Keychain reliable quick release attachment

Posted by: buckeye

Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/28/05 11:10 PM

Hi,

Does anyone have, use or know of a small, reliable, quick release type of attachment hardware that one can use on a standard keychain ring (split-ring type)?

I just picked-up a Squirt P4 and want to carry it on my key ring but don't want to have to go through the hassle of sliding it all the way around the split-ring, every time I want to use it.


Other than just for convenience sake, I suppose one could make a case that if you were in a situation where:

a) perhaps one hand or arm was injured
b) for some reason you needed your P4
c) it's attached to your keychain which makes it difficulty/impossible to perform the task at hand

an already uncomfortable situation might get worse.

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas, or am I just being too lazy?



Michael
Posted by: reconcowboy

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/28/05 11:23 PM

Get another one of those releases you have now, take off one of the rings and slip the quick release onto the keyring you have now. Put the squirt on that one. When you need it just release it.
Posted by: brian

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/28/05 11:27 PM

One of those super small D-rings that they sell at REI would work too.
Posted by: reconcowboy

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/28/05 11:32 PM

I did that and it is a pain in the ( I ). I actually lost a AAA Mag that way. Fell off and I didn't even know it.
Posted by: Eugene

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 01:26 AM

Over at Candle Power Forums there is a company who advertises who sells small stainless steel clips. They are a bit $ but are good quality so you don't have to worry about loosing anything. I can't remember the name of the company or I'd just post it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 02:42 AM

I use these in my EDC keychain:

http://countycomm.com/gateclip.htm

The smallest size work great for keychain use. I've never had anything fall off that's connected with one of these.
Posted by: Tjin

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 07:03 AM

i also have the quick release he already has. And i have already seen them fall apart twice already. But that only started after having them in use for more than a year.
Posted by: DaveT

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 01:08 PM

Hi Buckeye
Here's a possible choice for you.

Clips

The mini or micro clips might work for you. You'd need a tiny split ring to attach it to the P4, however - won't attach without it (I think the 0.22 size available on the same page works nicely for that). I have a micro clip holding a Photon II on my keychain, so I can take it off if I want to.

Another thing that might work for you is the Fix-o-Loc keyring:
Fix-O-Loc

I found these at a local hardware store - in the display with the various keychain stuff.

I have a setup somewhat similar to yours - I have that quick-release connector you have on your keys, but I've replaced both the large split rings with Fix-o-Locs, so I can separate house and car keys...then other stuff on the keyrings are attached via smaller split rings to the Fix-O-Loc rings. I can take any of them off much quicker and easier than I could if it were on a big split ring.

Take care
Dave
(An Ohio Expat) <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Posted by: SARbound

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 03:10 PM

Quote:
Anyone have any thoughts or ideas, or am I just being too lazy?


Well... <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I have a Micra on my keyring, and if i'm not mistaken, the P4 doesn't need to be flipped inside-out to use... I leave my Micra on the keyring and flip it inside-out every time I need to use it. A bit cumbersome, but it works. If I require more serious work, I would spin it around the keyring and free it.

Keep it simple! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 03:40 PM

How about a pouch or sheath? It would add bulk, but it would keep coins from getting caught in the Squirt and keep the whole thing quieter. You could make one out of chamois cloth pretty easily. Of course if it fits well enough to not lose the tool, you may need both hands to get it out. I have a little leather open-ended bag that works well for a pocket knife. It is not attached to anything, I just use it to protect the scrimshaw work and keep the lint out.

Those gate clips and the fix-a-loc look cool, too.
Posted by: Pete_Kenney

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 05:52 PM

I had a 150# carabineer from backpacking light ( http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/ursalite_micro_carabiner.html ) which of the same design as the countycomm clip. Just carrying it in my pocket with all the other stuff in my there caused the spring closure to get bent sideways and out of alignment.

For items I want to quickly take off of my key chain, I use $0.35 glove hooks ( http://www.dogbooties.com/glovehook.html ). You will notice in the photo that there is a gap in closing of the plastic clip. However, you can do the following to remove the gap.
1. Move the flexible part of the clip around such that it is resting on the outside of the curved section.
2. Hold flexible part of clip in the flame of your Bic light for 1 to 1.5 seconds (any more and the plastic will start to burn).
3. After the plastic cools, move the flexible part of the clip back to its original position—there will no longer be a gap in the closure.
Posted by: buckeye

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/29/05 07:34 PM

Wow, thanks everyone for the great ideas. I think i'll pick up a couple of different clips and see what seems to work best for me.

Luckily just a couple of clips are relatively inexpensives compared to all the other items we accumulate so worth taking a few of the suggestions and trying them out

I'll report back after I've taken some time to evaluate.

Thanks again, this group is awsome -- always helpful and informative. It a pleasure to have the opportunity to learn and hopefully return the thanks some day.

