Hopefully this video helps with your security chain purchase! If so, please consider liking and subscribing. Let me know below if there are more comparisons you would like to see!
Super video! This solve a huge problem. Buying twice the cheapest chain is more economical than once the expensive chain, and it appears much more intimidating to a thief with twice the chain. Thanks!
In a video titled "2 Seconds and your bike is gone" the guy cuts the Abus chain very easily with bolt cutters. It might either be the 6 mm or 9 mm (3/8) one. I don't know why this guy couldn't cut the 5/16 lock with the bolt cutters. Maybe that thickness is sufficient.
Could you do a test of cutting each chain in a real world scenario, please? It would be very interesting to see how difficult it is to cut a chain when it's not held still in a vice i.e. when it's locking a bike to a railing etc. I gather that it takes far longer (probably a lot longer than cutting a U-Lock)
I have two of the Abus 1/2" chains for locking up our e-bikes at night when at a campground. Only an angle grinder will cut that, so the noise should draw enough attention to wake up the dogs, have time turn them loose and get my firearm. For real protection in town, I have an Hiplock D 1000 and a Litelok X3. Those are the only two D locks I've seen that are angle grinder resistant. I think the more protection and resistance for your bike that makes it harder to take will deter most of the small time thieves and they'll move on to an easier target. Nothing is 100% theft resistant. Given time and tools, they can steal anything. You're only buying time and hope that they'll give up and move on. Be safe!
"Given time and tools, they can steal anything." I believe we all should have the mindset: *If you have the right anti-theft devices, the mindset, courage and strategies, you can prevent the bad people from stealing your prized possessions.* Thieves, criminals, etc., are not indestructible.
@@alexandramarberry1023 What makes you think they aren't a threat to me and my family? Trespassing on my property, brazenly trying to cut a lock, and how do I know how many there are and if they are or aren't armed? Sorry, I guess I should conduct an interview with them first. Do you live in fairyland? My family comes first and I will protect them.
I wish you would do the width by mm. In the bike chain and lock world in the USA measure the chain link width is much much more common to be labeled in millimeters not inches. If you really knew about security chains in the US you’d know this.
Buy good locks. Place your bike in a public spot. Place your bike next to a better looking and/or more expensive bike, preferably with less and/or worse locks. Hang your chain loosely around and between the bike and what you are using to secure the bike. That will make grinding with a angle grinder harder, because they have a hard time keeping the grinder on the same spot of the chain or cable. Never put a chain or cable on the ground, so they can't use the ground as a surface to put their cutter on and use their weight as leverage to cut your chain or cable or to keep the cable/chain in one spot easily for a grinder. Use two or three different types of locks. That way picking the locks and or cutting or grinding the locks takes more time: i.e. use a chain to secure your bike to something sturdy, like a tree or fence, use cables to lock your front and rear wheels together, use U lock(s) to secure your wheel(s) to your frame.
To sum up: ALL chains are WORTHLESS against angle grinders. The ONLY locks currently available that resist angle grinders are the HipLock D1000 and the Litelok X3. They will take several minutes and up to 5 replacement discs to get through. So unless the thief has the replacement discs with him and a lot of time, your bike will be protected. However, these locks are very expensive!
@@NVRNerds If you watch the videos testing those 2 locks, you'll see that each disk gets shredded by the lock after a minute or two of run time. And of course, it also takes time to replace the discs on the angle grinder. Those two locks are quite expensive though. My bike shop had a HipLock D1000 for sale last week and the tag said $421 Canadian dollars. Plus it weighs about 5 lbs.
@@Harolddespuithat was cut thru the unprotected steel portion which is inside the lock. There was plenty of other places with the anti grinder (black) coating they could have cut, yet strangely they didn’t. I would like to know the cut time on that.
If you have people with angle grinders cutting off heavy chains in the street, then there's a problem with law enforcement and not with the chains. There is hardly any bicycle theft in Japan. Otoh in places like London, scumbags grind off chains on a busy street in broad daylight, not caring about the bystanders who yell at them.
Aye. It's almost like legal gun & tazer ownership (or at least a competent Police Force) is a deterrent against such crimes... as is a sane immigration policy.
I've never been to Japan, but I suspect there is also a much stronger family unit in Japan. No place in the world is perfect, but I believe parents, community (shop keeper, teacher, etc.,) AND possible shame and punishment, keeps crime low in Japan.
I cut through a typical U lock in 4 minutes with 18v Makita angle grinder (store manager hired me to do it). Toughest to cut metal contains bits of ceramic that destroy blades. (hiplock D1000 for ex.)
Do remember that a thief isn't going to have a bench vice with them. So as long as you can leave it loose enough- cutting with an angle grinder will be harder because of the movement.
I would think they could still take up the slack mostly. I made a short demonstrating a more real world cut on the 1/2” Abus. Took 2 minutes, so definitely longer, but still pretty quick.
That's why I have an alarm on my bike too. Anyone bumps my bike they get a 140 decibel alarm in their ears and everyone around sees them with the grinder @@NVRNerds
Interesting comparison...but I’m wondering why you wasted time flipping the link around in the vise, since you could have just cut the other side from any angle...including rotating the base...
