CARABINER KEYCHAINS 101

This article is concerned not with the load bearing variety of carabiners, but with the much smaller “replica” or promotional carabiners used primarily as keychains. Promotional carabiners are about 1/3 the size of “real” carabiners and are no load bearing and not for climbing. They function in a similar way to their load bearing cousins.

By way of the spring loaded gate they can be easily clipped to most straps and loops creating a very convenient way to carry keys as well as other small objects. This “clipping” function along with the ability to customize them with a name, logo or message is why carabiner keychains have sky rocketed to the top of the big hit promotional products chart.

The carabiner keychain craze started with the introduction of the large D replica measuring approx. 3.0” x 1.5”. Initially it was introduced in black with a silver gate. Additional colors would come later. These carabiners were typically sold in outdoor retail stores as accessories and started to get some notice from rock climbers. They proudly displayed these replica carabiners clipped to their belt loops and back packs identifying themselves as climbers as well as for the dedication to their sport.

The first use of carabiner keychains as a marketing tool began in the early 90’s when a prominent company displayed them in their promotional products catalog in black with a colored nylon strap and custom imprinted label. The next step would dramatically increase the popularity of carabiner keychains world-wide. In 1995 RMG Accessory Gear a small promotional products company in Connecticut developed carabiner keychains for the college market. They introduced carabiner keychains at a college store tradeshow with custom college logos printed on a white polyester label which was stitched onto a piece of nylon webbing attached to the carabiner. The carabiners were available not only in black, but a variety of clip/strap color combinations. The product was a big hit on college campuses. At the same time both small and large companies were taking notice and would soon be using custom imprinted carabiner keychains as very effective marketing tools. They were effective because people were actually using them and not throwing them out as was the course for the many nonsense promotional products at the time.

At this point the only imprint appeared on the label; the clips were blank solid colors. The next innovation would send carabiner keychains into the mainstream promotional products market. Around 1995 some companies were experimenting with using lasers to apply marks directly onto the carabiner surface. Since the surface color was just a “coating” the laser could effectively remove this coat exposing the bright silver color of the aluminum below. The process of coating carbabiners with color is known as “anodization”. In addition to applying color, anodizing the aluminum surface also protects it from abrasion and wear. This process known as “laser engraving” now allowed for the direct customization of the carabiner clips with names, logos and messages. Laser engraving offers several advantages over custom printed labels; more horizontal space for text, less expensive than the more labor intensive printing and stitching labels onto nylon webbing and the marks don’t rub or scratch off. Although, due to the height of its printable surface area (0.50”) the label offered more possibilities for the reproduction of logos compared to the narrow engraving area on a large D carabiner (0.25”). Other customization methods, such as, “pad printing” involving ink being deposited onto the metal surface was being performed as well. The advantage of pad printing is that now the imprints can appear in color. The down side of this method is that the imprints do not hold up well and are subject to being scratched and worn off from constant handling as well as by keys rubbing against it. Pad printing is still in use today for customizing carabiners, but laser engraving is by far the more popular and desired marking method.

By the late 90’s custom laser engraved and imprinted carabiners with straps and labels were being seen everywhere, from student backpacks to business brief case handles. During this time custom shape carabiners started to appear in the marketplace. These carabiners with the same spring loaded gate as the standard large D carabiner keychain were being manufactured in China in very simple familiar shapes (I.e. dog bones, footballs, fish, circles, hearts etc.). These custom shapes appealed to various businesses, groups and organizations associated with the new shapes as new marketing tools. For example, canine and animal related groups for the dog bone, marine and fishing organizations for the fish shape etc. Today, you can find carabiners in abundance in many diverse shapes from circles, squares and diamonds to daisies, butterflies and sea turtles.

Carabiners have more recently evolved past the keychain being its primary use. Overseas companies are now producing carabiners with built in functions that are found to be useful on a daily basis. From led flashlights, whistles, and watches to pens, water bottle holders, utility knives, compasses and radios. The most popular of these new “multi-functional” carabiner keychains is by far the carabiner flashlights featuring a twist on-off bright led light. The latest version of the carabiner flashlight incorporates a very loud safety whistle for additional functionality.

Even as carabiner keychains continue to evolve and morph into new shapes and functions it’s still the very basic standard large D carabiner keychain with a custom laser engraved name, logo or message that’s sits on top of the promotional carabiner roost. From its humble beginnings in the early 90’s to now, the carabiner keychain in all its permutations has proven to be a big hit promotional item.