Tested: The Best Keychains & Keyrings for Everyday Carry

One of the absolute most widely carried pieces of everyday carry gear might actually be something you don’t give much thought to in your comings and goings. We’re talking, of course, about a keychain and/or keyring. Like a wallet — the device used to carry your money and identification — an EDC keyring is likely a true necessity, as most people need a means of carrying and organizing the keys to their house, car, mailbox (if you live in an apartment), etc. And while picking one out is a distinctly personal process, we’ve gone ahead and stacked the deck by putting together this buyer’s guide to and hands-on review of the best EDC keychains and keyrings you can but right now.

Selection & Testing

Selecting the best EDC keychains may seem like a fairly straight forward process, though the reality is that a great deal of thought goes into the design and manufacturing of these items, and as such a great deal of thought I’d required when sussing out the best models currently on the market. We started by first making a broader list of everyday carry keychains that we suspected of comprising the best there currently is, primarily based on each model’s design, features and utility, material selection, bud quality, and appearance.

Looking at keychains online and reading about materials and specs can provide a decent amount of information on each product, however, it isn’t until actually using these items day in and day out that one can really gain a sense of what makes each keychain special — and just as importantly, where the chinks lie in the armor of each keychain. Based on a combination of our original criteria coupled with our hands-on experience testing each entry, we then generated a finalized list of what we found to be the very best everyday carry keychains that money can buy.

Glow Rhino Titanium Key Rings

Best Keyring Set: Between the ubiquity of car key fobs and being able to use your smartphone to unlock your car and home’s front door, most people are carrying far fewer keys than in prior decades. Consequently, most of us leave the house with just a key or two (plus a car/bike key or fob), negating the need to use or carry a traditional full-size keyring. In fact, I’ve found that utilizing a smaller, more minimalistic mini-keyring can often be a great way to go. And, with the ability to pick up a five-pack for around $5, our pick for the best mini-keyring unquestionably goes to Glow Rhino’s Titanium Key Rings.

The Good 

Weighing in at around a quarter-of-an-ounce, each of these keyrings is crafted from titanium and feature a design best described as a flattened section of a corkscrew with a split-ring opening. Measuring 14mm (or 0.55”), the rings use a stacked, two-layer setup that makes them much less susceptible to bending compared to seamless keys. And, because they’re made from titanium, they’re non-magnetic, so they never accidentally stick to the tail of my flashlight or other magnetic gear I’m carrying. 

Supplementary Strengths 

It wasn’t until finding a similarly sized steel keyring that I realized how much stronger Glow Rhino’s Titanium Key Rings are compared to their more common — and less premium — counterparts. I also found it was great for pairing with a car key fob that needs to be frequently decoupled, as it just makes a lot more sense to use a small keyring when only running a single key or fob.  And, while it has zero impact on this product’s performance or user experience, I nonetheless appreciate the fact that these keyrings are made by one of my all-time favorite EDC brands. Also, at just $6, they offer pretty great bang-for-your-buck, too. 

The Not So Good

While they’re perfectly sized to carry one or two keys, if you’re looking to carry anything more than that, these keyrings probably won’t be up to the job. Additionally, though their design makes it difficult to bend them, once these titanium keyrings are bent, it’s nearly impossible to bend them back into shape — even when I attempted to do so using a jig and needle-nose pliers. 

Verdict: Sold in packs of five, the Glow Rhino Titanium Key Rings are a stellar option for anyone only looking to carrying a single key or two — plus they pair excellently with car key fobs. 

CountyComm Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring

Best Dual-Gate Keyring: Carabiners with closing gates offer an added layer of security for your keychain and/or keyring, though they also feature moving, secondary components, making them more prone to eventually failing or breaking over time. Every once in a blue moon, however, we come across a product that offers the best of both worlds in terms of a closing gated design that’s devoid of any moving parts or potential failure points. And the one we’ll be highlighting today is CountyComm’s Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring. 

