Topic: Best Second Hardware Wallet To Buy? (Read 338 times)

Nice, but I expect from Ledger even better product and hope with ^$380M fund they recently raised I will see it in the nearest future. Developers said they are focused on products that would be friendly to DeFI ecosystem  so I will wait until next generation dubbed as Ledger DeFi will appear.

Fair point, i didn't consider OP past experience.


UI/UX concern when using DeFi could be solved with updated app (on Ledger) and software (on your computer or smartphone). Although there's hardware limitation such as limited button or small screen to verify specific action on DeFi.

For the OP, this would no doubt be quite a challenge - so while it's not something that makes a big difference, when someone is so confused with the basics - imagine what would happen if he had two different models that have S and X in their name... He better understand some things with S before moving on to level X.

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I bought my X at a significant discount a few years ago and have never regretted it - except I don't have to worry about storage, it's a lot easier to work with because of the larger screen where you can see the entire coin address when verifying - and unlike the S model, the whole device looks much more compact and of better quality. For me personally, the battery is not a problem, it makes sense only if you use BT - for a desktop connection there is a USB cable.

I would suggest Trezor One as a great second hardware wallet. It's small and very user friendly and also quite affordable.

Why would you keep your "everyday" hardware wallet and your "backup" hardware wallet in the same place?

You're effectively putting all your eggs in one basket, so doing that will only really result in a backup from hardware failure of the first device... but likely won't help in the case of fire, flood or theft.

Also, why not just use the same PIN on both devices?

I see no reason why you would use two Nano S hardware wallets at the same time. Are you planning on using one from Monday-Wednesday, and the other Thursday-Sunday? If the other one is supposed to be a backup, then keep it as a backup in case your first device stops working.

It make sense to restore your seed in it, just to see that the device works and isn't faulty. If it is, you can always return it while it's still under warranty. Don't forget to restore if to factory settings before.

Okay this is going to sound like a very stupid question but i need to ask.



My current nano ledger s, i have coins stored there and accounts are shown on ledger live.



If i get another nano ledger s... then restore my current nano ledger seed into the new nano ledger s... then i will have access to my coins.  But when I do this, do i even need to delete those accounts on ledger live and re-add them or that is completely unnecessary if that seed i enter is 100 percent the seed connected to it?  So one could just sent/receive with no issue just like that?



Also people say its always a good idea to get a backup hardware wallet such as another nano ledger s or x in case your current one breaks so you don't need to wait to order another one.



But when people get an extra hardware wallet for backup, does it make sense to restore the current nano ledger seed to it as well?  So if anything happens to your current nano ledger s, well now you have access to your backup hardware wallet... but not only that... you can just enter the pin to it without needing to get your seed?  Compare that to going to get your backup nano ledger s... then having to type in the seed in order to access your coins?  Do you people with an extra hardware wallet... just let it sit there in your drawer and not activate it... or do you put your seed in it?  I guess one negative is if you somehow mistake one nano s for another, then you going to put the wrong pin down right on your first try?

That's OK, you are not supposed to keep it in your butt crack anyway, so don't worry about it. It was designed to keep your coins safe, not feel comfortable on the palm of your hand.


You can still connect it to your computer via a cable and it will draw power from it even if the battery runs out.


Get another Ledger S. You will just get more confused operating a brand new wallet like the Trezor. 


How will the answer to this question help you any further? You just said you are thinking about purchasing another Nano S or the Trezor One.


It looks like a tamagotchi to me. Stick it inside a drawer with thermometers, Tamagotchis, and blood-pressure monitors and someone who knows nothing about crypto wont know the difference.   

I don't use mine publicly. If I need to carry bitcoin on me, I transfer some to a more user-friendly hot wallet.


A USB stick isn't connected via a cable to your computer.

If you don't want to "draw attention" you shouldn't use any hardware wallet in public.
It doesn't really matter if "less people" will recognize it as a hardware wallet. That's a security by obscurity approach and shouldn't be relied on.

Either you don't care people see you with a hardware wallet or you don't bring one with you.

