ABUS 180/50 Solid Brass Combination Padlock - Stainless Steel Shackle

Update Sept 8,2018. The lock just broke - really never used it much. Will not open anymore - combo is correct. Really bad quality.We own many Abus locks. Most of them are high end insurance locks. Abus makes very good locks, except for this one. We have had this lock for a few months in a normal environment in Florida (not to close to the beach / not marine usage). The lock combination dials are corroded (black). It is so hard to make out the combination. The other parts of the lock are in great condition, but the number combination is made of different material that corrodes. Due yourself a favor and don't buy this lock. There are other outdoor locks with combinations, even from Abus that I would get. And forget about calling Abus in Arizona for warranty issues or to let them know of defects. Send your complaints directly to Germany. The USA office is incompetent, disorganized and dysfunctional.I have attached a picture. This is after we cleaned the lock and photographed it with lots of light and using a great camera. Look at the outside dials (6&4). They were completely black and one can't read the numbers without lots of light. Again, this is after we cleaned it. The outside dials turned almost black. I guarantee to you that you will not make out the numbers in normal lighting. This is after a few months of use.

This is my third Abus 180IB [HB63]. We use them on cottage doors close to the ocean. My original two locks have been in full year round exposure for three years with no problems.My sole issue is the abysmal picture instructions. This time I struggled to set the combo and twice inadvertently set an unexpected combo. A few words to go with the lame graphics for the combo change wouldn't have broken the bank at Abus.Here's what I eventually figured out:1) Set the lock to the current combo (factory default is 0000) and open the shackle2) With the shackle up, insert the key with the nub down and the top of the key at the 12:00 position3) Press the key in and rotate COUNTERCLOCKWISE 90 degrees so the top of the key is at 09:004) Set the new combo5) Continue to rotate the key COUNTERCLOCKWISE 270 degrees until it returns to the 12:00 position. (09:00 --> 6:00 --> 03:00 --> 12:00)6) Remove the key; The new combo should be set

Update 09/16/2017 - Go to open the lock today and Won't open. Numbers spin easily, Combo is correct. We use the same combo on all our locks and this thing requires a key to change so it's not as if I accidentally changed it.... Not even a spell of inclement weather, not near water. Will have to get it clipped. Disappointed. Didn't last even 4 months.Original Review - Bought this lock as a replacement for a Master Lock 975. Compared to that although it is physically smaller but it definitely weighs more and feels stoutly made. Also in comparison to the that lock the combination dials provide positive feedback and click with more authority and little/no play. I had previously asked where the lock was made and on the packaging doesn't say Made in Germany explicitly but alludes to that fact via Flags and Company name. I also like the fact that the numbers stop at 0000 in one direction so you can open it in the dark by feel. The only negative I have is that it requires a key to change the combo which is just screaming to be lost somewhere. So far so good but the freezing weather is behind us. That's what did the Master Lock in...

Worked fine for five months on a yard hate that gets used maybe once a week, so not many times. Then today I had trouble opening it but after scrambling and seeing the number a half dozen times was able to get it off. I tried to reset the combo with the key thinking it had gotten "off" but after that it opened once and then never again.So the lock is now useless - thank goodness I was able to get it off the gate before it failed permanently. I just wish I'd read all the reviews from people saying the exact same thing had happened. Somehow I thought this lock was the best and most secure, apparently not. Well it guess a lock that won't even open with the correct combo is really secure... but not very functional.

This appears to be a quality lock, should be for the price. Installed it on outside gate, in the weather. After a couple months, a strange corrosive chemical oozed out of the body of the lock and tarnished the number dials black. The numbers are small, but visible if the dials are bright. However the dials are black now, and the numbers can only barely be made out with a very bright light. I tried brushing the numbers with a small brass brush, and this is the only reason you can see numbers at all. I tried to take a photo but you don't know what you're looking at. This problem has made this lock useless. I would return it but it's too late.

Got the lock and reset the combo and then couldn't open it with the new combo. After messing with it the third wheel doesn't save or slips. You can set a combo and the third wheel will be something random. Relock it and you have a 50/50 chance it will work with same combo as before. Usually the 3rd number slips by one digit but some times by as much as half a turn.To all the other users saying their combo magically stopped working try setting your combo and then trying each number on the third wheel.

I purchased this lock a couple of months ago, followed the instructions, and it would not open again with the code I had put in. Amazon was kind enough to take it back and send me a new one. This time, my wife received the package, followed the instructions and the same thing happened. We called a local locksmith and he laughed and told us this was common. Apparently, he can set the lock for you us for $10. Not sure what that says about this product, but I won't buy it again.

The numerals are only very shallow and there is little contrast between the wheel and the numeral. they rapidly became impossible to read in a moderate marine environment. I had to scrape each numeral out and fill each one with white paint in order to continue using the lock. Pity, the lock itself seems to stand up well to salty air and light spray.

I’ve 3 of these and bought a 4th. They hold up well in a saltwater marine env. The new one was defective (set code and could not unlock ever again as others have mentioned happened to them); however, Amazon sent a new on and it works as expected. Note: this lock is subject to some easy unlock attacks, but thief has to know what they are doing.

Great looking lock. It has a nice weight to it as well. I will keep and use the lock but it does have a major issue. The release mechanism sticks. After purchasing I set the new code in and couldn't get it back open. I watched a YouTube vid of someone bagging it agaist a table to release it.So when i want it open I have to use abit of excessive force. It seems like striking it downwards on a angle seems to release it easier then just straight down. Hope this helps someone.

These locks have proven to be the best combination locks I can find for my purpose — locking a gate across a roadway. Several have been broken — you can't stop a determined person — but other combination locks I have tried have proven easier to break. The price is about half of what I was paying for them locally.