The Good

Measuring 1.33” in diameter, the Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring features a circular shape with a yin-yang-esque design that’s laser-cut from a 1/5” sheet of grade 5 titanium. This design boasts a series of tiny cutouts that allow the 6Al-4V construction to flex — thereby creating two flexing gates, one of which can be clipped to a backpack or belt loop while the other accommodates your keys. It’s simple, effective, and quite frankly pretty cool, too. 

Supplementary Strengths 

Because of the way this mono-construction design’s gates are cut-out, these opening elements can only open inward, which makes it substantially harder for them to accidentally slip off of a belt loop or drop your keys. So, while it offers the security of a dual-chamber carabiner, it does so in a much smaller package. What’s more, sometimes when I carry magnetic EDC items, they have a tendency to cling to other metallic objects in my pocket, which is why I thoroughly appreciate that CountyComm’s Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring is non-magnetic (thanks to the 6Al-4V construction). 

The Not So Good

While I was generally impressed with the thing, there was one aspect of CountyComm’s Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring that I didn’t love. I personally like carrying my keys on a carabiner or QR keychain, as they’re long enough that I can clip them to my belt loop and still have my keys rest in my back pocket — which is something that can’t be said of the Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring, as it’s under 1.5” in diameter. 

Verdict: Laser-cut from a sheet of grade 5 titanium, the CountyComm Dual Titanium Living Spring Ring is an ultra-unique carabiner ring that boasts a dual-gated design that manages to be completely devoid of any moving parts — a recipe that makes for a key-carrying solution that’s practically guaranteed to last a lifetime. 

KeySmart Mini

Best Mini Key Organizer: Over the last decade or two, key organizers have become immensely popular in the larger EDC space, however, as we’re carrying fewer and fewer keys these days, there’s simply less of a need to arm yourself with a full-sized key organizer. So, if you happen to be the type that carries just a key or two along with a car key fob, we’d highly recommend picking up a KeySmart Mini. 

The Good

Advertised as being able to house up to five keys at once, the KeySmart Mini is comprised of a small 2.30” x 0.511” piece of thermoplastic polyurethane that’s been folded over onto itself. Also offered in a leather version, this mini key organizer sees it primary construction paired with stainless steel hardware that connects the two ends of the taco’d TPU. This allows a few kets to be stacked within the KeySmart Mini, which can be flipped out and deployed and used when needed. 

Supplementary Strengths 

The super minimalistic nature of this product makes it great for everyday carry, and even though it’s a literal fraction of the size of normal key organizers, it really does offer pretty much the exact same utility — better organization and easier employment, plus no jingling. It’s also absolutely perfect for pairing with a car or motorcycle’s key fob. One of my favorite aspects of the KeySmart Mini how easy it is to open up or adjust, as undoing the hardware requires just a flat-head bit or even just a coin. I also like how KeySmart ships this item with a handful of included washers for separating the keys and allowing them to more smoothly be opened and closed from the organizer. 

The Not So Good

While I think KeySmart has ultimately done a terrific job designing its Mini key organizer, I did have a few minor gripes with the product. First off, even though it’s advertised as being able to accommodate up to five standard keys, I found that in practice it could really only handle maybe three or four maximum — and even four is a stretch. Second, and more importantly, the thing requires very regular tightening otherwise will come loose and drop your keys. 

Verdict: Cut from a small piece of either leather or TPU, the KeySmart Mini is an ultra-compact alternative to traditional full-size key organizers that pairs perfectly with a vehicle’s fob. Though it’s simple and minimalistic, it really does get the job done — plus it can be picked up at a very fair price. 

Craighill Wilson Keyring

Best Minimalist Pick: Keychains and keyrings present some interesting possibilities in terms of minimalistic designs. Few if any, however, are quite as spartan and minimalist as the Craighill Wilson Keyring. Sure, its design is ridiculously straight forward and it’s basically just a piece of bent wire, but it not only gets the job done, but also brings more than its fair share of character and old school charm to the table in the process. 

The Good

Each Wilson Keyring starts out as a 6-inch section of 1/8” brass wire that’s bent into a closed-U shape that connects at the top right corner. Where the two ends meet, there’s a J-shaped element on one side that provides a depression that the other side can slot into. Above and beyond its next-level simplicity, I also really like that the Wilson can act as both a keyring and a carabiner at the same time.Epitomizing minimalist design, this oversized keyring can also accommodate more than 10 keys at once. 