My Nano X arrived with a faulty battery twice (it was discharging way too fast). I had both units replaced under warranty. Ledger claims that the battery is not replaceable. You should be able to use it without any problems even if the battery dies.


Keep in mind that both Trezor model One and model T are vulnerable to the unfixable seed extraction attack. I guess that's something you would want to know about.

Okay so i saw a few videos on youtube and some ppl seem to not like the nano ledger x much compared to the nano ledger s.  They say it doesn't feel comfortable and things like that.  Does anyone here own both a ledger nano x and s... could share their opinion?  I know the big difference between both is you could install a lot of coins on the ledger X as oppose the ledger s which you need to delete apps if you have more than a few amount of coins.


But does the battery bother anyone since these can't last more than a few years right?  Has anyone battery went bad with the nano ledger x?


Again i will stick with either ledger or trezor.  I dont want to spend over two hundred dollars on the trezor T though... so would just getting the trezor one be fine since its around same price as the ledger s?  For me, i am strongly leaning towards getting another nano ledger s or the trezor one. 


Also if ledger x and s was same price... would almost everyone choose the ledger X?


Also the one thing about the ledger s i like the most is it look like a usb stick.  With a trezor or trezor T... don't most ppl agree it looks much different and could draw attention?  Also do people feel comfortable using their hardware wallets in public like at a coffeeshop or something?  I dont feel like good idea.  But if its with a ledger nano s, i think many people close by would think its a usb stick and nothing else.  Now with a trezor, well they might get a bit suspicious?

There are two types of apps in Ledger Live:
- Standalone apps
- Dependent apps

Bitcoin is your standalone app. You need that one if you want to have Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold, Litecoin, etc. Depending on the combination of apps, you'll have enough space to install your standalone (Bitcoin) app + 4, 5, maybe more dependent apps.

You don't need the Ethereum app for any of the coins you mentioned, so there is no reason to have it installed. I hope you have learned by now that even if you uninstall an app, you aren't losing those coins. The software just doesn't display them until you reinstall them. 

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Regarding your doubts about the seed. You don't need to fund an address after you create a new wallet using a newly generated seed. Ensure that you have written it down properly. After that you can use the Recovery Check app to see if it's correct. The first time you create a new wallet with the new seed, check and save a few addresses, or just one of them. Then reset your device to factory settings. Restore your wallet using the same seed. If it generates a wallet with the same address as the one your previously saved, you did it correctly. If you insist on funding an address just to be sure, I wouldn't recommend you do it with 0.005 BTC. That's almost $300 worth of bitcoin right now. Send a few dollars worth unless you are comfortable to potentially lose a 3-figure bitcoin amount.   

If you know this, then why a second hardware wallet? I have a feeling that what you need more would be crypto steel or similar (and maybe more than one).
And then the HW you are using can be reset and hold at one moment the seed you need.

The idea would be to keep the "big bucks" completely offline and usually keep on the HW only the seed for funds for current use.

Why? There is no risk involved. You will still be able to access your passphrase-less wallet without any problems. When you set up a passphrase, you have two choices. You can either enter it manually every time you plug in your device or you can attach it to a separate PIN. So, if you enter your current PIN, you will be able to access your current wallet.


You can even use the same PIN if you want. You should be able to use both devices with Ledger Live without any extra configuration.


You need either a phone or a computer to transfer your coins. You can disable Bluetooth connectivity in the settings and use only a wired connection if you are concerned about that for some reason.


If you input the same recovery seed into two hardware wallets then you should see exactly the same balance on both devices. You don't need to transfer your coins.

I did not know mcafee wallet is a scam.  I just checked the website for it and it looks legit. 


I only have btc and bch and btg wallet installed in my ledger nano s even though i only have btc and bch on it only.  I definitely would like to install more coins though like litecoin and a few other coin apps though when i get those coins.  But if i install ETH app in addition to having btc and bch and btg in it... is it enough space?  I heard if you install both btg and eth, it takes up almost all the kb?  But if you only have btc and other coins, you could do up to 6 or 8 coins?  I know before the update, you could do max like a few wallets installed only before you need to delete and install each one everytime right?


