Kryptonite New York Diamond Review: A long wait for a big disappointment!

Kryptonite have taken a long time to release their angle grinder resistant bike lock. In fact, they’re the last of the big brands to do so.

So you might think that would give them enough time to get things right.

But you’d be wrong, because they haven’t.

Read on to find out why what initially seemed like a fantastic lock (during my initial testing, I was literally thinking “Kryptonite have knocked it out of the park here”), turned into a crushing let down.

How secure is the Kryptonite New York Diamond?

At first glance, the New York Diamond seems like a serious prospect. It’s essentially a slightly more compact version of the long-established (and very secure) New York Standard, with a new “diamond” coating around the shackle and crossbar.

This coating is specifically designed to destroy angle grinder discs during an attack, just like the coating on the other angle grinder resistant bike locks.

However, each brand implements the coating in a slightly different way. In Kryptonite’s case, there is a standard 16 mm hardened steel shackle, encased in a 1 mm thick sleeve made from this “diamond” material (which is presumably some kind of carbon).

Unlike other brands (like Litelok and OnGuard), the anti angle grinder material isn’t fused to the surface of the shackle, Instead it is more like a tube that surrounds (and protects) the steel shackle inside.

By the way: Kryptonite advertise the shackle as being 26 mm thick. But that’s only if you include the thick vinyl coating. The actual hardened steel part is 16 mm. The carbon sleeve is 1 mm thick.

When you include the small space between the sleeve and the shackle, it all comes to about 22 mm of protective material.

That’s still more than enough to stop bolt cutters and makes for a very solid lock, but the misleading 26 mm measurement is quite annoying.

Still, performance-wise, things start off really well. Using regular angle grinder discs and attacking the top of the shackle, it took me 13 discs and 3 minutes 11 seconds of cutting to break through.

That’s a genuinely impressive result. In fact, only the SkunkLock Carbon has done better in my tests (14 discs). Even a diamond disc barely made a scratch in 2 minutes of screachingly loud cutting.

So what’s the problem?

The issue is at the base of the shackle. When I attacked the area where the shackle meets the crossbar with a regular disc, I got through it in just 13 seconds. That’s right: 13 seconds, with a regular disc which was completely undamaged when I finished.

Now, as many comments on YouTube make clear: taping the lock down and using a mains powered angle grinder are not realistic street conditions. A thief wielding a battery powered angle grinder against a lock that is difficult to keep still wouldn’t get through the lock in 13 seconds.

And of course they would need to cut both sides of the shackle. The reason the lock flops open so pathetically in the video above is because I had already cut the top of the shackle. In the street, against an uncompromised lock, it would need to be cut twice.

But the aim of my tests is not to replicate street conditions. It’s to eliminate all the variables in street conditions that might obfuscate the inherent angle grinder resistance of each lock, making comparisons between the different angle grinder resistant locks harder.

And all the other locks I’ve tested (except the Abus Super Extreme 2500) could not be cut at the base of the shackle, without several disk changes and far more cutting time.

The ease with which I was able to cut it suggested that the diamond coating doesn’t extend all the way to the base, which is the exact same flaw that plagued the Abus Super Extreme 2500.

Closer examination of the cut shackle confirmed this: the protective sleeve ends about 2 mm before the shackle enters the crossbar.

Which means the shackle is totally unprotected from an angle grinder attack at this point. And believe me: even using a battery powered grinder, with one hand used to keep the lock still, a thief would make short work of this lock if they attacked it here.

This isn’t a minor detail, it’s a fatal weakness.

Yes, the 16 mm steel shackle can’t be cropped by even the biggest 42” bolt cutters. Yes, it features a double-locking mechanism that resists leverage attacks and requires two cuts to free the bike.

And yes, if a thief attacks the main part of the shackle with an angle grinder, they’re going to find it almost impossible to defeat the New York Diamond in the street.

But if someone can cut through the base of the shackle with one disc, in less than a minute, all of that becomes irrelevant.

Is the Kryptonite New York Diamond easy to carry?

