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To secure something like this:
Unpickability, size, and then cost. In that order.
Thanks in advance.
A hammer would open that whatever lock you put on it!
got to agree with that. no-one is going to waste time trying to pick the lock. I would just find the biggest key lock that will fit from a decent manufacturer such as Abus.
squire make a self-locking hasp - no idea if:
A) It'd fit
B) It's very secure
A zip tie meets all three criteria and will be as effective as any padlock meeting the same.
What exactly are you securing against? Precisely no-one is going to rock up with lockpicks, a crowbar would open that in less than seconds assuming it's even affixed to anything and can't just be taken away.
Any security is only as good as the weakest link. The best thing you could do to secure that is hide it.
zip tie meets all three criteria
Except you can 'pick' it with your bare hands.
OP: as above, What's to stop someone just walking off with the box? Is it for something seriously valuable in a place where strangers will have access to it, or just for the office biscuit supply?
I'm pretty sure screwdriver would pop the hinges off that thing in a minute or so.
Except you can ‘pick’ it with your bare hands.
Depends on the zip tie.
I secured my tool box for years with a wide zip tie cut down to an inch or two. But it was a releasable type, you could 'pick' open the pawl with a fingernail and reseal afterwards. Normal ties you'd have to either cut off or slip something between the pawl and the zip.
It's why I asked what the OP securing against, I wasn't being facetious. For us it was just a case of stopping someone quickly robbing a screwdriver when no-one was looking whilst out on site. It worked well for that. Someone walking off with the entire box would have been obvious. If you want to stop folk robbing from a van or a shed then that's a different use case requiring a different solution.
Thank you for your replies.
I’ve been getting a bit fed up, carting around the spare house keys and other vital faff.
i could drop a couple of stone by rationalising the excess baggage.
a pukka key safe would work, but at those prices (sub £15), I can’t imagine the lock would be up to much…
Seems like the way to transcend any problems re hinges is to buy a toolbox that allows both handles to be padlocked together.
but, such toolboxes tend to be bulky affairs.
What about army surplus ammo boxes?
They're not much use in this regard. The hinges can easily be tapped out.
So, a fairly pick proof lock, and a fairly dinky box.
moon on a string?
I'm still not clear what you're trying to do. You're walking around with 14 kilos of keys?
So, a fairly pick proof lock, and a fairly dinky box.
Key safe?
https://www.toolstation.com/master-lock-combination-key-safe/p64605
Those Master lock key safes can be opened in 15 seconds (there are videos on YouTube).
The push button ones all work in the same way and you can open them with any combination of the code. So if the code is 1234 then you can open it with 4321, 2143 etc.
You can make it more secure by filling the plastic case with cement before you fit it.
Yep. That Masterlock is one of the worst of a bad bunch.
The push button ones, despite the obvious weakness you mention, are IME better than traditional combo dials. The one fitted at my mum's has a clutch on the knob (quiet at the back) making it difficult to decode. But it's not £20.
https://keysafe.co.uk/products/supra-p500-pro-key-safe
Even then, I had it installed out of sight. No-one's breaking into it if they don't know it's there.
Yes, it’s not quite 14lbs. All the house keys and their duplicates.
Then any bank cards.
Passport.
Bike lock (s) duplicate keys.
E-bike battery keys.
Should be quite a simple task to find some kind of lockable storage box on Amazon (preferably without a combination number).
Gap in market?
Hang on...
What... ?
You take your house keys, and duplicates, and passport, and e bike battery keys out with you..on the bike or otherwise?
Is that right?
Where exactly are you planning on putting the red toolbox with literally your life's valuables in?
Could you not, perhaps, not bring all that stuff and, erm, leave it locked in a car or house. You know, like most people!
DrP
I'm very confused by this scenario.
Given the size, weight, and value of the box and its contents, the best way to half inch it will be to just take the box somewhere the ne'er do well has all the time in the world, and at that point the padlock (and the box itself) is pretty pointless.
Why are you putting all these eggs in this one basket?
To all but the OP... how are we going to manage if the OP NEVER posts again... and we're left wondering WTAF is going on.
So..what do we know already:
-stuff can fit in a medium red tool box. BUT..
-"a pukka key safe would work", so could also fit in a key safe.
-the keys and passport (PASSPORT!) weighs about 6kg
-but...a passport won't fit ina key safe.
-unless.. TARDIS key-safe. But again, that technology WILL be more than £15.
I might actually write a book - "The red tool box of dreams" or something...
DrP
Is this another one of those veiled analogies like the neighbour's border thread from a few years back?
Gap in market?
No, what you need there is called a "safe."
lol. The question really concerned fairly inexpensive padlocks.
the actual container for the valuables, that’s a secondary concern. If push comes to shove, a pukka tool box should suffice, if somewhat bulky.
