Portable angle grinders are increasingly becoming the tool of choice for bicycle thieves and, sadly, there are very few compact bike locks that can withstand sustained attack from a 'grinder blade.
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00:00 I don't know about you, but one of the major deterrents from using my bike for commuting
00:03 is fear of having it stolen. It's a horrible feeling returning to your bike to find that
00:08 it's no longer where you left it. When we talk about bike locks, we very often have
00:13 to caveat what we say with the fact that most of them are deterrents. Though quality bike
00:18 locks are generally rated by independent company sold secure, it's usually bronze, silver or
00:23 gold. Gold rated locks are very, very robust, but they are rated upon how long it took to
00:29 get through the lock and what tools were required. The most robust tools, example being angle
00:35 grinders, will usually get through really any lock. That was why I was extremely excited
00:41 to get a press release from Hip Lock about its new D1000 lock. Launched via a Kickstarter
00:47 today, this lock is reportedly angle grinder resistant. I was even more excited about this
00:52 because I also have an angle grinder. Of course, there are angle grinders and angle grinders.
00:57 They do come with different ratings. This one isn't the biggest of the bunch. However,
01:03 it's still a pretty burly tool and you have to be quite a determined thief to be travelling
01:07 around with one of these in your backpack. What is it that makes this lock apparently
01:12 resistant to this? According to Hip Lock, it's used a material called ferrosafe, which
01:18 is a graphene composite that Hip Lock says is resistant to angle grinders because of
01:23 its physical and chemical properties. In terms of actually how to lock this lock, it uses
01:28 a lock end key. Also, a rubber coating on top, which serves to protect your bike if
01:34 you're going to mount this lock directly to it. Of course, it does weigh more than
01:38 a standard lock. This one comes in at 1942 grams. In order to provide a comparison, Hip
01:45 Lock also sent its D-lock. This one weighs in at 1001 grams, so it is significantly lighter
01:52 and is silver rated by Sold Secure. It is still a pretty hench lock. It would take a
01:58 pretty determined thief to get through it, but it's not angle grinder proof as per the
02:02 vast majority of locks on the market. The Hip Lock D1000 is diamond rated by Sold Secure.
02:10 Diamond is a rating that's usually attributed to caravans or cylinder locks, so it is a
02:14 pretty hench option. Now, angle grinders are pretty significant power tools. So I've roped
02:22 in the stick to give me a hand here.
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02:59 So there you have it. We did eventually get through this lock. However, we had a plug-in
03:07 angle grinder. Most thieves are probably not going to have access to a plug socket. We
03:11 had the benefit of a vice, which made the whole process quite a lot easier. It took
03:16 us well over 20 minutes and we went through one, two, three, four, five cutting discs.
03:22 We also had plumes of smoke, which wasn't really all that pleasant. It would definitely
03:26 draw public attention. So would you trust this lock with your pride and joy? Or would
03:32 you rather have something lighter weight that's easier to carry, but not so robust? Let us
03:36 know in the comments. And if you enjoyed this video, please do hit subscribe.
03:40 [WHOOSH]