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Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner, a Multi-Use Antimicrobial EDC Gadget

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The Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner is a multi-purpose antimicrobial tool that helps you “navigate your everyday.”

It is made copper alloyed 260 brass and basically helps you to “minimize your touches with shared surfaces.”

I first learned about the Clean Contact Carabiner back in February 2021. When I asked our PR contacts about it, they said that this was designed and launched in 2020 amid the COVID pandemic, and that they didn’t believe it would be manufactured again once it sold out.

Now, 16 months later, the tool is still available on Leatherman’s website. It has a healthy number of user reviews, and so I’m guessing it has proven popular enough to keep offering, unless of course they’re still selling through the initial production run.

Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner

The Clean Contact carabiner is a fairly simply designed tool. It features a finger loop, grabbing hook, poking nub – which Leatherman describes as a button pusher and stylus – keyring or lanyard hole, and a pocket clip that can be removable for a slimmer profile.

Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner Pocket Clip

The carabiner part features a simple spring-action wire latch. Leatherman designed the carabiner hook to double as a bottle opener.

Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner Button Pusher

The EDC tool can be used to push buttons, such as on elevators or ticket vending machines. Despite being described as a “stylus,” it seems that this works best on physical buttons. Meaning, it’s probably not a good idea to use this on touchscreen ticket machines.

Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner Pushing ATM Buttons

It can handle smaller buttons as well, such as those found on ATM machines.

Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner Door Handle Puller

The hook is large enough to grab commercial door handles, although I’m not convinced this will be easy on the hands,

Leatherman Clean Contact Carabiner Table Grabbing Bag Holder

Lastly, the hook is large enough to slide over table tops for use as an improvised bag holder. Public floors can be quite grimy.

Key Specs

  • 3.5″ length
  • 1.9″ width
  • 0.22″ thickness
  • Weighs 2.55 oz (72.3 g)

Price: $24.95

Discussion

I love the idea of this, although not quite the price. I’m also not sold on the antimicrobial “260 copper alloy,” which is a brass alloy.

As I understand it, 260 brass is an alloy that is composed of approximately 70% copper and 30% zinc, and some metal suppliers describe it as usually containing a small percentage of other elements, such as lead.

I’d be happy with anodized aluminum or stainless steel, but I can understand why Leatherman went with brass, with copper and copper alloys often being described as antimicrobial materials.

People sneeze and then touch elevator buttons, they use and then leave public bathrooms without washing their hands (why do commercial designers build restrooms where you have to pull a grab handle to exit, especially in restaurants?!), etc.

This seems like a reasonable idea.

If you want something for less, there are plenty of cheaper variations, although the Leatherman looks to be thicker and better featured, and made in the USA.

The cheapest one I found by a known brand is Swiss+Tech’s, which is $6 for one on Amazon, or $12 for a 3-pack, which actually also comes down to $6 as there’s an active “save 50%” clickable coupon code. With a 50% discount on the multi-pack, perhaps these reduced-contact tools aren’t selling very well after all.

Still, the Leatherman looks to be a nice implementation, with presumably machined surfaces compared to simply being stamped out of metal.

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

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