10 Best Crypto Metal Wallets - Seed Phrase Metal Storage in 2023

Have you come looking for the best seed phrase metal storage, right? There’s no need for us to explain what a seed phrase is or the importance of preserving it. Here, we will provide you with a completely detailed comparison of the available options, covering choices that other websites do not include, and discussing the most technical details, pros, and cons of each of the options.

We will divide the analysis based on the possible formats for seed phrase metal storage available, which are four, which are:

Rectangular metal plates
Hex-bar-shaped or capsule-shaped options
Pre-etched seed phrase solutions
Engraved metal washers

Our target is to make sure that you make an informed decision on the best way of keeping your seed phrase secure. This is an in-depth review, sharing insights that are often overlooked in other reviews because we specialize exclusively in this subject and have spent months evaluating and testing various solutions.

1. Seed Phrase on Metal Plates

There are three types of seed phrase metal storage on plates:

Metal plates which come with a “metal pencil” to write each letter by hand
Metal plates which come with alphabet punches, or dot punches for BIP-39 matrices
Metal plates which come with slots and pre-etched letter tiles to be inserted in the slots

We will analyze some products from each of these types, considering that other products operating on the same principles function very similarly.

1.1 Metal plates using a metal pencil for manual engraving

Manual etching, in our opinion, can be cumbersome and frustrating, making it less favorable, but it is one of the most affordable solutions. One example is the XSEED model. There might be some other solutions slightly more affordable, but they function under the same principles.

XSEED

The XSEED model is a cost-effective option for those who prefer hand-engraving their seed phrases. It offers simplicity and affordability, making it accessible to a wide range of users. However, it’s essential to note that the plates are made of aluminum, which, while lightweight, may not provide the durability required for long-term storage of sensitive information.

Pros:

Budget-friendly choice.
Thin and versatile.
Better than a piece of paper

Cons:

Aluminum plates may be less resistant to wear and tear.
The result may turn out to be cheap.
If you make a mistake while stamping, you have to discard the piece.

Price: 40.69€ on Amazon (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

1.2 Metal plates which come with alphabet punches, or dot punches for BIP-39 matrices

Metal plates for seed storage that come with metal stamps or punches, allowing you to mark the letters on a numeric matrix, provide a better solution. There are two types of solutions here:

Products that come with alphabet letters to engrave the words
Products that come with dot punches, to engrave dots in a matrix number

The second solution relies on the fact that each word of the BIP-39 list used to create seed phrases, has a number associated (for instance, the word song is number 1658). Thus, you can punch the number in a pre-engraved matrix instead of stamping the letters.

XSEED Plus

The XSEED Plus model aims to enhance the engraving process by providing stamps for imprinting the seed phrases onto metal. While this offers a more precise method of engraving, it falls short in terms of providing a secure fixation mechanism, which is crucial for achieving a good finish. Users may find it challenging to maintain control while stamping, potentially leading to inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the final product.

Pros:

Stamp-based engraving is better than hand engraving.
Comes with several plates
More resistant plates (made of steel), comes with one aluminum plate as well.

Cons:

Lack of secure fixation method, the result might not be good enough.
Increased risk of self-injury during the stamping process.
If you make a mistake, you have to discard the whole plate.

Price: 60.75€ on Amazon (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

Cryptotag Thor

Cryptotag offers top-tier solutions designed to protect your seed phrase against various threats, including fire, water, and physical damage: the CryptoTag Thor offers robust features to ensure the safety of your seed phrase, but it also comes at a premium price (350€).

In our opinion, even though the Cryptotag Thor comes with a fixation mechanism for better stamping, it is not worth the premium price, considering other options on the market as we will see afterwards.

Pros:

The Cryptotag Thor boasts a high-quality titanium build, ensuring exceptional durability. This premium material can withstand extreme conditions and is resistant to corrosion.
The device comes with pre-engraved tiles, offering precision in recording your seed phrase.
The devices comes with a mechanism to hold the stamps to get accurate results.
The Cryptotag Thor is fireproof and waterproof, as it is made of titanium, its fire resistance is excellent.