From a search on Amazon, there seems to be a gap in the market for small, secure metal boxes that can be secured with a padlock, without having to worry about the hinges being tapped out.
I’ve actually got a cash box, but I’d guess that the lock is a joke.
So, as the post outlined, any small secure padlocks that aren’t pants?
So, as the post outlined, any small secure padlocks that aren’t pants?
Depends on the threat. Years back I worked at Halfords and towards the end of my time there there was a tv program saying how easy it was to defeat bike locks. The device used was a heavy duty boltcropper and about three foot of scaffolding pole to give additional leverage. A few really, really industrial locks held out but nowadays I suspect they would be taken out quickly with a battery powered grinder. Even if they werent your box would be.
Unpickability is a pointless requirement. Whilst its fun to pick locks if I wanted into someone elses property quickly I would just use a long handled screwdriver or the grinder (assuming I was interested enough in other peoples property to invest in the tools for the job).
To try and answer your question more directly that sort of box is useless for security regardless of the padlock unless you have someone watching it or it isnt overly important. If you want secure then buy a proper safe although then dont rely on it protecting your property for long without supervision.
You don't really need any lock, just hide them somewhere out of site, like the attic, under a heavy piece of furniture, underneath the bottom drawer in kitchen/sideboard/chest of drawers. Or under a floorboard inside a cupboard for example.
Or fit one of these inside a cupboard ceiling and hide your stuff above it.
https://tradeaccesspanels.co.uk/product/fire-rated-access-panel/
Or fit a deep double socket box inside a walk in cupboard with a blank plate over the top, you can access it easy enough but won't be obvious.
https://www.toolstation.com/appleby-dry-lining-boxes/p48850
Just buy a safe. Even a shite one attached to the wall with chemical anchors will be better than anything you've described thus far.
https://www.safe.co.uk/products/phoenix-ss0721k-cupboard-safe.html
I've searched and not found it 10 pages in but the
"What's in the safe?/ New house/business and there is an enormous safe with no key" thread was very funny and the suspense built up admirably by the OP over several weeks.
Do people not just chuck these things in a drawer any more?
Am I missing something? Just get a small safe, you can get them operated by a key if you don't want a combination.
Like this :
I’m assuming it is to stop the kids finding the sex toys.
What I picked up from a charity shop for about £20 is a small filing cabinet with a junk drawer on top. Fits under a desk, has a lock, and is very useful.
Yeah.
i think I’ll just go for one of those small safes.
initially, I figured that something compact with an included hasp would make sense on the foreign trips. Not much fun trying to swim, with that level of accoutrement.
its really that bad! House keys, window keys, bike lock keys, e-bike battery keys, bank cards and soooooo much faff!
turning up at gigs, the poor door staff have one look inside my man bag, and nearly faint at the sheer amount of crap inside.
hotel safe? Perhaps. But what about self catering accommodations?
And I’ve got a feeling that if I snap my femur whilst out and about, then is prefer less faff to check in at hospital.
I think it’s a common sentiment to wish to embellish any cash box with a fairly solid padlock.
id have considered one of those tiny padlocks that you see on the end of motorbike chains.
but, I’d rather the semi-circular part was about 8mm in diameter, just to broaden its compatibility with steel boxes like the one in the original picture.
that box was only for illustration purposes, just to articulate just how small a lock I was looking for (that’s not crap).
so, if there’s any small padlocks (not crap)…
and a very big thank you for your comments:)
I literally don't know what's going on here in this thread any more.
And for that reason, I'm out.
DrP
I literally don’t know what’s going on here in this thread any more.
I'm not sure anyone does!
The struggle is real. When I go to a gig I too never know what to do with14kg of keys.
Unless I'm missing something obvious here, you don't need a padlock, you need professional help.
I think it’s a common sentiment to wish to embellish any cash box with a fairly solid padlock.
Taking a cash box swimming with you, less common than you might think.
Taking a cash box swimming with you, less common than you might think.
It is? Might explain why my triathlon times are so poor.
initially, I figured that something compact with an included hasp would make sense on the foreign trips. Not much fun trying to swim, with that level of accoutrement.
its really that bad! House keys, window keys, bike lock keys, e-bike battery keys, bank cards and soooooo much faff!
turning up at gigs, the poor door staff have one look inside my man bag, and nearly faint at the sheer amount of crap inside.
I think we live very very different lives.
Hate to pile on but the curiosity has got the better of me and would love to know why you can't just take your main house key and leave everything else at home?
Genuine question.
Why do you take all that stuff out with you?
Surely going to a gig with all that stuff put yourself more at risk than less. All your keys etc in a bag that (based on everything you have posted here) will also have enough personal information to find your house.