I use Abus 8ks for my motorbike. At first I wanted to buy the thicker version (10ks), but the it's too big for underseat storage. For the lock, I use Abus Granit 37/60, so far everything is ok.
Grinding through the thickest ABUS one in under 60 seconds just pushed me away from all of these and now I'm looking elsewhere. These units are fairly pricey, all to be beaten in an instant. Thanks for the video!
I welded half inch rod in between each link so you cant just cut the link ,over all thickness is about inch and a half now. I built a steel box around the lock so you cant cut the lock. In the end if they really want what you have lock up they will get it....its all about time they want to spend
Sounds good but welding would have lowered the hardness rating of the chain. Who knows how much of a difference with a grinder but something to keep in mind.
@@magaman6353 The odds of a scumbag thief having an angle grinder at the ready may be slim. Of course, there are thieves who drive around all day with tools looking for vulnerable items to steal. Even the Abus 1/2 inch six-footer I bought is just as vulnerable as any chain. A couple of burley thieves can lift a bike onto a pickup, chain and all if the intent is there. You can lock your forks and ignition but the big chain may give a little more piece of mind when the bike is out of sight for awhile.
Maybe not a bolt cutter, but purpose built cable cutters will cut through the majority of cables. I did see one cable that was very thick, like 2” in diameter that may be difficult, but those are expensive.
The results seem skewed comparing the 1/2 Abus compared to the 1/2 Pewag. If you used the actual snow chain Pewag, now being sold a security Pewag chain to the security industry, it thas a rockwell hardness of 62 to 63. The lifting grade chains are not that hard. There is no way in hell that the Abus chain is that hard. If I recall from information I seen about 5 years ago, Abus chain is maybe in the low 50's but I cant remember. In saying that, the Pewag snow/security chain at the time was not sold here in Australia, only the lower lifting grade chains but its still way too expensive to use. For the moment, I use both Kryptonite and Abus in varying sizes solely due to price and overall value. They are a fair bit harder than regular hardware store chains, so, to me, all your results appear to be biased or simply not consistant pressure, battery power and new blades etc. I have no idea to tell if thats true unless I do my own tests though. On another note, your bolt cutters must be low quality and low rockwell hardness cutters on them as they should have cut the 5/16 and atleast the 3/8 hardware chain at a minimum. I like these videos but i think you need to include chain specs, same cutting conditions and force etc. Also include other brand chains etc. Food for thought. :)
No chain seems to be a match for a portable grinder. I think chain manufacturers should look into some kind of coating on the chain links that will gunk up a grinder's wheel so it's less effective at cutting.
Does anyone know exact type/name of fabric sleeve used in those chains ? I like soft/flexible and thick fabric on Master Lock chain I have. I ask because I'm making my own chain. I found some fabric on aliexpress site but I'm unsure how thick and flexible they are compared to ML chain sleeve for example.
At some point, and depending on what the theif wants, they can also cut what its locked to, or the bike itself. There are now ulocks that resist grinder attacks very effectively, but are themselves quite expensive and heavy.
I mostly meant they’re less flexible, and can’t be used in as many circumstances. If you have the capability to use a U-lock they’re a great option for sure.
Watching this is me basically locking the door after the horse has bolted. My 5 month old motorbike got nicked a few days ago. After several failed attempts, I assumed my security was good enough.
Would have liked to see longer Heavy duty bolt cutters used. I did already purchase but "OKG" brand chain (Amazon) 10mm 6 sided 63.3 HRC case and 50 hrc core. 4.25ft @$56 very good price *if all their info they offer is legit this is an awesome chain. they also offer 12mm. and I bought a Toledo padlock black series super duty round body moly 11mm shackle. "LockPickingLawer -better than expected" haha I had an 8mm Kryptonite chain smaller size bolt cutter cut it some years back I caught them in the act a group ran off.
These were 24" HK Porters. Maybe if I get enough likes on the video I'll do a second roundup and buy some more heavy duty cutters! I thought about including OKG, but part of my original intention was to cover the different sizes Abus offered. Maybe in a follow up I'll include OKG. I imagine it would probably perform similarly to other same size security chain.
If you want security for a good bike -buy a grinder resistant U lock and a good chain with a shrouded padlock ? If it's an ordinary cheap " Beater Bike " use a chain with a cover and a decent padlock ! Good info but remember the thief will need to hold the chain steady during the cutting process !! Thanks
It’s a matter of risk. If you leave your bike unattended it could get stolen. The longer it takes a thief to do so the more likely they won’t try. There are some u locks that are grinder resistant, like the litelock x3, and hiplock d1000. You’ll just be limited in what you can lock to, and you’ll want to make sure cutting that will pose a problem for a thief.
nice experiment. the thing is the crooks are not going to be doing this in a vice, and one can frustrate them by making it more difficult. i used to commute on an ebike, and locked it up on a bike rack that was overseen by a camera (which i didn't notice). my gloved hand dropped some cash, and they looked at the video, tracked me down and gave it back to me. also: the sleeve is to gum up the works of a grinder, so if you position the lock in a way that is a complete pain in the ass, crooks will pass and find an easier target.
