Press-To-Open Keyring Just Blew My Mind

I’m really sorry dress pant sweatpants, but there’s only room in my heart for one amazing invention at a time, and you’ve just been replaced by these brilliant Free Key rings that open with a simple press.

I consider myself a fairly dexterous individual, but I’d rather be tasked with finding Atlantis than putting a new key onto a keyring. At least I know I’d be more successful with the former. But I’m fairly confident I could handle the latter with Eric von Schoultz’s Free Key. Its brilliantly simple design just introduces a strategically placed bump in one of the loops, essentially creating a button that can be pressed to open it.

It’s another one of those “why weren’t they designed like this in the first place?” ideas, and the only thing missing is a set of these in my pocket right now. As far as I can tell they will be available for sale at some point, and I’ll be honest, even if they were $US50 a pop I’d still eagerly buy one. [Free Key via Notcot]

Discuss

(12 Comments)
  • [–]

    Angus

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    Brilliant

  • [–]

    Nicholas

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:51 AM

    You wouldn’t pay that, you’d wait a bit till a ‘Make your own Free Key’ article appeared on LH.

    • [–]

      olearymo

      Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 11:23 AM

      and then the comments would be filled with ‘why not just buy one?!’

  • [–]

    Antipodean

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 10:23 AM

    Meh, the Chinese will have a cheap knockoff for a dollar delivered to your door in no time!

  • [–]

    fabioc

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    yeh whatch it get caught to a fence or ur mates knitted jumper!

    • [–]

      Johno

      Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 1:09 PM

      The end sits flat when not pressed, like a ‘normal’ key ring

  • [–]

    Jackson Bison

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 11:27 AM

    Clever, yes. But let’s look at this in the long term. How often do you actually have to take keys on and off of a ring to make this anything more than slightly useful…?

    • [–]

      James

      Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 11:45 AM

      I dunno, how many times have I bent my nail back the wrong way trying to pry the bastard apart to get a key on? Enough to warrant purchasing some of these.

      Great idea…..credit where it’s due.

  • [–]

    Frank

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 2:27 PM

    It’s elegantly simple, what great design.

  • [–]

    harry

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 6:16 PM

    was fiftybuck key already taken as a name?

  • [–]

    par

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:39 PM

    Unless you’re fingerless, putting a key on a keyring really isn’t that complicated.

    • [–]

      burro

      Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 3:44 PM

      + 1

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