Well if i get another nano ledger s... well that is more storage but obviously not like the amount compared to nano ledger x.  Im not sure if im a fan of being able to transfer coins or not without a computer.  As you know with the nano ledger s, if i want to send, i need it connected to a laptop.  So its like wouldnt it be less safe if you have the nano ledger x with you since transfer could be done without a computer? 


If i do get a second hardware wallet, my plan is to do the 25th word seed on it.  Thus like do it... but i dont want to try it on my current one. 


So it would be activate new wallet on the new ledger nano s.  Then send a smaller amount of btc to it like 0.005.  Then reset it to make sure the new seed works for the new nano ledger s.  Then do the
pin and the 25th word seed on it.  Once I do that, send like 0.004 btc from the new ledger nano s address to the hidden wallet in the new nano ledger s.  Then once i do that, i see a balance on both of them in the new nano ledger s.  Then once I do that... i would send a tiny bit of btc from my current nano ledger s to the hidden wallet in the new nano ledger s... then once that confirms... send the remaining balance of it to the hidden wallet of the nano ledger s.



Now would you say this is just being ridiculous or not?  I obviously want to do a test amount just to make sure before anything.  So i want to do a test transfer each time to confirm on each wallet... before sending the whole batch.


Or would the same thing be accomplished if i just get the new nano ledger s wallet and just input my current seed to it?  But when i do this, I would need to set up a new pin for it right?  So once i do that, what would happen if i unplug the new nano ledger s from the laptop and then connect my current nano ledger s to it?  Once i type in my pin and log in... then it would show the same balance right and not 0?



Thats another confusing thing i dont understand. 


Like what if imagine you try to type your seed into a hardware wallet at the same time in say two different hardware wallets?  What happens then?  It would show the same balance for both people?  Imagine you tried do type you seed in two different hardware wallets at same time?  I assume it just same balance right and nothing happens till you try to transfer coins from it to another?

His wallet is a scam. He is a scam. Everything he touches is a scam. Just Google "McAfee wallet" and see page after page after page of articles talking about how terrible his wallet is and how easy it is to hack.

Do you need to use Bluetooth or have 20+ different coins all installed at once? Yes - buy the X. No - buy the S. Simple.

It depends entirely on your use case. If you are planning to duplicate the same wallet across two hardware devices, then you are simply exposing the same wallet to two sets of potential bugs, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. If you are using them for different wallets, then it is entirely up to you. What features about the Nano S are you unhappy with that Trezor devices solve? If you can't answer this question, then just get a second Nano S.

I just took a look at mcafee wallet on his site and apparently its the only wallet with no seed in it.  Does anyone here think that is a pro or a con?  In his site, it says anyone who seeds long words could tell its a seed and his wallet protects against that vulnerability.  Says also that you need a very long passphrase though for it.   Anyone have experience on that?


I took a look at the nano ledger x is double the price of the nano ledger s.  Did watch a review that said they wasn't that big of a fan of the x because it feels not comfortable.  Anyone have experience on this?


Well i did hear lot coins haven't been moved year ago... so that would mean since ledger x came out two years ago, then most people most likely used a ledger/trezor then?


Now if you had a choice of getting another nano ledger s or the trezor one... which would you choose?  I do see someone recommended the trezor t and its like three times more expensive... of course that isn't a big issue if you hold a good amount of crypto... but would most here suggest having the trezor T as the second wallet as oppose to getting another ledger nano s as a second hardware wallet?


Again, reason why i like to stick with the nano ledger s is because im used to it.  But if the trezor T and the nano ledger s was the same price, would almost everyone buy the trezor T?

Considering how anxious and insecure you are about every move you make, I would say stick with Ledger since you already have some knowledge about how to operate one. If you buy a Trezor, we are looking at 3-4 years before you figure out how to use it. I am not trying to offend you, you just seem unwilling to adopt the information and knowledge suggested to you.