As some comment has indicated there are a couple U locks that are, but as for chains, you can only add so much deterrent. You could always use multiple chains 😂
@@NVRNerdsMy thinking is that you could use a chain to lock your bike to something solid which a u-lock won't reach, and a u-lock to lock up a tire to the frame, so they can't ride away without something more to defeat.
Twisting the chain by itself won't break it, but it does help keep the chain steady while it's being cut in a real world scenario. One commenter in a Lock Picking Lawyer video described that this can even be held in place with a simple screwdriver.
Thanks @PurchResearch! I would have loved to see a Superbright chain included in this test because Case Media tested a Superbright chain against an angle grinder to find it took 3 mins 2 sec to breach. The video is titled "We Destroyed 6 Of The Best Bicycle Locks and it's at ua-cam.com/video/aBxyaFf379g/v-deo.html. They were using the angle grinder on a locked bike, not a vise, so that accounts for part of the length of time it took to defeat the chain, but it still has me wondering whether Superbright is doing something to their chain metal that Abus, Pewag, and Everbilt aren't doing, and how much difference it makes.
Well, the Pewag chain has a really high hardness rating, and it did about the same as the abus equivalent. I would guess the Superbright is hardened in a similar way, but I would be curious too! I’ve got a bunch of videos planned, but maybe I’ll circle back and put that one up against the others next time. Thanks for the comment!
Good summary. Abus is always a solid choice in any lock category. While not necessary THE best, Abus always seem to come near the top in any lock test,s and performance out-performs the price. Hard to beat German engineering.
There's usually already tension from it being hooked up to a bike and a post especially with shorter chains. Also there are other ways to hold something in place besides a vice. Good one, ® e t a r d.🤣🤙
Chain locks would be better choice & security if they were designed round circle chains so they wiggle/move more around - making it difficult to cut and to hold. And lock should be smaller something like Abus Granit 37RK/80 (seeing it in next video) And on top of that I would add more chains like this together 3 or 4 more in same fabric sleeve so there are multiple chains to cut, adding much more time to stop the theft or thief to give up. Also adding pepper powder inside of fabric sleeve would be nice bonus when they start to cut haha 🤭 I will try to make/assemble this chain lock one day when I have free time. "You" (reader) are free to use this idea if you want. Just mention my channel if you go public with my idea. (I currently don't have related videos bc I don't have time to make YT videos. But I add in playlists useful & educative videos from others like this one. I was researching about strongest bike locks on the market and now chains because I intend to use them both.) 🦾
No thief brings a bench vise... cutting those chains on the ground or when suspended off the ground would be the actual challenge (and a whole lot more dangerous to test)
When the store owner cut my chain off the spool it took him without a vice and on the floor at around 2 min. to cut the chain and 1/2 of his cut wheel. The chain moved and he had to move his hand because the cut wheel was close to his hand. All the higher end chains work well but in an urban setting I also use a high end U lock.
Why didn’t you use millimeter to measure like most chains are measured by even in the USA. Everyone that uses chains to locks bikes up knows them by mm. It universal. Inches are not. I live in the USA and was born here.
hey great video! but what a great test would be to try and cut it with the grinder in a real life scenario. lock something up and be the criminal trying to cut it. just to see how long it would really take to break in.
A waste of time! There are only 2 locks that will currently withstand an angle grinder for any length of time: The Hiplock D1000 and the Lightlock X3. Having said that, even if a lock could withstand angle grinders, druggies and thieves would cut the bike frame and make off with the damaged bike for the parts. Or they might cut what the bike is attached to. The sad truth is that there really is no way to reliably protect a bike. That's why you need a junky 2nd bike if you're going to leave it out while shopping, going to school etc.
Good point. The lockpicking lawyer said something similar. I would be really worried if I had an expensive bike. I made a video demonstrating my use case, locking to my bike rack. I want to use my mountain bike while out and about, so not much choice 🙃
Does not exist security chain or U system when using a grinder, your work says nothing, if you do the test with a hand shear as you start yes, this is a stupid test, no way.
You don’t need an angle grinder,.. what you need is a $65 hydraulic bolt cutter. You also don’t need to be in excess of 200lbs, a 16 year old skinny crack head could cut any of these chains. AND… ITS SILENT!!!
Most determined thiefs carry an angle grinderin a back pack. Only two locks on the market in 2023 can withstand multiple attempts against angle grindertbese are the light lock around 150 british pounds and the hiplock d1000 which is stronger but 250 british pounds.if you have a expensive bike buy one .
No, it was simply that I couldn’t test everything. Abus sells varying lengths and thicknesses at an attractive price point. Kryptonite doesn’t seem to offer chain without locks, at least that I could find. I would assume it would perform similarly to all the other chains, based on thickness. The Pewag chain has a high hardness rating and it still was only on par with the others.
TOTAL waste of time. An angle grinder will cut through almost all chains, so pointless testing like this. The times, which vary very very little, are a useless comparison. Weights and prices are the ONLY thing one can gleam from this dumb 'test'! And, why do you bother opening the vice and turning the chain around?? Another waste of time. And, why didn't you include one of THE best names in bike lock security - Kryptonite? Weird that you left THE most obvious thing to do out, in this whole waste of time 'test'!
