3 HN users recommended this tutorial3 months2016–2017score 3
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN users recommend it as an amusing, practical overview of padlocks from cheap to high security.
Lock-picking YouTuber Bill Johnson (BosnianBill) explains how to choose a high-security lock and why, showing examples and comparing designs. It covers what makes some padlocks more pick-resistant than others.
“Here's an amusing overview of available padlocks, starting with crap Master Locks and moving upward.” (HN, 2017)
Spend some time on bosnianbill's Youtube channel and you'll definitely get some tips. In particular, I'd recommend these videos: Buying Security: [link] Choosing a high Security Lock: [this video] (Be ware of about 2 minutes 30 seconds of sarcasm in the last one!) Otherwise, browse through the rest of his videos, skipping the challenge locks unless it's something that fascinates you: [link] Essentially, cheap locks can be bypassed very easily (almost anything by Masterlock). More expensive locks ($60+) will have more pins, making them harder to pick, and often have replaceable cores. Of course, security isn't just about the lock, which is addressed in the first video. Hope this gives you a starting point!
The top of the line in padlocks is the Sargent & Greenleaf 951 padlock, which is about $1300.[1] DoD uses these on weapons storage. Resists grinders, saws, liquid nitrogen, etc. Here's an amusing overview of available padlocks, starting with crap Master Locks and moving upward.[1] The ones that are hard to force or cut have large-diameter shackles, which probably won't fit a gym locker. [1] [this video]
Some locks with open designs are difficult, or impossible to pick. In this amusing video this guy goes over details of different locks, and explains why they are not all created equal. [this video]
Compares lock designs and why they differ in pick resistance.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.
3 Hacker News comments
From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.
Read more