FEATURE
16
PADLOCKS
BATTERIES
Which padlock is the best choice? If you are in the market to purchase a padlock then you most probably want to lock up something valuable or stop someone gaining unauthorised access to an area.
W
hatever your reason for purchasing a padlock, if you make the wrong choice in choosing the correct one you
3 What is the rating of the padlock?
have wasted your time and your money and
All padlocks are not created equal, so it is
made a thief’s job a lot easier.
important that for security and insurance
Your best starting point in deciding which
purposes the padlock you choose should
padlock to purchase is having the correct
comply with an independent rating. In South
information to decide what is the right choice for
Africa there is a SANS specification for
your specific needs. Here are a few simple things
padlocks. When looking for high security
to consider when making this decision. Applying
padlocks and the product complies with the
these principles will guide you through the myriad
rating, you are assured that it is a quality
of different padlocks and marketing jargon.
padlock. Some manufacturers give an indication of their padlock security rating. Use this
FIRSTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
1
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How valuable is the item you want to protect?
rating scale with caution, as the scale is subjective and could be misleading. When in
The more valuable the item the greater the
doubt, choose a quality brand. It is true that
risk, the better or higher quality commensurate
you get what you pay for. Cheap, high quality
with the risk.
padlocks simply don’t exist.
2 Consider the complete system you need to use
4 Do you need a special key system?
It’s of little use having a high-quality padlock,
Depending on your specific needs, you may
but then the hasp or chain it is used with does
need more than one padlock and you can
not offer the same security or is of low quality.
have the padlock ‘keyed alike’ (all padlocks
Thieves target the weakest link in the system,
work on one key), or you might prefer a master
so you will also need to get a high-quality hasp
keyed system (all padlocks have their own
or chain. A square link hardened steel chain is
unique key, but there is a single key which can
the toughest chain you can get.
open all the locks in the system).
