Tangem

We were lucky enough to get a sample hardware wallet from Tangem to try out.  Here are our thoughts.

I received the package in a simple envelope from Utah.  The return address says Launch Fulfillment, and when I google the address, there is a company that does fulfillment located at that address called Launch Fulfillment.  I assume that Tangem stores its wallets for the US in Utah and drop ships them as needed.

The package was a plastic envelope and when I opened it, there was the Tangem package.  The box was sealed in plastic wrap.  There were no security stickers.  In theory the box could have been tampered with and I would not have known.  You can reseal plastic wrap.  There is a label on the box saying the item was made in Switzerland on July 2022.

I opened the package and pulled the Tangem Hardware Wallet out.  It is a thin plastic card that looks like a credit card.  It has NFC capabilities and communicates with your Android phone or your Ios phone using Near Field Communication.

When you first take the card to the phone, the phone will prompt you to download the app.  You need the app to interact with the wallet.  The wallet is stored on the NFC card and you use your phone to access it.  Your phone does not touch your funds.  Once you have funds in your wallet you should be able to connect your wallet to a different phone that also has the Tangem app.  We haven't tried yet.

Our package came with three cards.  I attached all of them to the same wallet.  In theory, if I lose one of the cards, I can use the others to move the funds.

Unlike most of the wallets we sell, this wallet does not use bip39 seed recovery.  There is no way to back this wallet up using stainless steel or aluminum.  If you have all 3 cards near each other and you lose all of them, your funds will be gone.

We will go more in depth and publish some pictures.  Our initial take is that this wallet is very cool and easy to use.  We like the functionality of needing a NFC card so that your funds can't be taken from your wallet on your phone when you don't have the card on you.

This is a great way to move around small amounts of funds.  When it comes to big money or savings, we prefer storing funds in a wallet that uses BIP39 and then recording the seed phrase on stainless steel.