Tested: Squire Massive with SS50CS padlock review

Date reviewed: July 2017 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £148.80 | Weight: 5.41kg | www.squirelocks.co.uk

Paired with an SS50CS padlock, the Squire Massive security chain is 1.2 meters long and comes with a soft, tough fabric sleeve – riveted at both ends – to protect your bike’s paint. The padlock, which is supplied with two keys, has a plastic outer shell and a rubber flap over the keyway. We did find that this flap’s retaining strap is a little fragile – if it tears, the flap’s easily lost.

Like other chains, the fabric sleeve can hold moisture if used in the rain, so it’s worth carrying a plastic bag to pop it in if you need to carry it in your luggage.

Size and weight

Weighing 3.97kg/m, the 1.2m chain tips the scales at 4.76kg. With the 0.65kg padlock, the total weight is 5.41kg. When rolled up, the chain covers a diameter of approximately 26cm.

Resistance to attack: chain

We were unable to break the chain with bolt croppers, and it took 1 minute 39 seconds to get through the links with a sledge hammer, given the worst case scenario of an anvil and plenty of room to work.

Using an angle grinder, the 14.9-14.7mm-thick round links were cut in an above-average time.

Resistance to attack: padlock

The small padlock is stronger than the chain, but when attacking with a sledge hammer on an anvil, we were able to completely destroy it in 2 minutes 43 seconds.

Using an angle grinder, it was possible to cut through the 10mm-thick shackle but we found it difficult to get the right position to allow the link to be released from the cut shackle, due to the chain’s thickness. For its size, this is a tough little lock.

To understand how best to use your lock, click here 

BIKESOCIAL TEST RESULTS

Product: Squire Massive with SS50CS padlock

Size tested: 1.2m

Weight as tested: 5.41kg

Rolled diameter: 26cm

Bolt cropper attack: GOOD

Sledge hammer attack: AVERAGE

Angle grinder attack: GOOD

Conclusion

The angle grinder attack results are good, and we failed to break the lock with the practically silent bolt croppers, so given its small size, this is a pretty impressive chain and lock. While it’s let down by the sledge hammer attack time, it’s important to remember that this is a very noisy attack, that we had the worst case scenario of an anvil and plenty of space, and that it can be negated simply by ensuring the chain is kept tight and off the ground. As a portable security device, this offers good performance, especially when used correctly.

To see the other chains and locks tested by BikeSocial, click here

Find out how and why we did this test

Consumer editor John Milbank explains how you can get the best out of your chain and lock, and how this test was done