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The 10 Best Key Organizers to Keep Your EDC in Check

Do away with the jingle-jangle of traditional keyrings and organize your most important EDC gear.

Bellroy

By Sean Tirman

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Most of us are probably familiar with keyrings and more traditional keychains — often little more than a split metal ring onto which you can spool a collection of keys and accessories. Key organizers, on the other hand, open up a whole other world of security, order and functionality.

Why You’d Want Key Organizer

While there are varying types of key organizers, there are a few commonalities. Usually, they have some kind of body into which your keys can be hidden — kind of like a pocket-knife handle. This keeps them from creating an unsightly lump in your pocket or making you look too much like a high school janitor when you’re trying to thumb through them. It also makes it simpler to retrieve the keys you use most often, sometimes offering one-hand operation or even quick access.

Furthermore, many key organizers also offer additional features. Some come with built-in or detachable bottle openers, a loop to which you can attach a key fob (if you have a car that requires one, for instance) and others still might come with a knife blade or other useful tools. There are even some that can be customized to suit your particular tastes and EDC requirements or ones with built-in Bluetooth trackers (for those of us who are sometimes a bit absentminded).

Best Overall Key Organizer

Orbitkey Key OrganizerAmazon

Orbitkey Key Organizer

Specs

Capacity 2 – 7 keys
Material Leather, rubber or canvas

Pros

  • Refined design
  • Numerous available materials, colors, styles

Cons

  • Somewhat expensive compared to others

Orbitkey has been crafting high-quality key organizers for the better part of a decade now (in fact, they were founded in 2013) and the brand is probably the most influential and perhaps even the most successful in the space. Their offerings are well-designed, are refined, come in numerous different materials (including rubber, leather, canvas and more) and styles, and really exemplify everything that an EDC key organizer should be.

If they have a downside, it might be that they’re more expensive than a lot of the competition. But if you want quality and a time-tested product, the brand’s catalog is undoubtedly top-tier.

Most Stylish Key Organizer

blue leather key organizerBellroy

Bellroy Key Cover Plus

Specs

Capacity 4 – 8 keys
Material Leather

Pros

  • Made from environmentally certified leather
  • Magnetic closure

Cons

  • Slightly cumbersome

If there’s anything you know about Bellroy, the lauded Australian EDC and carry brand, it should be that they excel in the realm of design. That comes through loud and clear with its aptly named Key Cover Plus, which eschews the folding-knife-style design of other key organizers in favor of a miniature, magnetically-securing, leather booklet.

While the design isn’t quite as quick and convenient as some others — due largely to the fact that you really need two hands to use it (or a good amount of patience and practice) — it is undoubtedly gorgeously designed and stands apart from the rest of the field.

Most Durable Key Organizer

KeyBar Key OrganizerAmazon

KeyBar Key Organizer

Specs

Capacity 1 – 12 keys (up to 28 with extenders)
Material Aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber or copper

Pros

  • Incredibly tough
  • High-capacity
  • Multiple colors, materials available

Cons

  • A little bulky
  • Unrefined design

Made in the USA from your choice of aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber or copper, KeyBar’s key organizers might just be the toughest around. And while their design is perhaps less refined than some others, it’s still plenty sleek enough for most pockets, even fully loaded. it also helps that they can hold up to 28 standard-sized keys, making this one of the highest-capacity organizers around.

For those that like a bit of ruggedness to their everyday carry — like outdoorsmen, service members, those with an appreciation for brutalist design and the like — this might just be your best option.

Key Organizer with Sleekest Design

KeySmart OriginalKeySmart

KeySmart Original Key Organizer

Specs

Capacity 1 – 8 keys
Material Aluminum

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Superb product design

Cons

  • Limited capacity

The self-proclaimed “first compact key organizer,” KeySmart’s Original is still one of the best around for its space-saving design, security, durability and more. Without any expansions, it can hold up to eight keys and comes with a loop for key fobs, making this a great overall option for those that only need to carry a few keys in the day-to-day.

There’s not much else to it, but there really doesn’t need to be. For minimalists, this is one of the best everyday carry key organizers around. And that goes double when you consider that you can add optional tool modules, as well.

Best Key Organizer with Tile Tracking

keysmart original key organizerKeySmart

KeySmart Max Tracking Key Organizer

Specs

Capacity 1 – 14 keys
Material Polycarbonate

Pros

  • Makes finding lost keys super easy
  • Two-way tracking can find lost phones, too

Cons

  • Tracking tech adds a bit of bulk

Proof positive that KeySmart is one of the best names in the EDC key organizer game, the Max does everything the brand’s original offering does and more. In fact, this one can hold up to 14 keys out of the box, which is almost double the capacity. But the biggest bonus of this one is that it has onboard key-tracking tech, courtesy of Tile, so you can utilize an app to find your misplaced keys wherever they may be.

As if that’s not enough, they also offer two-way tracking — meaning that if you have your keys but your phone is missing, you can actually use your keys to track down your phone, even when it is on silent. Plus, it comes with an integrated flashlight and removable multi-tool. While it does add a little bulk and weight, it’s more than made up for by the handy tech and other features.

Key Organizer with Most Material Variety

Ridge Key CaseRidge

Ridge Key Case

Specs

Capacity 2 – 6 keys
Material Aluminum, 24-karat gold, titanium or carbon fiber

Pros

  • Easy to deploy keys
  • Numerous colorway and material options

Cons

  • Limited capacity
  • Not expandable

Ridge took the world by storm with its minimalist front-pocket wallets, and it’s taken that same technology and, in a flash of brilliance, applied it to a key organizer — including the simple-yet-magnificent deployment system. Sadly, they didn’t include the expandability as a part of the offering, but it is still a stellar option (so long as you don’t need to carry more than six keys).

