Moobius — Japan-Made Key Holder
If you’re like me, you not only love Japanese watches, but goodies like Swiss Army knives. This weekend, thumbing through a Japanese magazine, I spotted a Japanese-made key holder inspired by Victorinox and Wenger, custom-made by two brothers in the small city of Miyazu. The brothers call their brand Moobius.
The key holders come in one-key, two-key, and three-key versions. There are several designs available, such as the silver, and red, three-key ones shown below.
The similarity between the Moobius key holder and a Swiss Army knife is pretty clear. Check out my Wenger Minathor below. The Minathor is Wenger’s watchmaker knife, with tools bits attached made by Bergeon, a Swiss company that makes high-quality horological tools.
According to Moobius’ Web site, the younger of the two brothers, Ryosaku Ishitsubo (seated in the picture below, left), came up with the key holder idea while staying in the hospital. Just for fun, he sketched out a plan for the key holder, and then made a model out of cardboard. Next, he discussed the idea with his 34-year-old big brother, Keita Shinagawa (below, right). In 2003, the siblings first made prototypes, and then production began. They hope the key holders will become popular, like Zippo lighters are with many Japanese men.
Keys are attached to the holder according to details of length and clearance space needed; these details are provided by the customer so keys can be used with automobile ignitions, motorcycle ignitions, or door locks. A page (in Japanese) on a Moorbius Web site explains how to custom order.
Miyazu, where the brothers live, is a coastal city on the Sea of Japan. It has about 30,000 inhabitants, and is famous for its beaches.
Ranging in price from around $200 US for a one-key holder, to around $450 for a three-key holder, the custom-made key holders aren’t cheap. After all, they’re handmade and high quality. Looked at as an investment, something to carry around for decades, these key holders are something to consider. Consider them cool; I’d sure like one of these key holders made by two young, talented Japanese men.
Click on the Moobius logo below to go to the company’s official Web site.
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August 14th, 2007 at 4:46 am
What a brilliant idea…I’d never seen something like that before, yet it makes so much sense. I’d love to have one, but I just can’t help but think of what watch I’d have to give up to afford it!
Thanks Bryan
August 14th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Hi Pete,
I was looking at things opposite, thinking, “what watch could I sell to get one of these key holders?”!
Regards,
Bryan
August 14th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Very nice designed tool and what an original idea. It would be great for me for my school keys, though I think it’s a bit pricey for me. Maybe the price will drop as soon as more are produced, or other manufacterers come up with similar ideas.
The Minathor is looking interesting too. I’m more into multi tools. Have you for instance ever seen this Byrd by Spyderco? You can click the seperate parts on different ways together to get other tools (not Japanese though).
Cheers,
Sjors
August 15th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Nice tool, Sjors.
Have you seen this one? It’s the same size as a usual key. It’s come in so handy, so many times.
Regards,
Bryan
August 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I found new images of the Wenger Minathor on the timedesign.de website. I’ll post them here for those who may be interested.
Regards,
Bryan