Padlocks: Your Portable Security Blanket

Padlocks are simple gadgets yet very useful. They are portable, affordable, handy and reliable means of securing private and valuable possessions at home, storage buildings or offices.

Padlocks have its beginnings from the ancient times, when traders secured and protected their merchandise from thieves with padlocks, then known as “travel locks.”

In the 19th century, the English introduced padlocks to the United States. Then called as “smokehouse” locks, padlocks were made from wrought iron and have a simple lever and ward mechanism that provided very little protection.

As technology evolved, the design and security levels of padlocks improved. By the middle of the 19th century, lock manufacturers like Yale and Towne, Adam and Westlake, and other inventors were issued patents for their various types of padlocks.

The traditional padlocks have three major components: 1) the locking mechanism; 2) the shackle; and 3) the body or housing.

The locking mechanisms have two categories. One is the combination type, designed with a dial or a thumb-rolled number pad on the side or the bottom of the lock. The combination may either be fixed or re-settable. The other is the key type. This type has a shackle, a “U” shaped hook that slides out of the main body and swings open to accommodate what is to be secured.

Today, padlocks come in a wide range of colors, sizes and styles. There is a perfect padlock to suit individual’s need, not only for aesthetics but for security as well.