Turns out a crackhead with an angle grinder is still unstoppable. If a factor of 30 seconds or so wont help you, maybe dont spend too much. That said if youre home youll definitely hear a grinder cutting for a solid 3 minutes
LOL! Holding it in a vise. That's not the real world, when it comes to cutting any chain in the bike world. Bike thief's don't carry a vise. Your test is flawed. We had to cut a hardened chain under a trailer, try that while laying on your back LOL!
I doubt it would take much longer, but maybe. I was trying to control variables. I made a short you may like cutting the chain locking a bike to a tree. Took about a minute longer.
Hopefully this video helps with your security chain purchase! If so, please consider liking and subscribing. Let me know below if there are more comparisons you would like to see!
The K6 would have been interesting too. I‘d like to see how it performs against a boltcutter.
Part of the effectiveness of a chain is trying to hold it. You wouldn't have a bench vice in the street... try again without the vice.
True but all you really need is a pair of mole grips, they have different names but you know locking pliers to clamp onto the link
They tried it against a tree and the results were very similar ua-cam.com/users/shortsPdANsqT9GZY
Super video! This solve a huge problem. Buying twice the cheapest chain is more economical than once the expensive chain, and it appears much more intimidating to a thief with twice the chain. Thanks!
In a video titled "2 Seconds and your bike is gone" the guy cuts the Abus chain very easily with bolt cutters. It might either be the 6 mm or 9 mm (3/8) one. I don't know why this guy couldn't cut the 5/16 lock with the bolt cutters. Maybe that thickness is sufficient.
Could you do a test of cutting each chain in a real world scenario, please? It would be very interesting to see how difficult it is to cut a chain when it's not held still in a vice i.e. when it's locking a bike to a railing etc. I gather that it takes far longer (probably a lot longer than cutting a U-Lock)
I just uploaded a short demonstrating cutting the 1/2” abus chain while locked to a tree. Took 2 minutes flat.
Hydraulic bolt cutters do the job with relative silence.
@@NVRNerds I couldn't spot the above video -could you post a link to it (or the name of it), please?
@@CC-zm9fw it doesn't exist. Sent you a load of bullshit
@@CC-zm9fw Looks like it's this short: ua-cam.com/users/shortsPdANsqT9GZY
I have two of the Abus 1/2" chains for locking up our e-bikes at night when at a campground. Only an angle grinder will cut that, so the noise should draw enough attention to wake up the dogs, have time turn them loose and get my firearm. For real protection in town, I have an Hiplock D 1000 and a Litelok X3. Those are the only two D locks I've seen that are angle grinder resistant. I think the more protection and resistance for your bike that makes it harder to take will deter most of the small time thieves and they'll move on to an easier target. Nothing is 100% theft resistant. Given time and tools, they can steal anything. You're only buying time and hope that they'll give up and move on. Be safe!
Great comment thanks!
"Given time and tools, they can steal anything."
I believe we all should have the mindset:
*If you have the right anti-theft devices, the mindset, courage and strategies, you can prevent the bad people from stealing your prized possessions.*
Thieves, criminals, etc., are not indestructible.
Why are you grabbing a firearm for e-bike theives if they aren't a threat to your life?
@@alexandramarberry1023 What makes you think they aren't a threat to me and my family? Trespassing on my property, brazenly trying to cut a lock, and how do I know how many there are and if they are or aren't armed? Sorry, I guess I should conduct an interview with them first. Do you live in fairyland? My family comes first and I will protect them.
@@alexandramarberry1023 because he's probably an American, where the default knee-jerk reaction is to grab a gun!
I wish you would do the width by mm. In the bike chain and lock world in the USA measure the chain link width is much much more common to be labeled in millimeters not inches. If you really knew about security chains in the US you’d know this.
Buy good locks.
Place your bike in a public spot.
Place your bike next to a better looking and/or more expensive bike, preferably with less and/or worse locks.
Hang your chain loosely around and between the bike and what you are using to secure the bike. That will make grinding with a angle grinder harder, because they have a hard time keeping the grinder on the same spot of the chain or cable.
Never put a chain or cable on the ground, so they can't use the ground as a surface to put their cutter on and use their weight as leverage to cut your chain or cable or to keep the cable/chain in one spot easily for a grinder.
Use two or three different types of locks. That way picking the locks and or cutting or grinding the locks takes more time: i.e. use a chain to secure your bike to something sturdy, like a tree or fence, use cables to lock your front and rear wheels together, use U lock(s) to secure your wheel(s) to your frame.
To sum up: ALL chains are WORTHLESS against angle grinders. The ONLY locks currently available that resist angle grinders are the HipLock D1000 and the Litelok X3. They will take several minutes and up to 5 replacement discs to get through. So unless the thief has the replacement discs with him and a lot of time, your bike will be protected. However, these locks are very expensive!
Maybe I’ll try to get my hands on one! I hadn’t heard about the replacement disks. Why would they use up extra disks?
