We’re all familiar with pocket knives. They’re functional, compact, and handy when we don’t have a standard knife, screwdriver, or pair of scissors readily on hand. All you have to do is haul out the pocket knife, conveniently stored in your pocket or on your belt, and pick the type of tool you need.
But what happens when you simply don’t have the pocket space to hold your knife every day? This happens when your daily routine requires you to keep other things in your pocket and your pocket knife needs to stay at home.
It’s amazing what an EDC keychain can hold. While the gadgets are smaller, they can be highly functional if you pick wisely. This includes the nifty and ever-so-useful keychain knife.
The keychain knife may be smaller than your standard pocket knife and it may only serve the purpose of cutting, but for everyday use, this if often the only tool you need. How often have you needed to cut off that irritating price tag on your new T-shirt or remove batteries from layers of packaging? This is when a good-quality keychain knife does the job perfectly.
A keychain knife can be used for a number of smaller jobs throughout your day and it takes up minimal space on your keychain and in your pocket. But, it’s about getting the best one.
We’ve done the research for you and have found 15 great keychain knives. Read on and find out which ones you need on your shopping list. Before we take you through the different products, let’s show how we selected these dynamic little knives and what features you should look out for when deciding which is the best keychain knife for your personal needs. Plus, we’re giving you our top 3 picks and what users have to say about them.
Our aim is to always help the outdoor enthusiast find the best products for enhancing their outdoor experiences. Every product we select and review needs to fulfill the specific requirement it’s been used for.
When we selected keychain knives we used criteria such as durability, size, ease, and range of use as well as safety features such as locking mechanisms. The length and construction of the blade is an important factor as well as the folded length of the knife. Another key feature is the weight of the knife. No point adding too much weight to your bunch of keys!
The functionality of the different keychain knives was important and we ensured they would fulfill most outdoor tasks relevant to their size and purpose. Lastly, we made sure the attachment features were sturdy. What’s the use of a keychain knife if you keep losing it because of flimsy keyrings?
We took into consideration the aesthetics of the design. There’s no need to lose out on looking stylish while using a nifty product.
Our list of 15 best keychain knives includes our top three picks. We’ve gone the extra mile and added some positives as well as constructive critical reviews of these top products. Read on and decide which keychain knife you’re going to add to your EDC keychain.
We seriously didn’t believe you could still get a full pocket knife small enough to fit onto your EDC keychain without making it too bulky. But this Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife proved us wrong! It measures in at 2.28 x 0.71 x 0.35 inches, with a slim-fit design. It only weighs 18.14 grams, so you won’t be weighed down carry this one on your keychain.
We love the funky bright yellow color of this knife and it has 7 different functions: blade, scissors, nail file, screwdriver, toothpick, tweezers, and key ring. It’s made with high-grade stainless steel and encased in ABS/cellidor scales which guarantees toughness, durability, and resistance to most rough conditions.
What Other Users Have to Say…
“Seriously, I cannot live without this little knife as my keychain. The small size is important, as I can always have it with me. IMO, its top indispensable attachments are: scissors, knife, tweezers – in that order”.
“Bought this for my son, a new Boy Scout. It’s a traditional Swiss Army knife, just in yellow, which is my son’s favorite color, and also distinctive from the knives of his buddies. Even for my son, 11-years old, this knife is small, but my major concern is that the blades do NOT lock open, so there is always the chance for a knife to close bloodily on a finger — in fact, that happened to one of the other Scouts with a different knife. The scissors piece is also quite small, although it can be used to cut thread or fishing line. This knife is made well enough to last a long time, I believe, but it will still be too small and lacking a locking blade”.
This high-quality keychain knife is designed to also be attached to your jacket or bag zipper. It’s lightweight, small, and serves the purpose of cutting twine, opening up the packaging, or slicing through your favorite jerky.
This knife fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and has a quick-release clip, letting you use one hand to open the blade. The frame lock gives you peace of mind the blade locks safely when not being used. The blade measures 0.68 inches and the whole knife measures 1.70 inches when folded.
The blade is 7Cr17 steel which is great for high strength and hardness while the handle is made with 3Cr13 steel which means it’s corrosion, wear, and heat resistant.
What Other Users Have to Say
“… I’ve been using it for 4 years now (2016-2020), I use all the time from my keyring, you can cut through some pretty heavy stuff, stuff … I thought the little string it hangs on would break in no time, not so, 4 years of abuse and it’s still there. I must have got a good one because I have had no problem at all with it. I’m amazed at the blade, unbreakable and holds its edge, in 4 years I’ve never had to sharpen it other than a lite steel touch up, even after cutting open heavy plastic packaging…”
“This product is really a novelty item. For serious work, it’s far too small to be easily handled, and the half-inch blade doesn’t hold an edge very well. Its main appeal, I suspect, is that it can be attached to a zipper pull on a jacket and carried openly, yet unobtrusively. For any sort of serious work, this simply won’t cut it (you should pardon the expression). I’ll stick with a larger pocket knife for everyday use”.
