looking for a key ring

[Xero]

So I'm looking for a key ring to attach my arc-aaa and victorinox minichamp to, and of course, my keys. I want something which I can release things from easily, but not so easily that things would be falling off it...

I've seen the kind with the bulb-shaped-things that fit into a track, and have a slide-release thing to put em in or take em out...those seem like a decent enough solution, but if that's the way to go, who makes good ones? Where do I even get decent keyrings to begin with? Not exactly something I've ever seeked out before...

There's also the ones which are like a circle with a chunk cut out that's spring-loaded into a metal-base which covers the missing chunk when retracted, though I've seen the springs go bad in those and they can be a bit too easy to release things from if it got yanked on by accident...

I haven't actually been to any stores looking...though I'm not sure where I"d go...Any help in my quest to find the perfect key ring is appreciated!

 

[bubbacatfish]

How about one of these?

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=504046&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1

 

[simbad]

I have four Twisty Key Rings with all my keys and are flexible and safe for the pocket /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[ACMarina]

I've got everything on it's own splitring, and then I clip it all onto a biner. I use a full size biner, but a lot of my buddies do the same thing I do with smaller biners with smaller rings with no problems, but I like to think I could clip off to something if I had to. .

 

[ACMarina]

I put everything on it's own ring, then put all of the rings on a biner. I use a full size biner, but most of my buddies use smaller sized biners with no problems. I like to think if I needed to clip off to something, I could /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Reptilezs]

http://www.berkeleypoint.com/products/hardware/bpl.html

 

[Xero]

that pear link seems really well made. I plan on putting everything on a small diameter split ring, well, everything that needs one at least...I figure i'll leave the arc and victorinox on their split rings as they both come with one...anyone know which diameter split ring the arc-aaa came with? that real small one? I'd like to order a bunch of ones close to that size...

using a carabiner is something I've seen pretty common, but most I've seen are large, though I see they make smaller ones, I like the idea of threaded a little better, probably harder to accidentally knock something off...

btw anyone know if there's any major difference in the pear link with the brass gate vs the normal one with a hex shaped gate on that site? I think I'm going that route...

 

[ACMarina]

Well, I've never lost my keys yet. My buddy lost his a few weeks ago for a day or two after the gate broke and they got flipped into a compost pile. But that was a really cheap gas station pickup biner. I personally won't buy anything that's not load rated, even if it's only for a hundred pounds or so. .

 

[Xero]

I'm thinking of going with the quicklink 2.5mm or 3.0mm here:

http://www.berkeleypoint.com/products/hardware/ss3ql.html
http://www.berkeleypoint.com/products/hardware/ss25ql.html

They're a little bit smaller than the pear link but follow the same idea. I'm not sure which size to get, as the only real difference is width, though I think the 2.5mm might fit in a smaller hole better, I plan on using split rings anyway, of which I'm just going to buy an assortment of. Still, it's nice to have options, I might just get both, or maybe even the quick link sampler...

 

[Deanster]

Not a huge fan of the quicklink - the shape, combined with the large bar diameter, and large linking nut, mean that keys tend to bunch up on the short ends, causing them to stick out funny - it makes for a relatively bulky package in three dimensions, both in your pocket, and hanging out of the car ignition.

The twistys, by contrast, are thin and flexible enough, and the connector is slim enough, and the round shape firm enough, that the keys (flashlights, multitools, glow rings, etc) tend to spread out into a relatively flat package in my pocket, and to hang nicely in the car ignition.

You might feel differently, or have different priorities, but I find the twistys perfect, the pear link marginal, and the quicklink unacceptable. I also don't really like the other 'detachable' designs you mentioned earlier - for similar reasons.

The twisty is great, though ya gotta be mighty careful when opening and closing it - the stainless wire is under enough tension that it can very easily slip out of your fingers, become a floppy piece of straight wire, and dump your entire key ring contents to the ground - something a split ring or other 'always closed' mechanism would never ever do. Twistys 'fail wide open', while pear links, etc. fail 'partially open', and split rings 'fail closed'.

Moderate caution and dry fingers seem to largely address this issue.

 

[Xero]

I plan on putting everything on a small sized split ring before I put it on whatever method I choose, and thus the added flexibility, I figured, would eliminate problems like that. Of course it's hard to say without actually trying...

 

[avusblue]

One piece of advice . . . don't put too many keys on the keyring that goes in your car's ignition. Excessive weight dangling around will wear out the key cylinder and it's very expensive to replace. Whatever you use for the rest of your keys, I recommend that you just have the ignition key on a removeable clip (I use a Berkeley Point micro-clip) and remove it from the rest of the "key clump" before starting your car.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Xero]

well seeing as I don't have much to begin with (arc-aaa, the knife, house key, and car key) I don't think that'll be a huge problem. More than anything, I hate it when whatever's on my keychain is hitting my leg while I'm driving. That gets really annoying...