SkunkLock Carbon Review: The first American Angle Grinder Resistant Bike Lock!

After a couple of years of British dominance from Hiplok and Litelok, the Americans have finally arrived, with an angle grinder resistant bike lock of their own: the SkunkLock Carbon!

So how does it compare to the British locks?

It uses similar technology (carbon) to enact the same result (angle grinder disc destruction)! And it’s competitively priced, with further discounts available for those that need them most.

How good is it? Let’s find out…

How secure is the SkunkLock Carbon?

Unfortunately, SkunkLock have chosen not to have the Carbon rated by independent testing organizations such as Sold Secure or ART. This makes it difficult to confidently categorize the overall security level of the lock (beyond the results of my tests below).

And, in the UK at least, it also makes it difficult to get bicycle insurance, as many insurance companies stipulate that you must use a certain level of Sold Secure rated lock in order to be covered.

All that being said, the main attraction of the SkunkLock Carbon is its angle grinder resistance, and in my tests this was pretty impressive, although also hugely variable. Which may be down to how it works…

The SkunkLock Carbon is built in a slightly different way to the other angle grinder resistant bike locks that I’ve tested.

While the Litelok X series has a layer of carbon fused to the outside of a regular steel shackle, and the Hiplok 1000 series is entirely made from a graphene composite, the SkunkLock Carbon uses a hollow steel shackle and body that is stuffed with small fragments of silicon carbide.

This design is probably an evolution of the original SkunkLock, which also used a hollow shackle, but filled it with a noxious vomit inducing gas in order to repel any angle grinder wielding scrotes that cut into it.

In the SkunkLock Carbon, these fragments of silicon carbide are designed to disintegrate angle grinder discs as they are cutting through the lock.

So how well do they do this?

Well, the first SkunkLock Carbon I tested did OK, but was not spectacular compared to other locks...

I was able to cut through the first side of the shackle using just 1 disc, in 28 seconds. However, the effort took its toll on the disc, and it was completely destroyed cutting through the second side after a further 15 seconds. A second disc was able to get through the second side in another 18 seconds.

So 2 discs to cut through both sides in a total of just over a minute, although remember: that doesn’t include the time to change the discs.

Here's a video comparing the angle grinder resistance of the first SkunkLock Carbon I tested to the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini:

After I published my findings, SkunkLock contacted me to say that I had a faulty lock, and they would send me a new lock with this issue rectified.

This made sense, as when Bennets tested their SkunkLock Carbon, they needed 6 discs to get through just one side!

When I got the second SkunkLock Carbon, several months later, I tested again. And the results were indeed completely different this time. It took me 2:39 min and an incredible 14 discs to cut through just one side of the SkunkLock Carbon!

I didn’t have enough discs to try and get through the second side, and stopped when I realized it was going to be just as difficult. But if we extrapolate, it could have taken around 27 discs to cut both sides!

However, when I attacked the shackle at the bottom where it meets the crossbar, things were different: I “only” needed 3 discs and 1:16 min to cut through one side.

So why the huge variance between all of my different tests (and also compared to the Bennets test)?

My theory is that it depends on the size of the carbon pieces and how densely they are packed into the shackle. And that this varies throughout the shackle. In areas where the pieces are small and densely packed, it is more difficult through the shackle. And vice versa.

Which makes it difficult to be really sure how angle grinder resistant the SkunkLock Carbon is. Because it varies.

However, in every test I’ve conducted, I needed more than 1 disc to cut through both sides of the shackle. And that’s the most important thing: because there are very few bike thieves that will be prepared to change angle grinder discs in the middle of a theft.

Apart from the shackle, I also cut through the body of the SkunkLock Carbon, which contains the same silicon carbide fragments. It took much longer than the shackle, as the sheer bulk of the body made it difficult for the discs to reach past a certain point as they wore down.

In the end it took another 2 discs and over 2 and a half minutes, not including disc changes, to cut through the body.

I also tested the SkunkLock Carbon against a diamond disc. And It didn’t do so well here. It took 45 seconds to cut through one side, which is the quickest time of all the angle grinder resistant locks I have tested so far.

This is probably because, compared to the other locks, there is less metal (which slows a diamond disc down) and more carbon (which is what a diamond disc is designed to cut) in the SkunkLock Carbon.

Apart from angle grinder resistance, the 20 mm shackle makes bolt cropping impossible and because it locks on both sides a leverage attack is unlikely to work (although the hollow construction might be a weakness here).

The SkunkLock Carbon employs a disc detainer core, which provides ample protection from lock picking. However, bike thieves don’t really pick locks in the street, so this isn’t really an issue anyway!

So all in all, the SkunkLock Carbon is another welcome addition to the small but inevitably growing group of angle grinder resistant bike locks.

My tests have produced mixed results. In one test, it needed an incredible 14 discs to cut through just one side. But it took just 45 seconds to cut with a diamond disc. And at the base of the shackle it was also much easier to cut, although still impressive compared to some of the other locks.

I just really wish they had submitted it for testing by Sold Secure as well.

But however you measure it, the SkunkLock Carbon offers far more protection from angle grinder attacks than a regular lock and, as we’ll see, it has several other things going for it that might make it a better choice over other, similar locks.

