Going Inside a Combination Lock

A combination lock with letters.

Going Inside a Combination Lock

Combination locks have been around for a very long time and they still provide great security. From safes to high school lockers, we trust them to keep people out of areas where we have personal possessions or areas to which we simply want to control access. A Tampa locksmith can take you inside a combination lock and show you how it protects your security.

The Basics

A combination lock contains a system of wheels, called cams that are designed to spin in a specific relation to one another that allows them to retain or release the latch that secures the lock’s hasp. This is why you have to go through the process of spinning the wheel in a specific direction a few times—this lines up the cams—and then spinning it in varying directions as you work your way through the numbers. As you change the direction of spin, you leave one of the cams in the proper position, rotate the next into position without moving the first and then do it all over again when you reverse direction for the final round.

This locking system is very efficient and very easy to use. It also eliminates the need for a key, which is a tremendous improvement in access control, under certain conditions. Resetting the combination on a safe, for instance, is much easier for a locksmith to do in the event of a lockout than is drilling into a keyed entry safe for which the owner has lost the key.

Applications

Going inside a combination lock is one thing, but a Tampa locksmith can let you know when those types of locks are appropriate. Their most typical uses are on doors where breaching the door in event of a lockout would be very time consuming and expensive. Combination locks are not typically used on residential doors because those doors can be breached by other means if a total lockout takes place.

Combination locks are used for padlocks quite a lot simply because they eliminate the need to carry a key around. Their durability is legendary. Some combination locks can have their combinations reset and others cannot, but all of them tend to be very sturdy and reliable.

There are many different levels of quality with these locks. If you need a very high-end combination lock, by it from a locksmith. They can tell you more about it than marketing information can and can let you know whether it’s right or wrong for your purposes.

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