Usually, unless we’re talking about race cars with a dedicated panel or modern, software-intensive vehicles that are connected to the cloud, cars come with keys. Keys on their own can get easily misplaced, so there’s a good chance you’re rocking some sort of keychain or lanyard on the key ring of at least one of your vehicles. The question is: What sort of keychains are you rocking, how did you come to own them, and are you happy with them? I’ll start.
Admittedly, I haven’t always been a key chain guy, partly because many of the car I’ve owned have featured a separate fob for the remote locks from the physical key, and that’s been enough to keep things from getting lost. However, I now own two cars with integrated fobs, so key chains have become necessities, and here’s what I’m rocking.
On the ring for the fob on my 3 Series, I’ve got a keychain with an orange E30 M3 printed in it that I got from One Hell Of A Town. It’s been durable, and there’s some greater meaning to it too — not only do I love E30s, this one’s a depiction of the one on the cover of Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra and that’s one of my favorite mixtapes ever. This one’s a 10/10 keeping forever sort of scenario.
Now, my Boxster’s key is attached to an actual chain with a lovely metal Porsche pendant on the other end. It came with the car and I believe it to be period-correct, although I’m not entirely sure whether or not it’s an actual Porsche accessory. It’s a little worn from decades in pockets, but that sort of patination feels like an honor rather than a burden.
So, what stylistic accessory lives on your key ring? It could be a key chain, it could be a lanyard, it could be a jet tag, whatever the case, I want to know all about it in the comments below.
Pete piping in … I’d also like to know how you’re keeping your keys findable at home. Are you a key-hook person? More of a key bowl fan? I really like this miniature amp setup as shared by Shitbox Showdown author Mark Tucker:
Meanwhile, ya boy Stephen! Walter! Gossin! favors this fantastic Time Machine key-keeper, which is clearly getting a workout:
I’m a fan of this very clever and fun Lego setup. It’s easily DIY-able, you definitely don’t need the official boxed item.
To the comments!
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They car key only has the lightweight fob hanging off it. The rest of my key ring stays put with me. Nothing I would consider a keychain, per-se, but I do have a Gerber Curve on there
https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/gerber-curve-keychain-tool-grey-16grbucrvxxxxxxxxcut/16grbucrvxxxxxxxxcut?color=
I don’t like a lot on my key chains because it effects pocketability too much but I do have some. I have a small pocket knife on one, it’s quick deploy and machined exposed metal so it looks nice as well as being useful for opening packages. On my set for the truck I have a foam key float to protect against boat ramp mishaps. I have seen and considered one of the small 10mm rachet wrench keychains as a novelty for another set of keys.
I use a keychain with a small leather Scion tag that I picked up at the D.C. Auto Show years ago. Sometimes, I carry other keys in my pocket and it is easy to find the leather tag by touch.
One of these. I’ve using it for almost 20 years.
The Mustang has a neat 90s era Dr Pepper keychain that came in an old truck I bought once. The old D150 has one of those enamel pin looking ones with a UFO on it. Work truck just has a bunch of keys attached to the FOB. Keychains are neat!
My house keys have an old, well-worn bottle opener that used to have my college’s logo. Ranger keys have a leather shift pattern keychain from The Manual Gearbox Preservation Society.
This one is right up my alley and makes me wish I could post pictures. I sort of made my own. I took the Hot Wheels version of my car and added a keychain. I’ll link to my BlueSky reply to the article posting. It’ll show it.
https://bsky.app/profile/myk-el.bsky.social/post/3ky2b3ww2ds2e
I heard once that too much weight on the keys can damage the cilinder, so I of course never checked that info but stopped using key chains.
It helped that back in the old country, my car was as basic as an Excel macro, so the key was just a sliver of metal under a bulky plastic turner. I removed the plastic and got a gorgeous tiny key that lived on my wallet!
Now I got a more modern car, with the perfect amount of screen (7″), but unfortunately a big ass key with electronics inside. I’m considering hacking it somehow to have the blade, transponder and circuit fit on my wallet once more, but at $100 a copy, I prefer to just use the key with nothing else attached for now.
I have 2 Fords from the same era, so keychains nicely help distinguish them as they hang on the key rack that I learned to make in junior high woodshop (courtesy of the fine brotherhood from which ShopTeacher hails!)
I like racing connections, so the Focus has a Castrol keychain (the big sponsor of the rally version at the time) and the Mustang has a Union 76 one (ala from the Trans-Am competitors back in the glory years).
I have two sets of keys. One for my Sportwagen, which consists of the switchblade key to that car, a house key, and a little silver tag that says “I love you” that my fiancee got me years ago. I know it’s kind of cheesy and I can hear it jingling against the house key when I drive. But I was going through a rough patch when he gave it to me and it did cheer me up a bit, so on the ring it stays.
