The Humble Padlock

I remember my first padlock. It was a Master combination lock for my gym locker in seventh grade. The dial was blue, and if I’m mot mistaken, the combination was 13-24-4. Three turns clockwise, two counterclockwise, and clockwise to the final number. Since those days I’ve grown a little more sophisticated about the locks I use. For a number of years I’ve had a Hampton padlock for my bicycle, with a case-hardened steel shackle, brass pin tumblers in a laminated steel body, coated with black rubberized plastic to make it weatherproof (and protect the bike’s paint). It’s a handsome lock, rectangular, squat, and strong, but it’s nothing compared to some of the locks on the market today. As far as I can tell, it’s now sold as the True Value hardware brand.CLICK FOR FULL ARTICLE