MILSPIN No-Touch Key

Risk avoidance is all about risk mitigation and layers of risk management controls. You can’t be 100% free from risk, but with enough reasonable layers of control you can greatly reduce your exposure. You can do what makes sense for you, and protect yourself and your family as best you can. In comes the MILSPIN No-Touch Key.

Back in March 2020 when the world shut down, there weren’t a lot of facts about coronavirus and covid-19. Sure, you can wear a mask, but what about all the stuff you touch when you’re out and about? Cooler handles at the liquor store? Door handles going into the store? Elevator buttons? ATM buttons? Credit card machine at the register.

I’m already pretty grossed out by some of those things, but I got the No-Touch Key as a gift for my birthday and since April I carry it every time I leave the house.

Cut from brass, the key is 1/4 inches (6.5mm) thick and about 3.5 inches long, with a slightly smaller than 1 inch finger hole. Grooves on the top give enough friction to make it easier to hold and a small hole for a keyring cross drilled through a small tab on the heel.

You can see I added a little flair to mine with some cord and beads. Originally just for fun, it actually helps me grip it between my pocket and getting my finger in the hole.

Once on my finger, I don’t put it back in my pocket until I’m done shopping, to avoid handling the business end too much. Some detractors will say “but then you’re putting pathogens in your pocket!” Well, yeah, maybe, but I’m also not touching my face with my pocket.

You can see how to use it for any kind of pull doors; just slide the hook on the handle and pull. I use it that way mostly for opening cooler doors at the liquor store or grocery store. I also hold it that way to push elevator buttons- particularly in the hotels we stayed in while driving the kid to college. There was not much mask compliance where we were, and a lot of looks from the locals as the wacky Californians used the truck stop bathrooms through rural Texas.

To use the flat tip, I hold more like a pen to push buttons on the credit card reader or the ATM machine. MILSPIN says you can sign the credit card screen by using the whole flat of the tip, and I can make that work on my phone, but the size and angle of the signing pad I just can’t get right. I’ve gotten the little notch on the tip to work on those door knob locks, but I don’t have much occasion to practice with that function of the tool.

I also found once it’s on your index finger, you can flip it around over your other knuckles and use it to push doors open. I do this on entry doors into retail stores and any kind of push-exit doors. Who knows what that last person touched. I strongly encourage you to be smart about wearing the key like this if your state doesn’t like brass knuckles. Will you get hassled? I don’t know. I’d rather not find out.

I was one of the early buyers of this and it looks like the ones they sell now might have more of a finish on them, but this one was pretty raw when I received it. I actually like it that way, because now that I’ve handled it quite a bit, it has a really nice patina that the pictures just don’t do justice. The edges were not radiused much, so you definitely felt the edges. Again I liked it that way, but I did see people on social media who did not like it.

I’ll let you decide if the price is worth it. Like I said, risk avoidance is about layers of controls. I can say I’ve spent more money on less useful gadgets that were not manufactured in America by a veteran owned company. It’s small, handy, thoughtfully made, and I’m sure I’ve not figured out all the uses for it. My only suggestion for version 2 would be a bottle opener.