I concur with everyone here. Get a safe. If you are concerned get two, put them in different places and split stuff between them.
What about a lockable briefcase with a built in handcuff?
Like you see on the movies!
What about those false electrical socket safe things?
Or others have said, a proper safe? Bolt it to a wall or solid floor.
its really that bad! House keys, window keys, bike lock keys, e-bike battery keys, bank cards and soooooo much faff!
Whereas I have house key, car key and phone. Done.
Indeed I've just been issued with a bank card that will read my thumbprint as part of a pilot at work, it's all very clever, but I'm literally never going to use it, I haven't used a plastic card since Covid.
How about
? (Bit sweary)
I figured that something compact with an included hasp would make sense on the foreign trips.
...
Unless I’m missing something obvious here, you don’t need a padlock, you need professional help.
FFS - it's been a long time since I've laughed out loud here but holy crap......!!
Thanks OP [if you're real and not some new comedy AI bot]
Whereas I have house key, car key and phone. Done.
Seriously though..... this ^
Umm, unless I have missed something, how is the red box of keys and sex toys going to remain secured to something in a hotel room/ vehicle / gig venue to stop someone walking off with it? Or does it go in a hotel safe?
OP off for a swim later
[beard checks out]
I had been thinking about one of these:
tgtbt?
still, moon on a string…
A safe box like something out of the movies, looks like one of those flat safe deposit boxes that you used to find in banks…biometric entry, airtagged, room for passport , cash, jewellery, phone, bank cards, hastily scribbled passwords, etc.
just to take on hols when there’s no proper safe available.
What's to stop someone just taking the box?
What’s to stop someone just taking the box?
The sheer weight of the keys, cards, phones and padlock attached it seems.
“Whet’s to stop someone taking the box?”
airtag?
another consideration for ‘box 101’, is the device that you use for 2-factor identification. You’ll surely take that along to your air-n-b?
as my myasthenia gravis progresses, it will feel liberating to rationalise all the excess baggage.
for example, I’m offloading a bunch of Stephen king novels, as i can find them at a reasonable price to download. And with the weakness of my eyes, the kindle makes much more sense.
And my mobile phone is starting to feel like a house brick.
Even at my pneumonia vaccination yesterday, I couldn’t unscrew the lid of my juice bottle. I ended up binning it, as I figured that if I’m struggling in that respect, I’ll probably struggle to swallow anything fizzy.
im positive that they’ll discover a cure within the decade, but until then:
just to take on hols when there’s no proper safe available.
Call me wild and crazy but, have you considered not carting all that shit about with you?
I had been thinking about one of these:
To do what?
For all the spare house keys and window keys just leave them in a drawer at home. If anyone breaks in and gets them, well they are already in the house so don't need them anyway.
Passport and credit cards can be replaced easily enough.
Ebike keys, just put on your key ring if you are that worried.
Honestly, no one carries all that stuff around with them.
Surely, you’d like somewhere to stash the phone whilst you’re on holiday?
When you’re on holiday, it’ll take a while to replace the passport?
Personally, I’d fly out with at least 200 euros, just to tide over any potential IT snafus.
id like somewhere to stash it, plus any meds.
You know what a loose safe or box screams out?
Still, I’d like to leave the phone and passport in the accommodation whilst I’m swimming.
I bought the smar****ch so that I could leave the phone somewhere secure.
that said, I can anticipate scenarios where you’d want to take the keys with you in hols, and keep them secure, but maybe not on your person whilst swimming…
not just the nuclear launch codes, but if for example you owned a veterinary surgery, the locum would have your spare set of keys and you’d keep the original set with you, until you hit the beach.
but where to stash them? (rhetorical q)
Still, I’d like to leave the phone in the accommodation whilst I’m swimming.
Just put it in a drawer or under your pillow.
Still, I’d like to leave the phone and passport in the accommodation whilst I’m swimming.
Hotels often have a safe in every room. They're not very secure (see Lock Picking Lawyer) but they are more secure than leaving in a drawer.
Personally I've never bothered - I've just left my passport in my room in a drawer and never had a problem, but my youngest son *did* have his passport stolen (travelling alone, and he was staying in a very *very* cheap hotel). He got a replacement from the Consulate in Alicante in about 48 hours.
but if for example you owned a veterinary surgery, the locum would have your spare set of keys and you’d keep the original set with you, until you hit the beach.
I would leave them at home. Exactly why would I be carrying keys for somewhere a couple of hundred/thousand miles away?
If I did have that vets surgery then if I am on hols I would have the keys hidden somewhere at home possibly in a safe.
For the phone/passport. If I didnt feel comfortable leaving them for an hour or two unattended in my room with minimal effort put into hiding them then I would be looking to stay somewhere else.
