Tips on Choosing the Best Padlock for the Job
Most Vancouverites will need a padlock or two at any point in their lives. If you are younger, you will probably need a padlock for your school locker. If you’re older, you will need padlocks for your gym and storage lockers. In fact, the older we get, the more stuff we accumulate which means we need more padlocks to secure our ever growing stash of stuff. So here is a quick guide on choosing the best padlock for the job, whatever it may be.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call/text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Our Key Store near Gastown is open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and we offer mobile locksmith services from 8am to 11:30pm. Quick reminder that our Port Coquitlam location is mobile only and not open to the public.
Padlocks for Lockers
It’s been ages since I left high school so I’m no longer sure if they even have lockers at school anymore. However, at our Vancouver Key Store, we get a lot of clients wanting padlocks for their gym lockers.
For simple lockers, we recommend the same combination dial padlocks you may or may not have used during primary or secondary schools. They’re simple, fairly cheap, and tend to last forever – as long as you remember the combination.
Back when I attended Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, I think everyone used the ubiquitous combination padlock from Master. They come in different colours and can be master keyed to an emergency override key in the back.
These days, I recommend the Abus Safe Code 78. The German version is of higher quality and even less weight. It doesn’t have the cheap feeling of the Master and the dial mechanism feels more solid to the touch. The primary difference between the Master and Abus is that the former starts by turning the dial left 3 times to clear the “memory”. The Abus starts by turning to the right 3 times.
Other Types of Combination Padlocks
The old dial padlocks are simple and fairly easy to use, but there are other types of combination padlocks that may be easier to use.
For example, there are now padlocks that use 3 or 4 letters to form a password. Another type uses a directional pad that combines up/down/left/right clicks. Or there’s the TSA approved suitcase dial type, with 3 or 4 wheels with the number 0 to 9.
Whatever you choose, try to use a combination that is fairly easy to use. For something temporary as a gym locker, you want something that can be remembered and used quickly.
What Not to Use on Lockers
I often get clients who end up buying a new gym locker padlock once a year. Coincidentally, I see them every year around January when people start flooding the gyms with New Year resolutions.
Most people’s efforts peter out by the Summer and the padlock combinations are quickly forgotten. If you’re one of those types (nothing wrong with that), I don’t recommend combination padlocks. You are better suited for a simple keyed padlock. After your workout, simply store the padlock in your bag with the key in it. When you need it, it will always be in the gym bag together.
I also don’t recommend fancy bluetooth connection enabled padlocks on gym lockers. They’re pretty flimsy and fairly temperamental.
Finally, I recommend using smaller padlocks with thinner shackles for lockers. The reasons are threefold:
- Most lockers have shackle eyes/holes with small diameters.
- You don’t want to carry around a heavy padlock with you all day.
- If you need to cut it off, you don’t want something that requires a locksmith.
On the third point, most gyms will usually have a bolt cutter lying around somewhere. It’s just the nature of the business. You don’t want to use a padlock on a temporary locker that is so thick that only a Vancouver locksmith can cut it off.
Padlocks for Storage Units
Most residential condos come with individual storage units for residents. I’ve been to some buildings in the Downtown Vancouver area that have separate storage rooms (not lockers) for each unit which is envious.
Pretty much all storage units/lockers are designed the same with one eyelet at the top and another at the bottom for 2 padlocks in total. We highly recommend you use both spots to fully secure your locker door. Most of these lockers doors have a lot of flex to them. If you only use one padlock, anyone can just lift open the unsecured corner and rob you blind. So, please use both eyelets.
An important factor to consider when choosing a padlock for your storage unit is that these are basically wire cages so everyone can see what’s inside of them. As such, it’s important to choose two padlocks that will 1) provide deterrence and 2) make it very difficult to bypass.
Three Recommendations for Your Storage Unit
Here are a few choices that are readily available at our Vancouver Key Store:
Abus Marine 180IB: A great medium duty choice with a body made from solid forged brass and a stainless steel shackle. It has 4 wheels numbered from 0 to 9 and is easily resettable. It has ball bearings that prevent shimming attacks. Plus, it is 100% rust proof in case you live in a humid climate or if you building has a flooding incident.