It's the first time I hear that McAfee has his own wallet. Never buy a wallet just because a celebrity promotes or sells it. Never buy one that looks pretty or feels good in your hands. its only selling point should be the security it brings to the table. 

Don't buy a Nano X then. I personally don't like it because it has Bluetooth, which could be considered a potential new attack vector.

No one can tell you that by looking at the addresses. Even by the number of sold devices, you can't guarantee all of them are in use or have reached their final destination. I can have 3 hardware devices, but use only one and you will never know.   

Why would you assume that? It came out in 2019, so it's relatively new. We can assume that the funds that haven't moved for many years before its release are certainly not stored on a Ledger Nano X, unless the wallets were restored and never moved from their old addresses. We better not go into more details about the fact that the coins are never in the hardware wallet and are always on the blockchain.  

Well i want to get another second hardware wallet along with the current nano ledger s i currently have.  And i thought it has to be either another nano ledger s... or a trezor as it seems like these are the two best brands out there.  I mean, does no one else feel buying any other brand is just not safe etc?  Like when i hear about a new company that has a new hardware wallet which i never heard of... i just think sketchy.


Like why would anyone go with any other brand except ledger/trezor?  Like i know mcafee created his own wallet a while back and even though i read its safe, why not just stick with the reputable brands?


I also thought about the nano ledger x... but it using a battery turns me off because wouldn't that mean within a few years, it would not working due to the new battery and you  need a replacement?  Im curious if anyone here has the ledger x and has it for years... and if it has any battery issues or not.  The trezor T... i see its recommended but its like almost three times the money compared to the nano ledger s.


Well i know the nano ledger s is reputable and i have it and even had a replacement for it so i know its reputable.  So i figure why not just get another one.  Then i thought... well you got the trezor one and trezor T... and wondering if i should get that as a second one or not.


But those ppl with hold lot of crypto, would it be safe to say those ppl have it stored on ledger nano s, then trezor in that order?  I got to assume ppl with a lot of crypto don't put it on the nano ledger x right?  Again the one big drawback i have with lot of these wallets is some are very eye catching. I mean someone could look at a trezor or nano ledger blue and say okay this must be expensive if they don't know what it is.  If they see a nano ledger s, it literally looks like a usb stick if they had no clue about crypto.  Don't most ppl agree that is another reason why nano ledger s is probably the best?  The trezor looks like a toy/remote but it could draw looks.  The nano ledger s... looks like a usb stick.

Yeah, $130 is just too high for such a wallet. It's a super sleek design, and I would be willing to pay that for the right hardware wallet, but my issue with the Ballet Pro is that it is a one-key device. If you are worried about your wallet being compromised, you can't reset it. If you are worried that someone knows your encryption passphrase, you can't create a new one. You must compromise your privacy by reusing the same address repeatedly. You can't split your funds across multiple hidden wallets with passphrases. And so on. I'd buy it for $30, but I'm not paying $130 for a one-key device.

It is not incorrect. The majority of users do not use advanced features like passphrases or SD card encryption. Sure, we can both agree that they should do these things, but most don't, and so are still at risk of this vulnerability.

Absolutely worth the T if you are getting a new hardware wallet.

First:  AND THIS IS A BIG ONE --- > the continued crap (repeated over and over) about being able to extract your SEED by stealing your Trezor T is incorrect.  That is unless the user has not learned to use the SD slot on the hardware wallet (Trezor T) allowing the SEED and PIN to be encrypted and COMPLETELY out of reach to a thief that steals your Trezor T alone!

Answer this question as it applies to you.  You have to make a decision here.  BTC, which broke 61K this week, is so valuable.  Are you really going to decide to buy a hardware wallet and try and save less than 100 dollars from cheapest to most expensive knowing the value that device protects?  There are many solid ways to protect the custody of BTC and crypto in general.  Hardware wallets are simply one way and are great for newer users - especially. Part of your decision is to determine if you are going to maximize the potential of your hardware wallet.  e.g. if you get a Trezor T will you learn to employ all the methods available to keep yourself safe?  Would you spend thousands of dollars on the best computer and ignore the manual using only its basic features?  Many do exactly that when they buy a Trezor T and stick with basic plug and play.  Why?  Don't know; but it baffles me why you would pay the full amount and only use the basics.  My .02

I appreciate your opinion on the OpenDime, and I realize how it works.  It's such a sexy little device, though!

