See-thru lever lock

[escher7]

I am not really a lever lock guy (yet), but this Chinese job looks like it might be useful for practice:

http://www.banggood.com/Transparent-Dou ... 56582.html

[Patrick Star]

Are these the same, uhm, quality, and present the same (giggle) level of difficulty as those transparent padlocks?

[escher7]

Are these the same, uhm, quality, and present the same (giggle) level of difficulty as those transparent padlocks?

For around $23 U.S. You can't expect top quality, but clearly the lock has a double-bitted key, several levers, and even jagged ends on the levers to prevent easily sensing the gates. I expect for someone just getting into lever lock picking they might be a good investment.

[LockManipulator]

I've never touched a lever lock in my life so this seems like it'd be great for me. Thanks for posting it.

[Patrick Star]

Yeah, I ordered one as well. New lever locks tend to be quite expensive since they involve casing, bolt assembly, etc so this was a nice addition to the collection.

[LockManipulator]

Could you let me know how it is when it arrives? I haven't ordered yet, I just bought a couple ASSA's and a biaxial so I have to wait until next month to order this one. I'm really curious if the quality is ok.

[Patrick Star]

Expected delivery time is like 3-4 weeks, so I might have forgotten by then, but I'll give it a try!

[LockManipulator]

Cool, thanks! I'll probably remind you lol

[nozza36]

I have worked on lever locks fairly often , these double bitted lever locks are pigs to pick , tape over the gates , it will take you far longer to pick than you think , i only pick 50% of the lever lock callouts i get , they often need to be drilled , but then most lever locks in the UK are "Curtain Wheel" types and are a bit more difficult to pop !

[Patrick Star]

So, got mine today!
Well, it's ... decent. I'm not some lever lock expert though (I think I have picked a grand total of 2, ever) so I don't have a lot to compare with.
It's not some master-piece of high precision mechanics, but fully functional and complete, as in the levers actually need to go to the right place to unlock it (unlike some chinese padlocks...). Key turns without any jiggling or excessive force, though feels a bit gritty in the middle of the turn.
The anti-pick serrations are kinda rounded, not the really sharp stuff I've seen before. Lever gate is somewhat wider than the stump but AFAIK that's pretty normal?
I'd imagine it's not exactly the toughest pick as far as similarly sized lever locks go. I haven't gotten it picked yet though, but I can always blame that on the chinese lever lock pick
Well, I have managed with the cover removed, but that's not much of an accomplishment...
And that reminds me: It's not transparent. Not much of a loss though since it's a standard lever lock. Just remove the cover and put the screw back in (it holds both the cover and the levers) with a washer or something to keep them in place.

[LockManipulator]

Thanks for the review! Doesn't sound too bad of a deal

[Patrick Star]

Just got it open once, so not the hardest of lever locks .

[Patrick Star]

Guts (numbers are written by me to ease reassembly... nice with some space for notes unlike pin tumblers )

Unlocked

[LockManipulator]

Oh wow most seem to have the same bitting

[escher7]

So the cover is not transparent as per the picture! That was the main reason I was interested in the first place. I guess it would be easy to cut a plastic cover to fit, but it ticks me off when they aren't truthful. Aliexpress are pretty good in that regard, although they occasionally show pictures of 4 or 5 items, implying that you get 5 batteries or screwdrivers etc. when in fact you only get one. They got me on 9 volt batteries that way. I do order all my button batteries from them as you can get 10 or even a sheet of 50 sometimes for the price of one locally.