Cons:

While the Cryptotag Thor provides top-tier security, its premium features come with a very high cost (350€). This may be a limiting factor for users with budget constraints.
In case of making a mistake during the stamping process, the replacements are really expensive as well.

Price: 350€ at Cryptotag (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

Cryptotag Zeus

As you might have noticed, the Cryptotag Zeus is very similar to Cryptotag Thor. Instead of coming with a hammer and stamps, it comes with a punch in order to mark the corresponding BIP-39 codes in number matrices instead of stamping the words. This reduces its price, but it is still fairly expensive in our opinion.

Pros:

The CryptoTag Zeus also boasts a high-quality titanium build, ensuring exceptional durability. This premium material can withstand extreme conditions and is resistant to corrosion.
The device comes with pre-engraved number matrix tiles, offering precision in recording your seed phrase.
The CryptoTag Zeus is fireproof and waterproof, as it is made of titanium, its fire resistance is excellent.

Cons:

While the CryptoTag Zeus provides top-tier security, its premium features come with a very high cost (130€). It is cheaper than CryptoTag Zeus though.
In case of making a mistake during the stamping process, the replacements are really expensive as well.

Price: 130€ at Cryptotag (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

Both the CryptoTag Thor and CryptoTag Zeus offer premium-grade solutions for securing your crypto seed phrases. Their premium materials, precise engraving features, and exceptional fire and water resistance make them great choices in the crypto storage landscape. However, their premium quality comes with a really high cost, which may be a consideration for some users.

Furthermore, while the use of titanium may appear favorable for marketing purposes, it’s essential to acknowledge that titanium, despite its overall strong performance in corrosive settings, can still experience degradation under specific conditions. Titanium’s resistance to corrosion largely relies on the presence of moisture and oxygen, which facilitate the formation of a protective oxide film on its surface.

In environments with minimal to no water, known as anhydrous environments, titanium’s corrosion resistance can be significantly compromised. Typically, even small traces of moisture play a crucial role in passivating the titanium surface. However, in dry or anhydrous conditions, this oxide film may either not form or struggle to maintain its protective properties.

1.3 Metal plates which come with pre-engraved letter tiles

Seed phrase metal storage products that come with pre-engraved letter squares have the advantage that you don’t have to worry about stamping the words or numbers yourself, but it has been proven that they are less durable.

The BillFodl

The Billfodl is a straightforward solution for protecting your seed phrase. It is purpose-built to withstand fire, water, and physical damage, ensuring the longevity and resilience of your crucial information. However, in the tests, we will see that they don’t hold up as well as indicated.

Pros:

Pre-engraved metal letters enhance the legibility of your seed phrase and reduce the risk of errors.
Made of steel, ensuring protection against fire and water damage provides peace of mind.
Easy to set up: As you do not have to stamp anything, it is easier to set up, and you do not have to spend time or have a hammer/mallet around to engrave your seed phrases.

Cons:

While The Billfodl offers premium security features, it is at a higher price point compared to some other solutions on the market.
Pre-engraved letter can get loose either if the device receives some damage
If you accidentally open the lock mechanism the letters might fall and you will lose your backup phrase.

Price: 99€ on Amazon (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

Even though the Billfodl is not a bad option per se, the pre-engraved letters may fall or get loose. It is one of the devices tested by Jameson Lopp, and it did not pass the heat test for instance:

It did not pass the crush test either:

2. Seed Phrase in alternative shapes (still metal)

Some enthusiasts opt for alternative formats, such as hexagonal metal bars, capsules or circular plates. While these formats can be visually appealing, they come with their own set of challenges. usually they are more difficult to engrave, making them less practical for engraving solutions. Also awkward shapes can be challenging to hide discreetly.

We will cover the Cryptosteel capsule and the Cryptotag Odin in this section. It is true that there are other solutions, but this will help you decide on which options are better.