@@NVRNerds If you watch the videos testing those 2 locks, you'll see that each disk gets shredded by the lock after a minute or two of run time. And of course, it also takes time to replace the discs on the angle grinder. Those two locks are quite expensive though. My bike shop had a HipLock D1000 for sale last week and the tag said $421 Canadian dollars. Plus it weighs about 5 lbs.
You can cut a D1000 with a metal diamond cutting disc in 33 seconds:
ua-cam.com/users/shortsIjHOWh3uHo4?feature=shared
Dx1000 and skunklok carbon also
@@Harolddespuithat was cut thru the unprotected steel portion which is inside the lock. There was plenty of other places with the anti grinder (black) coating they could have cut, yet strangely they didn’t. I would like to know the cut time on that.
If you have people with angle grinders cutting off heavy chains in the street, then there's a problem with law enforcement and not with the chains. There is hardly any bicycle theft in Japan. Otoh in places like London, scumbags grind off chains on a busy street in broad daylight, not caring about the bystanders who yell at them.
Aye. It's almost like legal gun & tazer ownership (or at least a competent Police Force) is a deterrent against such crimes... as is a sane immigration policy.
How about less income inequality 🤣🤣🤣🤣
^ No thanks commie 🥱
That will not solve subhuman behaviour. I am poor but I don't steal. @@rivir
I've never been to Japan, but I suspect there is also a much stronger family unit in Japan. No place in the world is perfect, but I believe parents, community (shop keeper, teacher, etc.,) AND possible shame and punishment, keeps crime low in Japan.
I cut through a typical U lock in 4 minutes with 18v Makita angle grinder (store manager hired me to do it). Toughest to cut metal contains bits of ceramic that destroy blades. (hiplock D1000 for ex.)
Do remember that a thief isn't going to have a bench vice with them. So as long as you can leave it loose enough- cutting with an angle grinder will be harder because of the movement.
I would think they could still take up the slack mostly. I made a short demonstrating a more real world cut on the 1/2” Abus. Took 2 minutes, so definitely longer, but still pretty quick.
That's why I have an alarm on my bike too. Anyone bumps my bike they get a 140 decibel alarm in their ears and everyone around sees them with the grinder
@@NVRNerds
Great point!
Interesting comparison...but I’m wondering why you wasted time flipping the link around in the vise, since you could have just cut the other side from any angle...including rotating the base...
His clamp is drilled to the table
@@Jsc8zaq Read the comment again!
fantastic video, thanks!
Abus chains can be acquired by the foot from the factory. The 14mm size (14KS) is about $47 per foot...
Thank you for the very informative (and easy to understand for me, lol) video. :)
Please consider including metric measurements for the rest of the world outside the USA
just learn both. it's not that hard😂
Thanks a lot for review !
I use Abus 8ks for my motorbike. At first I wanted to buy the thicker version (10ks), but the it's too big for underseat storage. For the lock, I use Abus Granit 37/60, so far everything is ok.
Great lock! I honestly thought after the cut test that the 8ks was a pretty good option.
thanks for adding all the variables!
Grinding through the thickest ABUS one in under 60 seconds just pushed me away from all of these and now I'm looking elsewhere.
These units are fairly pricey, all to be beaten in an instant.
Thanks for the video!
I was surprised too! In a real world setting it would definitely take longer, but someone with some practice could for sure get through them quick!
Harbor freight has thick chain locks at 20 bucks that are everything an ABUS is
What can one use instead?
Dude, grinder can do that to all metals, steels and other materials on Earth. Sadly.
@goose646 so did you find anything better?
Why no bike locks with built in taser function? 40,000 volts activated by touching it 🤔
⚰ 😵🔫 🏍⚠ 👍
I welded half inch rod in between each link so you cant just cut the link ,over all thickness is about inch and a half now. I built a steel box around the lock so you cant cut the lock. In the end if they really want what you have lock up they will get it....its all about time they want to spend
Haha, that’s awesome!
Would love a pic of that!
Sounds good but welding would have lowered the hardness rating of the chain. Who knows how much of a difference with a grinder but something to keep in mind.
What a great video. Just today I was looking for a hardened chain for my Harley. So glad I found your video. Thanks for your in depth comparisons.
Why would you be grateful? He just showed you that chains are worthless against angle grinders
@@magaman6353 The odds of a scumbag thief having an angle grinder at the ready may be slim. Of course, there are thieves who drive around all day with tools looking for vulnerable items to steal. Even the Abus 1/2 inch six-footer I bought is just as vulnerable as any chain. A couple of burley thieves can lift a bike onto a pickup, chain and all if the intent is there. You can lock your forks and ignition but the big chain may give a little more piece of mind when the bike is out of sight for awhile.
Abus also have a 14mm chain.
Cool, thanks for the tip!
How do you not wince when using a grinder like that.
A good U lock is the Litelok X3 moto. High quality. Combined with that, I use an Almax IV chain.
Thanks for the video! For future tests, could you also show metric equivalents? Even in the US, most of this stuff is in metric now.
Cinch style chain would allow it to be much much shorter to use.
