Bitcoin for beginners: what hardware wallet to use.

Hardware portfolios are all the rage. Part of the "initial cryptocurrency kit", these ultra-secure devices for storing cryptocurrencies have become very popular as interest in bitcoin has grown. With a number of different models to choose from, beginners may be wondering which one is the best, and in fact if they need a hardware wallet at all.

Trezor and Ledger, two of the most popular portfolio makers, have become the preferred cold storage solutions in the industry. Both companies, which manufacture a variety of devices, have successfully met the demand for offline storage that is safe and easy to use. No cryptocurrency wallet is 100% safe against all known attack vectors, including acts of God, but Trezors and their type come very close, provided they are purchased directly from the company or an authorized dealer. Spending $ 100 or more to get thousands of dollars in encryption, which has the potential to be appreciated in many thousands more, seems a pretty good investment.

But for anyone who refuses to pay for a hardware wallet, it is possible to get the same result on a tight budget. There is nothing that prevents you from installing a wallet on a USB stick or, better yet, a couple of them to guarantee redundancy and encrypt them. Similarly, an old iPhone with a Bread wallet or the Bitcoin.com wallet installed make it a durable cold storage device. Write down your recovery seed and then keep the device offline, save it when you need to access the wallet.

For anyone who is determined to use a dedicated device, however, these are the main options:

Trezor calls itself "the original and safest hardware wallet" and is very much appreciated by hodlers. Available in black or white for around $ 109 per person, the device will allow you to store all your ERC20 chips along with almost two dozen coins, including BTC, BCH, LTC, DASH and ZEC. Resistant to water and resistant, the Trezor presents a small screen to confirm the details of the transaction, 2FA, password manager and a lot of other features.

Small and lightweight, the Ledger Nano S will contain bitcoin, ethereum and several other altcoins. Like the Trezor, the Nano S is very well qualified by the crypto community, and this week Ledger celebrated the sale of his Nano S number one. The device uses a small OLED screen and side buttons that are pressed to confirm transactions. If you want to have one, you will need to be patient: the following units are not scheduled to be shipped until the end of March.

The company also manufactures the Ledger Blue, an enterprise-grade hardware device, which has a larger screen, additional security features and a price tag of $ 330. Like its brother, the Nano S, Ledger Blue is found currently sold out, with no confirmed shipping date.

Although not as modern as Ledgers or Trezors, the Keep Key wallet is another capable contender. It allows the storage of bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ethereum, litecoin, doge and dash, and more coins will be added. There is also the possibility of exchanging cryptocurrencies directly from the device using Shapeshift. It costs $ 129 and is available only for orders in advance, with no confirmed shipping date.

Bitlox looks a little different from the rest of the wallets presented here. Instead of connecting to your laptop via USB, just use Bluetooth. The slim wafer device, which resembles a smart card, can store bitcoin and sells for around $ 100. Support for altcoins will arrive soon

A hardware wallet that is as minimal as possible, Digital Bitbox avoids a screen entirely in favor of compactness. It uses a micro SD card, is compatible with Tor and Tails, and has optional 2FA. The device manufactured in Switzerland has an impressive amount of safety features in a very small space. Just do not lose it.

Bitcoin for beginners: what hardware wallet to use Of all the hardware devices on this list, Trezor and the Nano S have been extensively tested at scale by millions of users, which certainly inspires confidence. However, that does not mean that they are safer than devices from other manufacturers. The most important thing is that you get as many cryptocurrencies as possible from the centralized exchanges and in a device that controls the keys. Only once you have achieved that, can you really affirm that you have obtained your financial freedom.