As any lucky bitcoin (BTC) holder you know, your seed words are essential. If you are confident enough to leave your cryptocurrencies on an exchange, this article will not be of much use to you. For now anyway. If you have secured your funds with a wallet like Bitbox, Ledger or Trezor, also called hardware wallet, you are wondering how to keep the seed. Of course putting the seed on a magnetic post-it on the fridge is not really a good idea. Engraving them on a titanium plate is undoubtedly a better solution. So what are Cryptotag’s titanium plates worth?
Zeus from Cryptotag
Obviously a fan of mythology, the Dutch company Cryptotag sent the Zeus model to the editorial office. It also offers the Thor and Odin models.
This is the entry level, that is to say the least expensive of the three divine models (129 euros and 15 euros postage). You can also buy it together with the Nano X ledger, which will save you shipping costs. In the small package, two titanium plates (and the clips to assemble them), an engraver, a simplistic English manual as well as a box of matches (to burn your paper with the 24 words or smoke a cigarette) and even ear plugs.
To be honest, when you’ve never used this kind of object, it’s a bit disconcerting. Normal, something is missing: the hammer! Because if the Thor model could not be deprived of its legendary hammer, this is not the case with Zeus. After looking in the tool box, you will have to make small holes in the plates by tapping on the stylus provided. For this, it is essential to place the crypto plates on a flat and solid surface, but also to aim well, because the boxes are tiny. A mistake and it will be the tragedy: you will have to buy an extension plate at 119 euros. You can already train on some places on the plates, it’s a bit ugly, but at least you’ll be more precise when needed. Without being a brute either, you can go frankly, the plates are 6 mm each.
Understand what number to punch on the crypto plates
You have understood it, you have to be a little handyman and above all have good eyesight. But it’s not over, now you have to understand what numbers correspond to the backup words (the famous seed). At this point, I confess that I have already used the whole box of matches while smoking cigarette after cigarette and wondering if the next step is not an IQ test, in which case, it might be complicated…
It goes without saying, you are sure and certain that your words are in the right order and that there are no errors. After having wedged the plates well and having equipped yourself with the hammer, you have to start and, if you start what looks like a puzzle, it is sure that the next time, you will write your passwords on a post-it (of weariness).
In fact, it’s simple! (phew)
Luckily there are 3 examples in the booklet and you have to guess how it works, but ultimately it’s not that complicated. Word encoding is based on the BIP39 protocol, which uses a list of 2048 English words. This list is available everywhere on the internet, so don’t panic if you lose your little booklet. Each word corresponds to a number (eg 0001 is abort). As in the example above, you need to make 3 holes in the zero and one hole in the 1. Now that you have the materials and figure out which square to punch, you can start.
Zeus stress tests
Jameson Lopp has done countless tests on the different metals and alloys used for metal wallets. The Zeus model resisted fire (1665°C), corrosion and immersion well, but Cryptotag also challenged its wallets in a shooting range. They are also bulletproof: the weapons used were Barreta 9MM, Glock 9MM, CZ Scorpion SMG, and fired at 10 meters. This is very practical in the event of a civil war and if you do not have a bulletproof vest available. With the extensions of Zeus (the additional plates), you can equip the whole family. Protecting your family and your heritage, you had to think about it! Here is the different Jameson Lopp tests.
If you want to know more about Zeus, Odin and Thor, you can consult the divine page of Cryptotag.
Metal wallets, in reality, are not really wallets, since you cannot send or receive bitcoins with them. Their sole purpose is to keep your seed safe. Seed which will itself be used to restore access to your bitcoins via a cold wallet or a hot wallet. Cryptotag’s slogan is “This is for the hodlers”: in fact, keeping your recovery phrase on the proposed media is only useful if you already have a certain amount or plan to have more. Accompanied by a Bitbox, a Ledger or other hardware wallets, it can also be a nice gift for orange piller family and friends. Now the question arises: where to hide Zeus?
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