In my column this week I wrote about padlocks and parallels with cybersecurity. One of the many things I enjoy about writing is talking to companies about their products. When I started on the article, I reached out to several padlock manufacturers including Master Lock, Abus, and Abloy. Surprisingly, none of them would talk about their products to a security columnist!
In my quest for an expert quote, I stumbled across Pacific Lock Company. I had never heard of them, but as it turns out they’re one of the few independent lock companies left in North America, and possibly the world. Greg Waugh, President of the family-owned business, was happy to talk and sent me a few sample locks.
As I wrote in my article, “I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and value of PACLOCK products. Their 90A aluminum padlock with a 6-pin rekeyable cylinder sells for less than US $20 and is clearly superior to most similarly-sized padlocks on the market. Alternating spool and serrated pins make them as pick resistant as pin-tumbler locks gets. With the potential exception of a skilled locksmith willing to spend half an hour picking it, this lock will only be removed by destroying it.”