The key ring for my 1972 Super Beetle has the original key for the car, and one for the aftermarket locking decklid latch I bought. There’s a little cross stitch encased in plastic as well, with a little person and the word “mom” on it. It came with the car when I got it 20 years ago, so it seemed fitting to keep it. I’ve even met the mom it was made for (or by?), the original owner of the car.
Kia Soul: Red “Remove before flight” tag. Makes it easy to find in the key dish.
Mustang: Dark red aluminum take with a mustang logo on it that a friend got me when I bought up the car.
House/office/moms house keys are on a wooden Africa shape I bought in Mali many years ago.
I have one of those “Remove Before Flight” tags hanging off the key of my XJ. However, it says “Remove Pilot Before Flight”. It came as a bonus goody with an order of drone parts. I used to build them back in the day.
No keychain and no keys for most days. Phone as a key has been extremely liberating.
My keychain is a 40 year old baby swiss army knife. My work keychain is a bright pink 6in nylon strap…I picked bright pink because if someone took it, everyone would know that it was mine (at least at work).
I’ve lost so many of those little knives!
Just a bottle opener and the rest of my keys on a caribiner. Far from exciting but everything’s together with minimal bulk.
Daily fob lives on a Swenson’s Drive In chain. Best burgers in America according to Forbes magazine!
To answer Pete’s question, I installed tea cup hooks on the underside of one of the shelves in the cupboard. Out of sight and organized.
I use a keysmart with integrated tile. It packages the keys into a nice small package.
With multiple giant fobs, who has room for keychains anymore? Hell I already can’t even put the Viper key on with the rest and have the resulting mass fit comfortably in my pocket. So it lives alone and the “regular” vehicles go on the key ring.
I did put a bottle opener on my key ring a few years ago because I was sick of being caught out without one.
There’s a lot of bottle openers being mentioned. Now I kinda feel I need to stop drinking such cheap beer.
I used to proudly drink cheap beer even when I could afford better. Why? No idea besides stubbornness.
Life’s too short. Buy some good stuff. The side benefit is they actually taste good enough to enjoy and you don’t wind up putting 4-5 down before you even realize it.
Definitely had the point in my life where I realized unless I actually enjoyed drinking the beer there was no point to it. Now I like to try a bunch of different ones. Keeps life interesting.
Is cheap beer even bad anymore? Cheap wine has certainly come a long way.
The way I see it, cheap beer is exactly the same as it was 15-20 years ago (Bud and Miller aren’t changing their recipes) but good beer is much much better.
I imagine the exact opposite is true for wine.
I don’t drink a lot of beer and of that I don’t drink much Miller or Bud but after spending a hot day in the sun I won’t turn my nose up at either. Sometimes the Taco Bell of beer is exactly what hits the spot.
A properly leveraged Bic lighter will easily remove any bottle top.
On my main key loop (it’s a bottle opener carabiner) I only have my Camaro key, my truck key, my bike lock key, my front door key, my basement door key (I installed the basement door and never bothered to change out the locks in the other doors to match), and a key to my parents’ house. My spare truck key has a chrome plated hose clamp (from my previous employer, yes they make the pinch style hose clamps that everyone loves!) and an old Hoonigan red plastic dice keychain.
None. The damn fob is big enough.
However I did win a lovely F1 key chain from the REVs Institute, and I got a 1/64 Honda Fit from Honda because I bought a very early example of the 3rd gen. They live on display in our condo.
Ive got a few.
Mustang: a cheap ‘mustang’tag i got at advanced auto the day i got it in high school. Its made in usa, surprisingly.
Jeep: barcoded tag for isla nublar and the JP number
4xe: dinisaur national monument chain
Trail 125: a vintage Jeep keychain
Chevelle: a chrome ‘A’. I didnt get it until i realized my dad gave me that one, and he has ine with his initial on it.
My goal with keys/fobs/key chains is: less bulk/mass. Also, my wife and I both drive the same brand of car with identical fobs. So praise be to he who gave us each an elegant little leather key chain with our respective names on them last Christmas.
Just a boring AirTag holder.
The funtodrive2020hondacrv key is bulky enough not to need one, but the Mondial keys (door and ignition) are on the original Ferrari keychain. It’s the best when somebody notices and asks about it, assuming it’s a joke!
I honestly never see my keys. I have a crossbody sling (yeah, I’m that guy), and I come and go through the garage. They keys stay buried in the bag and only come out when they start yelling about low batteries.
That worn Porsche keychain is beautiful. It looks great with the years of patina. A sign the car was used as intended.