Everyday Carry

The Best Multi-functional Keychains for EDC

Authored by:
Adam Molina
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
The Best Multi-functional Keychains for EDC

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No matter how streamlined your EDC is, there’s no avoiding carrying keys. If you're going to toss them on a keychain anyway, why not use one that adds some extra functionality to your EDC? 

A good EDC keychain will not only carry your keys, but also handle everyday tasks like opening bottles and boxes, prying, and driving screws. 

Whether you’re looking for something discrete that won’t look out of place at work or something a little more tactical, a multifunctional keychain is a quick and easy way to upgrade your key situation and round out your carry. 

In this guide, we’ll help you carry smarter with 10 of the best multifunction keychains you can get.


Grovemade Ring

Sometimes simpler is better, and the Grovemade Ring is as simple as it gets. This solid circular ring is made from a solid block of either steel, brass, or titanium with a handy bottle opener hidden along the inside. The metal build also makes it durable enough for EDC, while maintaining a small enough footprint to easily keep in your pocket when belt loops are unavailable.

Buy


Kershaw Jens Anso Carabiner

You might know Jens Anso for his iconic EDC knives, but he can also make some quality tools. If you’re a fan of his design check out the Jens Carabiner Tool, the result of his collab with Kershaw. This carabiner is made with a stealthy and strong black oxide stainless steel, with numerous tools located around the edges. You’ll get a cord cutter, bottle opener, and three sizes of hex drives in a body only 3.6-inches in length.

Buy on Amazon


Griffin Pocket Tool

The Griffin Pocket Tool is one of those multi-tools that does a little bit of everything, even carry keys. You’ll find it on a few of our buying guides and plenty of user submissions because it checks a lot of boxes. Its small, all-metal construction makes it easy to carry, but the clever design is what makes it so useful. You’ll get a bottle opener, flat head screwdriver, pry tool, and a few hex wrench sizes all on a tool you can clip to your pocket or through your belt loop.

Buy on Amazon


Keyport Pivot

The Swiss Army Knife is one of the most recognizable designs in tools, and the Keyport Pivot brings that same functionality to your keys. It’s a modular system that lets you customize your carry with everything from an LED light to a drop point blade. You can store up to 15 keys in it’s all-metal build and thanks to a unique locking mechanism, your keys will only flip out when you need them to. The Keyport Pivot even compatible with some micro tool inserts, making it is a great way to add custom functionality to your keys.

Buy


Corter Bottlehook

For a classy carry, the Corter Bottlehook is an EDC classic. It features a hook-like design with a discreet bottle opener built-in. The Bottlehook is made of steel or solid brass which means it’s not going to break easily. It also provides you with plenty of surface area to work with when opening beverages. If you find yourself fighting to get keys off your belt loop, you can retrieve your keys hassle-free thanks to the hook design of the bottlehook. If you do happen to forget them somewhere it also comes with a leather tag so you can write your information on it for the good Samaritan who finds them.

Buy


Leatherman Carabiner Cap Lifter

The Leatherman Carabiner doesn’t have all the same functionality as their higher end multi-tools, but it does make quick work of simple tasks like opening a bottle or screwing something down. You'll find a handy hex driver in the upper corner for those times when a multi-tool isn’t available, and thanks to its stainless steel construction it’ll stand up to the everyday wear and tear of EDC. At a little less than 3” in length, it’s a great way to keep your keys organized.

Buy on Amazon


Bond-Vox HALO

Carabiners are a simple and effective to carry keys, but the Bond-Vox HALO isn’t your average carabiner. It’s made of grade 5 titanium and has strategically placed tools throughout so you’ll get the most out of your keychain. The HALO might not replace your plier-based multi-tool, but it can complement it or serve as your backup. You can do everything from opening boxes to opening beverages without needing to reach for extra tools.

Buy


Pickpocket Alpha

Keys can often become bulky and noisy, but the Pickpocket Alpha aims to fix that. This titanium key chain features a bottle opener on one side, and a pocket clip on the other. The Alpha's designed to dangle your keys quietly inside your pocket (instead of hanging them off your belt loop), while also keeping them from bulging up at the bottom of your pocket. Three holes in the body save on weight and also let you attach extra accessories, lanyards, or even more key rings. For a dependable way to carry your keys, the Pickpocket Alpha is a solid option.

