Badaim - Ever Heard Of One Of These Locks?

[Snacko]

Check it out here..

 

 

 

[BadAim]

Nope, never have. I can tell you why it failed though. It's waaaaaay too expensive to manufacture and waaaaay to not idiot proof. I'm sure that if the manufacturer ever sold any they got them back within two weeks, the lock is simply too complicated and requires too much user skill to operate. The benefit is just not worth the cost and inconvenience. I also doubt that the thing is very reliable. I've seen a hundred of these solutions in search of a problem pop up and disappear over the last thirty years. 

 

It also looks like the thing would be nearly impossible to service. I also have a manufacturing background, and I doubt they were able to make that plug in one piece (though they may have been able to bond the "slices" somehow). I can typically re-pin a standard lock in one to two minutes each without even trying to work fast. A typical high security lock bumps that up to at least ten minutes or so. I'd hate to even imagine the work required to get all of those pieces in and out. The guy in the video was well justified in being afraid to take that thing apart. 

 

The key is yet another level of Dante's hell for locksmiths. Brass would simply not be strong enough, even nickel silver would be too soft and the stuff is tougher to cut and puts a lot of wear and tear on your key machine. That leaves mild steel and that will destroy your machine slicker 'n shit and also chew up the lock in no time. And it still won't hold up over time.

 

Another cool idea relegated to history's scrap pile.

 

Damn cool lock though, thanks for sharing.

[DD_Arthur]

You just can't beat the advice of an expert!  :salute:BA!

[BadAim]

I looked into this lock a bit further, but didn't find much. I did find a few photo's of the deadbolt that the above cylinder came out of and it looked like a real piece of crap, so there's your method of selling this thing at a marketable price. It looks much like a Chinese lock that you can get for five bucks at Wallmart. I'm surprised that I don't remember seeing this thing at trade shows or something. Unlike Bill, I'd love to take that bad boy apart. 

 

The other question would be, what is the market in the US for pick proof locks? Not much. For the most part criminals around here wouldn't learn such a skill, I mean if they wanted to work they'd get a job. I haven't seen credible evidence of a criminal picking a lock in thirty years. I sell two different high security locks, and two different restricted keyway locks and the latter far outstrip the (three times) more expensive High security locks in sales. 80% of High security lock buyers are looking for key control and the restricted keyways do the job nicely without wasting money on pick and drill resistance that is just not needed.

 

I do believe that I've figured out the manufacturing process though! It looks on closer inspection like it's injection molded pot metal with a couple of (possibly steel) rails inserted from the sides to guide the key smoothly around the curves. The steps that are visible from the outside are I believe molded in to provide even more resistance to inserting a pick.

 

It's quite a clever design, but I'm still quite sure it wouldn't last long under typical American use (abuse).