And feel free to keep other good ideas coming.

Michael
Posted by: Doug_Ritter

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/30/05 12:56 AM

Here's my current set-up which has been working fine:

http://www.equipped.org/onyrown.htm#without_it

This is the keychain:

http://www.bisondesigns.com/catalog/circle_caddie_661486.htm
Posted by: johnbaker

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/30/05 10:25 AM

Uhh, Doug,

I don't see your firestarter! If not your lighter, at least a ferrocerium rod. You know: Never leave home without it?

Doug, 10 lashes with a wet leather strop for you. And no more of this kind of thing for you either. You hear me?

[Boy, I sure hope I got this right. Otherwise you will never hear from me again! I'll be banished to some unsurvivable land without knife, ferro rod, or pot. The TSA will steal them from my luggage.]

Come to think of it, I guess I'm in trouble no matter what happens. I hear the hounds.

John
ROTFLMAO

P.S., Doug, If this post is a problem, please feel free to delete it. Best wishes, as always.
Posted by: Doug_Ritter

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/30/05 11:21 AM

Look a little bit further down the page...

I see no reason to carry a firestarter on my person in the local urban environment. YMMV If I lived in a more rural area or traveled into a more rural area during my local travels or lived in an area where a natural disaster was at least a remote possibility, etc., it would be different. But, I don't and so I gave up carrying a firestarter on my person locally some time ago. There's a decent survival kit in the cars of course.

Why would your post be a problem? It's a reasonnable question, all things considered.
Posted by: johnbaker

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/30/05 11:52 AM

Darn it, Doug. It ain't fair! I caught you dead to rights. You shouldn't be tryin' to wriggle out on me!

More precisely, if you are not carrying the basics, including a fire starter on your person, you will not have it available when you take one of those inevitable spur-of-the-moment sidetrips that we all take, and Mr. Murphy strikes. Do you know what a BSA Hot Spark weighs? Well, it's negligible. And I strongly recommend that you attach it to your other EDC.

Regards,

John
Posted by: Doug_Ritter

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/30/05 09:59 PM

John,

Around here I'd have to take a hell of a spur of the moment trip to get out of the urban area. And I can never, ever recall taking any such spur of the moment trips. Simply not going to happen. In the highly unlikely instance that I would, I'll be in one of the vehicles and they are well equipped for any likely emergency I might encounter while driving them, including a PSP in the glove box I could use in the unlikely event I needed to unexpectedly go off someplace where carrying one on my person would be prudent. However, to be honest, I cannot in my wildest imagination imagine how such a situation might develop.

So, feel free to carry a firestarter if you believe your situation warrants it. After a very thorough self-analysis of my circumstances, and based on just a bit of experience in this subject area, :-) I can't see a reason for me to carry one every day. I already carry a 'ton" of stuff that is more often used to help others than myself. Over the years I've pared back what I carry based on my experience and those of others. If I'm going out of the urban area, then I have my full dress kit with me and that includes at least three means of making a fire because in those circumstances that is a possibility worth covering.

Survival preparation is always about risk management. Everyone's assessment of any particular risk varies, as does their preparations. It's almost always location specific to one degree or another. I am quite confident that I'm well equipped to survive anything that I am likely to encounter in the areas I operate in. My kit varies by what I am doing and where I am doing it. For my everyday ares of operation, making a fire simply isn't a survival issue, ever.
Posted by: johnbaker

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/31/05 05:14 AM

Doug,

I defer to your expertise and judgment.

I was transferring to you the features of my own situation. My home is 1/2 mi. from a riverbed replete with trails and 3/4 mi. from a national forest. We regularly hike and bike these areas. My work takes me to a variety of locations mostly within 50 mi. of home, but many trips can run over 100 mi each way. Thus I regularly cover a lot of different ground. I often take short sidetrips as the occasions present themselves. I prefer having my gear along. Mostly it is in the car, but a lot also is carried on my person and in my briefcase. Then there are the Boy Scout and hunting activities. I think I'll keep my Hot Spark.

My major concerns re fire starting capability in everyday life are outdoor trips gone awry; in urban trips, great earthquakes or WMD attacks (EMP)supervening, or for that matter any other catastrophe that disrupts vehicular traffic. In those situations, separation from your vehicular kit is a strong possibility. A ferrocerium rod is simply too small, too lightweight, and too cheap to be caught without. I'm a scoutmaster; if I don't carry a fire starter, why should our scouts think it's important.

Sounds like our favorite survival guru isn't getting much outdoor survival lately. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Hope you get a change soon. Somehow I had envisioned you as regularly outdoors testing gear and techniques. Another romantic delusion dashed.

Be careful you don't let your knife become superfluous. Then the Babbits of PC will have sucked the life out of you.

