Left on the side of the road

[mseifert]

Surprisingly because of the industry I work in I find a lot of locks on the side of the road. As well as the guys I work with. This lock Inparticular was found on the side of the road on our local military base. The guy brought it in and was about to cut it with a pair of bolt cutter (he just wanted the chain). So I jumped up like some kind of over protective father bear and darted over (remembered I was at work and decomposed myself) and said "hey whatcha doin" .. He explained he was about to cut off when he got back later.. My heart raced a little, so while he was gone I removed the lock .. Now I have a new American 5200.. Key will be easy to come by...

Morale of the story .. Who says you always have to buy your locks.. Just keep your eyes open.

[mseifert]

Posted this from my Ipad.. Image didnt come through so here it is ..

[billdeserthills]

I can see why he wanted that chain, that looks like some real good stuff

[GWiens2001]

Free lock - the best kind!

Gordon

[mseifert]

I can see why he wanted that chain, that looks like some real good stuff

It is .. The chain is heavy and appears to be the same material and coating as the lock .. I left the chain on the floor .. if it is still there in a few days it may end up in my garage

[gumptrick]

I can see why he wanted that chain, that looks like some real good stuff

It is .. The chain is heavy and appears to be the same material and coating as the lock .. I left the chain on the floor .. if it is still there in a few days it may end up in my garage

Judging from the looks of things that's No. 70 chain, aka "transport chain". It's not the best you can get but it's darn good. It's the highest grade before you get into the really expensive stuff that is certified for overhead lifting (cranes and such). Certainly a good choice for locking stuff up!

The plating on both the chain and the lock is zinc chromate.

[Ralph_Goodman]

I hope he finds a better lock for the chain when he starts using it.

Ought to have a lock that deserves being on a quality chain like that.

[mseifert]

I hope he finds a better lock for the chain when he starts using it.

Ought to have a lock that deserves being on a quality chain like that.

The lock is pretty standard general issue for the Army, just enough to keep people honest..

[Ralph_Goodman]

The lock is pretty standard general issue for the Army, just enough to keep people honest..

Of course. And that is understandable.

I value honesty a lot. But I think security is just a bit more reliable.

If I were this guy and didn't know anything about locks, the most obvious thing would be to realize that the lock could have been cut or picked. Two forms of entry that, while on my mind, I would be looking to avoid. That way even if I abandoned the chain some time down the road, people are just going to leave it be.

Maybe that is a good litmus test for security in general. If your security is good enough that even if you can tell it is abandoned, people still don't bother trying to undermine it.

[mseifert]

I think, we as pickers are a little jaded when it comes to security .. I know how easy it is to open many locks ... Since I have been picking I have an internal struggle over cost vs security .. I know that a $5 Master for my work locker is sufficient, but there are far more secure options that are far more expensive.

kind of funny, I find myself looking at locks/security devices in the wild, and my first thought is "I can open that .."

[Silverado]

I think, we as pickers are a little jaded when it comes to security .. I know how easy it is to open many locks ... Since I have been picking I have an internal struggle over cost vs security .. I know that a $5 Master for my work locker is sufficient, but there are far more secure options that are far more expensive. <BR abp="899"><BR abp="900">kind of funny, I find myself looking at locks/security devices in the wild, and my first thought is "I can open that .."

I agree with this entirely. I thought about getting higher security locks for my house, even mentioned it on the forums here before...I realized there's windows on the ground level and I'm not interested in buying bars for them, so high security locks would be a waste of money. I usually go for more affordable and "reasonably" secure since I know a burglar isn't going to waste time picking locks. Besides, I'd rather save my money for high security locks to install in my vise to be picked!

[billdeserthills]

I think, we as pickers are a little jaded when it comes to security .. I know how easy it is to open many locks ... Since I have been picking I have an internal struggle over cost vs security .. I know that a $5 Master for my work locker is sufficient, but there are far more secure options that are far more expensive. <BR abp="899"><BR abp="900">kind of funny, I find myself looking at locks/security devices in the wild, and my first thought is "I can open that .."

I agree with this entirely. I thought about getting higher security locks for my house, even mentioned it on the forums here before...I realized there's windows on the ground level and I'm not interested in buying bars for them, so high security locks would be a waste of money. I usually go for more affordable and "reasonably" secure since I know a burglar isn't going to waste time picking locks. Besides, I'd rather save my money for high security locks to install in my vise to be picked!

Here in cactus country, arizona there are plants that no burglar will willingly step in
Of course it can be hard to see out the window with a bunch of cactus right outside it

you might look into a stickery, thorny plant that is nice to look at and easy to grow for around those windows