EXOTAC FreeKey 2825 System

My keyring is on a lanyard, with 20 small keys, 5 big keys, a car key, and a few flash drives and keyfobs on smaller regular keyrings. After 8 years of daily use, this thing still looks and functions like it's brand new. I have never had a key come off when I didn't want it to, and I have never struggled to remove a key. It has not bent or deformed at all. I bought it on a whim and am so glad I did, it's not really something you think about until you actually have to remove a key and the anticipation of frustration hits you. With this keyring it's effortless, and you don't have to worry about damaging the ring itself. Every time I get to use it instead of a regular keyring my day gets 1% better. I would say for the peace of mind and time saved fussing with a regular keyring, this has paid for itself multiple times since purchase.

BACKGROUND: I've been using this keychain daily since February of 2016, so as of now I have a half year of use on it. I have three primary sets of keys that see regular use: car, home, and work. I also have a bottle opener attached.USE: I have a single car key that I keep on one ring, a set of three home keys on another, four work keys on a third ring, and a bottle opener on the final ring. I am a pretty active cyclist, and I regularly take a specific set off the FreeKey depending on where I going: if I'm leaving from the house I will take only the house key set off and put that in my seat bag on the bike; if I take the bike somewhere on my car I'll take the car key off, put that in the seat bag, and lock the rest in the trunk. The same is true when I ride from the office. (I do this to save space in the seat bag.) The point of explaining this is because I routinely take keys on and off of the FreeKey, and it isn't always the same ring that is being replaced. It doesn't matter what order the keys are added to the FreeKey--they can be taken off or added back without having to load or unload other rings sequentially. You only release the one you want, and can put it back on without worrying about where it sits compared to the other rings. For someone who routinely swaps different keys on and off this is extremely helpful.REVIEW: The FreeKey works extremely well. The simple depression on the keyhole icon to open the ring and allow the taking or replacement of rings works flawlessly. (You functionally just give the icon a gentle pinch to open the FreeKey.) To date, I have never had it accidentally open or drop a key/ring from pressure or jostling in my pocket, handling, or any other use. It keeps the rings until you want to remove them, and then is very easy to do so. It's also very light, which is nice. It stands to reason that most people who attach multiple keys to something--which have a cumulative weight of on their own--don't want a keychain that feels like a lump of pewter by itself. The FreeKey is very good in this regard. It also has shown no signs of deterioration of the last six months. It still opens and closes as effectively as the day it arrived. I would give this 4.5 stars instead of five if allowed for one reason only: it's just a plain-looking ring. There are other key systems that look so much better, or that have personality. For me that doesn't really matter, and I am completely satisfied with this in every way. In fact, if this one ever is lost or does stop working I hope to replace it with the exact same thing. However, if you are shopping for a system and looks matter to you it is a point to note.

I was very skeptical about this FreeKey system. I had been using an aluminum carabiner for my keys because I have a few keys that I frequently swap to another set when I change vehicles. Well, the Freekey isn't as fast to use as a carabiner, but it is more secure (the locking carabiners are even heavier and bulkier), and extremely lightweight and thin. It doesn't add to the free length of a keychain - meaning with all the stuff attached, the Freekey doesn't let the items dangle even further and hitting me in the leg while driving.I don't keep a lot of unnecessary stuff on my chain. I have a work key, house keys, mailbox key, ResQMe keychain, flashlight, a gym membership tag, and car keys. The flashlight, believe it or not, is smaller than the car keyfob but is more than bright enough to light an unlit forest path under total darkness or for emergency car repairs (ask me how I know!). The ResQMe keychain is kind of important because it can be used to break car glass or cut through a seatbelt in an emergency. The other keys I have to keep handy because I'm a guy, and I don't keep a purse with unlimited storage capacity like Hermione has in Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2.It's a good thing the FreeKey came with 3 smaller rings. Initially, I thought I wouldn't use them until I realized they could actually hold a great deal of items and still be a thinner, slimmer, and lighter profile than a standard key ring. One of these mini rings can hold about 5 house keys! All said and done, my final configuration has a much slimmer/shorter profile than before. The longest item becomes the Intelligent Access Ford keyfob for my vehicle.Overall: 5/5 stars. This is one of those small items that really comes in handy to clean up your keychain. Your mileage may vary, but it has the potential to reduce the profile and weight without useless clutter. The mini-rings can hold about 4-6 house keys which impressed me a great deal. The main FreeKey ring can hold a bunch of items. I highly recommend this for anyone that attaches stuff to their keychain, and this would make the perfect gift/stocking stuffer for that type of person.