Originally Posted by
Dracia
I'm not sure what the point is of going to so much trouble of destroying your TSA friendly locks or buying non-TSA friendly locks when it's really easy to open a suitcase whether it's locked or not. Ever see that video on Youtube of opening a suitcase with a pen? Unless there are zippers out there that can't be opened like that, they're going to be able to get inside it.
The point of buying a non-TSA friendly lock is to make it harder for the TSA to quickly steal an item from your carry-on bag at the checkpoint while you are still in the MMW or backscatter X-ray or opting out and can't see what they are doing. Breaking into your bag using the "pen technique" is more conspicuous at the checkpoint. Having to wait for you to unlock the carry-on is a deterrent to theft.
I don't lock my checked bag (if I check one at all) nor put anything of value into a checked bag for the very reason you list. If something of value is too large to bring on board, I Fedex it ahead.