Side note: The most secure locks that Master makes (in regards to being pick resistant) are their LOTO padlocks, and they are usually about $10. Most of their other consumer locks are pretty easy to bypass with basic picks, but get marketed as being the "best" in security and cost a lot more.
In my experience this is not true. Some LO/TO locks even have plastic shackles and bodies (for the obvious electrical work). They’re not supposed to be pick proof and super secure—they’re a visual and physical reminder that the system is secured for worker safety. If a lock needs to be removed by someone other than the lock owner there is an OSHA process to remove out that involves cutting and discarding that particular lock.
I recommend watching LockPickingLawyer's video on the lock the parent comment is talking about: https://youtu.be/y4XGY0_cwcM. Master used a very pick resistant core for their LOTO locks but skimped out on the higher priced general-use models.
That is baffling as he says in the video! I’ve never seen anyone on any worksite I’ve been on trying to pick a LO/TO lock, so I just assumed the cores were just as insubstantial.
Their normal cores are so shitty that there is a reasonable chance that the wrong key will work to open the lock, especially if somebody is trying to open it quickly.
With LOTO locks, Bob could die if Alice's key works on Bob's lock. (e.g. both on working on equipment powered by different circuit breaks, and Alice confuses the breakers, and removes the lock from BOB's breaker, because her key happened to work on it).
A few reports of that happening, and their LOTO locks could be banned from many worksites due to unions rightfully insisting on it.
So it actually is worth having better cores to ensure only the correct keys will work.
That is ironic since security isn't even the real point of the locks - just providing enough resistance that it can't be done unconsciously and any "accident" is beyond negligence if they were locked out and it was meddled with.
For normal master lock key padlocks, it is not a big deal if it accidentally unlocks with somebody else's key.
Their normal cores are shitty enough that even a regular key has a reasonable chance of acting like a bump key, so if you insert the wrong key quickly and turn, it might just open.
With LOTO locks, Bob could die if Alice's key works on Bob's lock. (e.g. both on working on equipment powered by different circuit breaks, and Alice confuses the breakers, and removes the lock from BOB's breaker, because her key happened to work on it).
A few reports of that happening, and their LOTO locks could be banned from many worksites due to unions insisting on it.
Now to be clear, the master LOTO locks offer basically zero physical security, since they can be very easily destroyed or bypassed. But to my knowledge, no master branded lock offers any real security, so that is hardly surprising.
