Hiplok D1000 Review: The Original Angle Grinder Beater

The Hiplok D1000 was the first portable, angle grinder resistant bike lock to be announced, back in 2021.

Shortly after, came the Litelok X1 and X3 (I compare Litelok X1 vs Hiplok D1000 and Litelok X3 vs Hiplok D1000 in separate articles).

And since then there has been a whole load of angle grinder resistant bike locks, with new ones no doubt coming soon!

However, this is a Hiplok D1000 review and as ever, I’ll be concentrating on how secure it is, how easy it is to carry around and use on a daily basis. And finally, I’ll be looking at alternatives, if it’s not the right lock for you.

Let’s get into it…

How secure is the Hiplok D1000?

The Hiplok D1000 is an incredibly secure bike lock. It is one, of only a handful of bike locks, that have been awarded a Sold Secure Motorcycle Diamond rating.

And this means it's all round security (not just its angle grinder resistance) is the very best you can get.

And if we look at the specs, it’s not hard to see why. It features a square shackle with a 20 x 15 mm profile, which makes it entirely bolt cutter proof. And the shackle locks into the crossbar on both sides, which prevents leverage attacks and means it needs to be cut twice to defeat it.

However, these specs are much like any other high security bike lock.

The thing that sets the Hiplok D1000 apart is its angle grinder resistance. And this is down to the fact that the steel construction is reinforced with a graphene ceramic composite material called Ferosafe.

This material will destroy angle grinder discs as they are attempting to cut through the lock.

I tested the Hiplok D1000 (along with the Litelok X1 and X3, and the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini), against an angle grinder and the results were pretty incredible.

You can watch the videos below. But they are very long and noisy. So I have also complied the results into a table:

It’s important to note that my tests were not designed to replicate the way a thief would attack the locks in the street. Instead, they were designed to compare the relative angle grinder resistance of the different locks.

Therefore, I tried to reduce any extra variability that might skew the results, by:

1. Using a mains powered angle grinder to reduce variability in power
2. Clamping or taping the locks down to reduce variability in movement
3. Not counting the time it took to change the discs

In the street a thief would be using a portable angle grinder, they would have to deal with the movement of the lock, and they would have to go through the rigmarole of changing multiple discs. So the times would be way higher.

Nevertheless, the times in the table are already very impressive.

In the video below, you can see just how quickly I cut the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini:

The Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini was indisputably the strongest portable bike lock in the world, until this new generation of locks appeared. And yet I was able to cut through both sides in just 32 seconds, without needing to change any discs.

In contrast, it took 4 minutes and 25 seconds to cut through both sides of the Hiplok D1000. That’s over 8 times as long as the Fahgettaboudit. And don’t forget: that doesn’t include the time to change the 5 discs that I needed to get through the lock!

If I included the time to change the discs, the difference would be way bigger.

In the video below, you can see the Hiplok D1000 vs the Litelok X3:

Also worth noting: although the Litelok X3 took about a minute longer to cut with an angle grinder (making it the strongest bike lock in my tests), I needed an extra disc to get through the D1000.

If I included the times to change the discs (which is important in a real life scenario), the times would be much closer.

So what can we conclude from all this?

That the Hiplok D1000 is extremely secure, and it’s only real rival to be the "strongest portable bike lock money can buy" is the Litelok X3.

But what about usability? Let's look at this next…

Is the Hiplok D1000 easy to carry?

Although it’s quite small (more on this later), the Hiplok D1000 is a heavy bike lock. Its official weigh is 3.97 lb (1.8 kg). However, on my scales, it weighed 4.25 lb (1.9 kg). Either way, this is about the same as 5 cans of coke, which means it’s definitely not a lightweight option!

So you need to think carefully about how you’re going to carry it while you’re riding around on your bike.

Luckily, there are lots of options! In fact, there are so many options, that I wrote a whole blog post on my experiences with them (as going into detail here would make this review too long!). I give a short summary below though…

Hiplok sell a padded, water-resistant Carry Pouch with a Velcro cover, that can either be worn on your belt, or strapped to the handlebars or frame or pannier rack of your bike.

I’m not a big fan of it on my belt (as I found it a bit inconvenient), but it worked really well on my top tube.

Note: if you want to use it on your handlebars, you’ll need around 7” (17 cm) of free space underneath (I didn’t, so couldn’t mount it here).

Hiplok also sell the BR1000 Frame Bracket, which can be attached directly to your pannier rack. The D1000 (or DX1000) can then be clipped into this frame bracket, and this is a very stable way to transport your lock.

If you don’t have a pannier rack (like me), then you can combine the BR1000 with a third party frame adapter from KlickFix or Ortilieb. These adapters can be attached to your handlebars, or seat post. And then you can click the BR1000 and bike lock into the adapter.

I tested the KlickFix handlebar adapter, and it worked really well, with one particular advantage being that it holds the lock horizontally, so you hardly need any space underneath the handlebars for it to be compatible with your bike.

