Which lock is better?

[treal512]

Hey folks. At one time I was interested in getting into locks and picking, but I've been occupied by other hobbies and school. Simple question here. I don't have a lot of extra cash to get a better lock, so I was wondering, which lock is better? Both of these are disc padlocks and they are the only 2 that I have currently.

Brinks R70

or

Chalet C870

[treal512]

Ok, so they're both crappy. What sort of locks should I look for in the states? I'm going to try Lowes and Home Depot tomorrow. My local Wal-Mart seemed to just have junk.

[Doctor Hexagon]

It would help me answer your question if I knew more specifically what you meant by a "better" lock. Are you looking for something that is easier for a beginner to learn from or are you looking for a more challenging lock to try picking?

Neither one of those locks seems crappy to me, although I don't believe I've ever seen a Chalet C870. If It's anything like a Chateau C 970 then it's going to be more difficult than the Brinks R70. Neither one of these locks is a crappy lock, they are just not recommended for a beginner to try picking. Without a firm grasp of the basics on how to pick locks these locks will likely frustrate you more than teach you much.

[Squelchtone]

You won't find anything better at Lowe's or Home Demon, those stores sell Master Lock, and Master is the biggest joke ever. Their locks all try to look tough and all the contractors in America lock up work sites with them, but most of the laminated style Master padlocks are the easiest to pick, and don't even have security pins. Some of the solid body Master locks such as the 532 or the 576 have a spool pin or two, and if you go to a locksmith shop you can get the ProSeries 6121 black plastic covered padlocks which also have a security pin or two and are still easy to pick.

Find an ABUS padlock, or that Brinks R70, or go to Ace Hardware and find an American Lock brand padlock if they still sell them. Master owns American Lock now but at least they still put anti pick security pins inside the American Locks.

Ebay is another place you can go to get all sorts of exotic stuff you've probably never heard of. Search for an American 5200

Happy picking!
Squelchtone

[FFVison]

are you looking for a more difficult lock because you want to try picking it? How experienced are you at picking? Are you getting the lock purely for securing something? If this is the case, I might suggest keeping your eye out for the Brinks shrouded padlock. These have security pins for the drivers as well as the key pins. On top of that, it's also shrouded which also helps protect against shearing, shimming and prying and other non-picking methods of bypass. This should secure your property from most people, I would think.