Made from a variety of materials — including aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium and even 24-karat gold — you can pick the one(s) that suit your style and tastes best. This organizer, in our opinion, also has one of the best designs of the bunch.

Best Minimalist Key Organizer

Slughaus G001 Micro EDC Key OrganizerAmazon

Slughaus G001 Micro EDC Key Organizer

Specs

Capacity 1 – 10 keys
Material Undisclosed metal

Pros

  • As space-saving as possible
  • Includes multi-tool attachment

Cons

  • A lot of little pieces to keep track of

For ultra-minimalists, there’s simply no better key organizer than the Slughaus G001 Micro. Genuinely, this is about as minimalist as it gets, consisting of little more than a male-to-female connecter. Granted, each set comes with spacers and expanders, as well, to cope with numerous capacities.

It also comes with a removable multi-tool attachment, which grants users access to a key fob loop, bottle opener, and pry bar/package opener. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some others, but it packs a wallop into an incredibly compact package.

Best AirTag Key Organizer

KeySmart AirKeySmart

KeySmart Air

Specs

Capacity 1 – 5 keys
Material Leather, vegan leather or silicone

Pros

  • Stain- and water-resistant
  • Quick and secure

Cons

  • AirTag not included
  • Limited capacity

As the final entry in our trio of KeySmart picks (the presence of three should go a long way toward telling you just how good the brand is at making key organizers), we have another one that offers tracking tech.

However, this one doesn’t have it built-in, but rather has a slot into which you can insert your own AirTag (it does not come with one), making this the best option for Apple loyalists.

Along with that handy addition, this key organizer is also made from advanced water- and stain-resistant leather, but it comes in silicone or vegan-leather options, as well. It can hold up to five keys (plus a key fob) and even offers 360-degree bumper protection for the AirTag itself.

Best Key Organizer with Flashlight

Ekster Key HolderEkster

Ekster Key Holder

Specs

Capacity 3 – 8 keys
Material Aluminum

Pros

  • Integrated flashlight
  • Optional key tracker (for an upcharge)

Cons

  • Unsuitable for larger keys

While Ekster is probably not a brand most folks are familiar with, those with a taste for solid EDC gear should probably make themselves familiar. Take the brand’s Key Holder, for instance. It has a sleek, modern design offering simple one-handed operation, a solid capacity, and (our favorite design inclusion, one we’ve not seen elsewhere) an integrated flashlight.

Better still, customers can add on a key tracker to make this one of the most high-tech options currently available. Along with its affordable price point, it’s pretty hard to find anything wrong with this option — but if we had to choose one (and we’re admittedly being picky), it’s that it doesn’t have the ability to hold larger keys inside of it (though they can be attached outside on the key fob loop).

Best Carabiner Key Organizer

KeyBiner Key Organizer Pocket ToolBlade HQ

KeyBiner Key Organizer Pocket Tool

Specs

Capacity 1 – 14 keys
Material Aluminum

Pros

  • Can attach to belt loops or bags
  • Integrated multi-tool functionality

Cons

  • Bulky, especially for pocket carry

What’s the biggest problem with most key organizers? They still require you to have some pocket space in order to make use of them. Not this one, however, which comes with its own integrated carabiner that allows you to attach your keys to your belt loops or even a bag for more convenient carry options.

Better still, KeyBiner has maximized this key organizer’s usefulness by integrating a number of multi-tool functions into it — including a bottle opener, screwdriver, pry bar, file, holes for more key ring attachments, wrenches and more. Honestly, there’s probably not a more widely functional key organizer out there.

What to Look for in a Key Organizer

Capacity

The number of keys you can fit into your key organizer is undoubtedly the most important thing to pay attention to when shopping for one. After all, if you have eight keys and your organizer of choice can only hold six, you’re going to be out of luck and have to either get a different one or somehow reduce the number of keys you carry to suit. It’s worth noting that some can be expanded/shrunk to suit, but this is hardly a given. Make sure you know how much room you need (or don’t need) before you ever pull out your wallet.

Size and Shape

Your pockets represent valuable (and limited) real estate when it comes to everyday carry. Nobody wants to be forced to stuff theirs to the brim if it can be helped, as it looks bad and increases the risk that you might lose something or even damage your apparel and other EDC gear. As such, discerning how much room you have is important in picking out your EDC key organizer. While most of them are fairly space-saving, there is still a range of sizes, shapes and weights to consider. And some might not actually fit all your keys (make sure you check what sizes are compatible ahead of time) if they’re odd shapes or sizes.

Material

The material of your key organizer can determine a number of different things about it, including its appearance, texture, durability, weight and even price. For instance, a rubber key organizer might be lighter than, say, a steel one, but it probably won’t last as long. Similarly, one that’s made from titanium or carbon fiber is probably going to be a lot more expensive than one made from aluminum. There are upsides and downsides to all of them — just make sure you consider this ahead of time.

Style

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise — the styling of your key organizer is exactly as important as you want it to be. Like all your EDC, your organizer is a piece that can (if you want it to) say a lot about you. And while the above factors often play a part in defining its style, they’re not the only factors to consider.

Stay Sharp

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