is this a prototype Medeco Padlock?

[somenewguy]

Hello!
I saw some Medeco padlocks for sale recently. Most had a two small weep holes on the back, and the back was also stamped "Contains UL Listed high security locking cylinder". One of them, though, had no text on the back and had a hex-head set-screw. Removing the setscrew only seems to serve to allow the shackle to come out slightly farther when unlocked (not all the way... though, I didn't force it). What is the purpose of this screw? Given that this one did have the same Medeco core as the others (and the Medeco core seems to be the only type of lock that this padlock body was designed to accept), could this padlock without the text and with the setcrew be a prototype lock or something??

I hope this image is not too big; if so, I can resize it.



Also you can see that the shackle is a little shorter on this one as well.

[cledry]

American padlock?

[somenewguy]

Not sure if you mean the company or the country...

All three are Medeco brand "Metrolock" padlocks. The front is identical on all of them (Say "Medeco Metrolock" and a number).

Perhaps the middle one is just an older design or something?

[ARF-GEF]

Aren't they just the ones used in public transportation?

[somenewguy]

Aren't they just the ones used in public transportation?

I am not sure- I am just wondering why one of them is missing the stamping, has a slightly smaller shackle, and has the screw in the back. There were more locks available, but none of the others looked like that one.

I'm wondering which ones I should buy. Normally I would avoid any padlock with a hole (capped with a screw), because I'd assume that it was someone's bypass (or bypass attempt) but I can't tell exactly what this is.

[MacGyver101]

Normally I would avoid any padlock with a hole (capped with a screw), because I'd assume that it was someone's bypass (or bypass attempt)...

There are a few padlocks (the one that comes most immediately to mind is an American 700) that use a grub screw like that as a shackle retainer. Removing the screw would only cause the shackle to fall out when you next opened the lock: nothing to worry about, and no bypass potential that I'm aware of.

[somenewguy]

Ah ha!

There are a few padlocks (the one that comes most immediately to mind is an American 700) that use a grub screw like that as a shackle retainer. Removing the screw would only cause the shackle to fall out when you next opened the lock: nothing to worry about, and no bypass potential that I'm aware of.

Shackle removal was the first thing (well, I guess it was the 2nd thing; I first thought that someone may have drilled it to try to open it) I thought of when I saw that screw, so I unlocked the lock, disassembled it, and removed the screw. All that happened was that the shackle came out slightly further but did not come out (as I mentioned in the OP- I was expecting the shackle to come off but I didn't try to force it).

However, your wording ("cause the shackle to fall out when you NEXT OPENED the lock") caused me to rethink this. This time I removed the screw first, then unlocked the lock, and the shackle pulled free from the lock body

I don't know why it doesn't work when you do it the other way around, but I tried it again (unlocked first, then removed the screw) and the same thing happened; the shackle didn't come out.

Mystery of the screw solved, I guess. I was just doing things in the wrong order.

Now-

1) I am assuming (based only on the condition of the few locks I saw... I may be totally wrong) that this lock with the shackle retainer screw is older. Does anyone know why Medeco removed this feature from the newer locks? All of the ones I saw were the same model number.

2) Does anyone know where I can buy different sizes/shapes of shackles that fit this lock (or perhaps even a long cable shackle like this: https://securitysnobs.com/Abloy-Protec2-SP-321-Flexible-Shackle-Padlock.html)? That would really make this padlock very versatile!

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I think these were the early version of the current Medeco Metrolock.