To own your bitcoin securely, these are my recommended devices:
Blockstream Jade Hardware Wallet
Blockstream Jade is a Bitcoin-only hardware wallet made in Canada (Jade wallet home page). This wallet stores your keys offline, protecting you from hacks and theft. Jade is open source, which ensures the community can audit and verify the device’s code.
Alternatively, you can use the BitBox02 Bitcoin-Only Edition wallet. This wallet is made in Europe and is a good alternative to the Blockstream Jade.
Securing The Wallet
You’ll also want to consider adding an extra layer of security, by adding two-factor authentication or making use of a multi-signature wallet. This is especially true if you are storing large amounts of Bitcoin. However, make sure you understand what you are doing. You don’t want to make your wallet so secure that you lock yourself out. You can read an in-depth discussion about different wallet security strategies here.
Backing Up Your Wallet
I recommend backing up your hardware wallet using a physical device like a Cryo. It’s a set of stainless plates. You punch holes in these plates to encode your seed phrase. This is a durable backup solution – you can check out some stress test results. The stress test involves a 2000°F flame test, a corrosion test where the device is submerged in 16% muriatic acid for 12 hours, and a crush test involving a 20-ton hydraulic press. See the full methodology.
Cryo home page, and Amazon page.
Another option is a metal backup where you write words directly on the metal—for example, this device on Amazon. The advantage of this method is that the words can be read back easily, unlike the punched metal solution. It’s not quite as durable as a Cryo device, though – a prolonged house fire might obscure the engraved words on this device.
Physical Safes
- Honeywell Fire Safe – you might want a fire safe to store your steel backup
- You may want a second Blockstream Jade – it’s handy to have a backup Jade device that mirrors your other wallet.
- Cryo Seed Storage Notebook – this is a book of paper made of stone – suitable for storing other seed phrases and backup passwords.
