What's the deal with these locks?

[totse]

What's going on inside them and how secure are they?





If this post comes across as... noobish... I apologize.

[globallockytoo]

They look like Robson copies of Abloy Exec.

[datagram]

Hi totse,

It's a disc-detainer lock, which means that it uses rotating discs instead of pin tumblers or wafers or similar detainer pieces. These are knock offs of Abloy style locks, probably Disklock models (I don't think it can be Exec without the dimples to control the DSS).

There's some additional info on this style and model of lock here:

http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Disc-detainer
http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Abloy_Disklock
http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Abloy_Exec

datagram

[totse]

Thanks guys!

[weilawei]

I became interested in the disc-sidebar lock because my Kryptonite u-lock for my bicycle uses a cheap variant. Still haven't managed to pick it or even make a serious attempt, but a little bit of googling reveals much information.

Jon King (JK_the_CJer) has a series of excellent 3D animations showing off the workings of the Abloy Protec: http://theamazingking.com/locks.html.

Han Fey wrote a great series of articles on the history of Abloy and the disc tumbler-style lock:

http://toool.nl/images/5/58/Abloy.pdf
http://toool.nl/images/f/f3/Abloypart2.pdf
http://toool.nl/images/8/8a/Abloypart3.pdf
http://toool.nl/images/7/72/Abloypart4.pdf

tjweaver84 describes the Abloy Protec and how to pick it (potentially):

http://www.tjweaver84.com/how-protec-works.php
http://www.tjweaver84.com/protecpicking.php

fortuna751 on YouTube has a video of a self-impressioning attack on an Abloy Protec: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJoPSM-964k

Additionally, if you're willing to dig through Google Patents, there are excellent filings describing the workings and evolution of the disc tumbler lock (although, they are typically listed as cylinder locks).

Just some examples:

CYLINDER LOCK OPERABLE WITH TWO KEYS, Koskinen et al: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=MUYCAAAAEBAJ
Cylinder lock, Reijo Hakkarainen et al: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=dwIlAAAAEBAJ
CYLINDEELOCK, Salmivuori: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=QiFqAAAAEBAJ
Cylinder lock, Kaarlo Martikainen: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=TTIvAAAAEBAJ
LOCK PROVIDED WITH SUCH DISKS, Gustaf A. Gahmberg: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=5rlcAAAAEBAJ
ROTARY DISC TUMBLER LOCK CONSTRUCTION, Roberts et al: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=9DU6AAAAEBAJ

There are much much older patents, going back into the 1800s, but I can't seem to find them at the moment.

Also, Graham Pulford's book, High-Security Mechanical Locks, devotes a section to the disc-sidebar lock: http://www.amazon.com/High-Security-Mechanical-Locks-Encyclopedic-Reference/dp/0750684372.