Tried them all. Here is my user experience review.
Ballet: Ballet wallet is just a paper wallet and is the worst in security but it really is the easiest to use for every day transactions. If you are doing a ton of transactions daily and don't want any fuss then use this but don't put a lot of money on it. Basically you turn on the Ballet app and enter in a passphrase to make a transaction. You have to trust Ballet Wallet because they make the private keys in their house. For many this is a red flag and a non-negotiable.
Jade: Just set up Jade wallet and it was the easiest to set up. The screen was small but the pixel density was high unlike other hardware wallets. I felt it was the slickest in design with the lever switch/button and the built in camera. Firmware update was smooth and automated. Passphrase was slightly tricky, but you can just enter it in one time in the settings. Bluetooth worked fine. Bitcoin/Liquid only. Works on iPhone and the Green Wallet for iPhone felt straight forward. I tried to scan a QR Code with a camera and the screen was grainy but it was able to lock in after a few seconds. I'm learning it is used to communicate with the Green app if you don't want to use Bluetooth or NFC. This provides an "air gap" (ignoring lightwaves.) I tried scanning a "receive" QR code for payment but there was an error. Not sure if I am doing something wrong or if it is designed like that. I was hoping to scan QR payment codes to easily make payments but I don't think I can do this? This also has a built in rechargeable battery so you don't need to plug it in or carry a USB cord all the time.
Coldcard: The hardest to set up was Coldcard. However, Coldcard for sure has the best security. It has a tamper resistant bag and instructions to use Kleopatra to check signatures. I have enough knowledge to import keys and authenticate the signature file and check the sha256 of the firmware itself. If you are new at this it may time some time to verify everything, or you may never figure it out and still get by. Other wallet makers don't really do this so it kind of gives you peace of mind if you verify signatures yourself so you know the firmware is legit. If you are a newbie and want a challenge then get the Coldcard. The NFC feature is a little glitchy but I got it to work. The USB cord is magnetic so if you tug it gently it will magnetically disconnect and power off. The Coldcard screen is super basic and pixelated. One thing about the Coldcard is it uses a miniSD card for firmware updates. You can also sign transactions using the miniSD card by passing it from the computer to the Coldcard. I didn't use this feature and just am trying to use NFC. You need to be have some hacker ability to use Coldcard. Coldcard recommends using Electrum which is an open source wallet. I tried connecting Nunchuk (because it had NFC) to Coldcard and I had to learn some new stuff. The multi-key feature of Nunchuk I still need to learn how to use, but I can see great potential in this feature. I don't know how reliable Nunchuk is since it is fairly new and is a TapRoot based company. It was not in the documentation so I found other sources to learn about integration. No battery so it needs to be plugged in.
Trezor: My first Trezor my screen got dark and had to replace it. It was the first bitcoin hardware wallet so the screen was basic and pixelated. It worked fine and got the job done while it was functional. No battery.
Trezor Model T: Fairly straight forward setup. Has color in the screen. Setup of firmware requires a weird finger slide across the screen. It got the job done for me and I still use it. I've never used this on my iPhone. Don't know if there is an app for it now. No battery.
Ledger: If you use a passphrase it is weird to set up on Ledger (since it uses a pin to get the passphrase and it gets confusing whereas in Coincard you just scroll to passphrase). At the time I got it the processor was slow so sometimes it took a long time to process transactions, maybe a whole minute. I don't know if they updated the processor. Requires Ledger software installed onto the computer to make transactions. I don't think I've used this on an iPhone. Mostly straight forward setup. No battery, if I remember correctly.
Ledger Nano X: This is a Ledger but with Bluetooth capability. Connecting via Bluetooth can take some time. Works with an app installed onto my iPhone. Mostly straight forward setup. Has a built in battery that can be charged with USB.
Submitted May 22, 2023 at 08:31AM by baronofbitcoin https://bit.ly/3BLn6mr
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