In Homage to the Sapphire...Show us your Keychains!

Being that we're on a forum about custom flashlights, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that many of us are quite fastidious about things many other people NEVER think about. Obviously we attend to the minutia, we look for GOD in the details. As such a man, I can not even CONCEIVE of buying a new EDC-type object (knife, light, holster, etc...) without researching, learning, and trying to figure out what would best meet my needs, regardless of the application.

About 10 months ago I went out looking for the perfect keychain. I wanted something that was modular, and yet not TOO obtrusive. I looked and looked and looked, and finally had to settle for a small central-locking mechanism with little quick-attatch metal pieces each connected to split rings. It wasn't cheap, but it still didn't do what I really needed, so I ended up NOT using it either.

Now that I have a Sapphire coming, I'm revisiting the "Keychain Quandry," and I'd like to see how some of you fine gadget-hounds have answered the question for yourselves.

Please post pictures of your keychain rigs, and if possible, explain what you are using, why you're using it, and where you got it from. If you are impatient, please just tell us what it's called so we can do the Goog ourselves.

I'm looking forward to seeing some cool/interesting/well thought out rigs.


Thanks,

Jason

Hi, I just noticed your post after checking for the Saphire thread.
I have no pics but I did outline my use of McGizmo 26mm clip and small Ti split ring in that thread.
A new clip was mentioned there so I posted in that thread, hopefully it's OK there and I haven't posted in the wrong place (again!).
I purchased from Lighthound.

mel said:

Hi, I just noticed your post after checking for the Saphire thread.
I have no pics but I did outline my use of McGizmo 26mm clip and small Ti split ring in that thread.
A new clip was mentioned there so I posted in that thread, hopefully it's OK there and I haven't posted in the wrong place (again!).
I purchased from Lighthound.

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Great to have another member in the North of England :buddies:

Well in England anyway :nana: :welcome:

Don't be bashful, people. I know many of us probably have more tied up in our keychains than we do in our cellphones. :twothumbs

hi,

i'm not sure this topic completely belongs here, you might want to look at the edc forums for more ideas: http://www.edcforums.com/

that said, i know what you mean about finding a good keychain solution. i don't like the bulk of those locking-mechanisms either. so i use a flexible, double, chain connected using a mini-clip (all through berkeley point). for me, it's better than a solid ring because it collapses well in the pocket, however, it can get a little tangled sometimes. i can easily pull off rings by opening the chain.

warning! more detail here than anyone might be interested in : i don't connect the clip, on one end of the chain, to the ring on the other end of the chain. instead, i snap the clip on the chain itself so i can cinch everything by pulling the ring. an important detail is that the clip and ring, on the chain itself, easily slides through all of the bigger rings. that way, no matter which key-ring i grab, all the others rotate (fall) together away from the hand.

for double convenience, i also use mini-clips on the pocket tool, torch, and flash-drive.



full disclosure, mine is an arc Ti aaa...and apologies for the poor iphone pic.

...it makes no difference,
night or day,
the shadows never go away...

Thanks dmdrewitt and London Lad.
Yeah I am from the North East but not always there nowadays.
Over the years have worked around a lot of England.
Grew up in a small town called Newton Aycliffe in Durham.
Spent a few years living in London, around South Islington and Hackney. Enjoyed it.

Good luck with your search I'mGatMan.
Hope you post when you find something you are happy with.

I also use small chain. McMaster-Carr #8950T14.

Sjalbrec,

You're probably right about the thread not really belonging here. I just figured that with such a large wave of Sapphires being available there will probably be a lot of people seeking good keychain options.

I also figured it was a good opportunity for people to show off their various uses for Don's cool-looking clips.

Thanks for your pic, though, and for the responses so far.

sorry if my comment sounded more like a criticism than i intended. i like the topic too, obviously, but i wasn't sure what the mods would say...

its a great torch and the DS LED throws a beautiful beam...

sjalbrec said:

sorry if my comment sounded more like a criticism than i intended. i like the topic too, obviously, but i wasn't sure what the mods would say...

its a great torch and the DS LED throws a beautiful beam...

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Not at all, friend. I totally understand what you're saying. Maybe Bernie will come in and post pics of his own keychain...just to subtly sanction the thread.

Okay...so I'll try to start this off:


The central hub is a piece I got from a specialty Deco store down here in Miami. The little split rings are on round-ended dongles that can be removed from the disc. It works so far, but I'm thinking of going to a weldless Ti ring and McGizzy clips for everything.

Here's my keys:



I find my self often needing to take a key with me out in or on the water and I have my rigs set up so that I can strip off them and take the bare minimum and not be concerned about salt water corrosion.

From L-R is general house key/ full wad set, van ignition & doors key and then Vespa set.

I was stoked to find that the 20 mm Ti clip could actually form around the rubber of the black Vespa trunk key with the gate closing fine. I can remove just that key or the Sapphire Mule from the set and hang it from my neck chain, if the need be.

Sapphire arrived today. Thank you very much Don. Still waiting for some more Ti rings and clips to fine tune the setup. (and 20mm clips when they are available)

This is my car key, along with Atwood Ti Whistle, Ti Tag by scabal and a Dave22 Ti Keyfob with H3 Vial (USN).

I'm a minimalist, so here's all the lights I carry on a daily basis. A Sapphire and a Nautilus

my SSC P4 Mule rides on a belt loop opposite my keys using this setup. have
to replace the lanyard soon..it's beginning to fray near the tail of the light.
i use the sapphire more than just when i have my keys, so it made sense
to have it ride alone.

Shoestring around the neck!

MWClint said:

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On another forum, there was a thread where people were warning about the Nite-Ize S binder unhooking or falling off. Sometimes they wouldn't notice until it was too late. I was going to purchase some of these clips until I read that thread. YMMV, of course, but I'd hate to lose my Sapphire...

McGizmo, Atwood Keyton, Mac's fob, not too much else

Here's my most recent iteration:



Sapphire
Davesa custom Ti whistle with blue trit
STR TiPry (naked)
Munroe Ti Mega Dangler
4gig Thumbdrive
G35s keyfob with house keys