Be Ready for Anything With the Best EDC Keychain Tools

The essentials of everyday carry: Phone, wallet, and keys. With just these three, you can successfully navigate the concrete jungle (albeit in a bare bones style).

You can download apps for your phone to expand its functionality. 

You can keep a range of cards and cash in your wallet for whatever eventuality arises.

But your humble keyring might hold the greatest potential of all when it comes to versatility for everyday carry. By attaching any number of EDC keychain tools, you can unlock the full power of pliers, screwdrivers, pry bars, hex bits, and more.

We’ve collected five of our favorite EDC keychain tools here, ranging from the ultra simple to the compact and complex. Give them a try as part of your everyday carry kit, and we’re sure you’ll never want to be without them.

DoohicKey Plus Key Tool

Though not much larger than your average house key, the DoohicKey Plus Key Tool delivers tools and features well outside of its diminutive size.

Eight tools are represented here: a ruler, wrench, bottle opener, serrated edge, scoring point, nail puller/staple remover, flathead screwdriver, and Phillips screwdriver — and it’s equipped with a carabiner clip for easy attachment and removal from your keychain.

We’re big fans of the DoohicKey’s overall design, as it gives you a good amount of space to hold it and apply leverage to any of its tools. For under $10, it’s quite the bargain when it comes to compact multi-tools.

OrbitKey Multi-Tool v2

OrbitKey made a name for themselves with their flagship Key Organiser, a handsome leather-bound keyholder that does a great job of keeping your keys from jangling around in your pocket or bag. Their latest addition to the OrbitKey family, the Multi-Tool v2, is especially compatible with the Key Organiser — but it’s designed to fit on just about any keyring, too.

Nine tools are represented in the Multi-Tool v2’s slim and minimalist frame: A box cutter, bottle opener, pry bar, flat-head screwdriver, PH2 phillips-head screwdriver, letter opener, metric ruler, imperial ruler, and coarse file. That makes it a convenient tool for use around the home and office, and ideal for a more urban-centric everyday carry setup. And thanks to its durable 420 stainless steel construction, complete with a matte titanium coating, it’s both made for the long haul and quite a good-looking piece.

Bigi Design Titanium Pocket Bit

It doesn’t get much smaller or more task-specific than the Bigi Design Titanium Pocket Bit. Featuring just a phillips and flathead screwdriver on opposite ends of a durable titanium shaft, it’s the most focused of the tools featured in this article.

But as with everything from Big Idea Design, there’s more to this little tool than meets the eye: Designed to fit directly on your existing keyring, it then uses the keyring itself as a handle. Do you absolutely need one for your EDC setup? No — but then again, there’s hardly any reason not to have one, when it takes up so little space and works so well.

The Matsey Hex Bar

Equal parts showpiece and functional tool, The Matsey’s Hex Bar combines two of our favorite EDC additions — a pry bar and a bottle opener — in one slick design.

Made from machined titanium and given a stonewash finish, you can then choose from three different types of inlays (including a super cool glow-in-the-dark blue). And if you’re so inclined, you can switch out those inlays to match the rest of your everyday carry setup from day to day. 

So while it’s designed more for the aesthetic-centric guy, The Matsey’s Hex Bar has the strength and durability to back up its place in your EDC setup.

Leatherman Squirt PS4

The Leatherman name is practically synonymous with multi-tools, and for good reason: They make some of the most thoughtfully designed multi-tools on the market, with a huge range of styles to choose from.

The Squirt PS4 is Leatherman’s take on a keychain-ready multi-tool. And while it’s bulkier than most other keychain tools, it’s one of the few that you can find that boasts a full-sized pair of pliers, complete with a wire cutter base. That’s in addition to spring-loaded scissors, a small knife, two screwdrivers, a bottle opener, and a metal file, making it one of the most generously outfitted multi-tools you can put on your keychain.

Frequently Asked Questions

And to wrap things up, let’s answer a few of the most commonly asked questions about EDC Keychain tools from around the web.

What is the purpose of a keychain multi-tool?

A keychain multi-tool gives you access to smaller versions of everyday carry tools from the convenience of your keychain. The logic for carrying these pocket-sized tools goes like this: Since you’re carrying around your keys with you every day, why not add some functionality to your keyring? At the worst it won’t hurt anything, and at best it will make you more prepared for whatever comes up.

What does a keychain multi-tool do?

A keychain multi-tool packs a variety of different common tools — screwdrivers, bottle openers, files, etc. — into one compact design. That makes them a favorite for minimalist EDC setups, and anyone who likes being prepared for whatever eventuality might arise.