Is the SkunkLock Carbon easy to carry?

The SkunkLock Carbon is a heavy, bulky lock. It weighs 4.34 lb (1.97 kg), which is about the same as 5.5 cans of Coke. And it’s 11.6" (29.5 cm) long and 7.0" (17.9 cm) wide, which makes it the longest and nearly the widest of all the angle grinder resistant locks.

This bulk and weight makes it a challenge to carry around on a bicycle. And like most heavy-duty bike locks, it doesn’t come with a frame mount.

So you’re pretty much limited to throwing it in a backpack or a pannier. Or strapping it to a luggage rack. Or buying one of the third party frame mounts. Read more on where to put your bike lock when riding.

This is not such a big deal, as to be honest, most of the frame mounts for heavy locks don’t do a great job and I usually end up carrying the lock in a bag anyway. You will feel the weight of 5.5 cans of Coke, but there are much heavier bike locks around.

With the SkunkLock Carbon, it’s probably more about the bulk than the weight, as it’s so big. I was easily able to fit it in my saddlebag, so I had no worries there. However, you should consider how you will carry yours before you commit to buying it.

Is the SkunkLock Carbon easy to use?

While the SkunkLock is undeniably big and heavy, compared to some of the other angle grinder resistant bike locks it has a unique and really attractive weight to size ratio.

The internal locking space is 4” x 8.9” (10.5 x 22.7 cm) which is possibly the biggest of all these angle grinder resistant locks. It’s certainly the longest. And this means it gives you more locking opportunities, being especially suitable for bulky ebikes, cargo bikes, motorbikes etc.

And despite this, it’s not that heavy. The closest lock in terms of size is probably the Hiplok DX1000, with an internal locking space of 4.4 x 8.07” (11.2 x 20.5 cm). But that weighs 5.73 lb (2.6 kg), which is 32% heavier than the SkunkLock Carbon.

My point is: if you need a lock with a lot of internal space to use on a bulky bike or in unusual locking scenarios, but you don’t fancy carrying around a huge amount of weight, then the SkunkLock Carbon will be an attractive option.

In terms of daily use, I found the SkunkLock Carbon pretty good. The shackle is covered in nice soft silicone. The body is covered in a smooth plastic. And there is very little rattling noise when they are both joined together.

The generous internal dimensions meant I had no problems locking my bike wherever I wanted. I was even able to secure it to a lamppost, which I am not able to do for most of the u-locks I test.

One word of warning though: make sure you lock your bike in a way that prevents one of the wheels turning. Otherwise, a thief could cut through whatever the bike is secured to and ride away on it (as in the photo above).

One thing I don’t like is the lack of keyhole cover. There is just a roughly cut hole in the plastic casing, which looks a bit cheap. More importantly, it means there is nothing to stop street dirt and grime getting in and potentially clogging up the mechanism.

But while there is no keyhole cover, you do get the fairly standard 3 keys and a code card for ordering more!

Conclusion: Is the SkunkLock Carbon worth it?

The SkunkLock Carbon is one of the cheapest angle grinder resistant bike locks you can currently buy (check price on Amazon). It’s usually the same price as he Litelok X1, and they are both significantly cheaper than the other options.

But it’s still expensive compared to a regular lock. And a lot of people just won’t be able to afford it.

And that’s why the nascent “Skunk Your Bike” program is so refreshing to learn about. This is basically a program created by Skunklock to give people that need bike security the most (but are often the least able to afford it), a discount on SkunkLock products.

According to the Skunk Your Bike Terms and Conditions document, people that qualify for discount tokens include:

• Students (over 18)
• Young people (under 18)
• Seniors (over 65)
• Frontline Workers (eg emergency response workers)
• Low Income Households
• Unemployed (6 months or more)
• Disabled people
• Armed Forces and Veterans
• Bicycle Advocacy Groups
• Bicycle Delivery Riders

It’s not clear what the value of the discounts will be (and you will of course have to provide proof of your status), but this is a really great initiative, and if you belong to one of these groups then it’s certainly going to make the SkunkLock more attractive (where before it might not even have been possible).

If you’re not in one of these groups, then I think the Litelok X1 probably provides better value, as I'm more confident about its overall security level, and it also comes with a half decent frame mount (see below).

But all in all, the first grinder resistant bike lock from an American brand is a good option. In some tests, it performed incredibly well. In others, less so. But by always forcing a thief to make at least one disc change, it passes the most important test.

If you’re in the US and you qualify for a Skunk Your Bike discount, then it’s almost certainly a great choice. If you’re not, or you don’t, then while it might still be a worth looking at, there are alternatives…

Alternatives to the SkunkLock Carbon

Looking for something more consistent?

I do prefer the silicone shackle cover of the SkunkLock Carbon to the sticky eco cover of the X1 though. And the bigger internal dimensions of the SunkLock Carbon will give you more locking options.

Also, bear in mind you may have to wait a while to receive a Litelok X1 (as there always seems to be shipping delays) and there may be import duty to pay if you’re in the US.

Of course, it works both ways though: if you’re outside the US you may have to wait for a while to receive the SkunkLock Carbon, and it may be subject to import duties!

SkunkLock Specs

This page contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. You will not pay any extra. More details here.