Rant: Combination Locks

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What's the point of them? I mean, they don't even work! Do you expect ANYTHING to open as soon as you're finished going so-and-so to the right, turning to the left and stopping at so-and-so, then going to the right until so-and-so?!? It won't work! It's practically impossible!! !

I bought one today for school. Both me and my dad tried the combination, and it didn't work any of the times we tried! If we can't get it to work, I'm either going to A) trade it in and buy an expensive one, B) hook my bicycle up and use its lock, C) make my own lock, or D) not use one for my locker in PE next year!! !

Don't you just hate those locks?!?!? Don't you wish you could just blow your locker open like they can do with the safe on The Addams Family?!?!?!? Then, I welcome you to post here.

Mich

Hi Mich. Yeah I agree it can be a real pain, but I don't know a better technological way around it unless you invest in a really pricey electronic solution. If you can test it in-store and get it to work before you buy it, obviously this will make you feel better. I've dealt with some stubborn locks before and eventually made sure to do the "try before you buy".

It's better to keep your locker safe, as inconvenient as the sequence of spinning dials and whatnot around may be.

Would be nice to have Thing on hand to jump up and help you open your lock though, for sure

I prefer keyed locks over combination locks. Spinning the dial back and forth was never something I was able to quite master.

1. Spin the dial three times clockwise and stop on the first number
2. Spin the dial two times counterclockwise and stop on the second number
3. Spin the dial clockwise to the final number
4. Open lock

While this may have been enough for most people, I always had trouble mastering this. Do you start counting from zero, or the number the dial is at? what about when you spin clockwise? etc....

And then in high school, the lock on my locker broke, I spent 20 minutes one day during a study hall trying to get my locker open, gave up and had to go get a custodian who had to power saw the lock off since he couldn't get it with the bolt cutters.

Yeah. I agree. I think Thing would be able to open it, but not me.

Mich

You don't start spinning the lock at any particular number, you just have to spin past the number, and then end on it, so that the amount of spins adds up to the given number of spins for each set of instructions.



Spin the dial clockwise past the first number two times, continue spinning, but stop when you come to the first number again. Usually, you can spin it any number of times you want past the first number, just so long as it's over two.



Spin the dial counterclockwise past the second number once, continue spinning, but stop when you come to it again.



Do not spin past the final number, just turn the dial from its position at the second number clockwise to the final number, and stop there.



You probably have this one under control, but as a piece of advice, if you are using a cheap lock, you may have to tug it hard a few times before it opens, and be sure that the dial doesn't slip off the appropriate number before you are able to open it. It's also a good idea to spin the lock again after you've closed it to make sure no one comes over and is able to pull it down and reopen it.

I almost always have to try atleast twice before I'm able to get any lock open, even if I've opened it a hundred times before. Sometimes, they don't close properly, either, you have to have the dial still on the final number for it to slide in right. My problem is that I get a little carried away with the spinning, and go past the numbers more times than I'm supposed to. I also get confused with clockwise and counterclockwise. I can't do it unless I picture a clock in my mind to remember which way is which, and my hands sometimes get ahead of my head.

If it becomes a real problem, try getting one of the locks that comes with a key, instead.

I never liked combination locks. I never use my locker at school... I'm talking NEVER, except the first day of school and the last day of school. They should make lockers optional if you ask me. But I digress.

The solution to the combination lock problem that I use is to get those locks that have only six numbers on them and you can set the combination yourself and then you just have to turn the six numbers to the right place for them to go and you don't have to worry about the 'to the left, right, etc . . .' stuff . . .

But my locker at work has a combination lock on it and I spend a lot of time telling it about itself and how much I hate it . . .

I was never able to get the hang of my PE lock in high school. I usually had a friend open it for me because it could take me dozens of times to get it right and as I kept messing up more I would get more nervous and mess up more. If only my PE shorts had had pockets, I could have used a key lock and avoided a great deal of stress and a fair amount of mocking.

I never had trouble with mine at school, but I always got lucky and got a stupidly easy code too. A monkey could have cracked it in five minutes. Now, my old work one, pain in the rear. Never could get the dumb thing open, I just had someone else do it. Not like it mattered if they knew my code, I worked nightshift and the store was in lockdown. They couldn't steal my trench if they tried.

But yea, even with dumb codes, I HATE those things.

I had a combination lock in school, I haven't used it for years but still remember the combination. Remembering numbers is much easier for me than remembering where I've left the key...

After a bit of practice they are not difficult at all, and I think they are fun to open.

I had a mixed relationship with combination locks...I liked them, but I always had trouble opening them under pressure between classes....so I would freak out and end up just carrying all of my books around....It would have been good if I had been allowed extra time to get to my classes....for various reasons...

I like key locks better as you can't forget the combination and it is easier for me to remember the key. I never used my locker in high school as it was so small.

Heh, not quite the same thing as a turny-dial combination safe, but I'd be willing to bet that at least a quarter of all 4-digit combination padlocks in England are set to 1966. With an additional quarter split between 1066, 1492, 1234, 9876 and whatever year the relevant local team last won the FA Cup.

You know it's true.

'round here, all lockers have keys. You don't usually need a locker, either.

I've not encountered combination locks often.. But I don't know how to open them, so the future will probably see me gaining superhuman strength and just breaking them.

Hated the things the first time I had to use them! Back in Junior High, they gave us tiny little half lockers (?) I guess you'd call them, not like full size ones. Not very useful at all as far as storage space goes, and took me forever to figure out how to work the combo lock.