This solid metal keychain multi-tool may not win the best prize for style but it’s certainly multi-functional. It attaches neatly to the keychain with a solid keyring. It includes a 4-step utility blade and has a function for opening bottles. Great for those days around the barbecue!
The one-hand release blade will easily cut through rope, cardboard, and most packaging. It’s tiny, weighing in at only 0.8 ounces. You’ll hardly notice it on your keychain. What’s more, it’s magnetized so it can stick to the refrigerator, the toolbox, and anything else that’s metal.
What Other Users Have to Say
“I was glad to see the small footprint of this item – super thin, very small, lightweight. This is very versatile to carry due to the size, and the magnet prevents the blade from jiggling around in your pocket or bag while the blade is retracted. Excellent to carry. The magnet also helps retract the blade when ready and allows you to mount this thing on anything metal. While the blade is out, there is a slight wiggle to the blade-like with every other utility knife, but that is to be expected… and even with force, it does not seem like the blade is at risk of slipping out of place – solid”.
“Alright, so I got this tool to help me cut boxes, and lend to co-workers. And it’s sort of ok. Here’s the thing the blade rattles, though a second rectangular magnet could fix that. The tolerance is way too wide. That was a -1 star. The second thing is the “lock arm” when I received this item it was raised slightly. That slight raise allowed the blade to come out when placed under any stress or motion. That was a -2 for safety. Currently I’ve bent the arm slightly to help fix things, and now consider this an extremely light duty tool”.
Also known as the mini camping outdoor knife, this closed keychain knife is small (4.2 x 1.9 x 0.6 inches) and lightweight. This high-quality drop point knife is constructed with high carbon steel 440. The handle is made with high-strength nylon fiber and offers an excellent grip for safe use.
A strong lock ensures it’s safely closed when not being used. Whether you’re camping, fishing, hunting, or simply opening a package, this knife does it all. And, the blade is strong enough to use in self-defense too.
This high carbon, stainless steel knife looks like it could handle any situation. It’s durable with the 1.75 inches blade being constructed with 8Cr13 MoV stainless steel. The handle is made of aluminum and is black.
This compact knife uses ultra glide technology for easy and quick opening of the blade. It’s also easy to sharpen the blade whenever necessary. It only weighs 2.2 ounces and is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand without compromising on functionality.
The sleek and elegant design of this knife would look good on any lady’s keychain (and gents for that matter too!). The knife handle is made with aluminum alloy while the 3Cr13 stainless steel blade is constructed to be durable, sharp, and useful.
The retractable blade means it can be safely concealed when not in use. The total length of this smart keychain knife is 4. 25 inches with the blade being 1.25 inches long when in use. We love the range of funky colors and it’s lightweight too, weighing in at 0.42 ounces.
Here’s a knife that not only looks good but is slim enough to slide into any pocket together with keys without bulking up pocket estate space. It measures 3.5 inches when closed and has 1.8 inches long 5Cr13 MoV blade. The whole knife is constructed with good quality stainless steel.
This EDC knife operates with a one-button release function which locks the blade in place when in operation. It folds away securely when closed. Additional useful features of this knife include the bottle opener and strong, stainless steel keyring for secure attachment to the keychain.
This fish-shaped pocket knife for your keychain is seriously small, fitting into the center of your palm quite comfortably when closed (2.1 inches). It weighs 5 grams making this a very lightweight option for key rings. The multi-purpose 1.5 inches stainless steel blade is tiny but can do simple cutting tasks around the home or outdoors.
The handle is made with strong, durable plastic and comes in a variety of colors. It doesn’t come with a locking mechanism so you’ll need to double-check it’s always properly closed when not being used. It does open and close easily, which is convenient and will save time in an emergency.
This nifty keychain knife measures 2.5 inches when closed and 4.25 inches when the blade is opened. It’s constructed with high-quality stainless steel and the Leymar handle is lightweight and easy to grip.
The blade is partially serrated and can be used for a range of cutting tasks. A thumb stud on the handle operates the release function of the blade making it easy to use with one hand. It also means the blade is securely locked in place when closed.
This dainty but tough knife will do most cutting jobs whether you’re out camping or simply doing the odd jobs around the garden or in the house. The ultra-sharp VG10 Damascus steel drop point blade has excellent edge qualities. It measures 1.3 inches when open.
