I’m currently going through a minimalist stage where I am reducing my “stuff” down to just the items that I actually use on a regular basis. Case in point, this past weekend, I did a major gadget purge of my office (Gadgeteer HQ) and ended up taking four overflowing storage tubs of old review items up to my day job for one of my famous gadget giveaways. It felt good to get rid of all that stuff that has been taking up space in drawers and shelves for so long. My next step is to do an audit of my EDC (every day carry). First up is my keychain. Can the MagKey Magnetic Smart Key Holder make a difference? Let’s find out.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
My key management gadget of choice has been the Keyport Slide 2.0 which I reviewed almost two years ago. I love the Keyport because it keeps all my keys and keychain gadgets in one small package. My Keyport has two keys, a flashlight, ink pen, USB flash drive and a bottle opener. But I don’t carry a purse, so even though the Keyport is small, it’s not very pants pocket friendly for me. In the Winter months it’s no issue because I can put the Keyport with my car fob in my coat pocket, but during the Summer months I almost always detach the Keyport and leave it in the car when I go into stores.
I started thinking about what I use on a daily basis and realized that of the six “blades”, there is only on that I use – my front door key. Time for a change and as fate would have it, the folks that are running the MagKey Kickstarter project contacted me to ask if I would like to review it. You can guess my answer.
MagKeys are one of those products that make you say “why didn’t I think of this?”. They are Neodymium magnets (less than 1mm thick) that have a 3M peel and stick adhesive on the back. One set of MagKeys includes enough magnets to use with four keys. The idea is that the keys will stick together when you’re not using them, to prevent noise and make your keychain more organized.
The MagKeys stick-on magnets will work best with keys that have a flat head so that the adhesive can get a better grip. I picked the four keys you see above and included one key with some ridges (the second key on the left) to see if the MagKey magnets would have any issues falling off.
Installing the MagKeys is just a matter of peeling and sticking. There are two magnets per key. A positive and a negative. The magnets are clearly marked so there will be no questions. That said, I wish the magnets were color coded instead of labeled with a + or -. You’ll want to pay attention to which side you stick the magnets so that they all line up correctly with the keyed edge on one side and the straight edge on the other.
After sticking the MagKeys on the keys, they stack up perfectly with minimal bulk or weight added. You can also remove the outer magnets of the top and bottom key. This will help prevent against credit card demagnetization.
Then you can put the keys on your existing keyring or the keyring included with the MagKey set. This is minimalism at its best. There are no special cases, screws or Velcro. Just your keys that magnetically stick together when you’re not using them and easily separate when you need to use one. The magnets are neither too strong or too weak. Be aware that the keys won’t stay in that perfect stack all the time. If you put the keys in a bag or a pocket, they will probably swivel on the magnetic axis. But as soon as you pull the keys out, they straighten out.
So far I really like the simplicity of the Magnetic Smart Key Holder. My keychain might not look as cool as when I was using the Keyport Slide, but it definitely fits in with my newly adopted minimalist lifestyle.
The MagKey Kickstarter campaign has already way surpassed their funding goal. $12 will reserve a set of MagKeys with shipping estimated for January – February 2016.
Updates 05/02/16
I am still using the MagKey magnets on my keys. After almost a year of every day carry, the small magnets are still attached to the keys with no signs of them falling off anytime soon.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by MagKey. Please visit their site for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $12 |
| Manufacturer: | MagKey |
| Retailer: | Kickstarter |
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Clearing out clutter…a surprisingly difficult task!!!!
@RainyDayInterns getting started is always difficult, but once I get going, I want to just get rid of everything. I’ve brought even more things into work to give away since the initial loads and I haven’t even started on my upstairs bonus room. I bet I have enough gear bags to outfit 20 people! 🙂 We start tackling that room this weekend.
One of the ways is to move into an Airstream trailer 🙂 We think that would be a great way to cull down to what is REALLY important!!!
Or a tiny house 🙂 I’m hooked on those shows.
That is pretty cool. I am currently using a Liquid key holder that was reviewed by your site and purchased off Kickstarter. I am thinking that I am going to have to stop using it soon due to it being so bulky. Like the KeySlide, it does not lend itself to fitting nicely in pants pockets. I also do not carry a purse and it is often way too warm to wear any kind of jacket down here in south Texas. My favorite item so far has been a simple quick release key that is small and makes everything very pocket-able, plus has the advantage of me being able to quick release the car key when I take it in for service. I am thinking I will go back to that option and possibly add these magnets to make the keys stick together. I just wish car makers would make their automotive keys smaller. That is the biggest bulk by far. Yours looks rather huge.
Hi,
Almost all my keys are uneven at the magnets position due to the key design or brand text.
I guess you have used for a few months, did your magnets drop off your key after a using for some time? Does it still stick on the key with ridges?
What is the difference of using the ring that they gave, vs using a normal keychain ring?
If you remove the magnets, can you reuse it on other keys? I guess the stickiness will not be there once you removed from a key, how will you stick it on another new key again?
Thanks
I’m still using my keys with the magnets and they are working as well as they did the first day I added the magnets. None have fallen off, even the ones on the key with the ridges. I haven’t tried to remove them and then reattach to another key as I don’t believe the adhesive has been designed for that.
There is no difference using the ring they supplied instead of one of your own. It’s just a thicker, nicer ring.
How wide is a magkey magnet?
What adhesive is used to stick the magnet to the keys?
Thanks
The magnets are .4 inches wide and they use 3M adhesive.