Topic: (announced) WATERPROOF CRYPTO WALLET CASE for Ledger Nano and Trezor Hardware St (Read 398 times)

Take a look at the stress test that Jameson Lopp performed on several metal seed plate solutions. Billfodl performed badly. When the plate got subjected to heat, many letters fell out of their original positions. That could result in messing up your words and word sequences. As m2017 mentioned, there shouldn't be any small moving parts on the plates, and that's exactly what Billfodl has. You can also see pictures with final results of the tests towards the end of the blog post.   

I doubt that in one hardware wallet it will be possible to combine water protection and fire protection at the same time. Water and fire are elements that are very different in their properties and effects on materials.

I doubt even more that in the age of plastic it will be possible to create a non-combustible device. Even if the case can be made like this, thanks to expensive and exotic materials (for example, kevlar), it will be difficult to make the filling of the device immune to high temperatures (even if the case turns out to be immune to open fire). Electronic components simply can't withstand high temperatures. But what can I say, even with soldering it is not known what will happen.

Even if manage to find the right materials and successfully combine them, how much will this hardware wallet cost the end user? I'm sure it will be expensive.

It’s easier, and most importantly cheaper, to put the HW device (maybe even in a waterproof case) into a fireproof bag. So it will turn out to combine these two opposite elements.

Regarding the choice of metal best suited for storing seed phrases, it has been repeatedly discussed here - Securing Your Seed Phrase with Washers

The same applies to your question about billfodl. The main drawback of billfodl is that it consists of many small parts, which, if the outcome is unfavorable (opening or breaking the case and rivets), will be mixed / lost, making the information unreadable. A piece of metal plate engraved with text is much cheaper and better in my opinion.

Actually, not everyone would like the idea of that case matrix, but we can't forget that some people may find it useful. A strong case that has all anti-destructive abilities means the price of the case would be high as well.

In my country, we were affected by a flood, which was an extreme disaster. This flood distroyed a lot of properties of individuals, and I can imagine if an individual had any hardware wallet hidden somewhere in their house they would just easily lay their hands on before the water flooded every area. If they had this water-proof case, it would have saved them the big stress of their wallet being damaged, I guess. So I just feel some people will find these cases valuable for themselves. Although your suggestion about the plastic zip bag can also do the job and save the person money to spend on the case, but some people may not value the bag compared to the real case.


You know that before, there was nothing like the idea of this waterproof hardware wallet case, but now we have them in several patterns and sizes. I still think that there can be some possible means to combine the two abilities of being waterproof and fireproof like the one @kamvreto talked about, but since it doesn't totally have the whole ability, one day we might see some new case matrix having all the capability to withstand every distructive factor.


LoL, I wish I could imagine how you feel about this wallet case, but perhaps you will not keep it where your friends can easily set their eyes on it any time they visit your house. Despite the fact that it protects your hardware wallet, you will still need to keep it in the safe place where you are supposed to keep a hardware wallet.


That one is pretty cool and small to carry around.
As a chemist, one thing I have learned is that aluminum may have the ability to resist fire, but it's not a totally fireproof piece of metal. Although it depends on the temperature it gets exposed to.

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Okey folks, How about the stainless steel recovery seed phrase offline tool? Although it's not a hardware wallet case, but it's resistant to water and fire, and since it secures the wallet phrase, even if the hardware wallet gets damaged, we still have our phrase to get new hardware and recover the wallet.

The problem of these minerals in the moving parts, moving parts make it badly perform when it comes to shocks, questions or fires.

You will find a detailed explanation of how bad these moving parts are when they are exposed to fluids or combustion and therefore they are not good to protect the equipment of the devices. https://jlopp.github.io/metal-bitcoin-storage-reviews



Cylindrical parts will play a better role in both shock resistance, heat and other factors.

