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Not sure if this is the best place to be posting this, but i have been wondering since i see so many solid brass bodied padlocks, just how strong are they? I always knew brass to be a softer metal, i haven't done any testing but it seems to me that a few good bashes with a hammer on the top of a solid brass lock between the shackle would break the locking mechanism free from the brass body with little effort

It all depends on which lock manufacture you are talking about. Master I am sure uses the cheapest (cheap = soft) brass there is and Abus uses the hardest hence the price difference. Plus big companies like Abus have their locking parts deeper inside than the cheap guys. I have personally never ever seen a brass lock be broken at the place you are describing but I would agree that point in the lock is the weakest. Would also love some more feedback on this. Ohh and of course the choice of brass is due to its high resistance to corrosion and rust.

i have taken a look at one of my best padlocks, solid brass, ball bearing locking mechanism but the bearings where seated fairly close to the edge of the body, definitely seems like a weak link to me, that is what got me thinking about this. obviously with a solid steel bodied padlock and hardened shackle this would not be a feasible weak point

With a quality padlock using a ball bearing system this is not something that generally needs to be worried about. The brass will take quite a bit of abuse. The shackle itself is likely to fail at the weak points where the cutouts are.

This is something I've thought about myself.

You know what a two legged puller looks like? Well, imagine a puller like that with a really BIG conical end. If you could hook the jaws over either side of the shackle, and screw the point into the gap, I reckon you could break a brass bodied padlock easily.

Needs too much strength? Hydraulic (grease filled) forcing screws are available.

I'm surprised something like this doesn't exist - as far as I know.

It does exist. There are also tools made to forcefully pull the core out of the lock, shearing the pins. And brass, being soft, is easy to saw. However, why spend the money on that when a pair of bolt cutters is cheaper and easier/faster to use?

It actually humors me to see a brass padlock with a 'hardened' shackle. Why bother, since the lock body is so soft.

Gordon

Well there you are. Corroboration from the man himself.

That surprises me how many locks seem to be sold with the selling point: "solid brass" as if that really means much besides corrosion resistance. Since bolt cutters seem to be the most common method of attack, asside from shrouded shackles and extra thick shackles, are there any out there bolt cutters have failed against?

Your question reminded me of a link I posted on here a long time back. Here it is again:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/reviews/a5913/can-your-padlock-withstand-a-bullet/

Really though, I think it depends on how much abuse you're prepared to give the bolt cutters. A couple of 6 foot lengths of scaffold pole on the handles will crack just about any shackle.

I hadn't looked at the page in that link since I first posted it. I see there's a link to an auto dialler for Master 1500 Combination Locks now, which is interesting.

As they say "locks are there to keep out the honest and the curious" .

Brass pad locks are not really considered high security but you still need a large/heavy or noisy tool to break them.

So someone would want to be very serious about about removing it.

I don't think brass will rust, perfect for out side use, that's what I use on the gate at work,,, WB all the way, and I live near salt water. yes kind of easy to cut, but that's for the police to deal with, with all the camera's around. it just shows that the company did their part.

If someone get's in it's the law dogs part - - just my half cent

That link with the different tests done was interesting, however it really only speaks for the for specific locks that are tested, i think they should have tested locks with a similar security level to show which manufacturer really won in the different tests, obviously the little laminated franklin is no match for the master magnum lock in destructive testing, but what would the outcome have been if they were testing the laminated franklin against one of the little laminated master padlocks? that would show more accurately which manufacturer was better, or to show which style of lock was better they should have used the same manufacturer, don't want to seem like i am being too picky, just mentioning a few things i thought of, very interesting tests no the less

Oh, I agree with you. It's not very good at all. It was the only thing I could find at the time. I expect you've searched for something like this yourself and found, as I did, that it's just not out there.

Why, I'm not sure. I would guess there's just not that many people interested in a comparison test like that. I've seen articles for dedicated motorbike and bicycle locks and chains, but padlocks? No.

Yes i am surprised there aren't any in depth tests on padlocks, i believe that the majority can be easily defeated though, i have picked many locks since i got into this hobby and it is honestly scary when you can open a "high security" "pick resistant" padlock in under a minute or two, but then again i am sure picking is the least common method of thieves opening locks

With regard to bolt cutter resistance, there is quite a bit on YouTube. Wayne Winton, for example, has tested a bunch of different models for their resistance to forcible entry.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsvr-z ... QIQ/videos