Supplementary Strengths 

There’s a lot that I came to appreciate about this simple yet effective design. I love how perfectly-dialed-in the brass wire’s stiffness is, as it hugely decreases the chances of accidental openings, but isn’t so stiff that it’s difficult to intentionally open (or close). There’s also small Craighill branding engraved into the brass construction, which is admittedly a small detail, though one that nonetheless elevates it a bit and gives it a more high-end feel. And, other than over-bending the brass wire — which you’d really have to go out of your way to do — there’s no way to damage the Wilson Keyring. It doesn’t have any moving parts or any components that can break or fail. Lastly, Craighill also offers this keyring in a titanium version and a blacked-out PVD-coated variant, as well as in an enameled version that’s offered in four color options. 

The Not So Good

Before actually getting hands-on with it, I presumed the Wilson Keyring would have a few downsides or flaws sheerly based on its extremely minimalistic design, though the reality is that my one and only real gripe has nothing to do with the thing’s performance or user experience — and instead stems from its pricing. At $15, it’s hard to call this one expensive, though when you think about it, that’s actually still a somewhat steep price considering what you get is just 6” of 1/8” brass wire that’s been bent into shape. Again, with a sub-$20 MSRP, this is far from a dealbreaker, but it was the only negative that I could even think of even after using it for an extended period. 

Verdict: Featuring a wildly simple design, the Craighill Wilson Keyring is a piece of 1/8” brass wire that’s been bent into shape with an open and closable gate that allows it to accommodate keys and/or be clipped to a bag or belt loop.

Orbitkey Ring v2

Best Locking Keyring: No matter what kind of keychain you’re running, chances are you still need to use a keyring. And while this element is often an afterthought for most people’s daily carry loadout, it really shouldn’t be, as a good keyring can make a huge difference — as evidenced by Orbitkey’s second-generation locking gated Ring keyring. 

The Good

Orbitkey’s gen-two Ring features a stainless steel construction keyring with a small gate/opening. Covering this opening is a small nib with a proprietary quick release mechanism that can be unlocked by rotating it upside-down and then pressing down. This unlocks the mechanism, allowing it to slide out of the way, exposing the opening in the keyring so keys or keychains can be added or removed. 

Supplementary Strengths

Hands-down my favorite aspect of the Ring v2 is how easy it is to install even large keychains. Rather than having to run them into a split-ring — which can be incredibly difficult on larger keyrings with many keys and keychains — you simply unlock the QR mechanism, move over the tab, add your keys or keychain, re-lock it, and you’re done. And, while it doesn’t require a ton of force or effort to open, I nonetheless appreciated how the raised edges of the QR mechanism’s housing provided a surprising amount of grip and offers ergonomics that feel super natural.  

The Not So Good

Being such an unconventional alternative to normal split-ring keyrings, I was expecting to have at least some negative things to say about Orbitkey’s second-generation Ring, though the keyring honestly surpassed my expectations in pretty much every way. The one minor thing I might change is the size of the QR mechanism’s nib/housing, as if it was a fraction of an inch longer, the thing could actually serve as a bottle opener. It just seemed like a missed opportunity in my opinion. 

Verdict: Offering an easy-to-use alternative to splitring keychains, the Orbitkey Ring v2 is a locking, gated keyring with a cleverly-designed patent-pending quick-release mechanism and a stealthy blacked out finish. 

HANDGREY Knox

Best Keyring: Though we tend to mostly focus on big-ticket items when putting together an everyday carry loadout — like watches, wallets, flashlights, knives, etc — one surefire means of elevating your EDC is by upgrading the more minor secondary elements, such as this hugely elevated take on a standard splitring keyring; the HANDGREY Knox. 

The Good

The Knox sports a decagonal shape and a vertical splitring design rather than a normal horizontal one — with the opening running around the interior of the keyring. This super unique design has been brought to life in top-shelf grade 5 titanium. This 6Al-4V construction has also been treated to a  stone-tumbled finish that does a terrific job of hiding the scratches and scuffs that come from normal everyday use. 

