The Best Keychain Knives For Everyday Carry

While not for everyone — especially if you’ve got room in your EDC loadout for a full-sized knife or you require a heftier performance-focused hard-use cutting tool — keychain knives are a superb alternative when space-saving is necessary. They’re often a fraction of the size of their standalone siblings, made to fit on a keyring alongside your keys and any other keychain accessories you might own. And many of them offer plenty of cutting power, at least enough for typical daily tasks.

This is not their only benefit, however. You see, keychain knives — while superb as space-saving tools — are also a good deal more discreet than their larger counterparts, they tend to have fewer legal implications (larger knives, especially with automatic deployments, are often restricted or entirely illegal to carry), they’re extremely lightweight (a byproduct of their compactness), and much more. If you’re limited on space, you’re not confident in your desire to carry a dedicated standalone blade, or you’re just trying to minimize your carry as much as possible, a keychain knife is a difficult tool to beat in every regard.

While not for everyone — especially if you’ve got room in your EDC loadout for a full-sized knife or you require a heftier performance-focused hard-use cutting tool — keychain knives are a superb alternative when space-saving is necessary. They’re often a fraction of the size of their standalone siblings, made to fit on a keyring alongside your keys and any other keychain accessories you might own. And many of them offer plenty of cutting power, at least enough for typical daily tasks.

This is not their only benefit, however. You see, keychain knives — while superb as space-saving tools — are also a good deal more discreet than their larger counterparts, they tend to have fewer legal implications (larger knives, especially with automatic deployments, are often restricted or entirely illegal to carry), they’re extremely lightweight (a byproduct of their compactness), and much more. If you’re limited on space, you’re not confident in your desire to carry a dedicated standalone blade, or you’re just trying to minimize your carry as much as possible, a keychain knife is a difficult tool to beat in every regard.

SOG Brass Key Knife

Best Discreet Keychain Knife: As previously mentioned, discretion is one of the primary benefits of carrying a keychain knife. And perhaps nowhere is that more true than in the SOG Brass Key Knife. You see, when folded, this knife looks like just another key on your keychain carabiner. But it opens up into a fairly formidable folding tool boasting a 5Cr13MoV blade with a nail nick for easier deployment, a brass handle, and it even has an integrated lockback. If you want to carry a knife without looking like you’re carrying a knife, go no further.

Kershaw Cinder

Best Value Keychain Knife: Typically, budget-friendliness and quality don’t always go hand-in-hand. Thankfully, Kershaw — the spectacular knife-making brand — is basically always an exception to that. That’s certainly true with their ultra-inexpensive Cinder keychain knife, which boasts a 3Cr13 stainless steel blade, glass-filled nylon scales, and a handy integrated bottle opener. Of course, that’s fair and to be expected coming from a knife designer as spectacular as Rick Hinderer. For the price, this tiny titan is a spectacular value proposition.

Opinel No.04 Keychain Knife

Best Miniaturized Keychain Knife: Opinel has been crafting some of the most iconic pocket knives of all time for longer than a century. And while they offer a full catalog of full-sized (and even oversized) folding blades, they also offer the ultra-compact No. 4 you see here. It still boasts the same instantly-recognizable silhouette, Sandvik steel blade, and beechwood handle, but it’s so small you can attach it to even the most crowded of keychains. The only downside: it doesn’t include the brand’s signature Virobloc Safety Ring — but that’s the price you pay for compactness.

Gerber GDC Zip Blade

Best Ultra-Compact/Go-Anywhere Keychain Knife: The Gerber GDC Zip Blade has been a mainstay of the keychain knife industry for a long time and doesn’t look to be going anywhere soon — which can be credited largely to its extremely compact silhouette. In fact, its blade measures up at only 0.68 inches in length and the whole thing opens up to just 1.7 inches total. Yet the stout Wharncliffe blade ensures that it still has plenty of cutting power, despite its incomparably compact silhouette.

Victorinox Classic SD Swiss Army Knife

Best Keychain Multi-Tool: Almost no everyday carry knife best-of list would be complete without the addition of a Swiss Army Knife. And that rings true for this keychain knives article, as well. Small enough to stash on any keychain, available in far more colorways than any other offering around, and with a trio of useful tool inserts (a knife, scissors, and file), this SAK is an almost unbeatable keychain EDC multi-tool. And truly, no knife collection would really be complete without one (or at least one of its siblings). If you’re a true EDC enthusiast, there’s a good chance you already own a SAK. If not, the time is now.

Spyderco Bug SS Mini

Best Iconic/Recognizable Keychain Knife: Spyderco makes some of the most recognizable everyday carry and tactical folding knives around. Turns out, they also trade in one of the best keychain knives around — found in their Bug SS Mini you see before you. Completely free of extraneous detailing, this fully stainless steel folder is only about the size of a pinky finger, but still boasts all the quality and functionality we’ve come to expect from Spyderco. That includes a 3Cr13MoV leaf-shaped blade (complete with the brand’s signature thumb hole), a slipjoint mechanism for a bit of security in and out of use, and more. Measuring up at just 2.875″ in total, this is one of the best ultra-compact keychain knives around.

Gerber Key Note

Best Backup Keychain Knife: There’s certainly something to be said for stout bulldog blades, like the one upon Gerber’s Key Note keychain knife. They’re small, sure, but they’re also sturdy and good for even tougher cutting tasks as a result. This particular knife also doubles as a scraper, it has a liner lock for better security in use, and lightweight aluminum scales that are also durable and tough in their own right.

StatGear Pocket Samurai

Most Utilitarian Keychain Knife: Let it be said that style is always an important factor to consider when choosing an everyday carry knife. That doesn’t change a lick when you’re seeking a much smaller keychain-friendly option, either. And if you happen to be a fan of Japanese culture and style, then you’re sure to find something you like in StatGear’s aptly-named Pocket Samurai. Made to look like a traditional katana sword, this knife has a 440C stainless steel tanto blade, titanium handle, frame lock, and somehow manages to clock in at less than an ounce in weight.

Quite Carry Shorty G2 Key Organizer

Best Key Organizer Knife: Boasting room for 3-to-5 house keys, the Quite Carry Shorty G2 Key Organizer is a fantastic piece of everyday carry gear that puts an end to jingling keychains and offers a simple and reliable means of storing and individually-selecting your keys. Mated together using 416 stainless steel hardware, the Shorty G2 boasts a folding 1.70″ AUS-8 blade that’s secured via a sturdy framelock mechanism. The entire item is constructed around a frame and handle that have been precision-machined from top-shelf 6AL 4V titanium.

The James Brand Elko

Best Premium Keychain Knife: Seventy dollars is a lot to ask for a knife that measures up at just 4.33″ when deployed, but if any brand can make sense of it in quality and style, it’s The James Brand. Their Elko is, without a doubt, one of the best folding knives around today — keychain-sized or otherwise. With a Sandvik steel blade, aluminum handle scales, a slipjoint mechanism, and ultra-clean minimalist styling, this is a tool that begs to be both used and shown off.

The Best Full-Sized EDC Knives

While keychain knives are great, nothing beats a full-sized blade. Check out our hands-on guide to the best EDC knives.