The frame lock feature keeps the blade stable when in use and secure when closed. The flipper and brass washer allows you to open and close easily and quickly. The gray titanium handle turns this knife into a real beauty to look at and to hold.
The designers of this knife claim it’s the world’s smallest and that could be true since it measures a mere 1 inch when folded! But, it serves its purpose as a functional knife whether you’re hiking, camping, or climbing that big mountain.
A sturdy key ring allows it to be attached safely to your keychain. The steel blade is sharp enough to peel vegetables and open packaging. The handle is sturdy when in use. It’s really small though so be mindful of this if you have large hands.
This sturdy and robust keychain pocket knife is compact, measuring in at 2.6 inches when closed. The 3Cr13 stainless steel 1.4 inches blade is strong enough to cut notches in wood, trim stems, slice rope effortlessly, and shorten fishing twine when it gets tangled.
A steel plate automatically moves behind the blade when it opens preventing it from wobbling when in use. The thumb stud allows you to manually open and close the blade. A liner lock keeps the blade securely locked. A solid ring means you can securely attach it to your keychain.
This lightweight and compact keychain knife has an aluminum body and corrosion-resistant 420j2 stainless steel blade which measures 2 inches when open. The lock-back mechanism keeps the blade securely locked away when closed.
The hardness and sharp edge of the blade ensures you can use it for the most common cutting tasks outdoors and indoors. It includes a carabiner clip for easy attachment to keychains, bag straps, or even your belt.
The green leaf design of this keychain knife caught our eye and we love how it looks. Plus, it’s made with high-quality stainless steel so is durable, robust, and will last for years. The ergonomic design of the handle, when open, makes it easy and comfortable to hold.
The knife is lightweight at 1.1 ounces and measures 3.9 inches when closed. The blade is sharp enough to do the most common cutting tasks. A strong, steel ring allows for easy and secure attachment to your keychain.
We picked this one for its beautiful, colorful wooden handle. The 440C stainless blade is tiny, measuring only 0.99 inches but it’s sharp and functional when you want to open packages, trim wood pieces, or cut that fishing twine.
It’s small and compact (1.95 inches when closed) and will look discreet on your keychain. The blade pulls out easily but holds firm when in action. For all its smallness, it’s an extremely practical knife to keep on your keychain.
Keychain knives are designed to save you the hassles of searching for a standard knife or pair of scissors when trying to open a package. They’re great for quick and easy cutting of fishing twine, rope, and trimming twigs for the campfire.
When it comes to picking the best keychain knife for your personal use, take into consideration the following key features discussed in more detail below.
A good quality keychain knife should have a blade made of high-quality stainless steel. The products we’ve reviewed are made with the following types of steel:
Take into consideration the length of the blade and for what purpose you’re using it for. Remember, these are small knives so blade lengths range from 0.99 inches to 1.95 inches.
Blade stability is important too, especially when in operation. A blade that wobbles could become dangerous and unreliable.
A good quality handle means your knife will last longer. It must be able to withstand tough conditions if you’re using the knife while camping, hiking, hunting, or fishing. A stainless steel handle would be the number one choice but aluminum alloy and good quality wood works well too.
While plastic may not be appealing to look at, a high-quality plastic handle does mean it’s durable and long-lasting. The scales encasing the handles should be durable, well-fitted, and comfortable to hold.
Make sure the handle is comfortable for your hand size and it’s easy to grip while using the blade.
The main function of a keychain knife is to perform common cutting tasks such as slicing through rope or twine, peeling fruits and vegetables, and cutting through packaging. But, some knives do come with other features including bottle openers, nail files, toothpicks, and tweezers.
While these are great-to-have features they’re not necessarily essential for a good keychain knife. But it does depend on the reason you want a keychain knife. If it’s for manicuring your fingernails, then the nail file will become vital.
Make sure you pick a keychain knife that includes a locking mechanism. This is useful when the blade is both open and closed. If the knife doesn’t come with a locking mechanism, ensure it can close securely without opening unexpectedly in your pocket. When the blade is open, see that it stays in place when you’re using it.
Quick-release functions mean you can open the knife easily and quickly with one hand. If the knife has a thumb stud for manually opening the knife, make sure it’s not too difficult to operate if you have bigger fingers.
A keychain knife is meant to be tiny so if the blade needs to be opened manually with your fingers, make sure it’s not too small for your particular hand and finger size.
A well-designed keychain knife could be the solution you need when you’re out and about. They’re nifty, compact, and unobtrusive. These knives can have multifunctional features while fitting neatly onto your key ring. You slip the whole bunch into your pocket without worrying about finding space for a knife. It’s a toolbox you can carry with you!
Which one on our list will you pick for your keychain?
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