Supplementary Strengths

Another particularly cool aspect of the Knox — above and beyond its decagonal exterior and smooth circular interior — is its small batch nature. Due to the design, it can’t be produced on a mass scale, so each unit is made by a boutique operation in small batches, ensuring high standards for attention to detail and quality control. It’s grade 5 titanium construction also means that it’s non-magnetic which I thoroughly appreciate as it won’t stick to other magnetic items in my pockets. 

The Not So Good

Though it’s almost certainly the coolest and most interesting keyring out there at the moment, the Knox’s design does lead to a few performance issues. First off, the decagonal shape’s edges can be surprisingly sharp, and in the weeks I spent carrying it, I noticed several pronounced scratches on my flashlight, the screen of my iPhone, and the titanium scales of my current EDC knife. Second, slipping standard keys or keyrings into the Knox is pretty simple and straight forward, though getting anything larger in is damn-near impossible. This pretty hugely limits the items and keychains that can be used with the Knox — though you always have the option of mating something to the Knox using a second, smaller keyring. Third, even with its objectively unique design and top-shelf titanium construction, there’s no denying that $20 is a lot to spend on a single keyring — no matter how cool it may be. 

Verdict: The HANDGREY Knox is a custom take on a traditional splitring keyring with its unique decagonal shape and top-shelf grade 5 titanium construction. Though it’s only a keyring, this item nonetheless possesses the ability to seriously elevate one’s daily carry loadout as a whole. 

Prometheus Lights Kappa Quick Release

Best Quick-Release Pick: Though it usually isn’t really necessary, I still love when pieces of normal everyday carry kit are massively over-engineered. And while it may not look it from the outside, Prometheus Lights’ Kappa Quick Release is unquestionably one of, if not the single most over-engineered and over-built quick-release keychain that money can buy right now thanks to an ultra-simple operation that’s carried out using a highly complex design. 

The Good

Offered in copper, brass, electroless nickel, Lexan, Derlin, and grade 5 titanium constructions, the Kappa Quick Release — or KQR — is a small quick-release keychain that massively benefits from the use of Prometheus Lights’ proprietary “canted coil spring” setup, which allows the two halves of the keychain to easily be coupled together. This is the same setup found on the company’s Beta QRV3 flashlight. Great for using on keychains for items that routinely need de-coupling (such as a car key fob), this keychain is totally devoid of any magnets or moving parts, and as a result there’s nothing that can fail or break. And, with the exception of the Derlin model, every version is made in America, too.

Supplementary Strengths 

I love the overall simplicity of this quick-release item, as there’s no tab to press, mechanism to activate, or even specific direction or angle it needs to be pulled at in order to de-couple. You simply give the Kappa QR a good hard tug and the two elements separate. It doesn’t require so much force that it’s difficult or strenuous to disconnect, but at the same time, with separation requiring a little over 10lbs of force, it’s enough that it practically guarantees that it will never accidentally decouple. I also hate carrying keys that aren’t on a keychain, but always had difficulty finding a keychain that I could put my motorcycle key on that wouldn’t then scratch the paint on my bike as I rode. That was, until I tested the Derlin version of the KQR, as the plastic-like construction is rugged, yet soft enough that it won’t scratch or scuff the finish on my tank. 

The Not So Good

After extensively testing this quick-release keychain in several different constructions, I walked away with just one minor gripe, and that’s the fact that it requires a keyring (or separate keychain) to be attached to a belt loop, otherwise one end has nothing to hold onto. Having said that, I also read reports and firsthand accounts from users of this quick-release item saying that its mechanism sometimes degrades and breaks over time after enough use. Because I only had a few weeks to test these keychains and keyrings, I attempted to simulate long-term use of the Kappa Quick Release by repeatedly connecting and disconnecting the two ends whenever I was sitting in meetings, on calls, or watching TV. It essentially became my fidget toy for the better part of a month. Even after coupling and decoupling the thing several thousand times over, I couldn’t see any signs degradation, or even general wear and tear . 