This thread is very confusing.
Is it some sort of wind up?
So if the hinges are Palestine and the bank cards are Gaza...
No, no clue here either.
In a hypothetical ‘veterinary surgery’ situation, I’d take the keys to the ends of the earth.
The streets of Loudon, awash with ketamine, and the cops suspect an inside job?
but there’s plenty of instances where someone gets lumbered with the keys to the premises.
Tbe title made it very clear “small, secure padlock indoor use”.
the actual use of the padlock is kind of irrelevant. I could as easily be using it to chain my bikes together whilst I swan around abroad.
so, if you secured your bikes indoors with a £20 padlock, would you feel secure whilst abroad?
maybe a topic on home security, in general?
theres devices to stream footage of your home, direct to your mobile device.
but that’s assuming there’s no power or Wi-Fi outage?
the actual use of the padlock is kind of irrelevant.
Well, it kind of isn't, because you've come up with a solution without describing the problem. This thread is "what hammer for knocking in screws?" Almost three pages in and we haven't progressed beyond you wanting to take a metal toolbox containing 15 kilos of keys swimming with you.
if you secured your bikes indoors with a £20 padlock, would you feel secure whilst abroad?
Yes? The front door is locked and I have home insurance.
maybe a topic on home security, in general?
theres devices to stream footage of your home, direct to your mobile device.
What's that going to achieve when you're abroad? Are you going to jump on the next flight and get home just twelve short hours after the burglars have left?
Small, cheap, secure padlocks don't exist. But if they did, they wouldn't help you here.
If I owned a veterinary surgery and needed to hide the keys for a locum....
....up the cows bum?
I mean, no one else is a) looking there or b) likely to go there.
I put all my important keys under the doormat. I don't think anyone would think to look there.
Just back from Lidls with one of their keysafes.
I’ll just stash it “in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard ’.
(hitchhikers guide to the galaxy).
though, I’ll still need something to keep my meds and euros safe , whilst on my hols…
What risk do you need to mitigate against for your meds whilst on holiday?
Diabetes isn’t painful like dying, but it’s a wretched ‘circling the drain’ feeling, nonetheless. I think they call it the ‘bonk’.
actually, it does nip a bit around the chest, as those muscles fatigue. Like being thoroughly wedged in a ravine, up to my armpits.
Taking a cash box swimming with you, less common than you might think.
That’s what the police said when I tried to explain to them what had happened to the first MrsJ.
Does everyone spend their lives in fear of being robbed?
The vast majority of homes are very easy to break into. Just smash a window.
When I leave the house I have my keys, phone and my wallet, which contains a few bank cards and driving licence.
Why on earth would anyone take their spare house keys with them? For what purpose?
Regarding passports, I have photos of them on google drive. If someone nicked when on holiday, it's not the end of the World to get it sorted, pain in the arse but not difficult. They are not that valuable on the black market.
Who wants to nick your meds? Are your meds opiates?
For keys at least, I found a genius way of keeping them safe whilst working abroad. Simply leave them on the airport transport bus at Heathrow and collect them from lost property on return.
Of course if unintentional, it does mean you spend the whole week ringing people and searching bloody everywhere.
I was on holiday a few weeks ago. I left my passport, cash and cards in my cabin bag in the wardrobe, and my phone on the bedside table. I went to the beach with a small backpack with a book, snorkel, towel, bottle of water and a €20 note and relaxed. At no point did I worry that someone in Spain might steal the keys for the windows in my house back in the UK.
Why on earth would anyone take their spare house keys with them? For what purpose?
So that if you lose them, you can conveniently lose them all at once.
Does everyone spend their lives in fear of being robbed?
I did for a while. I was burgled, twice, and the second one really messed with my head. I got over it in the end but it took years.
greatbeardedone - 2x T1D in this household and neither have worried that their insulin will get nicked. They do worry that a bag containing it will get lost/stolen and so split between bags so they have enough to last whilst they work out a solution. In hot places storing it so it doesn't get cooked is probably more important than getting nicked. Don't put your fast acting glucose in a difficult to access place - when you are properly hypo working a lock or remembering a combination is not what you want; it is also not what anyone else wants. Having had locks seize or combination codes be inadvertently be changed I wouldn't be putting my critical meds in there either. Although no small lock is invincible to even the sort of ordinarly tools you'd normally find inside the box you had on the OP. There's really no such thing as an unpickable lock, but for most people brute force will get you in quicker. Locks are to keep good people honest. Something portable with a lock like a tool box or cash box, might be more attractive to the opportunist than your wash bag or the bottom of your rucksack with the smell socks...
oldnpastit Full Member
I put all my important keys under the doormat. I don’t think anyone would think to look there
That's just silly - the strongbox must make a huge lump under the mat