IN BRIEF
Faced with a battery-powered angle grinder, the thief’s tool of choice, a regular lock does not last long: in its lock-testing campaign, France’s cycling federation, the FUB, cut through 14 of the 30 locks it approved in under 15 seconds. An angle grinder resistant bike lock changes that. Two models sold as such were timed by the federation: it took 5 min 35 s to cut the shackle of the Kryptonite New York Diamond Standard, and 4 min 13 s for the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500. Decathlon, Litelok, Hiplok and Oxford also claim strong grinder resistance, backed by the British Sold Secure Diamond rating. On the brands’ own UK stores, prices range from £169.99 (Litelok X1) to £299.99 (Hiplok DX1000).
| Kryptonite New York Diamond Standard | $349.95 · 2.3 kg · shackle cut in 5 min 35 s (FUB) |
| Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 | $359.99 · 2.3 kg · shackle cut in 4 min 13 s (FUB) |
| Decathlon D1200 L | €158.99 (France) · 2.5 kg · Sold Secure Diamond, ART 4, SRA |
| Litelok X3 | £279.99 / $429.99 · 2.1 kg · 20 times a standard D-lock (Litelok) |
| Litelok X1 | £169.99 / $259.99 · 1.7 kg · 5 times a standard D-lock (Litelok) |
| Hiplok D1000 | £249.99 / $329.99 · 92 × 155 mm opening · Sold Secure Diamond, ART 4 stars |
| Hiplok DX1000 | £299.99 / $379.99 · 112 × 205 mm opening · Sold Secure Diamond |
| Oxford Grinder S1 and S2 | £179.99 (S1), £219.99 (S2) · up to 5 times more discs (Oxford) |
According to the FUB, a regular lock holds out against an angle grinder “for between 15 and 45 seconds usually”. Hence a new family of D-locks sold as “anti-grinder”: their shackle is armoured with a very hard material that wears down the cutting discs instead of letting itself be cut (tungsten carbide at Abus, a diamond coating at Kryptonite, silicon carbide at Decathlon, the Barronium composite at Litelok, carbide at Oxford), and double locking forces the thief to cut the shackle on both sides. None of them is unbreakable, as Litelok itself admits: “all locks can be cut with the right tools and enough time”. What they buy you is time.
The two angle grinder resistant locks timed by the FUB
The Fédération française des usagers de la bicyclette (FUB) has been testing locks since 2002: pulling, twisting, shearing and angle grinding, among other attacks. In its testing campaign, it put 46 locks through its tests, and 30 earned its “2 roues” (two-wheel) approval. According to the federation, two of them, sold as “anti-grinder”, offer ten times more resistance than the others.
Kryptonite New York Diamond Standard: 5 min 35 s per cut
The FUB says it took “exactly 5 minutes and 35 seconds (and no fewer than 5 discs) to cut through the shackle”, and more than 10 minutes to free the lock completely, since it is locked on both sides. In the twisting, crushing and shearing tests, it “did not move at all”, the FUB writes.
According to Kryptonite’s official product page, it has a “26mm diamond coated double layered steel shackle”, and its hardened double deadbolt design “gives additional protection against twist and cut attacks”. The brand lists 2.3 kg, dimensions of 95 × 204 mm, three stainless steel keys and a FlexFrame-U bracket to carry it, plus an anti-theft protection offer of up to $5,000, €4,000 or £3,000 for a bicycle (terms on Kryptonite’s website). Approved “FUB 2 roues”. Price: $349.95, according to Kryptonite’s official US price list.
Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500: 4 min 13 s per cut
Tested by the FUB’s lock committee in November 2024, it passed every test “without deformation”. With the angle grinder, it took 4 minutes 13 seconds and two discs to cut the shackle; since it is locked on both sides, the FUB counts “nearly 9 minutes of relentless work” to free the lock. The federation adds that the plastic sleeve around the shackle offers no extra resistance to the grinder (cut in 15 seconds), and that its tool was an entry-level battery-powered grinder.
Abus says the shackle and the lock body are protected by “a special wolfram carbide material compound”. Its official US product page describes a hardened 27 mm square parabolic shackle, double locking of the shackle in the lock body, an XPlus cylinder and two keys, for a 230 mm model weighing 5.03 lbs, about 2.3 kg, made in Germany. Approved “FUB 2 roues”. Price: $359.99 on Abus USA’s official store, with the USH 2500 mounting bracket for bicycle cargo racks. Amazon currently sells it for much less.
Sold Secure approved, but not timed by the FUB
According to its test database, the FUB has not tested any of the following models: Litelok, Hiplok and Oxford only appear there with older locks whose tests have expired, and the Decathlon D1200 L, in stock from October 2026, is not listed yet. The resistance figures below are therefore the manufacturers’ own. All of them carry the Sold Secure Diamond rating, the highest level according to this British body, which publishes the list of approved locks on its website. Prices were checked on the brands’ UK and US stores on 1 October 2026.