Verdict: Offered in half-a-dozen material options, the Prometheus Lights Kappa Quick Release is a compact QR-style keychain that uses a proprietary “canted coil spring” setup that allows for secure yet easy coupling and decoupling. With no moving part, there’s also nothing that can fail or break over time with enough use. 

NOMAD Key Clip

Best Leather Pick: With some many brands producing tech and EDC accessories and jostling for position in the market, it can be extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd and find success. Despite being an exceedingly tall order, that’s exactly what NOMAD has managed to do by penning modern gear, accessories, and peripherals and bringing the designs to life using old-world constructions — an MO that’s on full display with the NOMAD Key Clip. 

The Good

Clocking in at 4.48” x 0.275”, NOMAD’s Key Clip consists of a swathe Shell Cordovan leather that’s sourced from Chicago’s Horween Leather Company. One end of this item comes fitted with a rifle clip while the other is mated to a keyring. Both hardware elements come decorated and fortified in a black PVD-coated finish. Not only does it look and feel great right out of the box, but the Key Clip also develops a unique patina over time — just like the rest of NOMAD’s catalog. 

Supplementary Strengths

Decorated via embossed NOMAD and Horween logos, the brown Horween leather has been trimmed in black leather accents before the whole thing is carefully stitched together using black threading. The overall craftsmanship and build quality is also pretty impressive — especially when you consider this product’s $20 MSRP. On that same note, at just $20, I’d also argue that NOMAD’s Key Clip also offers pretty great bang-for-your-buck, as well. Weighing in at under an ounce, the Key Clip is just large enough that it allows my keys to dangle in my back pocket while being clipped to a belt loop. 

The Not So Good

At the end of the day, my issues with NOMAD’s Key Clip were few and far between, though there were a few issues nonetheless. The only thing that really bothered me was the shape of the rifle clip’s opening, which is extremely narrow and can at times make it a little tricky to get clipped onto a bag or belt loop. It’s not wildly difficult or anything, but it does take a bit longer to clip onto a belt loop than other similar products I’ve tested. As far as downsides go, that’s about it. 

Verdict: The NOMAD Key Clip takes a standard rifle clip keychain design and brings it to life using a black PVD-coated hardware and Horween leather. While it looks great right out of the box, the Key Clip will also slowly form a unique patina over time with regular use — one of its biggest selling points in our eyes. 

Arktype RMK

Best Overall Pick: There are a ton of all-in-one keychains on the market that feature clips, quick release mechanisms, and fixed keyrings. Despite the sheer abundance of options, I’d still argue that the Arktype RMK — or “Riflesnap Magnet Keychain” — is almost certainly the finest AiO option currently out there — and for a multitude of reasons. 

The Good

Spanning 5.125” overall, the RMK is made up of five components in total. At one end is a black oxide-coated HK rifle clip that’s paired with one half of a magnetically-coupling quick-release attachment, while the bottom features the other half of the QR attachment, connected to a fixed keyring that’s also black oxide-coated. The entire thing is mated together using Type III 550 Paracord that’s woven by hand in California. The clip is also stamped from stainless steel in America before being engrave with an Arktype logo.

Supplementary Strengths

There’s a ton that I loved about this keychain. The HK rifle clip’s spring-loaded gate sports a cutout that allows it to sit around the main part of the clip, enabling it to open much wider than a normal rifle clip — or the clip found on NOMAD’s Key Clip. It’s also perfectly sized to allow your keys to sit inside the opening of your back pocket while still being clipped to a belt loop. It’s also just really well crafted and using a top-shelf material selection that includes seeing its magnetic clasps made from hard Delrin-coated neodymium magnets. What’s more, with its Fidlock-like magnetic clasp, you don’t need to fully line up the two halves of the keychain, and simply need to get them close to each other and the magnets will do the rest. Additionally, while I do have one main set of keys, there are also additional sets that I sometimes take with me including keyrings with keys to weekend-only vehicles or spare keys to friend’s houses. As such, I really like how Arktype sells extra Keyring Bit Sections by themselves, as these allow you to use the same clip-end with a myriad of different sets of keys. It also offers pretty solid value wen you consider everything that you get for around $30. 

