Well that depends on what you intend it to be used for. As a guide you would probably regard the most secure padlock as the best. Others might regard the one most likely to resist the weather and give a long life of service as the best. For these reasons we’ll give you what we regard as the best in terms of strength and weather resistance.
The strongest padlock
Abloy PL362
Answer: Abus Rock CEN6 & Abloy PL362
Price: £140 – £190
The strength of a locks is rated by its CEN grade. This is a testing standard that tests against many factors including sawing, cutting, cropping, pulling,twisting, picking and more. You can read more on our CEN page.
Firstly the manufacturers, ABUS and Abloy, are one of very few brands and manufacturers to do their own research and development which means you’re likely to get product on the forefront of innovation. Secondly both are manufactured in Europe so the quality is as good as it can get.
Both locks achieve a grade of CEN6. This is highest grade awarded. The scale is not proportional, so grade 6 is not 6 times better than grade 1. As you go up the scale the strength increases significantly which means grade 6 is about twice as strong as grade 5 and over 50 times as strong as grade 1.
They is made for hardened steel which is highly quality controlled to ensure it consistently meets the grade. It also uses a special key that is curved and cannot be picked or copied. On too of that, the keyway is legally protected, so in the unlikely event someone did manage to copy it, they would be criminally liable.
The most weather resistant padlock
Abus Submariner
Answer: ABUS Submariner
Price: £35 – £45
The reason that the strongest locks is not also the most weatherproof also is the fact that hardened steel, used to make strong locks, is simply not rust resistant. The strongest metal to be totally rust free is stainless steel but in comparison is quite soft.
Anyhow, the most weatherproof locks have to be totally rust free, even in salt water, and for that the body, mechanism and shackle must be a non corrosive metal such as stainless steel.
The ABUS submariner uses only the highest grade stainless components and a mechanism that withstands salt residues. They have been tested on North Sea wind farms and found to be reliable after many months without use in the harshest conditions.