Regards,

John
Posted by: lazermonkey

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/31/05 10:06 PM

I agree with Doug. I especially like his last paragraph. Everyone critiques their equipment to their personal situation. I do not include fire starting equipment in my EDC. In my “man-purse” I have a lighter, lifeboat matches, and cotton balls but I do not edc it.
Posted by: Brangdon

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 07/31/05 11:51 PM

I'm glad to hear you say it. I currently carry fire-making in my EDC, but for a long time I didn't, and I've argued here that it's not as crucial for my urban environment.

And I've had similar arguments over water purification. I don't see an explicit water treatment supplies mentioned in your EDC. Is there something in your first aid kit that you plan to use, or do you figure it's something else that is not crucial in your every-day situation?
Posted by: brian

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/01/05 02:36 AM

Arguments? I thought of them more as friendly debates. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/01/05 04:50 AM

John, I am kind of with Doug on this one.
I work 2 1/2 miles from home, I have a decent kit in the car.
I don't carry fire making materials with me EDC, light and cutting ability are far more important to my everyday needs.
Now, I do travel rural areas on a fairly regular basis, and natural disasters are likely in my area (hurricanes), so I do prepare for those situations.
I guess that's why we don't use the exact same kits, each of us adapts to the environment we live in.
Put me in the desert, and I wouldn't last too long. East coast coastal area, I am set.
Posted by: Doug_Ritter

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/01/05 01:47 PM

I agree. I don't consider water purification an issue as far as EDC in a strictly urban environment and certainly not where I live. My EDC is not an EOTWAWKI kit. Even when we had a serious water quality issue in parts of the valley last year, bottled water was easily had. Heck, we rarely drink untreated tap water here at all because it tastes so bad in most places. I always start any drives anywhere with two 3/4 or more full bottles of cold water inside the car and there's 3 gallons in the trunk. That's there primarily in case of an incident on the freeways which can result in being stuck for an hour or two at most or a breakdown. And, again, I see that as more for others than myself since I rarely go anywhere without a 1/2 tank of gas or more and I can idle for hours with the AC on at 110 degrees with no problems on that. If I break down in the urban environment, "rescue" is no more than a hour away and you'd be hard pressed to find anyplace in the area more than a few blocks from a convenience or grocery store and someplace airconditioned with water to wait is likely an even shorter walk away. Step or drive out of the urban environment or put yourself in a very different atypical situation and everything changes.
Posted by: Craig

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/02/05 03:22 PM

Quote:
So, feel free to carry a firestarter if you believe your situation warrants it.


My situation does not warrant it, really.

But I DO so enjoy the "jaw drop" factor when I pull it out. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Then, when the nearest wiseguy says, "But you don't know how to use it," I demonstrate that I do, indeed, know how to use it. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As my grandma would have said, "Ya can't beat THAT with a stick." <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

-- Craig
Posted by: lfos847

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/03/05 12:05 AM

I have been using stainless steel salt water fishing swivels on some of my kits. Haven't had one slip yet. I use two sizes one suitable for fishing, one for snares. Low profile and handy.
Posted by: SARbound

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/03/05 03:45 PM

Hi there,

I like this idea. I presume you are using the bigger sizes to attach your keys... Do you think you could post pics of your key ring?

Thanks,


Bee
Posted by: lazermonkey

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/04/05 06:17 AM

Ya pics, pics,pics, pics,pics, pics,pics, pics,pics, pics,pics, pics,pics, pics,pics, pics...PICS! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: amper

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/17/05 05:35 AM

I use Wichard brand stainless-steel snap shackles on my keychain. They're not always the easiest to open (a zipper pull might help with that), but they are durable, attractive, and good conversation starters. You can get them at any good boating supply store.
Posted by: amper

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/17/05 05:37 AM

Here's a pic:

Posted by: amper

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/17/05 05:39 AM

I still have to get around to finding some high quality stainless split rings. I think McMaster-Carr carries them.
Posted by: Eugene

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/17/05 10:56 AM

Go over to Candlepowerforums and look through the listing of their sponsers, one of the sites there sell them (i just can't remember the name and its clocked here at the office)
Posted by: amper

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 08/19/05 04:06 AM

BTW, those snap shackles are so cool that Tiffany & Co. just started offering one in Sterling silver...it's not on their web site, but it was in the most recent brochure they sent me.
Posted by: In_Flux

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 09/21/05 10:42 PM

That place on CPF is: Berkley Point

I keep meaning to place an order myeslf... <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: paulr

Re: Keychain reliable quick release attachment - 09/22/05 09:15 AM

You want this one: http://www.berkeleypoint.com/products/hardware/microclip.html

The next bigger one (mini clip) is a bit easier to get on and off of the keyring but makes the whole combination that much bigger (1/4" longer or so, you really notice it). You might consider it if you're going to put it on and off of the keychain a lot. The easier operation might make up for the larger size.

The nano and pico are too tiny to clip easily onto a large splitring.