Review: Tactical Keychain - TiKeY key holder

In order to try to maintain some discipline with my EDC keychain, I was pleased to back the third Kickstarter project by Brad of Tactical Keychains. What he offered was a fully customisable key-keeper, specifically designed to fit hit fabulous WTF tool. I've had awesome dealings with Brad, not only getting some pre-release items, but also the down-low on the Ti maker community.

Not only does Brad make cool things, but he also offers a great deal of "artistic control" to his backers, with a variety of anodisation options for all his builds, and updates from his machine shop.
The idea behind the TiKeY is that it gives you a milled billet G5 titanium, Quick-Flip means of storing your keys, avoiding the jing-jangle, or "I landed on my keys" thigh injuries. I have always seemed to have a janitors keychain worth of keys, not to mention my ever increasing keychain-tool collection

I opted for the deluxe version, with both the countersunk "pockets" for grip and dropping the weight, and countersunk bolt-holes, to let me jam a little bit more in, along with longer screws for the same reason. I also opted in for several additional elements, the TiFoRk, with its three-tined pointy Ti utility, for those times when the last mussel in the tin is eluding me in the bunker, I have been really impressed with its simple efficacy. I also opted in for the lanyard loop, the simple guitar pic shaped loop, giving me a means of attaching my TiKeY to my larger set (yes, I am aware of the irony here).


I also have a prototype "BottlePik", can/bottle opener which Brad was kind enough to send my way. This ergonomic little Ti blade features a chisel ground two-edged cutting surface, as well as a 1/4" hex driver and a lanyard loop at the tail end, as well as the 1/4" measuring notches that both the WTF and the sides of the TiKeY feature.

Lastly, I have the prototype TiPiK on mine, separate to the full set I have (review to follow).

Here is a shot of the BottlePik in use, which shows off how the TiKeY fits in the hand. At 3.5" x 1" the key holder fits in the palm very nicely, and the 1/4" ruler notches, along with the recessed pockets gives it a very controllable grip.

With the two different sizes of screws available, the TiKeY can accommodate 4-10 keys (4-8, 6-10), with the countersunk wells giving even more room. the corrosion resistant spring washers give you a snug fit to the contents, without being stiff, or grinding. The included plastic tubing can be cut into gap-filling lengths (ive used two different lengths to ensure my TiKeY is spaced the way I like

You might ask "why is how you keep your keys of any importance in a disaster situation, how is it relevant?"

No jingles, for one thing, this greatly reduces the jingle-bell chime of my keys. It also allows you to have a mini-tool kit on hand, safe and secreted. Much like a pocket knife, the items you can put into a TiKeY are only limited by a loop-hole, and your
 imagination!


Hot Brad up if you want one, via
http://dro.ps/tikey-tipik
or
http://tacticalkeychains.com/?page_id=167


FOLLOW UP:
http://apocalypseequipped.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/home-front-help-brad-out-wtfs-tikey.html