PRODUCT INFORMATION
Features
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Ultimate jogging companion, stops keys jingling in pockets
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Made from durable and lightweight TPU Elastomer polymer
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Premium finish that is dust-resistant and slips in your pocket easily
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Accommodates between 3-7 standard keys or accessories
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Optional car-key attachment included for bulkier items
Accessorize your Orbitkey
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Bottle Opener and USB key can be purchased here
Posted by Jason McIsaac
I was checking out Instagram and the web and found a Australian based company selling a Key Organiser called the Orbitkey, I liked the look of the unit and was able to contact the team and see what they had to offer, well I received a GREY ELASTOMER I also received an 8GB Thumb drive and bottle opener.
I must say the packaging is top notch, extremely professional
USB Thumb drive is in the shape of a key, looks awesome and fits so nicely into the Orbitkey
Bottle opener is solid and very well made.
Orbitkey Assembly...
Here is another video from KeySmart showing how to setup your KeySmart.
My Setups...
Getting ready to install my keys and attachements, instructions are also included and there is support on the Orbitkey website with the above video and FAQ section. For this review I installed the following items -
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House Key
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Sliding door key
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Letter box key
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USB Thumb drive
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Cold Steel Micro Recon 1
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Car key Fob
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TEC-A3 Glow Fob
- ORBITKEY BOTTLE OPENER
- ORBITKEY BOTTLE OPENER
- ORBITKEY ELASTOMER
- COLD STEEL MICRO RECON 1
Here is one of my Setups I posted on instagram, looks very professional looking.
I wanted to see how much I could add to the Orbitkey and found that my Leatherman Brewzer also fitted and was still compact enough.
I took the Orbitkey out with me to Fremantle, Perth. It is around a 40 Min drive and had the Orbitkey with attachments in my front left pocket of my Hard Yakka Legend cargo pants, these pants pockets are very large and can accommodate the Orbitkey and Fenix E12 flashlight. If I was wearing my jeans which have smaller pockets and a bit more tighter then it might have been an issue.
Here is a great shot of before and after of keys being put into the Orbitkey
Image courtesy of www.orbitkey.com
Key|Smart vs. Orbitkey
If you have seen my Instagram posts then you would know that I have been using a Key|Smart for some time after reviewing it on this site (Review is here) so I have decided to look at both the Orbitkey and the Key|Smart and see what benefits each has and to see if they also have any issues or things that might make you decided one over the other.
So in the picture to the right I have the Key|Smart on the right and the Orbitkey on the left.
Currently at time of this review the OrbitKey is retailing for $29.95 AUD for the Elastomer version and $39.95 AUD for the Leather option, while the Key|Smart Extended version is $34.95 or for the Key|Smart 2.0 is $32.95 AUD. So they are very similar on pricing for each one.
THE COMPARISON
Looking at the size of the two Key Organisers you can see that they are around the same length, however the Orbitkey is wider and taller as the all the keys lie flat against each other were as the Key|Smart has two axis points and you can stack keys or other items on both sides this lowers the overall height of the unit.
One thing that the Orbitkey beats the Key|Smart on is the assembly it only has a sing axis and all keys and attachments connect to that point, as per the above install video, were as the Key|Smart has two axis’s, so you have to make sure both sides are even and not to over tighten them.
If you want more keys for the Key|Smart then you will need to look at the Expansion pack, however the Orbitkey can accommodate more out of the box which for some is a huge assist.
The Orbitkey has a large "D" RIng that slides off the OrbitKey so gives flexablity to the user, the Key|Smart also has a small "D" ring that clips in with the keys. I liked the Key|Smart option in this instants due to the fact it is smaller and also only moves left/right, but can be tightend if required. Now I did have some instances when the Orbitkey "D" ring move down the see picture below, this just made my other attachments move and was a bit uncomfortable.
THUMB DRIVE
What I like about both companies is that they have a USB thumb drive that can be added to the device so you can carry important documents or like me have a boot up disk for your laptop or Surface Pro 3.
The Key|Smart option (Right) is smaller than the Orbitkey (left) however the Orbitkey is in the shape of a key so looks pretty cool and the wider size of the Orbitkey hides the thumb drive key, I did find that it is also thicker so may limit an additional key if your keys were also a bit thicker.. Both are winners in my books.
BOTTLE OPENER
With Summer already in swing for those in the USA a bottle opener is a must at those parties by the pool or lake, so having the ability to have a bottle opener with you rather than having to carry say a multitool.
Both have a similar shape at the end, however the Key|Smart wins on size and that it comes with a small "D" ring option rather than using the main "D" ring.
KEY|SMART
ORBITKEY
- KEY|SMART
- ORBITKEY
- ORBITKEY D-RING
KEY|SMART D-RING -
ORBITKEY THUMB DRIVE -
- KEY|SMART THUMB DRIVE
- KEY|SMART BOTTLE OPENER
ORBITKEY BOTTLE OPENER -
THE WEIGH IN
With everyone who carries keys as part of their EDC weight is very important, I used the same set up for both which included the following items
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Orbitkey / Key|Smart
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House Key
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Sliding door key
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Letter box key
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USB Thumb drive
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Cold Steel Micro Recon 1
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Car key Fob
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TEC-A3 Glow Fob
As you can see the Orbitkey is a bit heavier but only by 15 grams, for some that might b e a deal breaker for me it wasn't an issue, the other things is the Orbitkey material is soft so no banging around or rattling of keys.
ACTION SHOT
Here are both key organisers in action, had no issues with either. The Orbitkey has one benefit over the Key|Smart and that is the ability to fan ALL the keys in one go so you find the key you want as if it was a Swiss Army Knife. Here is the Orbitkey in my Jeans Pocket, takes a bit to get comfortable due to the size of the Orbitkey.
ORBITKEY
SMART|KEY
ORBITKEY
SMART|KEY
Out Come...
After using the Orbitkey for the last week or so I must say I was impressed, here are the my personal findings
PROS
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Easy Install of keys / add-ons - This is a huge +1
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Three levels of tightness
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All keys are inside the Orbitkey, keys wont get snagged on clothing or pockets
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No required expansion pack, reducing overall cost.
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Add-ons - Thumb drive and Bottle opener
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Genuine cowhide leather option - high range of colours
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Australian based company, no long waits for it to be sent from overseas if living in Australia.
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Accommodates between 3-7 standard keys or accessories (Key|Smart 2.0 - 2-4 Keys unless Expansion kit used)
A
CONS
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Larger than Key|Smart Height and width, adds some increased bulk.
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Heavier than Key|Smart (15g) with full EDC setup
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D-Ring is larger and can move up and down the Orbitkey, is removable if not required.
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Only five colours in the Elastomer range compared to the 8 for the Key|Smart, and more pastle colour range.
I liked how easy it was to install the keys and how the single axis worked and how easy it was to open the keys up, I personally may not use the Orbitkey as I like the Key Organiser to be more ridged and firm were as the Elastomer version was just to soft for me, if I had the leather verison I might have been converted to the Orbitkey as it would have had a more ridged frame and there was more colour range and I loved the look of black leather version looked stunning also the red version was outstanding both versions have stiching or no-stiching options.
BLACK LEATHER WITH STICHING
BLACK LEATHER ORBITKEY
BLACK LEATHER WITH STICHING
RED LEATHER ORBITKEY
If you live in Australia and looking for A Professional Key Organiser then I would highly recommend the Orbitkey for anyone that wants to keep their keys quite if they are running, or are very active. For the professional business person the leather option is a must and adding on a Thumb drive or bottle opener is great for added EDC. Check out the Orbitkey website by clicking on the links below.