Read more details about my tests of the Hiplok D1000 frame mount options.

Of course, if you don't want to spend any money on these kinds of accessories, you could just throw the Hiplok D1000 in a backpack, saddlebag or pannier. Or even use those elastic luggage straps to attach it to a pannier rack.

It’s heavy, so you will feel it in a bag. But because it’s quite small and compact, it won’t be as inconvenient to carry in a bag as some of the more bulky high security bike locks.

However, while the compactness does make it a bit easier to carry, it also has some potential drawbacks…

Is the Hiplok D1000 easy to use? 

Internally, the Hiplok D1000 measures 3.62" (9.2 cm) x 6.1" (15.5 cm). This means that it’s actually a mini u-lock. In fact, it has very similar internal measurements to the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini, which is the lock it is most similar to in size and weight.

While such a compact size makes it a bit easier to carry, it means that there’s less space to get around your bike and whatever you’re trying to lock it to. Which in some cases can make for a frustrating locking experience!

On my thin framed, skinny wheeled bike, which I lock (almost exclusively), to Sheffield bike stands in a big city, I had no problems at all using the Hiplok D1000. I could consistently get the D1000 around my back wheel, the frame and the bike stand.

However, I didn’t need to do this in a busy bike rack, where I wouldn’t always be able to get the things in the most optimal position. This would have made things much harder. And if I was trying to lock an ebike, a mountain bike, a chunky city bike, or indeed anything a bit thicker than my bike, I wouldn’t be able to lock my bike like this.

In these situations, there wouldn’t be enough room inside the Hiplok D1000 to get it around the frame, the rear wheel and the bike stand (which is one of the most optimal ways to lock a bike).

However, there are other, perfectly acceptable ways to lock your bike with the Hiplok D1000. You could just lock the frame and use alternative methods to protect your back wheel (and other wheels).

Note: make sure that the lock needs to be cut to steal the bike. For instance, if you only lock the top tube to the bike rack, a thief can just cut through the bike rack and then ride off with the bike, without cutting the lock!

You could also use the Sheldon Brown method (where you just secure the wheel to the bike stand, but inside the rear triangle, so that the bike can’t be stolen just by removing the rear wheel), for short stops.

However, I know that some people are attached to particular ways of locking their bikes, so I warn those people: you may not be able to use the Hiplok D1000 in this way, and should adapt or look for another lock!

What is particularly strange for me is that Hiplok chose to coat the D1000 in a ridiculously thick silicone sleeve, which (while it will do a good job of protecting your paintwork), further reduces the internal locking space.

I saw in the Bennetts review that in order to use it on his motorbike, John removed the sleeve and replaced it with a layer of tape, which increases the internal locking space while maintaining some protection for his paintwork.

We really shouldn’t have to resort to these sorts of hacks, but it could be worth the effort if it gives you the necessary extra space to lock your bike as you’d like!

Other than the limited internal space (which may or may not be an issue for you), the Hiplok D1000 worked perfectly for me…

Everything works in a simple, un-flashy but practical way. For example, the mechanism is protected by a thick flap of rubber that is permanently attached to the crossbar and folds across to plug into the keyhole. You have to operate this manually, but there’s nothing to go wrong.

You get three replaceable keys, a 10-year warranty, and that’s about it really, No attempt at fancy technological innovations that don’t quite work. Just a straightforward bike lock with incredible angle grinder resistance!

Conclusion: Is the Hiplok D1000 worth it?

Second only to the Litelok X3 in terms of angle grinder resistance, the Hiplok D1000 is a very impressive bike lock.

However, one thing we haven’t mentioned so far is the price. The Hiplok D1000 retails at around
$300 or £250, which is a huge amount of money to spend on a bike lock. For comparison, the aforementioned Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini is usually available for less than a third of this price.

And I used to think the Fahgettaboudit was too expensive!

Of course, the Litelok X3 retails for around the same price as the Hiplok D1000. So these new angle grinder resistant bike locks are really pushing the boundaries of what it is acceptable to spend on a bicycle security.

But if you want the very highest level of security, you’ve only got 3 reliable choices at the moment: the Hiplok D1000, it's bigger (and more expensive) brother the DX1000 or the Litelok X3.

If you don’t need the very highest level of protection, then the Litelok X1 provides a nice compromise (see below, my full Litelok X1 review or my Litelok X1 vs Hiplok D1000 comparison)!

But for those with very expensive bikes, which get left in very high risk circumstances (for long periods, in busy areas), the Hiplok D1000 is going to provide the sort of peace of mind that very few bike locks can.

Alternatives to the Hiplok D1000

There aren’t many comparable alternatives to the Hiplok D1000. But there are two very obvious ones…

Looking for something cheaper?

Looking for something bigger?

Of course, it’s also very heavy and bulky. But the BR1000 frame mount (and optional adapters) also work with the DX1000, so you should be able to attach it to your pannier rack, handlebars, or seat post!

It is a bit more expensive though (check Amazon price)!

Hiplok D1000 Specs

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