Cryptosteel Capsule

The Cryptosteel Capsule lets you compile your seed phrase by combining its letter tiles and separators, putting them through a rod and inside a capsule that’s resistant to fire, corrosion, and physical damage.

Pros:

The Cryptosteel Capsule is constructed from high-quality stainless steel that’s resistant to fire, corrosion, and physical damage.
Loading your seed phrase into the Cryptosteel Capsule is easier than using other products that imply stamping your words on your own. Similar to BillFodl solution.

Cons:

The letters inside are not that robust at all, in case they are kept on the capsule, everything should be fine.
If you drop the adjusting pin while assembling or disassembling, and the tiles drop, you might lose your keys as they will get mixed up.
If the capsule is bent (quite unlikely unless a truck goes over it), you might not be able to open it up, as demonstrated by Jameson Lopp.

Price: 99€ at Ledger (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

CryptoTag Odin

The Cryptotag Odin is a meticulously crafted and visually stunning cold storage solution for safeguarding your cryptocurrency seed phrases. Made from titanium, as it brothers, with the shape of an hexagonal rod.

Pros:

The CryptoTag Odin also boasts a high-quality titanium build, ensuring exceptional durability. This premium material can withstand extreme conditions and is resistant to corrosion.
The device comes with pre-engraved number matrix tiles, offering precision in recording your seed phrase.
The CryptoTag Odin is fireproof and waterproof, as it is made of titanium, its fire resistance is excellent.

Cons:

While the CryptoTag Odin provides top-tier security, its premium features come with a very high cost (199€). It is cheaper than CryptoTag Zeus though.
In case of making a mistake during the stamping process, the replacements are really expensive as well.
Coming in a hexagonal rod shape, it is more difficult to engrave. When you try to punch a divot near an edge, the rod might rotate and you could stab yourself.

Price: 199€ at Cryptotag (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

Cryptotag Odin looks cool, but compared to its brothers, it might be more reasonable to opt for Cryptotag Zeus at a cheaper price tag. It also shares the issues with titanium, which is mainly a marketing strategy.

3. Pre-Etched options for seed phrase metal storage

Some companies offer pre-engraved metal storage solutions. However, it’s essential to exercise caution with these options as you cannot fully trust that your data won’t be compromised during the manufacturing process. Security-conscious users often prefer engraving their own seed phrases for full control and peace of mind.

An example for a pre-engraved solution would be material bitcoin. They claim that they do not keep any data, but the seed is generated on their end. Thus, this kind of options are not recommended at all under our perspective.

Pros:

Metal engraving offers durable protection against physical damage, fire, and environmental factors, ensuring the longevity of your seed phrase.
Companies specializing in engraving provide expert-level precision, reducing the risk of human errors during the process.
Engraving services save you the time and effort required for DIY solutions, making it a hassle-free option for securing your seed phrase.

Cons:

Using an engraving service means entrusting a third party with your sensitive seed phrase information, potentially raising privacy and security concerns.
Professional engraving services may come at an additional cost, making it less budget-friendly compared to DIY alternatives.
Depending on your location, finding a reliable and secure engraving service may not always be straightforward, limiting accessibility for some users.

Price: 92€ at Amazon (It may vary from the date of this article’s publication)

4. Engraved Metal Washers (the best choice for seed phrase metal storage under our perspective)

You might be thinking, you have covered all these solutions so you can present your solution which beats them all… Well, that might be true! at least partially, but we honestly think that these solutions aim to get a very high quality results, not compromising security, at a very reasonable cost. You can check our other articles which are summarized in this section.

4.1 BitJig: Engraving your Seed Phrase on Metal Washers

The BitJig provides a revolutionary way to engrave mnemonic phrases onto metal with several advantages over existing solutions. BitJig devices feature remarkable improvements of:

Gripping capabilities: With the exception of the Cryptotag Thor at 350€, this is the only product that offers a firm grip while stamping.
Error-tolerant nature: If you make a mistake while stamping a washer, you can simply replace it at a virtually negligible cost

Pros:

Exceptional grip and retention, ensuring secure engraving.
Energy-absorbing base minimizes the risk of damage during the engraving process.
Affordable and easy to replace in case of mistakes.
Cost-effective, allowing for multiple backups.
Metal washers offer improved legibility and durability.

