ABUS 8840C Padlock

I had my Master lock on my gym locker "shimmed" a couple of times in 2019 and some stuff got robbed. The crooks left the lock on the bench both times - I thought I simply forgot to close the lock but not twice - something was up. I talked to a police buddy of mine at the gym explained it for me when he told me "you got shimmed". I thought WTF is shimming?If you are in the dark about the shimming issue like I was, Google "shimming a padlock" and check out the YouTube video for how it's done. You'll see that an experienced crook can open a cheap Master padlock in about 30 seconds using a simple metal shim made from a soda or beer can or with professionally made lock shims that are available right here on Amazon for less than $10.I researched new padlocks and talked to a locksmith at the hardware store - he was out of stock on the Abus. That led me to Amazon where i found the same recommended lock that was allegedly more difficult to "shim" because it has tight tolerances not allowing the shims to slide into the lock body by the hasp and the key is very difficult to pick. With all that out of the way, here's a quick Pro/Con on this Abus 88/40 lock.Pro:-Small shackle fits gym lockers-Small size but heavy duty build-It's a full lock with 2 keys. Some of the padlocks on Amazon are just the body and need to have a cylinder installed and keys supplied by a locksmith - be careful of that. This Abus lock is fully operational out of the box.-Comes with a key card that has the key ID in case you ever need an extra key-The lock "retains" the key when the lock is open meaning the key can't fall out when the lock is open reducing key loss, especially in a gym/gym bag.Con:-The key got "sticky" and wouldn't go into the cylinder all the way. I cleaned the lock with spray electronic cleaner and then lubricated the key way and shackles with Dupont Teflon/Silicone spray. Works perfect now but I thought it was odd to have to do maintenance on a brand new lock.Overall this is a solid lock that I hope out performs my $8 Master Lock that was more of a decoration than a true lock.

This is the smallest lock from a reputable company that has a disc core. It's a great lock. Small enough for work/gym lockers. It's secure enough, that, no one is going to attempt to pick it in a work or gym environment. They will just go for another lock. This is not a spring loaded lock. It will not pop open when you unlock it. The key will just fall out when it is locked. All of the disc cored locks are like this.The next step up from this, if you are worried about picking is the abloy 321, make sure it has the protec 2 core. But it is at least double the cost.This lock isn't going to put up too much of a fight vs a large bolt cutter. But in a work or gym environment, something like that will be seen. 🤷🏼‍♂️ You can only do so much.This will keep honest people honest. Will put up a decent fight vs others.A person could hit every locker with a Masterlock on it and empty the lockers before getting this lock picked.Adding some super lube helps with the smoothness some. But due to the tight tolerances, it will be stiff.The discs can get out of alignment. Just rotate the key back and forth until you have them realigned to unlock. It's how all of the locks of this type are, due to no springs.

After watching LockPickingLawyer's YouTube channel, I decided to give an ABUS with the Plus core a try. It's a nice lock! I've also tried an ABUS Diskus lock, and I like that one too (this core has more discs than the Diskus). Like that one, you only get two keys, and, since this is a disc-detainer style lock, you have to rotate the discs around to get it to work consistently. These are not Master locks or Brinks, or other junk, there's a trick to it:Insert key (may require small rotations/jiggles to get down into the disc-pack),Rotate counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise),Rotate clockwise,Lock opens. DON'T FORCE IT IN EITHER DIRECTION!You have to kind of reset the discs inside the lock to get it to work, but it takes maybe an extra second to do the little flick back and forth to get the lock to open. Again, DON'T FORCE IT! If it requires force, you're either doing it wrong, or it needs some graphite lube (or maybe Houdini spray like BosnianBill uses in his YT channel). Lube it while the weather is warm (or keep it inside for a bit) before putting the lock in service if you think it will get subjected to extreme cold. The tolerances between the discs and spacers is tight, so anything gumming it up will likely jam it (including ice or frozen grease).If you attempt to take it apart, a warning: SMALL PARTS INSIDE! If you want to see how such locks work or if you have more experience gutting locks, fine, but I am a complete noob and now I have one incomplete lock as some of the small parts have rolled off to Dog knows where (never to be seen again). Learn from my fail! Leave it be! Watch a LockPickingLawyer video of him taking an ABUS apart, or other brands of disc-detainers, if you're really curious.

I use this for locking the hitch on one of my trailers, seems pretty stout for it's size.

Clamshell packaging was cut open by someone.Is this actually new?It was really hard to get the key to go in.