Sometimes it’s hard being a gadget lover. Here at The Gadgeteer, we’ve told you about and/or reviewed a ton of keychain tools over the years, and I’d be lying if I told you that for at least half of them, I’ve found myself flush with new-gadget-frenzy, my cursor hovering over the “buy” button, only to change my mind, close the browser tab, and never look back.
Why, you ask? Well, as much as I love gadgets, I also love simplicity. And when it comes to my keyring, the simpler the better. It’s something I have to lug around in my pocket all day, after all, so unless it’s something I’ll use on a regular basis, its presence on my keyring simply isn’t justified.
That said, the Hookeychain from Megawing (the same designers that brought us oddities like the Armed Notebooks) may be the first bauble to make it onto my keyring in a long time. Appearing to be a simple cylinder of aluminum, the Hookeychain has a magnet embedded in its angled end, allowing you to stick your keys to any ferromagnetic surface. It’s not clear just how strong the magnet is, so while you probably can’t use the angle of the Hookeychain as a hook to hang your jacket on, you probably can hang a lightweight hat on it, and you can certainly use it to pin up a self-reminder note for later.
The Hookeychain is available from various online retailers, I found it for $16 at Molla Space.
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Cool design, but I’d say magnets in pockets or purses which may come close to cards with magnetic stripes is asking for trouble.
Henry: permanent magnets (like the ones on your refrigerator and in the Hookeychain) pose no threat to the magnetic strips on credit cards. It’s oscillating electromagnetic fields — such as the ones produced by the devices that many department stores use to deactivate security tags at the checkout — that can damage or erase the data on your credit card.
Andy,
I’ve worked with magnets for years, both ferrous and electrical. Granted, they are huge magnets that can rip a wrench right out of your hand at 10 feet, but same physics.
Small, strong permanent magnets CAN damage magnetic strips. Consider that the magnet isn’t stationary, nor is the magnetic strip, when they are in a bag or purse being transported. Your permanent magnet now has an oscillating field in relation to the strip. The closer the magnet is to the magnetic strip, the more likely there will be damage. Consider this: a flashlight isn’t a strobe light, but if you wiggle it quickly in front of your eyes there is the effect of strobe or oscillation… same thing with magnets.
Strong permanent magnets can also irreparably damage some watches and possibly other items that would normally be carried with or near keys in a bag.
As for the product, I really like it. Since I don’t carry my keys in a bag or purse it would be great for me. If I got one for my wife, I’d just have her put her keys in a separate pocket in her purse to protect other items. I’m going to get one for myself, just because it’s a neat gadget for my friends to admire 🙂