After thinking about it for the past year or so, my wife and I finally decided to join our local YMCA a little over a week ago (it was decided by our oldest daughter wanting to take their ballet course).
Even though it appears to be a decent place overall, we have heard reports (including from one of my co-workers) of things getting stolen out of lockers. Not wanting to risk that, we decided that, before we went for the first time, we would buy a couple padlocks.
I didn’t plan on buying them right away. But, the day we got our ID cards, we ended up going to Dollar Tree. While I was walking around the store, I noticed Tool Bench Laminated Padlocks on one of the displays near the registers. I didn’t know a lot about this brand (or padlocks in general, to be honest). But, I figured $1 for something that would only be protecting our street clothes for an hour or so at a time wasn’t a bad deal.
I finally got a chance to use this lock today and, for the most part, I do think it was a bargain. When I bought it, I was concerned that it wouldn’t be as strong as other padlocks and would be more toy-like. However, the lock does seem to work. I locked it and put quite a bit of pressure on it and it stayed locked. Also, unlike many other cheap brands I’ve seen at other stores, this lock is made out of metal rather than plastic.
However, there are some things I don’t like about this lock. First of all, the key is somewhat hard to get positioned correctly at times and it does take a little practice (I had a heck of a time getting this thing open the first time I used it). I would also question the long-term durability of the locking mechanism.
Also, while I’m OK with the lock protecting something with very little real value (I won’t even take my wallet into the building) for a short amount of time, I don’t think it is something I would trust to protect something important. This is because, judging by the shape of the keys (which DO look like something you would see with a toy lock), I think the lock might be relatively easy to pick.
In other words, while this lock is a good deal, I only recommend it if you are using it for something similar to what I’m using it for. If you want to protect something of value, spend more money on a reliable brand.