Which Lock is best?

I really can't afford to have anything happen to my laptop, so I might end up getting LoJack too, just in case, but I'd really rather not have the laptop stolen at all in the first place.

Yes, yes, be watchful I know, but I might need to take a bathroom break once in a while too without dragging the backpack+laptop along.


So, which do you guys think is best? Combination or Keyed lock?

Also, thickness, and portability consequences?

 

honestly...just bring the backpack + lappy along. its the only safe bet.

pack as light as possible and get a long battery-life laptop so you won't have to pack up the power adapter as well.

honestly, if i was out to steal a laptop, i could definitely find a locksmith to get past the lock for me.

 

All those locks are the same. Most can be easily picked by even the most rudimentary devices. As stated, if you want to be sure of safety, just take it with you.

 

Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying they're the same. But they certainly aren't designed to protect your laptop when left unattended. They're meant for what I call " turnaround" protection: Anything that takes you longer than the time it takes to do that, won't keep your laptop from being stolen.

I've heard of stories where the thief say "hey look!" then when the person looks away, they snatches the laptop and runs away with it. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but being diligence can't be stated enough.

 

Well, actually, if this is the truth about all of them then it IS what I want to hear. I'll only be in class with it with like 20-30 people so leaving it on the desk while class is in session to go to the bathroom might be the wise thing to do. It's hard to believe no one would notice someone unplugging and walking away with it in tow when they know it's mine. (Though like-wise, packing it up while in class to take the backpack to the bathroom might seem strange.)


I had heard that sometimes the locks will get jammed so if they aren't very good protection anyways, why go through the trouble of possibly having my laptop stuck to a desk? (This was the combination ones.)


EDIT: I just spoke to someone about it and they mentioned getting it for the sake of, "Keeping honest people honest." Which actually might be just what I need.

 

Something with a combination is better IMO, locks are easier to pick. The whole point of it isnt to fully guard your notebook... its so that when the thief sees the lock he grabs the computer on the desk next to yours.

 

Get a friend in your class to watch your computer when you have to use the washroom?

 

And make sure it's not somebody who's cell phone addicted.

 

Pick up a land mine off of e-Bay and place it underneath your laptop whenever you need to go away. You'll have to modify it so it works like those in the movies that only go off when you take the weight off, but hey - after the first couple of times, I can guarantee that nobody's going to try stealing your laptop.

 

Which lock is best?

In an irreverent tone, that which has no key - literally and figuratively!

 

I got a pretty cheap keniston cable lock a long time ago.

What I like about it is that is dual function, it is a physical lock with the retracable cable, but its also a motion sensitive audio alarm.

If somebody messes with the cable or the laptop it beeps a few times very loud to let you know the alarm is there. If you continue to mess with it a horribly loud siren goes off.

You should never be leaving your laptop unattended outside of earshot so this seems like a perfect way to do things. No matter how thick the cable or type of lock you have it can be broken or cut by something, but the audible alarm is a great deterant and lets you know if somebody is messing with your laptop while your away.

 

Dang, that would drive me insane. Given my horrendous memory I'd be scaring the metaphorical crap out of myself on a daily basis.

I do agree with the principle, though. I remember seeing a video a few months back about how easy (and quick-we're talking seconds!) it is to cut through all sorts of different lock/chain combos. Keep in mind that those were bike locks. Somehow I doubt that laptop locks would fare at all better. Go figure...

I'd say go ahead and get one, but solely as a deterrent.

 

Laptop locks and all locks for that matter, main objective is to deter the thief, just like any alarm type system. The thief would rather an easy theft then having to deal with locks or alarms.

 

That depends on who the thief is. The "organized" thief, consider them merely a minor inconvenience.

I saw a TV report on the same thing. Bike crime is big business in places like NY city, and a lot of bikes these days cost many thousands of dollars. Even with some of the best bikes locks on the market like Kryptonite NY, the segment showed how a determined "gang" of thieves can easily--and quickly--get passed them.

To be more relevant, there are a battery of video specifically geared to laptop locks and how easy they to can be overcome. I'd like to post the most dramatic of them, but don't want to risk violating the rules to this website. But here's one I think is crude and unrefined enough to pass. I hope it drive home the point.

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