Do Onguard locks = junk?

[Blueduck600]

Hi everyone,

I just bought a Onguard u-lock to replace my "pickable with a bic" Kryptonite locks.

I was hoping that this would be much better, but after looking at a picture of the lock mechanism I'm thinking I got suckered.

To see an image of the mec go to http://www.onguardlock.com/features/ click on the M-cylinder photo at bottom left, and a popup will show a larger image.

Is it just me or does this look like a regular wafer lock? All I have to do is grind all the lands off the key, making the shaft round and leaving the end square to turn the mechanism, and then I have a master key.

Any thoughts/experience with this?

I'm going to return the lock if this is true, so I don't want to grind down one of the keys that came with it. When I go to work on monday I'll make a pick out of aluminum or steal stock to test it.

After having $90 worth of u-locks turned unto worthless scrap by a 5 cent pen and now this, I'm officially irritated.

Blueduck600
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[Wrenchman]

Welcome to LP101



Wrenchman

[JackNco]

Doesn't look like a wafer to me... i could be wrong though.

Look like you move the levers and allow that "Fence" to drop. that then allows the cylinder to turn. but i could be wrong.

All the best

[Blueduck600]

JackNco

It looks to me like its just the opposite, and thats what makes it a bad lock.
The "fence" looks like its down in the lock position, so nothing is keeping it from being pushed up.(look at the photo series on the left of the photo.) the fence is down when the key is out(first photo) and up when the key is turned (third photo).


Hi Wrenchman,

thanks for the welcome

[JackNco]

well its not a photo its a CGI. but ide have to disagree. looks like when you turn the key it moves those disks and allows the fence to drop. and i see now way in which the end of the key is connected to them.

But thats just how i read it.

[Eyes_Only]

It seems like everyone is rushing to copy the abloy disk lock style all of the sudden.

[mercurial]

I agree with JackNco - this lock seems to be allow the 'fence' to fall once the discs are correctly aligned by the key - the same principle as an Abloy.

Eyes_Only is right in saying that there are many manufacturers making Abloy-Style disc-locks. However this is by no means a new thing they are rushing to do, they have been doing this for years, there have been cheap chinese copies of Abloy-style locks at the dollar shops here for a long time.

A search of this forum will find several threads made by people who bought a chinese Abloy clone from the dollar store, as well as threads discussing how to dismantle them.

Now, the same dollar-shops have some more pricey locks that appear to be based upon the newer, updated Abloy systems. I have yet to buy one to cut up to find out for sure....yet.

However, the keys for these more expensive chinese locks suggests they are more advanced technology than the cheaper clones of original Abloys.

The tolerances in the dollar-shop clones of original Abloy-style locks are often terrible. So bad that I eventually decided to file down a key with the deliberate intention of changing the bitting to make it not work in the lock - filing the key to a drastically different bitting (whilst keeping the cuts that steer the control discs the same) still operated the lock!

Even though I knew this was a cheap clone disc-lock, this stunned me!

That said, the principle behind this locking mechanism is secure enough that any picking techniques and tools or discussion thereof are restrocted to the advanced forums. Locks operating by this mecehanism that are manufactured to meet reasonable tolerances, are certainly far far more secure than the Kyptonite(and similar) tubular locks - imho.

...Mark

[mercurial]

excuse the double-post,

in the last paragraph of my previous post :
restrocted = resctricted
mecehanism = mechanism
Kyptonite = Kryptonite


it definately must be bed-time for me!

...Mark

[UWSDWF]

without a picture of a real cut key.... i'd guess abloy style disc lock

[Spike666]

This looks like a bad cut-away job. the lock may seem to have two sidebars and several abloy style discs that would engage the sidebars and allow it to release.
If this lock was cheep it is lookin good for the lock industry. they put alot of thought into it's being different and secure.
disc locks can be picked but it isn't easy for the best, I am not one. I have never even attempted an abloy for I know how I put them togather and theres enough for me to worry about now.
play with it in your home, if you break it you said it is cheep , or buy another and ley us know if it is easily bypassed.

[pierre2]

I'm not a locksmith, though I did work in collaboration with the LEA.

But there is one thing I can tell you, if you go to the web site, you will see that they cannot spell correctly. This should have been the first hint that something is wrong. They wrote "offers optimum deturant..." . The word "deturant" doesn't exist. It is "deterrent". It reminds me of all those Chinese-made products with hard to read instructions due to poor English.

My 2 cents.

[Isakill]

Yeah I try to stay away from products that have mispellings ect... Because if they won't take the time to proofread their products litrature then they didn't take the time to check quality control.

The only exception to this rule for me was a schumacher battery charger.... they missed 1 letter in the instruction manual. forgivable offence

[JackNco]

Microsoft and AOL are good examples of this

[mastermarc]

so has anyone had any luck picking these yet? Or more importantly...what tools and how? I see these things everywhere and am anxious to buy one just to try it out.

[Squelchtone]

looks like the inner workings of the old Miracle Lock Co. laminated 10 lever padlock.


Squelchtone