Numerical combination locks have kept our stuff safe for hundreds of years. (Thanks, numerical combination locks!) But why not mix things up a little bit? How about a lock with a cheat code, instead of a passcode?
Specs
Master Lock Speed Dial
Price: $12.69
When: Now
In the box: Lock, instructions, symbol stickers (arrrows, shapes, etc)
You can pick your own combo! Any combo. In fact, I couldn't max out the Speed Dial's code memory, and my longest tested combination was over 30 movements long. Model it after your favorite game code, or a waltz, or your sergeant's marching orders! Or just do, like, four directions, because who honestly tries to guess a padlock code, numeric or otherwise? Generally speaking, padlocks don't get cracked, they get cut or broken. A five-movement combo—pretty much unguessable, especially if you take into account the lock's reset behavior—takes about a second to unlock, which is pretty swell.
Doesn't feel terribly strong. (Not a comment on the lock's ability to stay closed, but I worry that the little joystick thing might be a bit easy to break off, leaving you with a perma-locked lock.) Shackle is pretty small. Given that the only way to reset its memory is to compress the shackle down twice, the shackle is effectively even smaller than it looks. In practical terms, it's big enough to fasten a chain, or a trunk, or a gym locker—pretty much anything designed to be padlocked. But anything with a combined diameter of more than about 3/4 on an inch is out.
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