Customer Reviews

Master Lock 8184DSG U-Lock with Bracket, 8-1/4 Inch

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Piece of junk. Waste of money. Garbage. Does not deserve one star. Zero stars. Negative stars.

It felt like a piece of garbage from the first time I put the key in, but it's for a crappy around-the-town bike that I only paid $10 for, so I wasn't too concerned about high security. I found that every time I locked or unlocked my bike I'd spend a few seconds trying to get it to open. After a month it stopped working entirely--my bike was locked up at the train station a mile from my house.

I called Master and they immediately offered to send a replacement. What about my bike, I asked. Just cut it off, they said. I cut the lock off with bolt-cutters, and the next day the new lock came it the mail. Great, I thought, that first one must have been a lemon. But the new one was just as crappy, and like an idiot, I used it for three weeks, struggling to get it open every time.

And now my bike is locked up and this piece of crap won't open. In the morning I'll call Master and they'll offer to send me a new one. I will demand my money back, and eventually buy the Kryptonite that I should have gotten in the first place.

Lock is average. Got rusty and hard to turn key after day in rain. I thought theses should be rust-proof since locks are to secure your bike outdoors in the street. Otherwise would be good.

I picked one of these up at Target for 14.99 and put it on my bike today and it is a piece of garbage. I'll be taking it right back.

The mounting bracket is terrible and doesnt fit the lock well.

The lock itself is covered with a plastic covering that moves around when inserting on the mounting bracket and covers the locks so you cant place the U portion on the locking mechanism.

Once you finally finagle it the plastic cover around so you can secure it. The lock itself wobbles back and forth when you ride. It doesnt matter how tight you have it attached to the mounting bracket because it moves around inside the plastic covering.

I don't think words can say how bad this lock is. I thought buying from Master Lock would be a good thing. I guess I was wrong.

I've had two of these U-Locks, the locking mechanism is just poorly designed. The first one I traded in because the key broke off in the lock after the third time using it. The second one no longer opens after only 1 year of use, the mechanism just froze up. I'd recommend spending a little more to get something that will last.

I just got off the phone with customer service in Wisconsin. The plastic bracket broke because it is just too thin where the two mounting bolts attached. If you tighten to make it stay on the bike frame you end up snapping through the mount. So they advised I send everything back for a replacement. Huh? pay for shipping too? for a $15 heavy lock? And not a wise idea since I need the lock to secure my bike. How about you send me a new bracket and we try that? Nope, they won't do that! So I am going back to Target for a store credit. Very disappointed with this lock. I guess you do get what you pay for. Rating should be a 1/2 star.

The lock mechanism is the worst I've ever seen. My key jammed and broke off after only two months. Even under regular conditions, it'd still take an average of 60-90 seconds to lock or unlock the bike.

Unacceptable performance from a supposedly quality brand. Stay away!

i was going to go with another brand of u-locks. changed my mind at the last minute after i saw the price of this Master Lock. so far it has worked fine.

If you have this product, don't pull too hard on the key when you're trying to get the lock open. It WILL break. It happened to me twice.

The first time, the lock was jammed, I tried to force it open, and the key broke. I thought, okay, I was pulling too hard, and this was my fault. So, after the cops came and cut my lock, I stupidly bought the exact same brand of U-lock. The FIRST TIME I tried to open the new lock, what happens? The key breaks. Now, THAT was not my fault. At least, that time, the bike wasn't already locked to anything.

Also, I've had to use WD-40 to get it open when it rusts in the rain. It was sometimes hard to open, even when it wasn't rusted. And I've never even bothered with the bracket, because it's very flimsy, just like the keys.

It's a cheap lock, but you get what you pay for.
But my first MasterLock lasted two years, so it might last a while if you're very careful.

This lock works well, with quirks.

1) The key is hard to turn. Yeah, my bike locked up at the grocery store. Took a good 15 minutes of fidgeting to get it to work. When I got home, I sprayed WD40 into the lock, operates smoothly ever since.

2) The lock rattles in the mount when riding. I got fed up with it and used a Velcro strap to hold it against the frame. No problems.

3) Bike insurance is a scam. Kryptonite does full lifetime warranty, even if it is a bit sketchy. Master Lock I think does only a year. Don't know how that makes sense.

I lost my key and had my bike briefly stolen before security found it locked across a parking lot and behind a building, so now I need a new lock. Just not this one, I'll try a different one this time.

If you are locking up a 50lb. <$100 X-Mart bike this is the perfect lock. This will make your lame bike virtually un-stealable, with the combination of the low resale value of your bike and the hassle that would be necessary to extract it from this lock will deter 99.9% of thieves. Don't even bother using the cheap plastic mount, it will break apart in a couple weeks and you will have to make dangerous U-turn to go back and pickup your lock off the road. Just put it on your stem. I guess if you are an angry gorilla like some of the other reviewers then you could break the key off in the hole. You just need to maintain some composure and make sure you get the key in all the way into the hole, turning as you push it in to get through all of the chambers, before attempting to unlock it.

If you have a nice $1000+ bike you will find that any lock available will not suffice to adequately protect your investment and give you full peace of mind. You will need to keep that bike out of public sight and in your direct line of sight to properly secure it. Many pros will even cut your thin and light frame before they even attempt to cut your 15lb. lock. If you live/work in a high crime area, just get yourself a junker that can get you from point A to point B, add to it this lock, and you will never have to worry if it will still be where you left it. Hey, even if it isn't still there, you will probably find it within a 50ft radius from where you left it, because the fool figured out how lame your bike really was and ditched it.