Hiplok d10009/1/2023 OK, so there are a few points worth making here, because a thief in the street would have a different experience to me in this video.įor starters, they would be using a battery powered angle grinder, which are not usually as powerful.Īlso, they wouldn’t have the luxury of a vice, so would either have to use one hand to hold the lock in place while the other controls the angle grinder, or find some other way to anchor the lock in place (e.g. I tested what sort of difference this makes in real life by using a mains powered angle grinder to cut the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit and the Litelok X1 in as close to laboratory type conditions as I could create in my backyard.īear in mind that the 18 mm thick Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit was, up until recently, indisputably the most secure (and angle grinder resistant) portable bike lock you could buy… So there’s certainly no “knife through butter” experience with the Litelok. Angle Grinder Resistanceīut if the Litelok X1 is attacked with an angle grinder, the 1 mm thick layer of ceramic composite releases tiny particles that gradually wear the grinder disc down, essentially turning the tables on the tool and out grinding the grinder! In this way, the Litelok X1 much like any other high security, thick shackled, steel u-lock, such as the Abus Extreme 59 or the Kryptonite New York Standard.īut the difference is: all the aforementioned locks can be cut by an angle grinder, much like a knife cuts through butter. It's highly unlikely that any thief is going to try to pick your lock in the street, but this is reassuring nonetheless! Plus, it employs a pick and drill resistant cylinder that has a 4/5 rating from ART, the independent Dutch security rating organization. The first of the three bike locks I’ve got my hands on is the Litelok X1, and I’ve been using it for the last month to see how it performs, not just in terms of security, but also in terms of day to day usability. So anything that could stem this tide of thievery is a BIG DEAL! Up until now, even the heaviest, most secure bike locks have provided just seconds of protection from any scrote with a power tool.Īnd as a result, gangs of thieves have been taking bikes from the streets, like "scrumpers" take apples from the trees. While the Litelok X1 is less resistant to angle grinders, but is positioned as the practical choice for most cyclists, offering a sensible balance between security, price and weight/usability.Īnyone who cycles in a US or UK city knows what a scourge, angle grinder powered bike theft has become in the last few years. Of the two, the Litelok X3 is the most angle grinder resistant, and as such, is a direct competitor to the Hiplok D1000.
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