Cons:

You have to engrave the seed phrase yourself
There might be open source solutions within the same price range (see next section)

Price: 44.99€ for the starter pack at hideyourkeys.io or even less (5% discount) if paid with Bitcoin or accumulating other codes at our store.

Moreover, we offer solutions to hide your seed phrase inside decorative objects. They will be hidden in a place which is easy to remember, and hard to notice even for thieves.

5. Honorable mentions for seed phrase metal storage: Open Source solutions

There are open source solutions which will offer a decent result as well. We are going to cover the blockmit devices under this section. At HideYourKeys we love open source technology, and blockmit is a fairly good solution in case you have the tools and energy to set it up.

Blockmit

The blockmit is a small device which allows you to engrave your seed phrase onto metal washers, just like out BitJig, but simpler.

Initially, blockmit seemed like an ideal solution: compact, easy to manufacture, and simple to use. However, upon subjecting it to various mnemonic phrases stamping scenarios, the results fell short of our expectations.

Depending on the source of acquisition or printing of the metal dies, tolerances could hinder proper fitting or result in excessively loose washers. Yet, the primary setback lay in the absence of a robust fastening method, which could even cause the washers to shift during the stamping process. While it was feasible to produce backups using blockmit, the outcomes were generally inconsistent and “not that good”.

Pros:

Open Source Solution.
Affordable and easy to replace in case of mistakes.
Cost-effective, allowing for multiple backups.
Metal washers offer improved legibility and durability.
Fairly cheap, in case you have a 3D printer it is worth a try.

Cons:

You have to engrave the seed phrase yourself.
The results might not be very good. Due to its small size, there is a chance that the central part and the washer will fly away after a strong hammer shock (it happened).
Might not be easy to fetch all the parts and ensure they are compatible.

Price: We are going to make a price estimate compared to our BitJig starter pack kit. The blockmit and its variants can be purchased at around 10€ + shipping at many places, like ETSY (roughly 16€ if shipping is considered). The metal stamps can be purchased at many places, but there are valid solutions at Amazon at around 20€ (maybe a bit less, 18€). Purchasing the washers on your own, plus the screw and nut should not be above 4€. In case you want some sort of capsule to hide the washers in, there might be options at Aliexpress at 3-4€.

This gives us a price range of 38-45€, we are not taking into account the shipping costs, as they might vary or even increase if you have to fetch the parts separately. Our target at HideYourKeys is to deliver a product at a similar cost to compete with an open source solution, but ensuring that all the parts are fully compatible, and enhancing the solution where possible.

There are other open source solutions, alternative 3D models and blockmit variants that might be worth checking out. In any case, in case you have to gather all the parts, and if you want a reliable solution, you should consider an expense of around 50€.

Best Seed Phrase Metal Storage in 2023, the final conclusion

The method you choose for engraving your seed phrase onto metal is critical, and we want you to make an informed decision. Under our perspective, after reviewing all the pros and cons of the products in the market, we believe that the washer stamping solutions are the best choice.

While metal plates have their merits and alternative solutions might be cool, washer stamping jigs, like the BitJig and BitJig Double, provide a superior, error-tolerant, and cost-effective solution.

Ok, we know it, they are our products, but honestly, we have gone over the wide majority of options offered by the market, and we believe the wise choice is to get a solution like the one we offer. We have spent many hours on the design and crafting or all our products, and we think that we have delivered a very high quality product, at a very reasonable price.

The only reason not to choose our BitJig over other products, is to choose an open source solution in case you already have some of the components required for the whole set up process.

Our tools offer a streamlined and secure way to craft enduring metal mnemonic phrases. When considering alternative formats or pre-engraved options, it’s essential to weigh their pros and cons carefully. Ultimately, your crypto’s security rests on your choice of engraving method, so choose wisely and ensure your assets remain safe and accessible.