I carry this Maglite Solitaire every single day. I’ve been carrying Maglite Solitaires for a bit over 3 years, and they’re a really good light for my use case.
I hate the Maglite supplied keyring. They break very quickly, and I’ve already lost one Solitaire due to they’re crappiness - carabiner was still on my belt, flashlight MIA.
Does anyone have keyring/keyring alternative recommendations?
Thanks!
PS.
I would use a carabiner instead of a keyring, but the smallest Nite Ize is still too large to fit in the keyring hole.
I’ve had a few decades of good use out of Victorinox split rings. On my Arc AAA and Fenix Silvglow I use the ones intended for the 58mm -74mm line of knives.
They are sturdy in my uses and environment and don’t corrode after being endlessly soaked with perspiration.
Example only, not affiliated with this retailer, other than being a retail customer.
During the Great EDC Movement of 2001-2012 there were lots of sources for titanium split rings to be found. Stil, theyl are relatively easy to find, in sizes larger than 12mm .
I would have trouble breaking the keyrings themselves even if I semi intended to…I can recommend removing the nylon portion, keeping one keyring hooked to the solitaire, and getting an Exotac FreeKey system. That split ring has a built in leverage system, and will save your nails from the split ring mechanics.
These are the smallest I’ve found, I got them from the Advance Bravely store on AliExpress, there are similar quick releases available elsewhere but all slightly larger.
I find the TEC accessories assorted keyrings sizes/shapes to be very useful. They even have the oblong link shaped ones. (in pic below, the flat ring is from the freekey) This is assortment kit #1
I have no clue. Flashlight (and the keyring it was on) is MIA.
The nylon braided thing is garbage. I replaced it with paracord immediately.
The one I lost had a keyring on the flashlight, and another on the carabiner, with paracord connecting them.
I just feel like the keyring is still the weakest link - the alignment on this one became wonky after a month of use (does not come across well in these photos)
I like all of these suggestions - I’ll check them out. What I’m really looking for is something permanent, like I have on the carabiner side - the paracord, which I made into a loop using whipping is basically indestructible - no signs of wear still.
Yes! Alternatives have a longer “shank” and overall larger dimensions.
They’re not cheap at £/$/€4-5 each but I’m very pleased with them.
I will concede that due to the small size, it’s slightly fiddly to pull the collar to reinsert the other half, but the ease of detachment and 360 degree swivel which prevents tangling, really make up for this, for me.
Some of the stainless split rings are from AliExpress, if you search for “Stainless marine split ring” you’ll get a bunch of suggestions for fishing, watch the sizes, many are very small! The ones I’ve got are listed as 11.8mm outer diameter (apparently), slightly larger wouldn’t hurt, do watch the wire diameter though. I’ve a couple of lights which have lanyard holes too small to take these chunky split rings.
I forget what size the “mallion rapide” is, the “bolt” is a hair too big to be undone by the 1/4" bit driver on the titanium tool, which is a bit of a shame.
I’ve been trying to create (not really) a magnetic dog latch for quick connection and decent pull resistance. I’ve tried a couple of different things (magic latch and keysmart jerry-rigs) then I found these little magnetic connectors that lock. The magic latch is quite good but a little bulky and built with plastic. I haven’t appropriately field tested the locking mag. connector but I’m about to. I have a feeling it is slightly too small and magnetically weak but I’ll find out.
As for a good source of split rings I mostly rely on the ones sent with the lights I buy though a good cheap alternative would be nice…if I knew what I was looking for.
ETA: The little MagLatch™ is good… so far! Very good results on the first outing.
I won’t do it (yet) to my Tug brand leashes but i have others that I can remove the common leash swivel and attach the MagLatch directly to the fabric part of the leash which will lower the weight and size. A big problem is if the collar itself is highly magnetic , then the M/F part has a tendency to attach to the collar itself. This can be overcome.
A manufacturer should give the weight a keyring may hold. Based on close one, Victorinox 11 mm keyring may to have 20 kg limit. It’s possibly to break any of them. Also sharp edges may destroy the metal by a rubbing after a time.
Hypothetically a random manufacturer may use lesser durable steel and to have not stable quality. So Victorinox rings is not bad idea, - the price is relatively low.
This is what I was going to post. I’ve found the small rectangular/elliptical split rings to be the best for most keyring situations. They’re very hard to separate compared to the round ones, though. Might be a less springy steel?
I have them on my KC1 and SAKs. I like them cause they don’t really spin around. I think they came in TEC split rings kit number 2 1
I believe the oblong ones might be zinc, but I’m not sure…they’re definitely much firmer than the other ones, and seem to have better “return” if not bent past their deformation. I have paired them with the TEC UFO keyrings, and coincidentally have a solitaire on that setup as well.
No recommendations for replacement split-rings, but I recently discovered there are pliers made specially for opening up tight split-rings. They are designed for fishermen primarily, and premium models can get quite expensive.
of 2001-2012 there were lots of sources for titanium split rings to be found. Stil, theyl are relatively easy to find, in sizes larger than 12mm .