The Not So Good

As you can probably tell from its presence on this list, I’m a massive fan of the RMK, though with that said, I did have a few minor gripes. So, while I’d still argue this is unquestionably one of the best QR keychains that money can buy, I do know from personal experience that if you carry one for long enough, the Paracord will eventually start to fray. Also, between the HK rifle clip and use of Paracord, this QR keychain has a bit of a tactical, military-inspired feel to it that might not resonate with everyone.

Verdict: With its meticulous build quality, top-shelf materials, and super convenient self-coupling magnetic QR mechanism, the Arktype RMK is unquestionably one of the greatest QR keychain options for everyday carry. 

WESN QR

Best Premium Pick: It was roughly a decade ago that Billy Chester began scouring the market in search of a modern heirloom-quality pocket knife that could offer solid day-to-day performance for years before eventually being passed down to future generations. Unsatisfied with the available options, Chester would eventually found WESN in 2017 in order to produce his vision of a contemporary heritage-grade blade. Since then, the company has grown and expanded its catalog to include a host of other EDC items that follow the same premium, heirloom-quality MO as WESN’s pocket knives. This includes everything from pens to carabiners to multi-tools to, of course, keychains like the WESN QR.

The Good

Short for “Quick Release,” the QR features a super simple yet super clever design that’s made up of just two pieces; a male piece; and a female piece. Precision-machined from billet titanium before then being heat-treated for added durability, these two piece snap together, though can be uncoupled by pressing the button in the middle. Each piece also features a cutout to accommodate a keyring. Again, simple, but clever and effective. Weighing only half-an-ounce, the QR also features a milled grip pattern that’s also super effective. Because it’s devoid of any moving parts, there’s nothing on the QR that can fail or break. 

Supplementary Strengths

One of my favorite parts of the QR is how ridiculously over-engineered it is from a durability standpoint. TO say it was built to offer a lifetime of use would be an understatement. In fact, the QR has been tested to support loads of over 100lbs — despite measuring just 1.60” long and 0.20” thick. While it’s great for quick-and-easy decoupling, I personally use this keychain by looping a keyring through my belt loop and then attaching one end of the QR to that, and the other to my keys. My brother has been daily-carrying the QR since early 2021 and his works just as well today as the day he got it. Speaking of family, the QR — just like the rest of the WESN catalog — also makes for a stellar modern-day family-heirloom to be passed down to future generations. 

The Not So Good

While it’s easily one of my favorite quick-release keychains out there, WESN’s QR isn’t exactly perfect, and does have a few minor issues. Decoupling the two halves can be a little stiff at first, and can even leave your fingers a bit raw if using it a lot. It also comes at a fairly steep price, though I’d say it’s pretty justified when you factor-in both its material selection and build quality, and the fact that it’s practically guaranteed to last a lifetime. 

Verdict: Built to offer a lifetime of dependable use, the WESN QR is an heirloom-grade quick-release keychain that’s been engineered from the ground up for everyday carry. While it admittedly doesn’t come cheap, its top-shelf construction and off-the-charts quality more than justify its MSRP in my opinion. 

The James Brand The Midland

Best Belt Loop & Pocket Clip: While everyday carry gear is all about utility, that doesn’t mean that these items can’t also penned with just as much of a focus on design as functionality. And such is the case with our next entry — and what I consider to be hands-down the best-designed and best-looking keychain on this list — The James Brand’s The Midland. 

The Good

Now using a second-generation design, The Midland is a utilitarian key hook that starts out as a solid block of 6AL4V titanium billet before being precision-machined into form on a state-of-the-art five-axis CNC machine. Spanning 3.4” in length, The Midland features a hook at its top-end that has a soft barb on the inside of its opening, while the bottom end features a hole to accommodate the included titanium keyring that ships with each unit. The bottom of the keychain also features an integrated bottle opener cutout. Penned by Ryan Coulter and his team at TJB, The Midland is completely and totally devoid of any and all moving parts or mechanisms of any kind, and as such there’s nothing on The Midland that can fail, malfunction, or break. Even if you really went out of your way and intentionally tried to damage — or even bend — The Midland I still think it would be incredibly difficult. 

