Reddit reviews MASTERLOCK CO 570DPF 1-1/2" Solid ALU Padlock

The American lock is going to be the Gary to your Ash for a while. You will need a decent amount of practice before you can tackle it but here's the secrets to opening one for the day you're ready:

• You want top of the keyway tension. Preferably with a prybar (best ones here and here). The amount of pressure you'll be putting on the wrench will barely put a dent on the skin of your finger.
  
  
• When you pick, your goal will NOT be setting one stack at a time. Your goal will instead be looking for feedback. This might sound confusing, but the American lock has security pins on the top ("driver" pins) and security pins on the bottom ("key" pins). If your goal is to set a stack, then you will very likely overset it and bind on the keypin.
  
  
• When looking for feedback, gently run your pick across the stacks. If you feel the tension wrench vibrate while scraping in a certain area, the binding driver pin is caught between the plug and the housing (Diagram here).
  
  
• GENTLY lift. Pins in the American lock are nasty. You want enough pressure to only get ONE click. Once you get that click, keep moving and keep looking for feedback. Internally, it should look like this. Notice how he's not looking to raise each stack to the shear line, instead, he's searching for feedback every time he gets a click.
  
  
• Be confident. That lock is just pieces of metal. You just gotta move some pieces out of the way to open it up, and that's it. You'll pop that American lock in no time after some practice!
  
  If you want a good list of locks to lead you progressively up to the 1100, here's my list:
  
  
• Master No. 3 (or Chinese variant). Walmart usually has these. Generally 4 pins.
  
  
• Master 150: 2-3 spools, just to get a feel for them. 5 pins.
  
  
• Master 570: No spring tension on the core, get your introduction to "top of the keyway" (TOK) tension here.
  
  
• Abus 72/40 or variant. You want something with 6 pins and at least 4 spools. This will teach you the importance of dealing with restricted keyways. You may need a slimline pick in 0.015". I personally use the Euro hook from Sparrows. Alternatively, SouthOrd has a Slimline set of picks for this occasion. Peterson too.
  
  
• Master 410 Lock-Out-Tag-Out ("LOTO"): No spring tension on core, 5 pins, and a mix of serrated and spools. What their typical pins look like here.
  
  
• Master 6835: Same guts as above, but with heavy spring tension. This will teach you to test vary your tension as you pick.
  
  Now you should be ready to kick that American 1105's ass!

If you're using a cable, then you just need any lock that can't be shimmed, bypassed, or raked. Your system will never be more secure than the easily cut cable.

This Master 570 fits the bill. Small enough to fit in your pocket. Lightweight aluminum. Slightly more secure than a cheap cable. Costs $12 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/MASTERLOCK-570DPF-1-1-Solid-Padlock/dp/B000BD5DFI

Edit: forgot the link.

Another good lock after you master the 150 is this one

MASTERLOCK CO 570DPF 1-1/2" Solid ALU Padlock

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BD5DFI/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_8qityb65EKGJT