Decathlon D1200 L: the cheapest in France
Decathlon presents it as its first lock to earn the maximum security score of 10/10, under a protocol its B’Twin brand defined with an independent laboratory, the CNPP. According to the official product page, it resists angle grinder cutting attempts for “long minutes”, with several discs needed for a single cut. Its 16 mm square shackle, made of a case-hardened chromium, manganese and titanium alloy, is covered with a 0.5 mm layer of silicon carbide, as is the lock body, and it is locked on both sides.
Decathlon lists ART 4, Sold Secure Diamond and SRA approvals, 2.5 kg for 360 × 180 mm, a shackle with 27.3 cm of usable length that can lock two bikes, three numbered keys and a strap mount to carry it on the bike. It comes with a 2-year warranty. Price: €158.99 on Decathlon’s French product page, which lists it in stock from 10 October.
Litelok X3: 20 times a standard D-lock, according to Litelok
Litelok armours its locks with an in-house composite, Barronium, which according to the brand “eats angle grinder discs”. Its official product page says that during “our own and independent tests”, the X3 proved at least 20 times more angle grinder resistant than the current leading D-locks, “as well as needing multiple discs and batteries to cut it”.
According to Litelok, it weighs approximately 2.1 kg, with a locking area of approximately 100 × 195 mm, carries the Sold Secure Diamond ratings (pedal cycle and powered cycle) and ART 4, and comes with a 7-year warranty. Price: £279.99 on Litelok’s UK store, $429.99 on its US store.
Litelok X1: the lightest, according to Litelok
Litelok calls it “the world’s lightest angle grinder resistant bike lock”: approximately 1.7 kg, with a locking area of approximately 101 × 196 mm. It uses less Barronium than the X3, and the brand claims at least 5 times the angle grinder resistance of the best-selling D-locks. Sold Secure Diamond approved, it comes with a 3-year warranty. Price: £169.99 on Litelok’s UK store, $259.99 on its US store.
Hiplok D1000: the compact one
Hiplok presents it as “the world’s first portable anti-angle grinder bike lock”. According to the official product page, it carries the Sold Secure Powered Cycle Diamond and ART 4 Star ratings, and its anti-rotation double locking tabs mean a thief “must cut both sides”. Its locking area measures 92 × 155 mm. Hiplok offers a lifetime warranty if you register within 30 days of purchase, and three coded replaceable keys. Price: £249.99 on Hiplok’s UK store, $329.99 on its US store.
Hiplok DX1000: the large format
It is the bigger version of the D1000: its locking area grows to 112 × 205 mm, designed “with motorcycles and larger framed bikes in mind”, e-bikes included, according to Hiplok. The brand claims the same anti-angle grinder technology, the Sold Secure Powered Cycle Diamond rating and the same lifetime warranty. Price: £299.99 on Hiplok’s UK store, $379.99 on its US store.
Oxford Grinder S1 and S2
British brand Oxford says “the unique faceted carbide surface deflects grinder blades from edge to edge”, resisting “up to 5x more cutting discs” than leading locks. According to the official range page, both models carry the Sold Secure Diamond ratings for Powered Cycle and Pedal Cycle and come with a 10-year guarantee. Price: £179.99 for the S1 and £219.99 for the S2 on Oxford’s website. Both models are covered in detail in our article Oxford Grinder: three D-locks pitched against the angle grinder.
How to choose an angle grinder resistant bike lock
- Insurance. Check what your policy requires before buying. In France, according to the FUB, only its “2 roues” level is recognised by insurers; the two timed locks have it.
- Weight. Among the published weights, from 1.7 kg for the Litelok X1 to 2.5 kg for the Decathlon D1200 L: that is what you will carry every day.
- Locking area. It must fit around your frame and the fixed object you lock it to. Compare it with your bike’s tubes, especially on an e-bike with a thick down tube.
- Budget. On the brands’ UK stores, these locks cost from £169.99 to £299.99. According to the FUB, a “2 roues” approved D-lock costs €85 on average, but in its testing campaign, 14 of the 30 locks it approved were cut with an angle grinder in under 15 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Is an angle grinder resistant lock unbreakable?
No. It wears down the grinder’s discs and forces the thief to cut the shackle on both sides, which costs them time. As Litelok itself puts it, all locks can be cut with the right tools and enough time.
How long does a bike lock resist an angle grinder?
According to the FUB, a regular lock holds out for between 15 and 45 seconds. In its tests, the shackle of the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 lasted 4 min 13 s and that of the Kryptonite New York Diamond Standard 5 min 35 s, and each needs two cuts to come off the bike.
Which lock do I need to insure an e-bike?
It depends on your insurer: check your policy. In France, according to the FUB, only its “2 roues” level is recognised by insurers, and in this selection the Kryptonite New York Diamond Standard and the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 have it.
What is the cheapest angle grinder resistant lock?
In France, the Decathlon D1200 L, at €158.99 on its official product page. Among the UK prices listed on the brands’ own stores, the Litelok X1 at £169.99.
Which is the lightest?
Among the published weights, the Litelok X1, at approximately 1.7 kg, which Litelok calls the world’s lightest angle grinder resistant bike lock. It costs £169.99 on Litelok’s UK store.
