by Grudge » 8 Dec 2004 5:41
The Brinks Shrouded Shackle is a *tough* one. For a spool lock with training wheels, I recommend the Brinks padlock which is rekeyable to match a house key (available at Walmart and you can't miss it, it comes with a small package of pins). It is repinnable to match your house key and does contain spools, although the tolerances are so miserable it is fairly easy to pick. The only trick is the shackle spring could hold a screen door shut, so you have to use a *lot* of turning force on the cylinder when you pick it. For a more of a deadbolt 'feel', I recommend opening the shackle before picking.
It also gives you some experience with re-pinning locks and if you are willing to do some tedious work, you can replace the bottom pins, top pins or convert it into a 1 to 6 pin practice lock. I bought two just to have an extensive set of top and bottom pins.