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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00:00I don't know about you but one of the major deterrents from using my bike for commuting
00:03is fear of having it stolen. It's a horrible feeling returning to your bike to find that
00:08it's no longer where you left it. When we talk about bike locks we very often have to caveat
00:13what we say with the fact that most of them are deterrents. Though quality bike locks are
00:19generally rated by independent companies sold secure, it's usually bronze, silver or gold.
00:24Gold rated locks are very very robust but they are rated upon how long it took to get through
00:30the lock and what tools were required. The most robust tools, example being angle grinders,
00:36will usually get through really any lock. That was why I was extremely excited to get a press
00:41release from Hiplock about its new D1000 lock. Launched via a Kickstarter today,
00:47this lock is reportedly angle grinder resistant. I was even more excited about this because I also
00:53have an angle grinder. Of course there are angle grinders and angle grinders. They do come with
00:58different ratings. This one isn't the biggest of the bunch, however it's still a pretty burly tool
01:04and you have to be quite a determined thief to be traveling around with one of these in your
01:08backpack. What is it that makes this lock apparently resistant to this? According to Hiplock,
01:16it's used a material called ferrosafe which is a graphene composite that Hiplock says is
01:21resistant to angle grinders because of its physical and chemical properties. In terms of
01:26actually how to lock this lock, it uses a lock end key. Also a rubber coating on top which serves to
01:33protect your bike if you're going to mount this lock directly to it. Of course it does way more
01:38than a standard lock. This one comes in at 1942 grams. In order to provide a comparison, Hiplock
01:45also sent its D-lock. This one weighs in at 1001 grams so it is significantly lighter and is silver
01:53rated by sold secure. It is still a pretty hench lock. It would take a pretty determined thief to
01:59get through it but it's not angle grinder proof as per the vast majority of locks on the market.
02:05The Hiplock D1000 is diamond rated by sold secure. Diamond is a rating that's usually attributed to
02:12caravans or cylinder locks so it is a pretty hench option. Now angle grinders are pretty
02:19significant power tools so I've roped in the Stig to give me a hand here.
02:42So there you have it. We did eventually get through this lock. However we had a plug-in
03:07angle grinder. Most thieves are probably not going to have access to a plug socket. We had
03:12the benefit of a vice which made the whole process quite a lot easier. Took us well over 20 minutes
03:18and we went through one, two, three, four, five cutting discs. We also had plumes of smoke which
03:24wasn't really all that pleasant. Would definitely draw public attention. So would you trust this
03:29lock with your pride and joy or would you rather have something lighter weight that's easier to
03:34carry but not so robust? Let us know in the comments and if you enjoyed this video please
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