Of course, every material has a heat transition problem, each metal has its own melting point.
Such as the commonly used 304 Stainless Steel material 

Density (g/cm3): 7.93
Melting point (℃): 1,400℃-1,450℃
Specific heat (J/kg-℃): 460℃-502℃
Electrical resistivity (μΩ-m) (20℃): 0,73
Thermal expansion (10-6/K): 16.3 (20-100 ℃), 17.8 (20-300 ℃), 18,4 (20-500 ℃)
Thermal conductivity (W/m-K): 16.8 (100 ℃)

The better the material used will also affect the selling price.
Stainless Steel 304 material in my opinion is more than enough for the Hardware Wallet case material.


https://www.visualcapitalist.com/prove-your-metal-top-10-strongest-metals-on-earth/

Metal boxes designed for electrical installations are indeed widely sold and the price is also not too expensive.
But don't expect a good design.


3D inlay I have never seen it, it may require a 3D printer which is also more expensive.

If you search the internet you can easily find metal cases that are designed for electrical installation. Those can be found in basically every size and also in waterproof editions with a rubber seal. Those are perfect for storing a hardware wallet in my opinion. Beste would again be to 3d print an Inlay.

In defense of aluminum and other affordable materials. The strength of them don't only depend on the mechanical properties themselves, but also on the geometric properties of the structures which purpose is to protect the wallet, so it is possible for a well designed aluminum case to bear enough load.

The heat transition problem (which is by the way a problem for most of the metals) would be addressed by including lagging material in between of a metallic matrix.
Those are the kind of things which can be tested in CAD software, before building a prototype.  

This case will be able to protect HW device from some external influences, but still, this is far from the best option. Although I admit, it's still better than without any case at all.

The disadvantages are the following:

1 - Metal. Aluminum will not withstand a serious fire and will melt. (If the case is made of other heat-resistant metal, then most likely a hardware wallet inside will be damaged due to the increase in temperature inside the case. Even if the case doesn't melt. Simply, the plastic and other components will melt or cease to function).

2 - Metal again. Aluminum is soft, so it will not withstand a blow to the case with a heavy object (falling elements of building structures) and will bend (deform). Together with the case, the device inside will be deformed, which will disable the device.

Those cases are nice but they are around forever  I think the original is pelicase and you can get cheap fakes on any Chinese website. You can get the right size and 3d print a fitting inlay so your hardware wallet will fit perfectly. Usually much cheaper then the cases that are specific for one thing! (around 10-20 USD)

This is a universal storage, it can be used for other items not just Hardware Wallet. The design also looks big and it does look flashy as described by some members here. Look at the price, it's not cheap at around $150.

I'd save the $150 for other protectors that are more worthit and still pretty cheap. For $20, you can get a storage made of fireproof and waterproof Aluminum Alloy.

CryptoPod Only $20
https://www.amazon.com/Crypto-Ledger-Nano-Case-Cryptocurrency/dp/B096SSSRD7?th=1

Not only is it ugly, but it also attracts attention. It is true that you do not want to impress others with it, but make it more difficult to notice, especially to thieves or even your friends who may easily recognize it when they come to your house.
Add to this the increase in size, which makes it difficult to hide it, and it is not possible to put more than one hardware wallet inside it.

And how do you propose to combine fire resistance with water resistance? It seems to me that this will not be easy to combine in one case. Those materials that provide good protection against the penetration of moisture and water, most likely will not have the ability to withstand the high temperatures that occur during combustion. Simply, these materials (like silicone) will melt or burn.

To protect your HW device1 from lightning (although I didn’t mention anything about lightning before), make a lightning rod.


It's not even that you can drop hardware wallet (ordinary foam rubber, which will be sheathed on the inside of the case, will help here). Shock resistance is needed so that the case can withstand the fall of heavy objects on it. For example, bricks or blocks from breaking walls during an earthquake (or other force majeure circumstances). Of course, this will not protect against very heavy objects, such as concrete walls or floor slabs of apartments, but additional protection will never be superfluous.


In general, it is impossible to protect yourself from all 33 misfortunes, but you can protect yourself from some of it by choosing a certain type of case (or several). Which one will depend on individual preferences and the environment (situation). Don't look for universal solutions.

