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usb + tailsOS w/ electrum

or a pi zero and bitcoin-cli (a bit techy-er)

There are alternatives to hardware wallets, but I don't think anyone is denying that. It's a good tool in a larger toolkit, and like with everything there are trade-offs. It all comes down to how the user decides to use the tools.

While true it’s also not a bad trade off to spend a bit of money on a device if you have your life savings in bitcoin. I grabbed a Bitkey recently so I could decide if it was worth recommending to my boomer relatives I’ve orange pilled who are building a stack on exchanges. It’s a small price to pay to get them into eventual self custody.

Partly agree. Most people are not focused enough to use an offline laptop (phone is even more questionable).

I'd like to see the hardware wallet market to be more clearly segmented:

- basic: simple, basic features, secure, affordable, suitable for more people

- advanced: extra features, super secure

Most HWW try to shoot at everything.

For most people even an intermediate solution like a TapSigner is suitable -- simple and affordable (in spite of the tradeoffs).