There’s nothing more important than your seed phrase when it comes to crypto security.
Whenever you set up a self-custody wallet, either hardware or software, you’ll be given a series of 12-24 words, also known as a mnemonic recovery phrase or seed phrase.
This enables you to restore your wallet if ever you lose access to it or the device it was on.
Keeping these magic words safe is crucial to the security of your coins – lose it and your crypto is gone forever.
That’s quite a lot of pressure, especially when we all know how easy it is for accidents to happen.
It goes without saying that you can’t keep your seed phrase on an internet-connected device in case it’s exposed to hackers because anyone who gets hold of it can steal your coins.
Over the years people have attempted to secure their seed phrase in a variety of different ways, but many of these are flawed.
For example, at one time paper wallets were a popular solution, but for obvious reasons these were impractical due to the risk of loss or damage.
These days the consensus seems to be that some form of highly durable solution is the way forward when it comes to safe seed phrase storage.
One of these products is Coinplate which takes a new look at metal seed phrase storage using an innovative etching system.
DISCLAIMER: Coinplate were kind enough to send The Crypto Adviser a Coinplate Alpha bundle for the purposes of this review.
Coinplate Alpha at a glance
- Cost: £63.20 / $79 excluding shipping, with discounts available for bulk buys.
- Material: Stainless steel, 2x5mm plates, waterproof, fireproof, corrosion and pressure resistant.
- Supports: BIP39 recovery seeds.
- Weight: 1.1kg/2.5lb
Unboxing the Coinplate Alpha
The Coinplate Alpha arrives well-packaged with everything you need to mark your plate and secure it from prying eyes.
The pack includes:
- Coinplate Alpha (two plates allowing for one 24-word seed phrase or two 12-word seed phrases).
- Automatic marking punch tool.
- A permanent marker pen.
- Torx wrench to undo the securing bolts.
- Tamper evident security labels.
- Wood screws if you wish to mount the wallet somewhere.
- Compatible with both hardware and software wallets.
First impressions of the Coinplate Alpha
The Coinplate Alpha weighs in at a hefty 1.1kg (2.5lb) which is by far the heaviest device I’ve reviewed and makes solutions such as the Billfodl feel positively svelte.
It’s made from German stainless steel which is water and corrosion resistant and can withstand temperatures of around 1,400 degrees centigrade (2,500F) which is far hotter than the average house fire.
You really get the feeling that this thing is virtually indestructible, especially from anything that’s likely to happen in the average home.
What makes Coinplate Alpha different?
Traditional metal storage solutions use a system whereby you write your seed phrase onto a metal plate using metal letters which are placed into grooves then secured into place.
Coinplate, on the other hand, goes one step further by allowing you to permanently mark the letters on a plate using a punch meaning it can never be altered.
Using the Coinplate Alpha
The Coinplate Alpha is incredibly simple to use and is less fiddly then manually placing the letters which you need to do with other storage solutions.
First you need to separate the two plates using the supplied Torx wrench to reveal two sets of letters marked from 1-24.
It’s advised that you first mark the letters of your seed phrase (only the first four letters of each word are needed) onto the plates before using the punch as a precaution against mistakes.
Once you’ve done this, you can indelibly mark the plates using the punch.
When you’re satisfied that you’ve correctly recorded all the words of your seed phrase in the right order you can secure the plates together and use the security labels to keep the information away from prying eyes.
One thing to stress is that you need to get it right the first time.
The punch creates permanent indents on the surface of the plates that can’t be undone, although you can always mark a corrected punch with a dot with the marker if you make a mistake.
How it compares to other metal seed phrase storage solutions
I’m a big fan of the Coinplate Alpha and the method it uses to record your all-important seed phrase.
It’s more straightforward to use than some of its competitors, and more permanent, meaning the letters can’t be altered or tampered with in any way.
It feels extremely well made and the letters are precisely engraved meaning that even though they’re quite small, your seed phrase is easy to read in the event that you need it to recover your crypto wallet.
As seed phrase storage solutions go, the Coinplate Alpha is one of the best that I’ve seen and will certainly provide an excellent level of security for the average crypto investor.
How secure is the Coinplate Alpha?
I would feel very comfortable trusting my seed phrase to the Coinplate Alpha.
It’s built like a tank, and you get the impression it could withstand pretty much anything you throw at it.
If you have a 24-word seed phrase, buying two of the units and storing 12 words on each then depositing them at different locations would make for an incredibly safe storage solution.
Overall verdict
The quality and price of the Coinplate Alpha make it one of the most competitive metal seed phrase storage solutions available today.
The unique method of etched letters rather than removable ones is a standout feature.
While adding your seed phrase to the plates takes a little longer than other solutions, you’ll sleep easy at night knowing it’s stored on such a robust product.
I’d happily recommend the Coinplate Alpha to anyone looking to keep a secure copy of their crypto seed phrase.
If you need help or advice with any aspect of cryptocurrency, including recovering lost Bitcoin, we can help. See our advice services page for more.
