Why we started Forge & Carry

It started in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, in the winter of 2024, with a $14 Amazon order that arrived broken.

Mark had just upgraded to a slim wallet (one of the popular minimalist ones — the kind everyone on r/EDC was carrying that year). His old "promotional bank keychain" looked even more out of place clipped next to it. So he searched for a replacement. Brass key tag, leather fob, steel carabiner — three things, total budget under $30.

What he got was four items of "solid brass" that were brass-plated zinc (a magnet stuck to them), "vegetable-tanned leather" that was PU coated split-grain (peeled at the bend within a week), and a "stainless carabiner" that bent under the weight of three keys. He returned all of it.

The frustrating part wasn't the quality — it was the dishonesty. The product pages all said "solid brass." They all said "real leather." The reviews on Amazon called them out, but the listings kept running.

So he started messaging suppliers directly. Asked for samples with magnets included (real brass isn't magnetic). Asked for cross-sections of the leather to verify it was full-grain. Tested carabiners with 5kg of dead weight. Photographed the patina on the brass after six weeks of pocket wear. Compared the burnishing of leather edges from five different supply chains.

Forge & Carry came out of that.

What we believe

Real materials, declared. Every product page lists the alloy (CuZn37 brass), the leather (3-4mm veg-tan), the steel grade (304 stainless). If you can't verify the spec, we won't list it. No "premium metal alloy" or "high-quality leather" nonsense.

Twelve products, not twelve thousand. Each piece in our catalog had to pass three tests: would we carry it daily? Will it look better in six months than day one? Is the price honest for the material? If a product couldn't get all three, it didn't make the cut.

Patina is the point. We use materials that age — brass darkens to a warm amber, leather darkens with skin oils and sun, steel develops a softer matte sheen from pocket friction. None of our pieces are coated to "prevent" this. The whole point is that the keychain you carry for a year tells your story.

Our promise

Every piece we ship is one we carry ourselves. If something arrives damaged, message us with a photo — we'll replace it, no return required. If you change your mind within 30 days, we take it back, full refund. We're a small team and we answer every email.

Built to carry, made to last. That's the only tagline we need.

— The Forge & Carry team