Abus 83/45: One of the golden standards of all padlocks. It has a solid forged brass body with a hardened steel shackle for a special coating for rust protection. It comes in multiple cylinder variants and can be keyed up to your front door key or anything else. One of the most popular padlocks for interior use.
GMS P175: GMS is an off-brand lock provider that most locksmiths use in one form or another. If you want a quality padlock but do not like the yellow brass colour, the P175 comes with a Satin Chrome finish that some people prefer. It has many of the same features of the Abus 83/45.
I personally use a set of GMS P175 padlocks on my storage units and they still work fine even after a decade of use. I chose the P175 because they were a bit cheaper and I thought the silver finish looked better on my grey storage units.
One thing that I don’t like about the GMS version is that the retaining screw can come loose if the padlock is knocked around or thrown on the ground often. Never seen that happen to my Abus 83/45 padlocks.
In addition, the spring mechanism on the German Abus padlocks are much more “snappy” or responsive. After several years of use, the GMS padlock does not pop open like they used to. I think Abus padlocks are the best in that regard, even better than other name brand versions from Schlage, Sargent, Abloy and so on.
Padlocks for Outside Use
Up to now, the padlocks we have discussed are for interior use-cases. This section is for padlocks that can handle our rainy Vancouver weather.
The caveat is that nothing lasts forever and while no padlock will forever resist the rain and rust, weather proof/resistant padlocks will last much longer compared to their non-weatherized counterparts.
The main differences between standard padlocks and weatherized padlocks are materials and additional protections.
First, unprotected steel rusts when exposed to water and oxygen. Which is why even hardened steel is usually coated with a softer metal to prevent exposure and inhibit rust.
Some metal alloys are naturally more resistant. For example, brass has been a staple metal alloy in the maritime industry for centuries because it does not rust and is non-magnetic. This also makes it very popular for weatherized padlocks and good padlocks have solid forged brass bodies.
Even with a brass body, the internal mechanisms of a padlock can be vulnerable to rusting. Components like springs are made from steel. If the steel springs rust and fail, the lock will not function properly.
As a result, we come to the second difference of additional protections. Weatherproof padlocks use some sort of additional protections to prevent or at least limit the exposure to the elements. For medium duty padlocks, this is often a rubberized case that the padlocks are encased in. For high security padlocks, this can also be protections like internal seals and gaskets against water and dust intrusion.
For clients seeking padlocks specifically designed to work and to endure the elements, here are three recommendations:
Abus Extreme 83WP Series: This padlock has a body and a shackle made of a special form of hardened steel. The body is not made from brass, so it’s encased in a plastic coating with drainage channels for water protection. The shackle has the brand’s Nano Protection coating for corrosion resistance. Finally, the key cylinder hole is protected with a plastic cap to limit water ingress.
Abus Marine 180IB: This padlock makes our list twice. A great medium duty choice with a body made from solid forged brass and a stainless steel shackle. It has 4 wheels numbered from 0 to 9 and is easily resettable. It has ball bearings that prevent shimming attacks. Plus, it is 100% rust proof in case you live in a humid climate or if your building has a flooding incident.
Abloy SWP Padlocks: If money is not a barrier and you want the best of the best, then look no further than the Abloy Super Weather Proof (SWP) series of padlocks. This is the preferred padlock of the Canadian Coast Guard and used extensively by the Merchant Marine Industry. It is one of the very few padlocks on the market that can handle continual immersion in water with both external and internal gaskets.
I personally think the Abloy SWP padlocks are the best because they inherently do not use a pin and tumbler key cylinder. As a result, there are less components that can fail compared to most other lock systems. However, they are definitely on the pricey side.
Conclusion
To conclude, this article recommended several padlocks for the reader’s consideration given the application. We already recommend you do your own research and consult a professional locksmith if in doubt.
If you have any questions or comments, please call/text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. We will appreciate the opportunity to serve you!