And yeah, I don't think anyone ought to be using a regular Ballet for storing crypto because of that leap of trust, but that Pro Ballet one is very enticing--except for its price, which is too expensive for what it is IMO.  Buying a Ledger or Trezor would be better options than either the Ballet or OpenDime, but I don't know of any other HW wallet that doesn't have major problems.  I really wish I did.

I would say definitely not. You shouldn't be using an OpenDime for either long term storage or for significant sums of money.

The only way to verify that the private key on an OpenDime was generated securely is to unseal it and reveal the private key, at which point you've kind of defeated the purpose of it. There is also no way to back up the private key again without unsealing the device. That means you either unseal the device, or you don't have a back up, which is a dangerous situation to be in with long term storage. Also, if anyone stumbles across your device, they can clear you out since there is no PIN or password.

I ignored the Ballet the first time I looked at it exactly because of the trust required, but this BIP38 encrypted version looks very nice indeed.

Well, that's jerry0 for you.  That's just the way he is.

How about an OpenDime for long-term storage?  The standard hardware wallets are convenient for sending coins whenever you want to, but I really like the OpenDime's concept and design--though I'm not sure if it actually qualifies as a bona fide HW wallet. 

The Ballet is another design I really, really like except for the fact that you have to trust that the manufacturer doesn't have a master list of all the private keys in its possession.  There is a new model, the Pro series, that seems to eliminate that concern (though it's much more expensive than the standard Ballet).  I just love the card design, which is aesthetically pleasing and compact enough to be hidden away.

Other than those, I haven't experimented too much with other HW wallets as I don't exactly have tons of crypto to keep in any of them.  The few that I have purchased are more as crypto collectibles rather than ones I'll actually use.

I completely agree with you, his questions seem sincere, but it is evident that he does not at all adopt the knowledge presented to him here over a period of several years. It is ugly to say, but it seems that he will never understand even the most basic things, no matter how many times and more than clearly something was explained to him. It seems that the only option will be to deny him access to this board, although he does the same thing throughout the forum.

jerry0, instead of opening new threads, start reading all the ones you have opened so far - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;threads;u=1152036;sa=showPosts

No offense jerry0, but i feel like this question of yours has been answered already in similar threads.

You are asking the wrong questions.
Be assured, that everything regarding safety and security has already been discussed with you. And at least a few hundred posts already have replied to your questions.

And i feel confident in assuming that i am not the only one answering PM's from you regarding safety/security measurements.

IMO, if you don't feel safe with those options (you can't "trust" them) then there is no need to buy them. Stick with Trezor, Ledger, or whatever hardware wallet that you and the community think good enough as a hardware wallet. If you're still not sure then make the first wallet never touched the internet, manage it using an air-gapped pc or something else.

Btw, it would be nice you don't put a lot of space between your texts to make them easier to read.

Just only ledger secure element is close source, all others are open source, that is why people still recommend ledger nano because only the way it is generating and storing seed phrase is close source, but very possible a close source secure element can have vulnerabilities that would predetermine generated seed phrase. Although not implying ledger nano is not safe, but implying better using what is completely open source in my opinion.

Everyone prefer open source software, because they are safer.

However, ledger nano is safe, even though some of its software is not open source.


Trezor has a vulnerability that can only be mitigate by using a passphrase. You can read about it here:

https://www.ledger.com/improving-the-ecosystem-disclosure-of-the-trezor-recovery-phrase-extraction-vulnerability


I think you are too much worried about things which are not important.

