Or, I learned something today about padlocks.
Backstory: I've had a storage locker for a while now, due to having
more stuff than I have space. An ex-coworker is in the process of
moving, and needs some space. I on the other hand have been
reorganizing and culling my stuff and was seriously considering moving
to a smaller storage locker now that my stuff is more compacted, so I
offered him part of my storage space rather than having each of us rent
a locker for more total cost.
Here's where the lock discussion comes in. I'd just bought a padlock
from the storage place when I rented the locker as the price was
reasonable, which came with two keys. I've carried one on me ever
since, I have lost the other one. I tried to get a key copied to give
to my friend, which is when I was told that the lock that I had was
probably made by Abus of Germany, but that the locksmith (best one I
know of in the area) didn't have blanks for it because he said that
storage companies often order padlocks from Abus with a custom keyway
for whatever reason. I asked what would be the best lock for my
application and he said that the lock I had was probably the best design
for my application but that I should buy an Abus branded one so he could
make me extra keys for it. I asked him if he could sell me one, he said
no, he didn't have any but Home Depot or Lowe's probably did. Well
neither one had any...
So I got online, found the best deal I could on a stainless-steel Abus
padlock (about $20 and free shipping for a model 24IB/70) and went back
to the locksmith to have some keys made. He made me two keys for under
$10, and told me that the lock that I'd picked was an excellent one
(exact comment, "you did really well.")
So I probably paid about $20 for the original lock I'd bought but I
can't get keys for it so now it's kind of useless as I only have one
key... let this be a lesson to you, if you're going to rent a storage
locker, BYOP (Bring Your Own Padlock)
nate
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