Cobo Vault — Serious Hardware
My first impression was wow this thing is serious.
Disclaimer: I received this device for free for my honest review on the product.
From the moment you open the packaging, it feels… solid. Like getting a new phone or new fancy electronic device. It feels good to open. I spoke to a few others that I know who received a wallet and they all had the same first impression. It just screams quality.
So once I tore the package open like a giddy kid on Christmas morning, I got a hold of the device. It’s pure, quality feeling metal with a glass front and roughly the size of a cell phone.
Once I booted it up, it was roughly at 52% battery life so it came with a charge. An interesting and thoughtful feature, is the battery is magnetic on the back as it slides on. The intention for this, was that you could easily disconnect it and store it in the case it comes with, separated, so if the battery begins to corrode it will not damage the main unit.
After it was booted up, it took me through the standard setup phases. But what I found interesting at the beginning, is that it had me go to their website and scan a QR code confirming that this device was legitimate and had not been tampered with through the supply chain.
Speaking of security, this thing has the mindset across the board.
There are no physical points of attack. All transactions are done via Dynamic QR code. Let’s say someone steals your Vault and pries the device open then tries to hack the circuits. Cobo thought of that and has a built in self-destruct mechanism which wipes the device ensuring your private keys do not end up in the wrong hands. The device is also 100% air-gapped with no WiFi or Bluetooth.
Are you that clumsy person who seems to always drop your electronics into water? Good news. The Aluminum enclosure is waterproof IP68 certified.
Love to spike your stuff on the ground? Never fear. The case is IK10 certified.
After I authenticated my device, I went through and created a new wallet which provided me with my recovery seeds. While it took a little bit of time building it in the case, it feels like this thing could survive just about anything if I ever needed to recover my wallet.
The one thing I’m not a fan of is the battery charger. While it is also high quality feeling, I’d be a lot happier if the battery snugly fit into the slot. Instead it kind of “sits there” and wobbles around. It feels like it would be easily knocked out of the charging port if bumped. Also it comes with just the USB cable and no A/C adapter. Wasn’t a huge deal, I just used my cellphone’s in the meantime.
The case itself is really a nice feature. The battery and the device itself fit well into it and seals up nice. It feels like it should do its job at protecting the devices.
Overall, price wise from looking at their IndieGoGo, it will be marketed at $479 after the campaign is over. As of writing, there are still early bird specials available which can cut the price as much as 37% off.
This device isn’t your average wallet. This is clearly aimed at people who take the protection of their private keys very seriously and want a product that is tough, durable, and secure.
If you want the absolute Cadillac of wallets, look no further. You’ve found what I think is the most durable and secure wallet currently on the market.
