Originally Posted by
a1derer
Thanks for your input Chollie, but I think you're wrong.
Don't confuse TSA with Travel Sentry - the commercial organisation that licenses the "red diamond" idea. TSA don't actually "approve" any locks. They can't. The best you can say about the Travel Sentry/Safe Skies systems is that their locks are "TSA recognised". It's a loose arrangement relying on the adequate training and IQ of TSA inspectors. Better to give them a problem that is easier to solve. The ClipLok even has a picture of a pair of bolt-cutters at the place where it should be clipped!
Incidentally, if they do cut it off, all you have to do is replace the shackle when you get it back. You won't need to go through the hassle of trying to claim a replacement lock. It's a no-brainer really.
I've also been able to open one of the Travel Sentry locks with a paper clip!
Perhaps my post wasn't entirely clear.
I haven't used (or claimed a replacement for) a "TSA-approved' travel lock (or any other lock) for several years now.
I use a regular small combination lock on my carry-on bags when I go through the checkpoint.
I use zip ties on any checked bags. I haven't had a zip tie cut or removed yet.
If someone gets in my bag, it is probably TSA,because unlike baggage handlers, TSA has xray vision and no one will be suspicious if a TSO is seen rifling through a bag - unlike baggage handlers, who don't know if there's anything in the bag worth stealing and who definitely look suspicious if they are seen inside a bag.
TSA's preferred method of access, IME, is bolt cutters. I have never had a lock that TSA removed replaced on the bag by TSA. Most of the time, the lock 'disappeared'; twice the cut lock was placed in my bag. Once someone else's cut lock appeared in my bag (along with someone else's socks).
If TSA is going to cut my lock off and not replace it, it is easier and just as secure for me to use zip ties.
That's what works best for me in my travels.