio watch for $50 that's built much better than a ledger wallet and I'm talking about everything here: the quality of plastics, sturdiness, water resistance (I'm not going to check but it looks like ledger has none of that). To be honest, I've seen $30 flash drives that were all metal on the outside and looked like stomping them wouldn't do any damage.

[o_e_l_e_o]

To be honest, I've seen $30 flash drives that were all metal on the outside and looked like stomping them wouldn't do any damage.

Sure, but a flash drive is just a storage chip and nothing else, with no ongoing development needed. With a hardware wallet like Ledger, not only are you paying for more expensive hardware such as a screen and a secure element, but you are also paying for ongoing software development, new firmware, app updates, and so on, as well as a much larger and technical customer support base.

If you want a hardware wallet which is shock resistant and waterproof, there are ones out there which will fulfill that niche, but you will obviously pay more for them. It's never something I've been interested in - my hardware wallets are rarely in a situation where such things are a concern, and my seed phrase back ups render such features unnecessary.

[mk4]

I agree, but you can get a casio watch for $50 that's built much better than a ledger wallet and I'm talking about everything here: the quality of plastics, sturdiness, water resistance (I'm not going to check but it looks like ledger has none of that). To be honest, I've seen $30 flash drives that were all metal on the outside and looked like stomping them wouldn't do any damage.

I guess? But we're comparing a digital wristwatch(which should at least slightly look/feel good because you have it on your wrist for everyone to see) to a security device. Same thing with flash drives — I'm pretty sure hardware wallets are far far more sophisticated devices than a flash drive or a wrist watch. Remember that you're not solely paying for the hardware, but the software as well.