THere is no problem in removing and adding apps in your ledger nano S. There is no need to replace your device because of that.
However, if you do, you can buy a Ledger Nano X, which has more space to install as many app and shitcoins as you want. The battery is not a problem, and you shouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for response.  Yea you now going to have to write down multiple seeds then and that is another issue with having more than one hardware wallet.

Close source is open source... so open source is better?  Or its your opinion that its better?  What does general percentage of ppl think on this?


Yea i know seed is most important than hardware wallet itself.


So if you didn't put a passphrase on your trezor, someone with access to your trezor could access your wallet by extracting it out?  How long would that take?  So if someone had access to it for a short time, they could do it?   Or no passphrase, they have access to it?  There is a pin though right like with the nano ledger s? 


Well i already bought then nano ledger s directly from ledger a while back so they have my name and address and details already.  Also received that phishing email to my spam folder with the email.  So wouldn't it make no difference ordering another nano ledger s from ledger then since they already have information on me when i bought it the first time?


I assume you also have a nano ledger s as well?  What I do like about the ledger s is... it looks like a usb stick so people would easily mistaken it for that.  With a trezor, well it looks much different so wouldn't a thief think much more of it than the nano ledger s which look like a usb stick?  Same can be said with all those other hardware wallets with big screens which look like it would attract attention etc.

People do say having more than one wallet can increase privacy but we should also know that securing 3 seed phrase is more risky than securing one. So, this depends on you, but if need two or more hardware wallet, it means you need to know how to protect your seed phrases.

I will choose open source wallet, Trezor precisely. Ledger nano is not also bad either but its secure element is close source.

Not your hardware wallet is most important, what is most important is your seed phrase. If you have your seed phrase, you have your wallet because you can use it to to recover back your wallet.

Nothing wrong with Trezor, but use passphrase in addition to make it safer. If passphrase is not used and a hacker stole it, the hacker later can know your seed phrase after breaking into your wallet and use some no costly tools to extract out the seed phrase, but if strong passphrase is used in addition to the seed phrase, you are still safe in this case. As for me, I still prefer Trezor because it is completely open source.

It comes with larger screen, more features, support more cryptocurrencies but more costly.

Try all means to make sure you fill in details that will not reveal your identity, see what ledger data breach cause its users.

Yes, but someone needs to be very careful not to make mistakes. You can even buy the hardware wallet parts and assemble it your self but getting the ready-made one is better.

I prefer Trezor, but people do talk about Coldcard to be very secure also, it is open source and I like open source wallets but not easy to use like trezor and ledger nano.

Have a nano ledger s and had it replaced a while back with another nano ledger s.  I know things change with the software but as of now, how many wallets can you install on your nano ledger s before you need to delete them and read them everytime you want to use a different coin?



Do most people here only have one hardware wallet or they have two or even three as extra ones?  Obviously having another one as a backup is nice but do some of you have two nano ledger s because it can only support x amount of coins and you might be annoyed with adding and re adding the wallets each time?



If you were to get a second hardware wallet, which would you choose?  Is it still either go with nano ledger or trezor?  I know there is the nano ledger X but the one thing that bothers me is it uses a battery so that means after x amount of years, wouldn't it not work anymore?  What about the nano ledger blue?  I did hear trezor has some security issues where it was hackable but is it still true now?  I know there is another trezor called trezor model T.  So that is better than the regular trezor one?   Seem very expensive.  Of course if i buy a second hardware wallet, i would buy it directly from the sites and not a reseller like amazon or any other similar site.



I know there are so many other wallets like coldcard, safepal, keepkey, cobovault, secux, and a ton of hardware wallets when i searched hardware wallets on amazon just to see what is available.



I can't believe there are this many and i saw a post from someone who a huge updated list of hardware wallets and it was more than 50.  I thought... how is that even possible.  I mean could a regular person who is very tech savy create their own hardware wallet or something?



Wouldn't it be best to stick to the two main brands?  Either ledger or trezor?  I feel like any other brand... you don't know if you could trust it one hundred percent in terms of safety issue.  Like which hardware wallets has people here talked about where its not secure etc?  I see brands I never heard of and these cost even more than the nano ledger s and even X.