Long story short: I want to buy a hardware wallet, because the laptop I'm using for decent amounts is ready to drop and I don't want to use the internet connected Windows + Linux computer that I'm using right now; it's too risky for no reason. I do have some alternatives such as using another computer, but due to the convenience of hardware wallets, I think I'm just going to buy one.
I have two conditions:
- Make the purchase in the most private way.
- Use a reputable open-source wallet.
Therefore, I want to pay in cash, not via the internet, hand-in-hand and not for things like Ledger that have a closed-source firmware, even if no one has ever got stolen; I just don't feel good with myself if there are more transparent solutions and I stick with non-transparent ones.
So, what's the problem: I live in Greece and no matter my continual search, the only hardware wallets that I can purchase from a store are two: Ledger and
BitBox01. Which leaves me with BitBox01 as it's open-source and reputable.
However, Shiftcrypto, which is the Swedish company that makes those, has announced that it's ended sales for BitBox01, to replace it with the upgraded BitBox02:
Why is BitBox01 no longer being sold?
The BitBox01 started development in 2014 and was released in 2016. Four years later, the industry has matured and changed significantly. When it comes to security, we believe users are best served with the most up-to-date products. The BitBox01 is superseded by the BitBox02.
For more information, please read our
blog post.
Something tells me that it's a bad idea. Perhaps I should forget about the hardware wallet as I'm left with no choice. Is there anyone who still uses BitBox01?