EDC Carabiner Comparison

From Top Left Clockwise

• SRM (Sanrenmu) SK048E (11g) $10 on Amazon
• Trayvax Talon (19g) $36 at the Trayvax site
• KeyUnity KS00 Medium (22g) $14 on Amazon
• KeySmart Alltul Vulture (44g) $15 on Amazon

Notes:

Phillips

I compared the Phillips drivers on household door screws (approximately #2 size). The winner was the KeyUnity. The larger SRM Phillips work well too. The Trayvax has an interesting design. It works, but can slip out more easily than the KU and SRM under torque. The KeySmart works as well, but slips out the most easily. It may do better with larger screws.

Flat/Pry

In terms of flatheads, both the KeySmart and KeyUnity work well. The SRM is too wide and would need to be reprofiled. The Trayvax Phillips actually works a lot better on household flat heads than the other side. The Phillips is designed where a small flat sticks out farthest before the cross driver part begins. The other end of the Trayvax is more designed for large camera tripod screws, and is too big for most household flat heads.

Conversely, the Talon is the best pry tool along with the KS00. The SRM is too thick to pry, and the Vuture pry edge is too small.

Cap Lifters

I haven't tested the bottle cap lifters. All of them except the Trayvax have built in cap lifters. The Trayvax relies on the carabiner to open bottles, and I assume the others do the same.

Unique features:

The Vuture leads the way with several hex wrenches, a hook cutter for thead, a wire cutter/stripper and a ruler.

The KS00 offers hex wrenches and a ruler.

They Talon offers a second gate for keys if you want to clip the main carabiner to your belt.

And the SRM offers a small Phillips, although it wont' be able to reach any recessed small Phillips screws.

Comfort

In terms of comfort, the KS00 and SRM are very comfortable to use. The Talon is behind them. The Vulture is fine but can be a little awkward to use in certain positions.

Conclusions

For me, the Vulture is going in my carry on bag. I think it provides a lot of utility in a TSA-friendly format.

I would recommend the Talon for anyone who values ease in taking keys off your carabiner, as well as photographers. Further to that point, they offer a model with a 4mm hex key instead of a Phillips which may be even better for photographers.

The SRM had a lot of promise if they only had gotten the flat head right.

That leaves the KS00 as my top choice for EDC carabiners.