Let's just be clear before I get into the rest of this post. I am a crypto noob. Do your own research before purchasing your hardware wallet.

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Now that that's out of the way...

2 days ago I made a post about my KeepKey hardware wallet purchase. Go check it out if you haven’t already.

In this post, I’d like to go into a bit more detail about why I chose KeepKey over the Trezor or Ledger Nano.

Photo source: https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com/trezor-keepkey-ledger/

First of all, I think it’s important to note that when it comes down to it, all three wallets seem to do the job and it really doesn’t matter which one you get so long as you get one. It’s so important to protect all your financial assets and based on my limited noob research, a hardware wallet is the best way to protect cryptos in particular.

For me, security and quality are the main reasons I opted for the KeepKey wallet. I also considered reputation, which I’ll address as my last point.

Let’s talk about security first: I’ve been reading that the recovery process is more secure with the KeepKey; because of the large screen, it can be recovered using a cipher and, thus, leaks less data. The KeepKey software team is constantly improving the security of the KeepKey device and seems very dedicated and passionate. I realize the KeepKey software is based on that of the Trezor and that’s fine. In fact, I would consider purchasing a Trezor in the future if the KeepKey doesn’t pan out for me. As I said in my last post, I haven’t received my KeepKey yet.

While on the topic of security, it seems that there are several Trezor scam sites that are not selling genuine Trezor wallets and I didn’t like the sound of that at all. Do a quick Google search and you'll see what I'm talking about. However, if you only purchase directly from the official Trezor website, you can avoid receiving a compromised device. I would recommend the same thing if you choose to purchase a KeepKey – only purchase from the official KeepKey website or the official KeepKey Amazon account.

Now let’s talk about quality: The Trezor looks like a plastic garage door remote and the Ledger Nano looks like an aluminum USB flash drive, while the KeepKey is larger with solid, sleek aluminum casing. Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but I don’t like owning things that feel like junk; that’s just a weird quirk of mine. The KeepKey wins in the aesthetics department.

I also love the large display on the KeepKey. You can clearly see where you’re sending funds; it’s great for noobs like me. The fact that it has only 1 button is appealing to me, too. The firmware update process on the KeepKey appears to be more straightforward than the Ledger Nano and Trezor; again, this is great for noobs like me.

On Reddit and in various articles, people are saying that the KeepKey has more durable hardware as well; i.e., a thicker printed circuit board with wider pathways. The plastic casing on the Trezor is more drop-proof than the aluminum casing on the KeepKey, but in my mind the more durable hardware inside the KeepKey more than makes up for that fact. I’d rather have solid hardware and couldn’t care less about whether the case pops open if I drop it (so long as it still works, of course.)

This video shows a comparison of the three wallets, including a drop test and water immersion test; all three wallets survived. The setup process looks painless for all three.

Finally, about KeepKey’s reputation: Per the official KeepKey blog, they were acquired by ShapeShift and that really puts my mind at ease about whether or not KeepKey is here to stay and also proves to me that they are dedicated to continuing to improve the product.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.