Does TSA recognize a Cliplok lock?
 

There is a type of luggage lock called Cliplok that is designed to allow a luggage screener to cut them open and then relock them afterward. Later on, you can replace the shackle cheaply. It looks like this:

http://www.origineering.com.au/shop/...id/6/type/cat/
The cutout on the left side marks where they are designed to be cut.
But do TSA or customs (US CBP, UK HMRC) screeners understand what this lock is? Or will they just cut the lock at the top and defeat the whole purpose?
Has anyone had any experience using this type of lock?
The advantages of this lock are:
- not vulnerable to stolen TSA keys or lock picking
- it can be locked after opening

TSA has already demonstrated an inability to restore locks on the proper luggage even if they can find the keys, and when they can't find the keys, they cut locks off and discard them anyway.

The cutters never seem to go missing. One wonders why.

I think the product is clever, but that it will have a 3-flight half-life in the real world of pizza-box TSA hires.

I'd give it a fifty-fifty chance at getting cut off - much depends on the airport.

I think cutter-happy TSOs are going to go right ahead and cut it off without even looking at it closely; besides, it will be marginally faster and easier to cut the main bolt than to take a moment to line up the cutters and snip the small part.

TSOs have been known to use bolt cutters just because it is easier than using the keys to open a 'TSA-approved' lock. When I still wasted time and money on locks, I actually had cut locks thrown back into my unsecured luggage on some occasions. Other times, the locks were just gone.

They don't know locks from their butts. I'm on TSA lock #14 on my tool box. They cut em, lose em, or throw them away. And....All 13 of them disappared at IAH. *Idiots*

The tsa will cut any lock (tsa approved or not) and discard it.

Not a chance.

Seems to work OK ...
 

I have one of these and it has been cut off twice (in the right place), and put back. Once by TSA in Newark, and once at Heathrow. All good. As you say, they'll probably cut it off anyway, so why not buy one that is supposed to?

Your experience is not the norm.

Does the lock come with a money-back guarantee (like some TSA-approved locks do) if it does get cut off? If not, then I absolutely wouldn't consider it.

OP mentions that after the lock has been cut, the shackle can be replaced cheaply. How did you replace it (since it got cut twice)? Did you take it back to the retailer for a replacement? That's too much hassle for me.

Thanks for sharing your experience, a1derer.

I will presume that a1derer meant that the shackle was replaced twice, once after each cut.

When a shackle has been cut once (in the right place), the lock may be relocked, but it needs to be replaced before it is cut again. The user replaces the shackle himself.
The lock comes with 1 replacement shackle, and you can buy a set of 5 replacements after that. They are quite inexpensive. Shackles look like this:

http://www.origineering.com.au/shop/...d/22/size/med/

I don't think there is any warranty.

Trusting the TSA to:
1) understand what kind of lock this is,
2) cut in the right place, AND
3) replace the lock properly
seems wildly optimistic. Buy a bag of zip ties and save your money.

You forgot '1a) care what kind of lock this is'

I have used zip ties in the past and left a new one in the velcro handle of my tool bag. About 50% of the time they replace the zip tie.

AisleSitter is correct. So what if they cut it off in the wrong place? Just replace the shackle when you get your luggage back ...

If I'm going to do that, then I will purchase my TSA-approved locks (that a motivated TSO could use a special TSA key to unlock - but probably won't). I will buy those locks that have a 'guaranteed replacement' warranty.

I quit doing that because although I never had a problem getting a new lock, it wasn't worth my time. Now I use zip ties. Cheaper and easier to replace and not as tempting.

To some TSOs, the lock sends a message: 'I have something worth stealing, even if you didn't see anything on the x-ray'. I have actually had a lock clipped on a snowboard bag - except the lock was on the zipper pull and the bag was not actually locked. TSA didn't even bother to look - just cut the lock and left it in the bag with a 'love note'.

There's probably a market for these locks with first or very infrequent fliers, or fliers who live/travel abroad. I don't think most domestic US fliers are going to find them more useful than the regular locks that TSOs regularly clip out of laziness.

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.

Well said Roadie.
I put the half-life up to 4 flights IF the hires were off gas pumps and not pizza boxes.
You have to push buttons and stuff to pump gas.

If they cut it in the wrong place, there's no way for them to attach it back onto the bag when they are done, so you won't be getting the body of the lock back.

You will have replacement shackles and no lock.

If they are kind enough to toss it in the bag for you, that's a different story, but unless you attach the body to the bag too, if they don't cut it where they are supposed to cut it, and put it back on knowing they can cut it and relock it, you are not going to have anything to put the new shackle on.

The lock is a great idea, but given the way they cut tsa locks and toss them, I don't have hopes this will be a much better track record.

If the point is just to see if they have opened your lock, I've had remarkable success with the Searchalert locks (from PrestoLock) - granted, they need the key to open them - but you know when they do.

http://www.cclsecurity.com/products/searchalert/

I guess it all comes down to asking the TSA to do what's easiest. They have bolt cutters, and they know how to use them, so why not go with it?

The most worrisome thing is I've been able to open a SearchAlert lock with a bent paperclip (bend the last 3-4mm at a right angle, insert into the "master key" slot, and jiggle it around a little. You will be surprised how easy it is!). This ClipLok is supposedly pick proof (has anybody tried to pick one yet? - I would be interested to hear the results).

Sure, if the TSA cut any type of lock off, and fail to place it back in your luggage (supposedly, along with a search advice), then the choice of locks is obviously irrelevant. If you feel this is the most likely result of most TSA searches, then I guess a $2.00 lock, offering at least a semblance of security, is the way to go.

This however is not my experience so far. On both occasions that my ClipLok lock has been clipped, it has been replaced correctly (maybe I was lucky enough to get ex pump attendants searching my luggage ...)

Another thought - if a SearchAlert lock is cut off, the lock becomes worthless, so the screeners will merely trash it. Technically, I guess they should be placing it back in the bag from which it was removed, but as a piece of trash, there's a pretty good argument for binning it on the spot.

It should be noted that this lock does not allow you to set your own combination. It comes preset from the factory with a random combination that cannot be changed. Don't buy it if you want to set your own combination.

I know this is an old thread, but has anyone had any experience with this lock?
I've not found much on them, or where to buy them.