Master locks

[helix]

Hey, guys.
I live in Australia, where it is considered among most, that
Master is quite a good quality lock.

I have not attempted one of these yet, as they are expensive, but
I get the impression that they are thought of as pretty easy to pick.
(from other [lots] posts).

My question is this:

Are Master locks considered an investment in your countries, or
a joke?

Aussie society would consider ANY Master lock as about 8/10 for security.

[MrB]

Honestly, what a foolish question.

What particular model of Master lock might you be considering? There are huge numbers of them, for all kinds of duty.

What do you mean by quality? Pick resistance is hardly the defining criterion. What about mechanical strength, weather resistance, durability, and so on? What about number of key differs, possibility of master keying, key control, interchangeable cylinders, ability to be rekeyed?

Somewhere in the Master range you will find everything from cheap and nasty to fairly high quality. It's silly to treat them all the same.

[funboy79015]

I give masterlocks a rating of 5/10. Some models are lower some are higher so I figure 5 is a good number to rate them as a whole. My rating doesn't reflect much about individual models they make though.

Most of the people I know around here do indeed consider masterlocks to be good regardless of the model. Their opinion is based on the company name more than the actual quality.

[helix]

Thanks, funboy.

Sorry, MrB about sounding like a really vague question,
but i guess that i was after a stereotype of the brand name
without the consideration of the quality defining factors that i
thank you for pointing out.

...Sort of like saying to buy a Kwickset for a beginner?
From the posts that i have read i am assuming that is
maybe not too secure, i'm not sure that we have those here.

Schlage, i am not sure are in Aus either, but the popular opinion of
those seems to be 8/10 security, the same as what we consider
the name Master to be, in Aus.

[fixer]

As with any other question dealing with lock usability, you have to consider the items the lock is protecting.

Also consider if the lock is vulnerable to other attacks like a hacksaw or bolt cutters. If a bad guy want what is inside, they will just attack the shackle or the hasp if the lock is causing them problems.

Master padlocks vary from very poor security to quite good security. However, I found that the higher security locks posed no more resistance to picking than the bottom models, other than the number of pins.

If you have some sort of problem securing some property, please post what you want to do and we can try to suggest some solutions.

[helix]

Thanks Fixer.

I don't have a problem securing any property.

I was really just wondering why everybody at LP101
seems to laugh in the face of Master, but in Australia we pay
a stack of money for them because they are 'known' as a
quality lock, no matter what size etc. you buy.

[MrB]

I don't think people laugh in the face of Master. Some people may have a poor impression of the company due to their corporate behaviour, but that's not the same thing as saying the locks are useless.

Master locks get mentioned a lot simply because they are easy to find. There are racks full of them in Home Depot, Lowes and other shops.

The Master #1, 3, 5 etc. are recommended as beginners locks because they are easy to pick. Other locks are not the same. The 140 seems to be quite tricky, and the Master 6000B (?) cylinder that Varjeal was selling is difficult even as a cutaway so imagine how hard it normally would be.

Always, when you talk about a lock, you should give the precise model where you can.

[zeke79]

That just depends on the lock itself. You could have a shrouded master pro series with a schlage primus cylinder stuck in the bottom of it. Laugh at that one

[fixer]

That just depends on the lock itself. You could have a shrouded master pro series with a schlage primus cylinder stuck in the bottom of it. Laugh at that one

Well, I have a wonderful rotary pick that laughs at many such locks when I am in a hurry.

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=8258

and if that doesn't do the job, then I pull out the disc pick

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=6354

[zeke79]

cheater

[fixer]

When it is 110F in the shade or rainfall is coming down (or horizontally) at inches per hour, the fastest way is sometimes the best.

When you do this sort of work for a living, time is money. Your phone is ringing with the next customer and you just don't have the time to work the lock.

It is also economics. The customer is not going to want to pay you for an hours labour to pick a $12 lock.