Author Archives: Mara Rossi

About Mara Rossi

Content marketing specialist

Buying a lock which costs more than the bike: ridiculous or a wise choice?

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During the rush hour in town centres one can often see young, fashionable and stylish professionals riding old and rusty bicycles. They would probably be much happier using better bicycles, but in this way they hope to avoid one of the more annoying scourges to afflict urban cyclists: bicycle theft. It is a risk which tends to become even more of a certainty if one is forced to leave the bicycle parked for long periods of time, maybe even at night, in high-risk locations, such as in public streets and at railway or bus stations. For this reason, if there is no other alternative, one is forced, against one’s will, to use a low-cost bike. The hope is that the thieves would be attracted to something more valuable. The truth is that if they were still to steal the bicycle the financial loss would not too great. Continue reading →

5 things you need to know before buying or changing an electric lock

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Locksmiths know them well, as they are one of the most common causes of requests for their intervention. We are talking about electric locks which close the pedestrian gates and access doors. The are easy to use and secure, but far too often they are the source of problems . Problems which can largely be avoided by choosing an electric lock with the following features: Continue reading →

How an electric lock for pedestrian accesses works

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We do it every day. We push the button, the lock of the gate or door opens and we leave home. We don’t normally try to understand how the mechanism works, we are only interested in the fact that it does work. But when something fails, or when we need to buy a new lock, it is important to understand how things work, so you know what to do or what to choose.

In this short video we see what happens inside an electric lock for pedestrian accesses when the electrical pulse is given or the key is turned.

 

You can see the catalogue of Viro electric locks here

How to recognise a reliable lock at first glance and avoid making wrong purchases

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When you have to buy a padlock in a shop, or worse still in a department store, where it is harder to get advice, it is often difficult to assess the difference between one lock and another. When they are of the same type and dimensions they all seem alike at first glance. The price makes a difference, but even in this respect the difference between a good padlock and a poor one is not so great. So there is a high risk of buying an unreliable padlock. An unreliable padlock doesn’t just mean one that is easy to open, but also one that may soon be blocked or jammed, especially when used outdoors. This means it is a padlock which instead of being useful and avoiding problems actually creates new ones.
Let’s look at a comparison of the differences between two 50 mm rectangular padlocks: a Viro one, made in Italy, and one imported from the Far East. Continue reading →

The anatomy of a padlock

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A good quality padlock is a small, high precision machine which, despite its small size, consists of many different components. Here we can see the different parts that make up a traditional rectangular Viro padlock (click the image for a larger view):

how_a_padlock_is_madeBesides the rectangular padlock there are also padlocks for chains and for roller shutters, which instead of a shackle use one or more rods:

A Viro padlock for chain A Viro padlock for roller shutterBut there are in fact many different types of padlocks: marine, armoured, monoblock, etc. We have already seen how to recognise a good quality padlock in general terms, in future blogs we will study in detail the characteristics of the various types.
Watch how Viro padlocks are made
You can see the catalogue of Viro padlocks here.

How does one recognise a good quality rim door lock?

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Rim door locks are mainly used to secure gates, garage doors, industrial doors, cellar doors etc. They are relatively simple locks, but by no means are they all the same. Several features can make the difference between a lock that does its duty and one that exposes us to considerable risks, which are completely avoidable. Continue reading →

Can you distinguish a double bit lock from a European cylinder?

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Seaside or mountains? Dog or cat? Double bit or European cylinder? Life is full of choices and when you have to choose a lock for your front door the first decision you are facing is between a double bit lock and a European cylinder. It is a decision that can intimidate laymen, because the two types have various strengths and weaknesses. Let’s start to understand how to distinguish one from the other. It is very simple, let’s see how. Continue reading →

How many different keys exist for a lock?

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A rather widespread rumour tells of how the owners of a famous car, produced by a well known Italian car manufacturer in the 1980s, which was very often white in colour, often opened by mistake someone else’s car with their own key, when confusing it with their own car in a parking lot, maybe when leaving the cinema or a concert.
Maybe it is just an urban myth, but it does make one reflect on an important security issue: how many different keys exist for a given lock? In other words, what is the probability that a person in possession of a key can open another lock of the same type, as well as their own? This is not just a mere curiosity. There are situations in which this can actually happen. For example, there are dozens of mailboxes with the same lock in a large condominium: is it possible that a key can open more than one? Continue reading →