Supplementary Strengths 

There’s a lot that I really liked about The Midland. It’s super easy to clip onto and suspend from a belt loop. And, even though it isn’t equipped with a closing gate of any kind, the shape of the hook (and its soft barb-like element) makes it surprisingly secure. It is a little trickier to remove as you need to slip the belt loop past the soft barb, but it only takes a second or two at most — and is well-worth it considering this barbed piece hugely mitigates the likelihood of it accidentally falling off a belt loop. Complemented via a matte bead-blasted titanium finish, the actual design itself is another bonafide highlight here, as The Midland really is just a stunning piece of kit. I also love the minimalism nature of this product, as well. The fact Amazon is littered with suspiciously similar-looking knockoffs of The Midland ultimately speaks volumes about what an outstanding design Ryan and the rest of the team at TJB have delivered. 

The Not So Good

Though it’s got a lot going for it, there were a few downsides to TJB’s The Midland that I stumbled across while testing it. For starters, even though the barb does a good job of keeping it in place, without a closing gate, it’s simply not as secure as a carabiner or keychain with a rifle clip or spring-loaded gate. There were even a few times during testing that it slipped off my belt loop as I stood up from sitting down — granted only twice over the course of almost a month of testing. Second, at around $80, it simply doesn’t offer the best value — though I’d also argue part of what you’re paying for here is the design, on top of the premium 6AL4V billet construction. Third and finally, while the bead-blasted finish looks great, it does scratch and scuff pretty easily. I personally like the worn, patinated look after a few weeks of getting scuffed up, but I know not everyone will share this sentiment. 

Verdict: Sporting a beautiful design that perfectly blends form and function, The James Brand’s The Midland is a hook-style keychain that’s been milled from a solid block of grade 5 titanium billet. Fitted with an integrated bottle opener for a bit of added functionality, The Midland doesn’t come cheap, though with an ultra-rugged — and lightweight — construction and zero moving parts or components that can break or fail, the thing’s practically guaranteed to offer a lifetime of use. 

Wingback Key Loop

Best Key Loop: There are plenty of unique and unusual alternatives to regular keychain and keyring designs, though our favorite has got to be Wingback’s Key Loop. Not only does this item take an idiosyncratic approach to this product space, but it also sees it design brought to life using some of the finest materials and craftsmanship available. 

The Good

Wingback’s Key Loop is comprised of a small titanium bead with a diamond-cut knurled grip pattern that’s cut in half at the center and threaded on the inside, allowing the two components to be screwed together or unscrewed as its means of coupling and decoupling. In place of normal keyrings or a clip, the Key Loop comes paired with one meter (3.28’) of braided 12-strand ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber cord. This fiber cord may not look all that durable, though this isn’t your average string or twine. It’s made from UHMWPE and is some 15x stronger than steel by weight. It really is an incredibly fun and Interesting alternative to normal keychains and keyrings, and the diamond-cut knurled grip pattern makes it super easy to unscrew.

Supplementary Strengths

Perfect for pairing a set of keys with a car key fob, the Key Loop also sports  laser-engraved Wingback branding, plus the thing ships with a custom Wingback-branded titanium keyring. Wingback also sells the Key Loop in four anodized color options, as well as more affordable brass and stainless steel versions. You can also have any of them custom engraved with up to 25 characters of text for a small added fee. Additionally, Wingback also makes a Key Cache that features the same design motif, titanium construction, and knurled grip pattern as the Key Loop, as well as the same thread sizing, meaning that it can be swapped in in place of one half of the Key Loop. 

The Not So Good

Because it’s such a unique and different design, I anticipated that I’d have a few issues or gripes with Wingback’s Key Loop, though this didn’t end up being the case, and I ultimately concluded testing with a mostly blank list of downsides. Even with the top-shelf material, there’s no getting around the fact that Wingback’s Key Loop comes at a pretty steep cost. 