Depends on use case, but yeah definitely. Good tip!
Thanks for the review. So can bolt cutters cut through a cable easily?
Maybe not a bolt cutter, but purpose built cable cutters will cut through the majority of cables. I did see one cable that was very thick, like 2” in diameter that may be difficult, but those are expensive.
The results seem skewed comparing the 1/2 Abus compared to the 1/2 Pewag. If you used the actual snow chain Pewag, now being sold a security Pewag chain to the security industry, it thas a rockwell hardness of 62 to 63. The lifting grade chains are not that hard. There is no way in hell that the Abus chain is that hard. If I recall from information I seen about 5 years ago, Abus chain is maybe in the low 50's but I cant remember.
In saying that, the Pewag snow/security chain at the time was not sold here in Australia, only the lower lifting grade chains but its still way too expensive to use. For the moment, I use both Kryptonite and Abus in varying sizes solely due to price and overall value. They are a fair bit harder than regular hardware store chains, so, to me, all your results appear to be biased or simply not consistant pressure, battery power and new blades etc. I have no idea to tell if thats true unless I do my own tests though.
On another note, your bolt cutters must be low quality and low rockwell hardness cutters on them as they should have cut the 5/16 and atleast the 3/8 hardware chain at a minimum.
I like these videos but i think you need to include chain specs, same cutting conditions and force etc. Also include other brand chains etc. Food for thought. :)
Great cutting tool. What kind d of blade is that?
No chain seems to be a match for a portable grinder. I think chain manufacturers should look into some kind of coating on the chain links that will gunk up a grinder's wheel so it's less effective at cutting.
Does anyone know exact type/name of fabric sleeve used in those chains ?
I like soft/flexible and thick fabric on Master Lock chain I have.
I ask because I'm making my own chain.
I found some fabric on aliexpress site but I'm unsure how thick and flexible they are compared to ML chain sleeve for example.
At some point, and depending on what the theif wants, they can also cut what its locked to, or the bike itself.
There are now ulocks that resist grinder attacks very effectively, but are themselves quite expensive and heavy.
True, you can really only do so much.
How is a u-lock not convenient? It’s typically got a mounting bracket whereas a chain requires other means to transport unless it’s a Hiplok
I mostly meant they’re less flexible, and can’t be used in as many circumstances. If you have the capability to use a U-lock they’re a great option for sure.
You don't need a vise. Vise grips do a fine job of holding lock or chain. If it's portable then it can be taken.
Watching this is me basically locking the door after the horse has bolted. My 5 month old motorbike got nicked a few days ago. After several failed attempts, I assumed my security was good enough.
Sounds like they were practicing and learning til they got it right. Sorry for your loss!
awesome video
Would have liked to see longer Heavy duty bolt cutters used. I did already purchase but "OKG" brand chain (Amazon) 10mm 6 sided 63.3 HRC case and 50 hrc core. 4.25ft @$56 very good price *if all their info they offer is legit this is an awesome chain. they also offer 12mm. and I bought a Toledo padlock black series super duty round body moly 11mm shackle. "LockPickingLawer -better than expected" haha
I had an 8mm Kryptonite chain smaller size bolt cutter cut it some years back I caught them in the act a group ran off.
These were 24" HK Porters. Maybe if I get enough likes on the video I'll do a second roundup and buy some more heavy duty cutters!
I thought about including OKG, but part of my original intention was to cover the different sizes Abus offered. Maybe in a follow up I'll include OKG. I imagine it would probably perform similarly to other same size security chain.
@@NVRNerds Thanks for clarifying
Cutting a chain not held by a vise will be 100% harder.
If you want security for a good bike -buy a grinder resistant U lock and a good chain with a shrouded padlock ?
If it's an ordinary cheap " Beater Bike " use a chain with a cover and a decent padlock !
Good info but remember the thief will need to hold the chain steady during the cutting process !!
Thanks
I want to see how long it takes the cut the chain in real world situations where the chain is off the ground without a vice.
The vice acted as a control. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a fair or accurate comparison. I did make a short to show a more real world situation.
So what I've learned is buying a bike lock/chain is a waste of money, how do I secure my bike with when I go to the market ?.
It’s a matter of risk. If you leave your bike unattended it could get stolen. The longer it takes a thief to do so the more likely they won’t try. There are some u locks that are grinder resistant, like the litelock x3, and hiplock d1000. You’ll just be limited in what you can lock to, and you’ll want to make sure cutting that will pose a problem for a thief.
Basic good well rated chain + insurance is what you want.
nice experiment. the thing is the crooks are not going to be doing this in a vice, and one can frustrate them by making it more difficult. i used to commute on an ebike, and locked it up on a bike rack that was overseen by a camera (which i didn't notice). my gloved hand dropped some cash, and they looked at the video, tracked me down and gave it back to me.
also: the sleeve is to gum up the works of a grinder, so if you position the lock in a way that is a complete pain in the ass, crooks will pass and find an easier target.
Sounds like multiple of the smallest one.
Not a bad idea!
You can't clamp a chain on the street.
Chains jump around when cut even if you place your foot on it, which makes blades disintegrate.
