- Introduction
- First Impressions and Packaging
- Clear Instructions and Easy Assembly
- Final Notes: The Importance of Secure Private Key Storage
Introduction
@Cryptosteel kindly provided me with a review sample of their new product, the Seed12 metal seed word backup. This is for bitcoiners to back up their seed words on a material more robust than a paper backup, to ensure that in the event of a fire or flood, the backup is still recoverable.
https://twitter.com/Jefferies000/status/1881395599557452252
First Impressions and Packaging
My first impressions of the product were good, with presentable, well wrapped packaging, without being over-the-top. Unpacking, all the components are separately enclosed, making it straightforward to begin the setup process. The metal chips with the letters are all unsorted in one large bag, and to later spell out the seed words, it would have been helpful if they were already in order. The overall size is compact, with a length of around 10cm and diameter of 1.5cm after assembly.
Clear Instructions and Easy Assembly
The instructions are clear and legible, and helpfully provided in both written and pictorial form. The metal storage capsule, metal letters and separating components all seem to be well made, although the letter stamps make noticeable marks on the reverse side of the letter tiles. Helpfully, the letters are stamped on both sides of the tokens, making finding them easy without having to turn them over.
I do not have any access to testing hardware, so I will leave testing of fire, water and other damage to others, particularly those wanting to make more dramatic video reviews!
Assembling the kit is straightforward, aided by the legibility of the letters. Working slowly and carefully, it would take around 30 minutes. As noted in the instructions, while restoring from the backup, the user would have to take care not to undo the holding pins, to ensure not ending up with a jumped and unreadable pile of letters.
A thoughtful last touch is the tamperproof seal, in the form of a plastic wire, held in place with a secure closure mechanism. This can reassure the user that an unattended backup has not been meddled with in the intervening period.
Final Notes: The Importance of Secure Private Key Storage
In summary, for bitcoiners, and also for anyone wanting to protect passwords and other information, it is a good way of moving to a robust and compact offline storage for seed words, and could be used in a variety of security configurations.
In general, safe storage and protection of private keys is an extremely failure-intolerant and sensitive aspect of bitcoin, and so all are advised to learn as much as possible and take maximum care and caution in the custody of the private keys. Here, the slightest error can mean immediate and permanent loss of all bitcoins, with no recourse.