If device itself is not waterproof (like  most hardware wallets), I wouldn't waste a lot of money to buy special dedicated boxes to make them waterproof.
There are simple universal dry bags that can be used for storing anything including hardware wallets, and there are also cheap plastic zip bags that does the job.
Making this case fireproof, shockproof and waterproof would probably make it more interesting for people, but that would also increase the price.

Shockproof resistant means that the item inside doesn't suffer damages if you drop it by accident from a distance. It's got nothing to do with lightning strikes. Perhaps you carry the case in your hands, trip, and drop it to the ground. Or it falls down from a shelf, etc. A good safe should have sufficient padding inside, so if something like that happens, the HW doesn't break.

Somebody should also be making these cases fireproof as well as waterproof (actually waterproof, and not just "water-resistant for a few hours"). A house fire is easily capable of destroying your hardware wallet as well.


I disagree. The case should be both fireproof and waterproof. It is not necessary to make it resistant to shocks because you shouldn't be leaving your HW outside on the ground for a lightning strike in the first place.

Ugly???.. As long as it serves it purpose I'm good with it and moreover it's not something you carry around to impress someone. It's just a protective covering for the ledger.

You raised a valid point chief, I wish there's a video for one to see how it does when subjected to stress test. It would give one some sorts of assurance and confidence of what one is paying for.

But unfortunately the company doesn't have any videos; they have only given a few descriptions of the stress or tension the case can withstand. I am not against the use of this kind of case, but I don't really need it now, but if I should buy one, it would be of the same choice like what you think. At least a case that is resistant to every factor that could damage the hardware wallet, such as water, fire, heat, etc.

But anyways, the waterproof case could still save crypto users from the chance of their hardware wallet or private key device being distroyed should it come in contact with water or any external factors that can distroy it apart from fire.


That's true, the security measures are just to some certain level, unless you go with a case that can really withstand all the possible factors that can destroy the hardware wallet. I don't need these cases now because I don't yet have a hardware wallet, but it's good that I am already learning how to protect a hardware wallet and which case is best to use.

The main issue with almost all of these so-called waterproof cases is the fact that they're "only" water-resistant as opposed to being waterproof ^{[in other words, they can only provide protection to a certain degree (ignore anyone that says otherwise)]}!

You shouldn't... Most "high-quality or rather original" pelican cases have an "IP rating of 67" ^{[they're not meant to be submerged for a long period of time]}.

Hardware wallets are not designed to be protected from external factors and are intended only for everyday use. I am sure you understand all this and therefore, depending on the living conditions, such cases can be useful and help keep the device in working order. It will be very sad if you urgently need access to your crypto assets, but HW device turns out to be out of order.

Of course, what OP offers is a good offer, but I found it cheaper (2 times) with a lazy search on the well-known Chinese site - item 1.

It looks just as ugly (is the appearance so important), but at least cheaper (as always, merchant sellers sin with inflated prices), performs its protective functions (didn't check - I don’t know), the seller will not recognize your personal data as the owner of the hardware wallet (this you can buy a case for a regular flash drive, right).

I see it like this (put one into the other): hardware wallet -> waterproof case -> fireproof case -> shockproof (metal?) case - and then you can rest easy knowing your assets are safe.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: item 2 - fireproof case, for example.

As a shockproof case, any box made of durable metal with thick walls (it would be better if there are additional stiffening ribs inside), such as stainless steel, but not soft aluminum, can be used. In fact, shockproof and waterproof cases can be combined, it is enough to make the metal case airtight (waterproof gasket).

P.S. This is not an advertisement for the well-known Chinese site of all sorts of junk.

Maybe I am wrong, but it doesn't give me the impression of a secure case capable of surviving the most extreme stress tests. And if I am going to buy a case or safe, I want it to do exactly that. Otherwise, why bother with something halfway good? I would love to watch a stress test video to see how it copes with fires, acid, being dropped from high up, etc.