At 2.2 kg (4.92 lb), this is not a light lock. And with internal dimensions of 8” x 3.75” (20.4 cm x 9.5 cm), it’s not small either.

It’s around the same size as the Litelok X3 and just a little bit heavier, weighing about the same as 6 cans of Coke.

So carrying it around could be a bit of a chore.

Thankfully, Kryptonite include their Flexframe-U Bracket when you buy the lock. This frame mount is the same one as you get with all Kryptonite bike locks, and it has a pretty bad reputation.

But I actually quite like it…

It’s easy to install, and as long as I tighten it enough, it always remains stable for me. I do find it works better on the seat tube than the down tube. But while I was riding around, the New York Diamond barely moved in the mount at all.

Clipping the lock in and out of the bracket is really straightforward. Much quicker and easier than with the frame mounts from other brands, which are more fiddly to use. And more fiddly to install too, by the way.

To be honest, I was really surprised at how well the Flexframe-U Bracket worked. I’d always presumed that the heavier Kryptonite bike locks (like the Fahgettaboudit) didn’t come with a frame mount because the locks were just too heavy to properly support.

But the Flexframe-U Bracket copes really well with the New York Diamond Standard.

And apart from being easier to install and use than the frame mounts from other bike locks, unlike most of them it’s included when you buy the lock, rather than being an add-on that costs extra.

Of course, if you don’t have space on your frame, the lock fits easily into most saddlebags or backpacks. So there are options.

Is the Kryptonite New York Diamond easy to use?

With “standard sized u-lock” internal dimensions, the New York Diamond is big enough to accommodate all kinds of locking scenarios and all types of bike, including chunky city bikes and ebikes.

I was able to lock my slim city bike in a number of different ways: through the down tube and front wheel, the seat tube and back wheel, and the seat stays and back wheel.

With bigger bikes, you may need to adjust your locking style somewhat, but you should always be able to find a way to secure it properly.

The build quality of the New York Diamond (like all the Sold Secure Gold and above Kryptonite locks) is really good. It feels like a premium product. The hard rubber shackle cover is thick and tactile. Likewise, the plastic casing that protects the crossbar feel like an integral part of the lock.

This is in contrast to locks like the SkunkLock Carbon and the Squire Stronghold D16 MAX where the plastic casing feels much cheaper and more flimsy, and likely to break and fall off if dropped.

Keys and Mechanism

Kryptonite provide three keys and a key code (in case you want to order extras) with the New York Diamond.

Personally, I prefer the slider keys used by brands like OnGuard. Kryptonite use a disc detainer mechanism, which is theoretically more secure, but given that bike thieves don’t bother picking locks, that’s kind of irrelevant.

The real issue is that if you insert the key only halfway and try to turn it, you can misalign the discs inside the lock. And that can be a pain to fix.

The keyhole has a sliding cover to protect it from water and dirt, which is great. But it does mean an extra step every time you lock or unlock your bike.

Conclusion: Is the Kryptonite New York Diamond worth it?

No.

Despite the competitive price (check Amazon) and incredible resistance against angle grinders at the top of the shackle, the fact that I was able to cut through the base in just 13 seconds with one disc is a deal-breaker for me.

Yes, in the street a thief would need to be in a position to be able to attack the base. And using a portable angle grinder with less leverage, it would take longer. But I can assure you: they would only need 1 disc.

So why pay a premium for an angle grinder resistant bike lock that provides no angle grinder resistance at specific points on the lock that a thief may well be able to target?

There are simply better options out there, at the same price point or cheaper, that don’t suffer from such a glaring vulnerability.

If they fix this issue, then they’ve got a fantastic lock: almost unrivaled angle grinder resistance at a competitive price, with a solid frame mount and premium build quality.

But until they do, I recommend you look at other locks (and don't forget not everyone needs an angle grinder resistant bike lock, check out my guide to the best bike locks to find out more).

Alternatives to the Kryptonite New York Diamond

Looking for something smaller?

You can check the price [Amazon] of the Hiplok D1000 or read my full review for more details!

Looking for the best all-round security?

You can check the price of the Litelok X3 or read my full review for more details!

Kryptonite New York Diamond Specs

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