

Review : OnGuard Brute LS 5000 Bike U-Lock
Brand : OnGuard
Product Group : Sports
16mm massive hardened ultra steel shackle is the biggest,
toughest shackle
LS is 4.2 x 10.25, 5.2 lbs.
Includes 5 laser cut keys and 1 light key.
Five Star plus security level rating make these locks the ultimate theft resistant locks for high crime areas
Most helpful customer reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
It really is a brute.
By Daniel Ulanday
After getting a bike stolen, I started looking for some decent U-locks. Since I sometimes lock up two mountain bikes at a time, I needed one with a long shackle. The two best on the market are the Kryptonite New York LS, and the OnGuard Brute LS. The Brute is considerably cheaper, so I decided on the Brute.
As other reviewers have noted, the new, improved version I received differs from the photos on Amazon. I also noticed that the packaging markets this lock to motorcycle/scooter users, not to bicycle users. As a result, no bicycle frame mount was included. I've read reports of OnGuard's bike mount being flimsy and quickly breaking, so the lack of their mount is no big loss. I have a few TwoFish LockBlocks and BikeBlocks that I can use instead, and they are very durable solid rubber mounts.
OnGuard sure likes to give you plenty of extra keys. There is one rather large lighted key and four spares. The lighted key seems more of a gimmick, so I just carry one of the smaller spares on my keyring. Even that was a bit bulky so I cut the key's head down to a small arrowhead shape, following the molded lines in the plastic. Even if you somehow lose all five keys, you're still not out of luck. If you register the lock with OnGuard, you can always order more keys in the future.
The anti-theft insurance offer sounds like a good idea, but if you read all the fine print you'll discover there are enough loopholes to get OnGuard out of paying for most anything. No matter, I didn't buy it for its insurance policy, I bought it for its theft deterrence ability.
The lock itself is very hefty, weighing over five pounds. The shackle is 16.8mm thick, slightly better than the old version's (and Krypto's NY-LS) 16mm shackle. I had an old KryptoSTD lock and I could slightly bend the shackle because it was not hardened steel. I could not bend the Brute's hardened shackle AT ALL. Anyone who tries to cut this with a hacksaw or bolt cutters would get exhausted and give up. It may not stop a determined thief with an angle grinder (no lock can), but it will at least put up a good fight.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
I just had my bike stolen
By Michael Sperrazzo
My $500 bike just got stolen with this (and another) lock on it. You may be wondering why it got 5 stars. Because they ripped the lock clean through the metal bike rack it was locked to, and I'm assuming the lock is still on the bike. I guess you can't ask for much more on the lock end. I'm pretty pissed at the apartment complex for the crappy racks, though.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Not sure whether to be proud or sad...
By illegallydead
First off - as others have mentioned, the picture is wrong; it looks like all the other modern OnGuard locks.
Anyway: this thing is pretty darned solid, and I will explain soon how I now know that. The lock itself is heavy and solid, and the locking mechanism works pretty well overall, especially if you keep it lubricated. The main problem with the length/size of this lock is the fact that it becomes harder to find a place to mount it, especially on a full-suspension bike like mine. I chose to strap it to the front fork, which I think led to its ultimate demise.
Now, for the good and bad of why I know this thing is, in fact, a brute. After using this lock for ~2 years, and having it take a tumble from it's mount a number of times at high speed, the lock finally gave up the ghost (while it was locked to something no less) The key simply would not turn the cylinder, and the whole thing looked like it was coming apart (did I mention the multiple 20+ MPH tumbles it took?) Anyway, I was lucky enough to run in to a work crew on campus, who had all manner of cutting tools. The sawzall took all of a nick out of the metal in ~2 minutes of cutting. Thankfully, an oxyacetylene cutting torch was in there arsenal, and even that took a little bit to set my bike free.
So, do I recommend this? Yes. It is solid, and you need a **** torch to get it off. I would recommend though that you take better care of it than I did. So, 4 out of 5 stars for truly being a brute. Minus 1 for failing on me (though admittedly due to my own abuse of it)
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