Cryptocurrencies have become valuable over the last few years and hardware wallets are now a mainstay within the cryptosphere. More recently, steel-crafted wallets that store crypto keys on a hard piece of metal have become increasingly popular. The following is a look at the wide variety of so-called ‘doomsday’ digital currency wallets fabricated from metal components.
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The Steel Wallet Trend
Steel crypto wallets have become a popular form of storage in 2019 and there’s a slew of products crypto proponents can choose from today. News.Bitcoin.com reviewed a few steel wallets in the past that were created by the startup Cryptosteel. In January 2017, our newsdesk looked at Cryptosteel’s first iteration, which safely stores private keys, BIP39 compatible seeds, and secret cryptographic messages. In November 2019, news.Bitcoin.com reviewed the Cryptosteel Capsule, a steel cylinder device with 800 lettered tiles.
Moreover, Casa CTO and software developer Jameson Lopp has published his “Metal Bitcoin Seed Storage Stress Test” series, which covers steel wallet products extensively. People like the idea of metal-grade wallets that can last a long time and sustain critical amounts of damage. For instance, if a crypto holder’s home was on fire, an electronic hardware wallet or a paper seed would surely go up in flames. Steel wallets, although not perfect, can withstand a lot more stress and easily sustain water and fire damage. For example, steel can sustain heat temperatures around 2500°F, as aluminum can only withstand roughly 1225°F. Plastics have an extremely low melting point between 320°F and 410°F. Most hardware wallets today are constructed of plastic and aluminum components, which can be easily harmed by fire and water.
