46x17

Just got an Onguard mini brute. Man what a beefy, tough looking lock!

BUT...

I am at home, my bike in my garage, I decide to try my new lock, I lock it on my bike, I try to reopen it, the key brakes in half, one part of the key is stuck in the lock and the other part in my hand!

After dicking around with this gosh darn P.O.S., I have the great idea to stick some tweezers in there an I manage to get the piece out and am able to use a spare key to open it. The whole process took 2 hours.

I was very gentle with the key, no excessive force used. These keys are just very, very sissyish!
I tried to snap another one (they give you 5 spares) by holding it between some pliers and twisting the other part with my hand. Only takes a little...ping! and it snapes.

Needless to say that silly lock is going back to the bike shop tomorrow.

catatonic

hmm havent had that kinda luck yet, but i use an ultimate, maybe their keys are different.

dobber

You Stud Muffin

Phatman

maybe get a copy made?

wmt3rd

You are not a girly man, for sure!

46x17

certainly not a girly man, but not a governor either. Definitely a girly man key though!

luckycat

Sounds like the Quadrachain, that happened a lot with those. I've still got one with half a key stuck in it...

randya

I just received a shipment of three OnGuard U-locks, but I haven't tried them yet. The keys are indeed pretty small, tho...

bostontrevor

I had one similar problem with my OnGuard Mini the day after I got it. I'm used to the insert-and-twist simultaneous motion that works so well on Kryptonites. I tried that on my OnGuard and found myself about 3/8 the way around with only half the key in. It took a little wiggling to get it properly position to get the key out. Since then I've been careful to fully insert the key before turning. I believe a shop owner posted a similar warning on the Krypto thread. Lesson learned.

Still, I would rather that sort of sucking (the kind where the onus is on me to not screw up and it's pretty easy to avoid) than the other (the lock mechanism is fundamentally flawed and there's no reasonable way to secure it).

46x17

Yes, my scenario definitely sucks less, but damn was I wishing I could open it with a pen when that key broke.

qmsdc15

Yeah, the onguard lacks the smooth flow action of a Kryptonite. I decided to break the plastic off the crossbar on my Ultimate Brute, making it easier to achieve the necessary full insertion and less bulky to handle. It's getting easier to use. Maybe your key had a shape that made it too thin in one spot. The keys do look weak, get it all the way in before turning.

catatonic

that's how most disc locks work, you must fully insert the key before turning...that's part of what makes them as secure as tehy are...extremely low tolerances.

46x17

Yes, those keys have very low tolerances indeed...

randya

I bought three Ultimate series OnGuard locks and I checked them last night. I had no problem opening any of them, and the keys, though small, seemed substantial enough to me. However, the keys for one of the three locks looked a little weaker than the keys for the other two, based on the amount of metal removed to form the 'cut' of the key, relative to the other locks' keys. And in fact, two of the three locks had a warning sticker on them that said the key needed to be fully inserted into the lock prior to turning. Apparently, OnGuard may be having problems with returns caused by partially inserted broken keys. Personally, I'd attribute this more to operator unfamiliarity with this type of lock mechanism and thus to operator error more than to flaws in the design. I didn't find the action 'rough', either; but rather, 'positive'. I expect the lock action will get a little smoother with use.

catatonic

exactly...so long as the key is full yinserted before rotation, you should be fine.

Also note tugging on the key while doing the locking motion will cause a jam-up as well...the key to this is smoothness. I bet krypto is going to feel this pain too soon enough.

I had prior experience with this lcok type though, since the captive shackle lock i use on my chain has a disc-style cylinder as well.

absntr

The OnGuard locks are ugly (sorry, just an aesthetical opinion) - and I was sort of freaked out by the five pack of keys that came with it.

I picked up a Kryptonite NY 3000 lock, the kind that comes with the flat keys but that too has similar pains with the OnGuards. I feel like I have to be so gentle with it, on top of the fact that the lock itself is super beefy. The key feels slightly flimsy and I have to hold the lock and carefully insert the key because I feel like I'm going to snap it. Sometimes (like all of you above) I have to make sure to insert it properly and get the right amount of contact/tension/alignment before it unlocks. I've found it's not uncommon to pull out the key and then try again.

However, it gives me great piece of mind.

pitboss

use this https://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=prod...2-930KADLHPFCC
with a NY Chain

s2sxiii

cut off hand, attach this

https://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=prod...175654-572-141

use with fixie to vanquish evil

pitboss

you win, that would rule. S-Mart

s2sxiii

What's that on your face?

old news of interest to ash fans....

bombusben

groovy

qmsdc15

I'm getting better w it. Almost smooth today. K mini had a self alignment feature w the bent end opposite locking end. Onguard requires more care getting cross piece all the way on and key must be fully clockwise to close. Some things that make it less convenient are what makes it more secure.

Removing the plastic makes it less ugly, less bulky, and easier to use but might be saving a step for thief using brute force methods.

Its a little bigger and gets around parking meter and top tube, w K mini I had to lock down tube to meter which was a little more difficult.

46x17

The bike shop took my lock back and refunded my money. Thanks!

They also agreed with me that weak keys are not a security feature.

randya

FYI, the German-manufactured ABUS granit locks have sturdier keys and smooter action than the OnGuard Ultimate locks.

ephemeralskin

i hope i never get mass-produced in key form. that would be a lot of broken mes.