I just tested this and posted a short. It took me 2 minutes exactly to it through the 1/2” Abus.
@@NVRNerdsinteresting
So any chain or U lock is no match for a portable angle grinder.
As some comment has indicated there are a couple U locks that are, but as for chains, you can only add so much deterrent. You could always use multiple chains 😂
@@NVRNerdsMy thinking is that you could use a chain to lock your bike to something solid which a u-lock won't reach, and a u-lock to lock up a tire to the frame, so they can't ride away without something more to defeat.
Thank you
What about twisting the chain with a Halligan or any other bar? Never see this tested for chains.
Twisting the chain by itself won't break it, but it does help keep the chain steady while it's being cut in a real world scenario. One commenter in a Lock Picking Lawyer video described that this can even be held in place with a simple screwdriver.
The only thing I can think to counter this is have a gps tracking device hidden somewhere inside the bike
In a real scenario, the criminal would go for the the sheathed section since the tiny explored part will be obscured by the lock and harder to get to.
In ny case they went for the d-ring right by the lock, but only got halfway until I came running
Wow, were they using a grinder!?
Yeah, true. Which would definitely add some time.
Thanks @PurchResearch! I would have loved to see a Superbright chain included in this test because Case Media tested a Superbright chain against an angle grinder to find it took 3 mins 2 sec to breach. The video is titled "We Destroyed 6 Of The Best Bicycle Locks and it's at ua-cam.com/video/aBxyaFf379g/v-deo.html. They were using the angle grinder on a locked bike, not a vise, so that accounts for part of the length of time it took to defeat the chain, but it still has me wondering whether Superbright is doing something to their chain metal that Abus, Pewag, and Everbilt aren't doing, and how much difference it makes.
Well, the Pewag chain has a really high hardness rating, and it did about the same as the abus equivalent. I would guess the Superbright is hardened in a similar way, but I would be curious too! I’ve got a bunch of videos planned, but maybe I’ll circle back and put that one up against the others next time. Thanks for the comment!
Good summary.
Abus is always a solid choice in any lock category. While not necessary THE best, Abus always seem to come near the top in any lock test,s and performance out-performs the price.
Hard to beat German engineering.
Bike thieves don't carry around a vise, and civilized people don't use imperial.
Says who bikes get stolen left and right, people don’t care who sees and cut it either way. I’ve seen them steal e bikes and motorcycles
There's usually already tension from it being hooked up to a bike and a post especially with shorter chains. Also there are other ways to hold something in place besides a vice. Good one, ® e t a r d.🤣🤙
@@Jorokusaki what are you talking about 😭
😂😂
Imagine implying that the French are civilized 😆😂🤣
Imperial/Standard > "Metric", everytime 😁 .
I saw people breaking these Abus chains with bolt cutters on YT
Chain locks would be better choice & security if they were designed round circle chains so they wiggle/move more around - making it difficult to cut and to hold.
And lock should be smaller something like Abus Granit 37RK/80 (seeing it in next video)
And on top of that I would add more chains like this together 3 or 4 more in same fabric sleeve so there are multiple chains to cut, adding much more time to stop the theft or thief to give up.
Also adding pepper powder inside of fabric sleeve would be nice bonus when they start to cut haha 🤭
I will try to make/assemble this chain lock one day when I have free time.
"You" (reader) are free to use this idea if you want. Just mention my channel if you go public with my idea.
(I currently don't have related videos bc I don't have time to make YT videos. But I add in playlists useful & educative videos from others like this one. I was researching about strongest bike locks on the market and now chains because I intend to use them both.) 🦾
No thief brings a bench vise... cutting those chains on the ground or when suspended off the ground would be the actual challenge (and a whole lot more dangerous to test)
Definitely! I’m sure there would be some multiple of difficulty in a more real world situation. Thanks for the comment 😃
When the store owner cut my chain off the spool it took him without a vice and on the floor at around 2 min. to cut the chain and 1/2 of his cut wheel. The chain moved and he had to move his hand because the cut wheel was close to his hand. All the higher end chains work well but in an urban setting I also use a high end U lock.
You think they haven't solved that problem in their first week of stealing?
@@steveshea7725 Yes, they moved on to a bike that is much easier to steal.
Why didn’t you use millimeter to measure like most chains are measured by even in the USA. Everyone that uses chains to locks bikes up knows them by mm. It universal. Inches are not. I live in the USA and was born here.
I used what aligned with the Abus listings on Amazon. That was the only reason.
hey great video! but what a great test would be to try and cut it with the grinder in a real life scenario. lock something up and be the criminal trying to cut it. just to see how long it would really take to break in.
I did do a short demonstrating cutting one of the chains. Check it out! I didn’t do them all but it was interesting.
Then you can buy sleeves for the cheaper chains..
Ok so angle grinders can do all chains
All that I’m aware of yeah. It’ll take more time not in a vice, but still probably less than 3 minutes.
If only I could buy a lock that comes without a table and table vise.😂
Good tests. Thanks. So if there comes a determined thief, our valuables will be taken very easily anyways. Sigh~
Yes it’s a shame! All we can do is our best.
