“Cut in 2 seconds!” Is the Ottolock really that easy to snip?

UPDATE, 5/24: The Lock Picking Lawyer just released another video on Ottolock’s new “Hexband” model.

A popular YouTuber has created a bit of a public relations headache for a local company.

After a very successful Kickstarter campaign in fall of 2016 where they raised over $350,000 (their goal was just $50,000) from nearly 4,000 individuals, OTTO Design Works launched their Ottolock with the wind at their backs. The Wilsonville-based company says over 100,000 Ottolocks have been sold (at $60 to $85 depending on length) and they can be found at bike shops and outdoor gear retailers nationwide.

When we reviewed the lock in July 2017 we said the company had hit a “bike security sweet spot” by making something that would keep your bike safe for quick stops without taking up much room or adding weight to your training kit.

Since then we’ve heard some concerns about the lock’s strength, but nothing overly alarming. After all, it’s not marketed as a u-lock replacement and it’s not intended as a primary lock. The idea is to, “protect against theft opportunists,” the company’s website says.

But when a YouTuber known as LockPickingLawyer uploaded a video last week showing an Ottolock being cut in two seconds, I was shocked. I wanted hear from OTTO Design Works. Since it’s a locally-made product that we’ve reported on in the past, I felt the community deserved to know more.

The video itself is relatively straightforward. It features narration by Mr. LockPickingLawyer and he easily slices through the lock with a pair of tin snips in one try, just as the title of his video advertises. He says he decided to test the lock after seeing them being used at a local coffee shop. “I was stunned,” he says in the video. “There was at least $30,000 worth of high-end road bikes outside the owners’ line of sight, right outside a big city, secured by a lock I suspected could be cut in a matter of seconds.”

As you can see in the video, it appears he was right.

LockPickingLawyer has amassed 270,385 subscribers and his videos have received over 38 million views since June 2015. The videos show him defeating all types of locks from many different major brands like Kryptonite and Abus. The Ottolock video is one of his most popular and is on its way to 700,000 views.

What struck me about LockPickingLawyer’s video is that Ottolock has a video of their own on YouTube (from April 2016) that shows them trying to cut a lock with tin snips without any success at all. In marketing materials, the company says the lock is “very cut-resistant”.

I contacted OTTO Design Works President Jake VanderZanden yesterday. He contends there’s simply no way the lock could have been cut that easily without a lot of preparation. “It’s highly produced or under extremely controlled or tuned conditions,” he said, “We haven’t been able to replicate that outcome or speed in any testing — either two years ago [when product launched] or recently.” VanderZanden said when they try to cut a lock with snips, the band flexes and folds inside the jaws of the tool, making it very difficult to cut.

However, VanderZanden added they’ve never claimed the Ottolock is cut-proof. “We’ve cut them under certain conditions ourselves,” he said, before falling back on their marketing claims that the product is, “Highly engineered and more secure than a cable lock.” “It’s an excellent product for its intended use and target customer.”

Since both a YouTuber known for defeating locks and a company who sells them are hardly unbiased parties in this conversation, I found other perspectives.

Portland Police Bureau Officer Dave Sanders is the lead of the PPB’s Bike Theft Task Force and has countless hours of street-level experience with bike thieves and their aftermath. When I told him about the video and asked for his opinion on the Ottolock he didn’t mince words. “That lock should not be used,” he said. “It’s maybe a smidge better than nothing at all. No more secure than a cheap cable lock.”

Officer Sanders said he and his team warned OTTO Design Works that their lock would be vulnerable to tin snips, which according to Sanders, are carried by about half the criminals they arrest.

In Ottolock’s defense, the urban commuter isn’t their target market. The Ottolock is intended for racer-types on training rides who want something that will fit in a jersey pocket and will secure their bike during a quick bathroom stop. Other target markets are using it as a secondary lock for wheels or other sporting equipment.

But beyond strength concerns, Officer Sanders said the Task Force worries that — despite the marketing — people would use Ottolocks in place of a more capable u-lock. “I want to be supportive of those who are trying to do something about the bike theft problem,” he said, “but I’m having a hard time with this one because we keep hearing about thieves targeting these locks.” And experienced thieves, he added, are probably better than the LockPickingLawyer because they cut locks every day.

Sanders’ concerns seem warranted. As this BikeIndex stolen bike listing reveals, someone had a Surly Ogre stolen from outside the Fred Meyer store in Hollywood a few weeks ago. “It was locked with just an Ottolock (foolish and careless of me) since it was a quick 20 minute shopping trip,” the victim wrote.

Asked what he thought of the video, bike theft expert and BikeIndex owner Bryan Hance said, “I think had they [OTTO Design Works] not used some slippery language and pitched it with all sorts of verbiage like ‘steel’ and ‘very cut-resistant’ they wouldn’t be getting as much blowback as they are. They’re pretty good about saying, ‘This is not as good as a u-lock’ but the reality on the ground is people are using them like ‘real’ locks.”

I also contacted LockPickingLawyer. I told him OTTO Design Works claimed there was no way he cut the lock on the first try. “I think the video speaks for itself,” the YouTuber wrote via email this morning. “The cut was made on my first attempt on a new Ottolock, right from the package. There was no testing or preparation off camera.”

Of the 100,000 Ottolocks that have been sold, VanderZanden says they’re aware of only about 25-30 bikes that have been stolen. “That said,” he added, “we’ve had an equal amount, if not more people, who’ve had their bikes saved because of Ottolock.” (You can see photos of the “saves” on the company’s website.) Even so, VanderZanden announced the company is working on a new product that is much more secure. It will be marketed as a more secure lock and should be released in 2019.

As for the video, LockPickingLawyer said he thinks it’s caused a stir because of, “The shock value of watching an expensive bike lock being defeated so quickly and quietly with an unskilled attack.”

VanderZanden says the whole episode is, “Not that big of a deal from a technical point of view. It’s just an unfortunate PR hassle.”

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

Never miss a story. Sign-up for the daily BP Headlines email.

BikePortland needs your support.