Buy on Amazon


Machine Era Key Square

Machine Era is known for their rugged built quality and utilitarian design, and their Key Square lives up to that reputation. Made from stainless steel, it’s durable enough for EDC but sports a clean aesthetic that won’t look out of place in a work setting either. You can securely hook this 1 ounce piece of metal to your belt loop for an easy way to carry your keys that also doubles as your go-to bottle opener.

Buy


OBSTRUCTURES Small Pry/Open

Stop using your EDC knife to scrape and pry stuff! Instead, reach for the Obstructures pry/open tool. It’s touted as the “knife savior” because it tackles tasks unfit for your EDC knife while adding some useful functionality to your carry. It’s made of stonewashed stainless steel and has a flat prybar tip that you can use for scraping, screwing, and breaking tape as needed. You can also attach your keys to a metal cable so that they’ll slide out of the way when you need to access a tool.

Buy

Any of these keychains will get the job done, but how do you carry your keys? Comment down below to let us know if there’s one we missed that might deserve to be on here.

Adam Molina

Senior Contributor


About the Author
Adam Molina is a product review expert and seasoned everyday-carry enthusiast. They have covered gadgets and niche items for almost ten years and are passionate about exploring the ever-evolving landscape of consumer electronics and everyday carry gear. Having always been drawn towards electronics, they began their career reviewing audio gear and personal electronics for outlets like Soundguys, Android Authority, and Business Insider. They are currently a member of MKBHD network of channels, including an executive producer role on the Waveform Podcast.

In addition to their expertise in the tech realm, Adam possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in everyday carry gear ranging from watches to niche carabiners. He has used more backpacks than he can count, a plethora of different kinds of wallets, all kinds of multi-tools, and many random gadgets that never even make it into a recommended buying guide. Adam has developed a deep understanding of the nuances and practicality that make these items indispensable to modern-day life.

Adam is an avid runner and reader in their spare time and loves to learn random skills. Adam is the go-to resource if you are looking for an expert opinion on a product or want to learn more about everyday carry. They are happy to answer any questions and help you find the best products for your needs.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (18 total)

Bob Stacy ·
I have and use the Grovemade Ring every day and it is great for me
Jeff McWhinney ·
Anyone know what the faceted split ring looking piece is that is attaching keys to Bond-Vox Halo carabiner? I've been looking for a good split ring.
blueumbrella ·
+9.0 for the Bond-Vox HALO, titanium. I participated in the Kickstarter project, for this carabiner, and it is an everyday carry for me. It is a handsome piece, with a excellent quality and build.
Hey you forgot Nite Ize Doohickey.
TKsovereign ·
I have the 4x and it really is to small for keys (imo) but it can be added to a split ring or larger pocket tool keyring.
Patrick LaFollette ·
I have the Griffin (in multiple sizes) and the Pangea Pickpocket. The Pickpocket is the best pure dangler I've ever used. The Griffin Mini is a good dangler, but the full-sized (and I would imagine the XL) Griffin tends to be too long to be a good dangler. It's either too long in the pocket, or the length and inability to bend cause it to pull on the belt loop. I think it would probably be fine if you carried on the belt loop without dangling the keys into a pocket, but it's not as secure as I personally would like for that.
TKsovereign ·
Cool and fascinating read as I have now seen some new stuff. Personally only 2 things go in my pockets: a blade and burts beeswax (lol). I prefer the simple of simple and use a niteize S carabiner for my main vehicle keys (2 keys) and 2 smaller S carabiners for the ancillary keys and small keys I keep for the job. They easily connect to my belt loop or d ring on my EDC/GHBag. However I always have a doohickey and/or victorinox on me but I know that doesn't qualify as simpler and multifunctional (just multifunctional). I may change things up later and 1 or 2 items mentioned certainly caught my eye.
Marty Loftus ·
TT Pocket Tools - Capper
Kind of repetitive stuff here. Not bashing on the author of this article, but the keychain industry needs a major shakeup and a boost of creativity. Aside from the pivot, which in my opinion is not a real keychain (nor are the Keybar, Keysmart, etc), everything is a 'biner" or a pocket/belt loop hook nowadays. I personally don't have the next great idea, but I hope someone else does soon because this is getting boring.
Scott Johnson ·
Top 10 bottle openers
3 more comments