Verdict: The Wingback Key Loop is a cord and bead-style keychain with a titanium construction with a diamond-cut knurled grip pattern and over 3’ of included UHMWPE fiber cord. With the ability to be looped around your keys at one end and looped around your belt loop at the other, this product can be used by itself without requiring a keyring or any type of attachments. 

Keychains & Keyrings Comparison Chart

What To Consider When Shopping

If you’ve only ever carried a standard steel split-circle keyring, you may be under the impression there isn’t much complexity to the EDC keychain or keyring segments, however, there are actually numerous finer points that are crucial to be privy to when shopping — the most important of which we’ll be breaking down directly below. 

Design: Overall design is unquestionably one of the main areas to focus on when shopping in this space, as a monumental portion of an item’s overall performance and user experience will ultimately come down to design. Each design will possess its own unique strengths and weaknesses — such as smaller more minimalistic models being more pocketable and weighing less while larger keychains and keyrings are markedly bulkier, though often come loaded with additional features or functionality. 

Materials: The material or materials used to make it will play a pivotal role in any EDC item’s overall quality and durability, and EDC-style keyrings and keychains are no exception in this regard. As such, it’s crucial to pay close attention to the materials used to make each product, as well as the construction technique (or techniques) used to piece those materials together. In this space, the most common constructions tend to be alloys such as aluminum, stainless steel, brass, and titanium, though it’s also not uncommon to see metal constructions supplemented with materials like Paracord, or leather. 

Gate Or Closure: How a key actually attaches to a keyring or keychain — and how that keychain connect to the user’s pants or belt on dual-gated models — is also of monumental importance when shopping, as a given keychain or ring’s overall level of security and ease of use will be hugey impacted by the type(s) of gate and/or closure being used. This can include everything from quick-release buckles to split-rings to carabiner-style closures. 

Features: Though their primary job is to organize and/or house your keys or keyring and keep it tethered to your pants or belt, EDC keyring and keychains sometimes come outfitted with supplementary features or functions such as bit drivers or bottle openers — making any model’s list of features another important area to review when shopping. 

Style & Finish: Just like with most pieces of everyday carry gear, EDC keychains and keyrings are produced in a huge range of different shapes, sizes, and styles, including everything from super contemporary designs to unmistakably old-school offerings. The wealth of available options on the market does mean there are a lot of choices to sort through, however, it also practically guarantees that there will be one or more EDC keyrings and keychains that jive with your personal style and aesthetic taste — an area furthered by the fact that a great many of our favorite models are offered in more than one material option or colorway. 

Real-World Use: You can glean a great deal of information simply from looking at photos and reading spec sheets, however, it isn’t until actually using one of these EDC items firsthand that you start to get a complete sense of its real-world performance, as some keychains look well-designed but have flaws that reveal themselves after an extended period of use. As such, real-world use is another important area to review when shopping. 

Honorable Mentions 

Comprised of a trio of keyrings in three different sizes, the Flytanium Titanium Split Key Rings is an affordable high-end take on a standard everyday carry essential — and one made by the leading aftermarket knife parts brand on the planet. Made from Grade TA1 titanium, the set features a large 1.25” ring, a medium 1.0” ring, and a small 0.7” ring. At only $7 it offers pretty great value, too. 

If there’s beauty in simplicity, then the Exotic FreeKey System is a work of budget-friendly art. Designed specifically for organizational purposes, this split-ring system lets you group together keys so as to keep specific ones together should you need to remove them from your larger collection. Most people likely don’t have enough keys to make use of this pick, but if you’ve got a key collection that’s akin to those used by janitors, this could save you some major hassl

Crafted from grade 5 titanium, the Tec Accessories Python-QR is another fantastic compact quick-release keychain system. It’s coupling and decoupling process is effortless, and its craftsmanship and build quality are super on point. With no moving parts, there’s also nothing that can fail or break. As impressed with this quick-release keychain as I was, it ultimately lost out to a few of the other items on this list like the WESN QR. 

Tested: The Best Keychain Carabiners for EDC

Want to check out some additional options for carrying your keys? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best keychain carabiners for everyday carry for a curated selection of today’s latest and greatest everyday-carry-biners.