key ring where to buy?

[N8N]

Hello all...

was frustrated recently by a key ring and realized that I'd been meaning to ask for a while where one should buy them. Of course, the obvious answer would be "a hardware store" or "a locksmith's shop" but let me explain...

Every key ring that I have seen offered for sale is pretty much the same, it's a ring (actually a double ring) of spring steel that you put your keys on. However, when I drop my car off at a mechanic's and they put one of those little tags on my key ring, the ring that they use to hold the tag is infinitely better. It's a triple loop of much smaller spring steel, thus making it easier to get my keys on/off the ring if I have to, and more importantly, if I have a very large key that requires that the key ring be sprung open wider than normal (such as a car key,) it still springs back to normal. The key and the remote for my company car are also held together by such a ring. However I have never seen this kind of ring offered for sale, but I'd gladly buy 10 or 20 of them if I had.

Anyone know what I'm talking about, and know where I can buy some of these? Currently I have one key ring that I have to periodically wrap with scotch tape so keys don't fall off in my pocket. It got "sprung" when I put a 50 yen piece on it (the 5 yen and 50 yen coins have holes in the middle) for decoration, I know, dumb idea in retrospect. I'm sure one of the other kind would have been fine however.

nate

[WW]

Why don't you ask your mechanic where they get theirs?? WW

[mm]

When I drop my car off, which is rarely, they use much cheaper rings, that go about one 1.3 times around and I'm sure I could bend with my fingers.

The simplest thing I can think of is to ask the place you drop your car off if you can buy some. If they say no, ask them where they buy theirs. (Truly, it's funny how people work and this second question may cause them to say, here's some for free, or at least to name a price.)

Then I would try keyrings.com . Hey, there really is such a page, although it is mostly personallized keyrings and may not really have much variety mechancially. But I see they do have a category called Split Rings, except on my browser it's empty. :(

No. I don't think I do.

Googling on split key ring bulk gave a bunch of things including:

I don't think one can tell if they are what you want. You could write the vendor. Write via ebay so your questoins and answers are recorded there.

What?

Is this a troll? If yours is sprung, get another one for 5 cents or a quarter. The new ones aren't sprung. (Unless you shop at a specialty store for spring rings.) It doesn't have to be triple. The ones they sell everywhere and often give away for free are fine.

[DD_BobK]

I didnt read your post super carefully (not enough "white space".....I've got more than a bit of 'ADD')

take a look at these McMaster.com

86805T39 Zinc-Plated Steel Split Ring, 1.159" ID In stock at $8.61 per Pack This product is sold in Packs of 25

OTOH how about a spare for the mechanic?

cheers Bob

[N8N]

the pic shows the kind I don't like, the heavier gauge wire with only

2 turns, that tend to get "sprung" easily

might just have to ask him next time I take car in, but the ones they use are pretty small in diameter unlike a "normal" key ring of 1" or

1.25" or so

I know they exist as I have *one* but it came with car

nate

[N8N]

Actually I have, at the one near my house, all they have are the kind I don't like. Same with the hardware store down the street.

nate

[G. Morgan]

Try Google "valet keychain"

[mm]

So buy another car.

I've been using the ones you don't like for 50 years and I've never had one come close to springing. Just stop putting big coins with holes in the middle on them and use them for keys only.

[Jim Yanik]

Smitty Two wrote in news:prestwhich- [e-mail]:

go to WalMart or Home Depot and look around where they make the KEYS. Yikes!

[Jim Yanik]

G. Morgan wrote in news: [e-mail]:

or is he referring to the key FOB,that has a coded chip?

[N8N]

You know how I know you didn't read my post?

yikes yourself.

nate

[Metspitzer]

I have left my car with the mechanic before and got home only to find I had left my house key on the key ring with my car keys. I bought one of those valet key chains. It makes it very easy to split the keys. Unfortunately it doesn't make your memory any better.

After the second time leaving my house key with the mechanic, I just hid a spare key at the house. :)

[N8N]

Some of my keys are similarly large, is the problem. I can't stop carrying those. For some reason auto mfgrs. in particular seem to like to make keys have goofy big plastic heads with the holes in them far away from the edge of the key.

nate

[FatterDumber& Happier Moe]

Use a yellow or orange zip tie.

[G. Morgan]

Hell if I know. At first I thought he wanted a pull-apart valet style for the mechanic. Now I re-read it an I think he just wants really strong springs.

Like some of these:

[Joe]

Available from office product firms that specialize in supplying auto dealerships and repair shops. Google it for names and addresses.

Joe

[Dan Lanciani]

Try a marine store. They have such rings in various sizes to secure pins. As a bonus the material will probably be highly corrosion resistant.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

[mm]

I have a car too, with a big key.

Have you actually sprung a second key ring, or do they just look like the one that broke? If so, buy a third one somewhere else and it maybe be different.

Drill another hole closer to the edge. Make sure you won't hit an electronic chip.

[aemeijers]

Ooh! A pet peeve of mine! Those idiotic combined-key-and-remote-fob monsters Chrysler used in mid-80s. They musta thought only people carrying purses bought their minivans. Damn thing is so big (almost like a serving spoon), and the ring loop is in such a bad spot, there is no way for a normal male to keep a ring with that on it in his pants pocket.

A previous dealer/lienholder had kept the 2nd fob key somewhere in the chain, so I had to waste 130 bucks on the way home getting 2 more keys with normal size heads. (If you only have one chip key, ya hafta get the magic number from dealer, and go to a locksmith with the machine.)

Of course, since they assume everyone will carry the silly huge key with the buttons, they only put a lock cylinder on driver's door and hatch, which is a constant PITA. I automatically hit the 'unlock' button when I get out now, so I can load stuff when I come back to car, without setting stuff down on the (usually wet around here) ground.

Never understood the appeal of button key fobs. You are standing at the car door anyway. Is sticking the key in the lock such a difficult process?

[jw]

Why do you need a key ring? Is your key getting married? Go to a jeweler and buy your key a gold ring with the biggest diamond you can afford. After all, how often in life do you get to go to a key wedding? It's a special occasion, treat it as such!