Category: Seed Backup

Key Takeaway

🛡️ Secure checkout · Official site

Pros

• Next level protection
• Bulletproof… duh
• Resesitant to all elements
• Completely offline
• Appealing design

Cons

• Expensive
• Bulky
• Heavy
• Punching can be painful
• Setup is tedious

What Is Inside The Box?

Cryptotag Zeus: Thick Plates Survive All Elements

The first part that’s noticeable is that Cryptotag Zeus’s box is remarkably heavy.

This product is a tank! Crafted from 3mm-thick bulletproof titanium, Zeus plates are virtually indestructible.

The backup has resistance to temperatures up to 1665°C (3032°F), as well as claiming to have resistance to water, corrosion, and physical impact.

Total weight sits at 211 grams, which would definitely make an excellent paper weight.

Now the metal clips at the top and bottom are actually holding two separate plates together.

Once inside, notice the sudoku-like rendition of numbers and grids, 24 sections in fact for all 24 words of your seed phrase.

There’s something satisfying about the surface inside the plate. 

The logo itself even has the sandpaper type texture, a nice touch.

Cryptotag also sent over this cool leather case to store the backup.

Stay classy, cryptoverse.

Lastly, be aware there is a 30-day full refund to give users peace of mind.

Tedious And Painful Setup For Cryptotag Zeus

Oh no, my seed phrase!

Don’t do what I did, but lets go through setup. 

Firstly, we’ll need to match the seed words with the words in the booklet using the BIP39 list. Then, take that number next to the word and write it down in the correct square. 

Plug ears away, because now we’re ready for the punching part.

Pushing the puncher was shockingly intimidating at first. Thought it wasn’t working but turns out I’m just weak.

For each row, there are four boxes corresponding to the numbers we previously wrote down. And we want to punch 1 hole in each grid.

It doesn’t take long for the pucnhing to get sore. So take it slowly.

And the final product should look something like this.

Now use those matches to set fire to your paper seed, make a wish first!

Many users worry about making a mistake, but don’t overthink it.

If something unfixable happens, reach out to Cryptotag directly.

The company has an incredible support team.

Heat? Corrision? Crush? Zeus Beats All!

Let’s discuss durability, which Cryptotag has so much confidence in, that they give users a lifelong guarantee.

It may surprise you, but we don’t have an oven running at the heat of the sun.

But someone else does, named Jlopp. Check his Github out here.

He tests many crypto backups and put the Zeus up against three key challenges: heat, corrosion and crush.

For heat, there were no issues. He mentioned the fastener system was very easy to pry off with a simple flathead screwdriver even if device deformation occurs.

As for corrosion, some parts of the template faded. The data and template were still legible, but this means it would take a bit of work to recover the data.

And for the crush, no data loss. But as with corrosion, it would still require some work to decode the data where the template was missing.

Jlopp gave the Zeus an A in every category, a top score for seed backups.

The one claim I couldn’t test was bulletproof, but Cryptotag actually shot one… and it indeed survived!

Cryptotag Zeus Reputation & Reviews

Cryptotag is considered a premium brand in seed backups, founded in 2017. The brand has several other products including Loki, Thor, Zeus and Odin.

Cryptotag currently lacks any rating on Trustpilot.com.

But for the Zeus product specically, it rates a 4.7 out of 5 on Ledger.com, a 9.8 out of 10 on hardware-wallets.net and a 4.8 out of 5 on Amazon.com

Here’s what people are saying about the Cryptotag Zeus:

To get a true idea of Cryptotag’s reputation, consult their socials, metrics and read what customers are saying.

Reaching support is easy, go to cryptotag.io and click the chat bubble icon in the bottom right.

Fill out the form and the team will respond ASAP as possible.

Crypotag Zeus vs. Other Crypto Seed Backups

Let’s compare Cryptotag Zeus ($149) to some other seed backup options we’v tested.

Cryptotag

• Cryptotag Loki ($99): smaller with 1 plate, more compact, easier setup, more affordable

Sead

• Sead Safe ($79): digital only, generates QR codes as multisig, more difficult to manage, connects to online device, unlimited seed storage

Shieldfolio

• Shieldfolio Stonebook ($35): 80 paper pages, water resistant, burns in fire, store passwords and other info, UV pen for extra security

Final Thoughts: Great Protection But Worth The Cost?

This seed backup is excellent.

Everywhere from design to setup is mostly a smooth and easy experience.

Quality of the materials are verified, and every product is backed up by open testing. Even things as small as the box and accessories are next level.

So should you grab a Cryptotag Zeus seed backup?

There’s really only two considerations here: the punching experience and the price.

Over time, using the spring puncher wore out my hands, which was tiring and increased my risk of making a mistake.

And for price, to put it into perspective, $149 is the cost of a Ledger X, 2 Trezor safe 3’s or even 3 Tangem wallets.

But as mentioned earlier, if you do have that one seed phrase with more crypto stored on it, and you want to be completely sure it’s safe from ALL scenarios, the Zeus is one of your best bets!

If you want to buy one, check my link below.

Thanks for reading and catch ya in the next review!