Abus the best 💪
U locks cut after about 5 minutes , that's approximately 5 Times Longer to cut through than a chain. Forget easy to cut chains and get a u lock .
If the use case will work with a U lock I totally agree!
Now that you've got the chains, why not try cutting them attached to a bike and a rack all floppy.
I actually made a short where I cut the 1/2 Abus while locking my bike to a tree. Took exactly 2 minutes.
*abus* *najlepsze* *zapięcia* *robi*
OK 💪
Well o have chain take 20minutes to cut
If a thief is going to bring a vice and mount it, then he kinda deserves whatever he's stealing.
A waste of time! There are only 2 locks that will currently withstand an angle grinder for any length of time: The Hiplock D1000 and the Lightlock X3. Having said that, even if a lock could withstand angle grinders, druggies and thieves would cut the bike frame and make off with the damaged bike for the parts. Or they might cut what the bike is attached to. The sad truth is that there really is no way to reliably protect a bike. That's why you need a junky 2nd bike if you're going to leave it out while shopping, going to school etc.
Good point. The lockpicking lawyer said something similar. I would be really worried if I had an expensive bike. I made a video demonstrating my use case, locking to my bike rack. I want to use my mountain bike while out and about, so not much choice 🙃
I have 2 motorcycle heavy chains… perfect 😜👍🔥🍀
Does not exist security chain or U system when using a grinder, your work says nothing, if you do the test with a hand shear as you start yes, this is a stupid test, no way.
En realidad no hay cadena de seguridad si se usa una herramienta de corte eléctrica!!!
You don’t need an angle grinder,.. what you need is a $65 hydraulic bolt cutter. You also don’t need to be in excess of 200lbs, a 16 year old skinny crack head could cut any of these chains. AND… ITS SILENT!!!
Send me a link! Sounds like a good video series.
If you didn't rotate it, it would be 2x faster.
Idk about 2x but yeah maybe! I thought it made it easier though. I’m not positive my wheel would have went through either. Maybe though!
Most determined thiefs carry an angle grinderin a back pack. Only two locks on the market in 2023 can withstand multiple attempts against angle grindertbese are the light lock around 150 british pounds and the hiplock d1000 which is stronger but 250 british pounds.if you have a expensive bike buy one .
My use case is locking to my bike rack. I don’t think I could make a U lock work. Thanks for the tip though, I’m sure it’ll help some people!
good advertisement milwaukee
The Locks are completely useless if you can cut through the links like butter with a Angle grinder. Waste of money.
Why cut on the ground? The chains should be off the ground as where they would be on a bike.
Only to show that even under ideal conditions the chain couldn’t be cut. So it’s even more unlikely to be cut off the ground. Thanks for watching!
Gonzalez Thomas Wilson Jose Wilson David
I’m using stainless steel chain, it’s pretty tuff.
People in the comments underestimate the ingenuity of thieves who doing it as a living.
Is there an intelligent Reason for not Testing Kryptonite Chain?
No, it was simply that I couldn’t test everything. Abus sells varying lengths and thicknesses at an attractive price point. Kryptonite doesn’t seem to offer chain without locks, at least that I could find. I would assume it would perform similarly to all the other chains, based on thickness. The Pewag chain has a high hardness rating and it still was only on par with the others.
Let's be realistic here. You can buy diamond wheels that cut even FASTER. Your information here is of no PRACTICAL use.
Everything I find online indicates the wheel type I used (abrasive) cuts faster. Do you have a source showing otherwise?
Miller Angela Moore Cynthia Hall Sharon
👍
TOTAL waste of time. An angle grinder will cut through almost all chains, so pointless testing like this. The times, which vary very very little, are a useless comparison. Weights and prices are the ONLY thing one can gleam from this dumb 'test'! And, why do you bother opening the vice and turning the chain around?? Another waste of time. And, why didn't you include one of THE best names in bike lock security - Kryptonite? Weird that you left THE most obvious thing to do out, in this whole waste of time 'test'!
Buy the LITLOCK x1 or x3, best lock on the market, watch the vids guys, angle grinder resistant.
True, just expensive, and only works in ideal scenarios where you can lock to something that’s as hard or dangerous to cut as the lock.
✌️ "Promo sm"
Turns out a crackhead with an angle grinder is still unstoppable. If a factor of 30 seconds or so wont help you, maybe dont spend too much. That said if youre home youll definitely hear a grinder cutting for a solid 3 minutes
LOL! Holding it in a vise. That's not the real world, when it comes to cutting any chain in the bike world. Bike thief's don't carry a vise. Your test is flawed. We had to cut a hardened chain under a trailer, try that while laying on your back LOL!
I doubt it would take much longer, but maybe. I was trying to control variables. I made a short you may like cutting the chain locking a bike to a tree. Took about a minute longer.
U
The problem with all of these is the piece of garbage LOCK that will probably be the weakest link. Thus, none of this matters.
I use an Abus 20/80 and make the shackle and Key hole hard to access. I feel pretty good about it.
Everyone of thoes chains wont last longer than 30 seconds with an angel grinder thieves dont use hacksaws anymore