IN BRIEF
Oxford Products is expanding its range of D-locks designed, the British manufacturer says, “to combat the growing threat of angle grinder attacks”. Three references are in the catalogue: the Grinder S1 in 260 mm (LK375) and in 320 mm (LK376), built around a 14 mm hardened steel shackle core, and the Grinder S2 (LK377), which steps up to 16 mm. According to the official product page, the carbide coating should wear through an average of ten discs before one side of the shackle gives way on the S1, fifteen on the S2. A double locking system stops the shackle from rotating: it has to be cut on both sides. All three carry Sold Secure Diamond certification.
| Grinder S1 — 260 mm, ref. LK375 | £179.99 RRP |
| Grinder S1 — 320 mm, ref. LK376 | £199.99 RRP |
| Grinder S2 — 320 mm, ref. LK377 | £219.99 RRP |
| Shackle core | Square-section hardened steel — 14 mm (S1), 16 mm (S2) |
| Discs claimed per shackle side | 10 on average (S1), 15 on average (S2) |
| Width | 184 mm |
| Locking | Double, the shackle is held on both sides |
| Certification | Sold Secure Powered Cycle & Pedal Cycle DIAMOND rating |
| Warranty | 10 years, limited to manufacturing and material defects |
The angle grinder has changed the economics of bike theft, and that is the ground on which Oxford Products is placing its Oxford Grinder range: three D-locks that the brand says wear out the discs of the tool attacking them.
Three references, two shackle diameters
The Grinder S1 comes in two lengths, 260 mm for the LK375 and 320 mm for the LK376, both built around a “14 mm hardened steel shackle core” according to the official product page. The Grinder S2, reference LK377, is offered only in 320 mm and steps up to 16 mm.
The official product page, viewed from France on 30 August, lists these recommended prices in pounds, and the site also offers a currency selector in euros.
What the Oxford Grinder’s carbide promises
The principle the brand puts forward has less to do with the hardness of the steel than with the wear of the tool cutting it. Oxford explains that the “faceted carbide surface deflects grinder discs from edge to edge, rapidly destroying discs and dramatically slowing down theft attempts”. The manufacturer puts a figure on the result: ten discs on average to cut through one side of the shackle on the S1, fifteen on the S2.
The product page specifies that the shackles are square in section — “hardened square steel shackles” — a shape that gives the coating edges on which to deflect the blade. On that basis Oxford claims locks “designed to last longer and outperform leading locks, withstanding up to five times more cutting discs”, without naming the models it is comparing itself to.
Two cuts instead of one
The second design choice is mechanical. Oxford announces a “high-security dual locking system that prevents the shackle from rotating, meaning thieves have to cut both sides of the lock to get through it”. Combined with the number of discs claimed per side, the calculation the brand wants to impose is one of time spent on the spot, and therefore of the risk of being spotted.
A promise that road.cc puts in perspective
The argument is not new. road.cc, which put locks under the angle grinder last year, sees in it “a big claim, similar to the one Kryptonite makes for its £279.99 New York Diamond Standard”. The British outlet reports from its own testing that “a few locks survived a two-minute angle grinder attack, and two of them completely destroyed discs”.
Certification, warranty and equipment
All three models carry the wording “Sold Secure Powered Cycle & Pedal Cycle DIAMOND”: the approval covers two distinct categories of the British body, the one for pedal cycles and the one for powered cycles. As of 30 August, the official product page did not detail the test protocol.
The same page announces a disc cylinder “highly resistant to picking and drilling”, a silicone-sleeved shackle and body, three keys and a replacement service, all covered by a ten-year warranty restricted, the asterisk specifies, to manufacturing or material defects. Oxford also states there that its locks have been “independently tested”, without publishing the detail of those tests, and presents the Grinder as “the last lock you will ever need”.
