"Paul Hovnanian P.E." wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a reasonably priced, relatively secure padlock. But here's
the catch:

Most of the locker break-ins at the local gym are done by 'shimming' the
lock. That is, slipping a thin piece of sheet metal down the u-bolt (or
whatever its called) and depressing the spring catch. Other methods of
picking/breaking locks aren't used because they attract too much
attention.
Picture bumping a padlock hanging on a sheet metal locker. With some
ultimate fighter just around the corner, looking for an opportunity to
play
hero.

Many years ago, I had an old lock with no spring catch. To lock it, you
had
to turn the key. That would work well, as there is no spring to depress.
But all the padlocks I've seen (in the $10-$20 range) have spring catches.
To make them more 'user friendly', I guess.

One other feature of my old lock (not a requirement) is that the key could
not be removed in the unlocked position. So I could toss the thing, key
inserted, into my gym bag and not loose either half.

Who makes one? Or what's the best Usenet locksmithing group to post this
to?

--
Paul Hovnanian

Don't know how they check out, but the hockey puck type are pretty tough.

Steve