Wordlock LL-206-RD TSA Approved Combination Luggage Lock – 4 Dial, Red, Normal

Picture this: you're caught in nasty weather and trying to recall that simple four-digit combination for your luggage lock. Was it 1-2-3-4? Was it one of your kid's birth dates, or the last four digits of your phone? Has this ever happened to you? If so, you're not alone, as it happens to many of us.There's a simple solution to this, and it's the Wordlock 4-Dial Luggage Lock, my personal favorite for my supplementary lock for my larger camera bag. I bought it in black to keep things low profile, but it's also available in green, purple, red or silver, if you like your padlock security to be more colorful. It comes with an easy to understand instruction sheet that shows you own combination in just a few easy steps, and the sheet is in English, Spanish and French.This product is not only quite handy, but very functional. Wordlock is an innovative company that makes a variety of combination locks, and I've used their Wordlock PL-031-SL 5-Letter Combination Spanish Language Padlock as my bike lock for a number of years now. I picked this one in Spanish for its uniqueness, and am quite happy with it as you can see from my review. Truth be told, I also have my original English language version as well.This luggage lock features 10,000 word and letter combinations set by its four rings. Not every combination will yield a practical English language word, but being a bit innovative you should be able find a real 'dictionary' word that's easy to remember as your personal combination. Another good point is that these luggage locks are TSA approved, as you can see from the red diamond-shaped identification mark, and there a TSA code on the bottom. If you've ever seen airport security people taking a bolt cutter to the lock on someone's luggage to inspect the contents, then you'll understand why this is important.Let's face it, if someone wants to steal the contents of your luggage, they will probably just steal the entire bag itself. But according to a friend who once investigated claims for luggage thefts, when faced with hundreds of bags to choose from, a crook will usually pick from one of the easiest to open: the one without the lock. All things considered, for me this inexpensive little Wordlock luggage lock is a 5-star choice for basic protection of my luggage when traveling, and is highly recommended.

I recently took a trip to the Caribbean with one stop-over. I wanted to lock my two suitcases just to make it more difficult for handlers to root through the luggage. I really had nothing but clothing in the two bags. I searched the baggage lock reviews on Amazon. I noticed that some locks had a plastic section that could easily be snapped open with a wrench. Seriously if someone wants to get into your bag, they will. But I figured I'd look for a sturdy lock that was not huge or over-priced. To the point these two locks survived their first trip. I was surprised, upon arrival at the destination airport, that the locks were heavily scratched and chipped during handling. At the hotel the locks opened and closed easily. On the return trip I suppose they received the same treatment.One connecting flight was canceled and the bags were lost for a number of hours. Once home I inspected the locks and found them secure and operating properly. I don't know what more I would want in a lock that merely makes it more difficult to riffle through my bags. I did like the word-lock feature. I found a four-letter word that I would not forget. Instructions are easy. The lock work. I would buy them again.

The locks work fine. I chose these, with the letters, instead of the numbers, because I can remember a name better than numbers.I've used this style of lock for many years and the thing that destroys them is that the letters (or numbers) get worn from the machines that handle the luggage. Although the lock works for a long time, I have to replace them becasue I can no longer see the letters. It would be the same with numbers.

The word lock feature is nice and easier to remember than the number combination locks. It is also easier to see in less light conditions. The construction quality is so bad that one of the four locks that I bought before an international trip failed to lock again (stuck) during the trip (in less than a month). A lock is useful only if can lock (and unlock); so please avoid this product. When I contacted the manufacture describing the problem, the representative asked to return with original packaging - I had not saved the packaging as it was already used by that time.

We usevthesevforvtraveling in preference to those with numbers. These are easier to read, and it's easier to recall a word than numbers. The four (instead of three) dials mean better protection as well. I've had the TSA open these to inspect baggage and reattach them successfully. (These locks would be easy to break off, much like any other travel mini-locks out there. In my opinion they prevent petty pilfering and are a deterrent to thieves if they must choose between carry on bags etc. protected by these locks or not protected at all.)

It is hard to find 4 digit locks. I like the extra digit, which makes it unlikely that someone is going to try to guess the combo. With a 3 digit combo, anyone with time can do the few hundred variations it takes to figure it out (had an ex-girlfriend do that in an hour or so while I was out).Some reviews mention the piece the bar drops into is plastic. It is now a metal insert which seems strong enough. Also the dials are a bit larger and there's no corner bars so the dials stick out past the surface all the way around. Makes them easy to spin.I have some older locks that are silver with black lettering. In dim light is it hard to read those numbers now that I'm getting older. So those are fine for checked bags, and I use this for my carry-on on international flights. This is easy to read even in an airplane cabin at night. I would prefer numbers over letters, but it is fine. Part of the problem with letters is it is tempting to use actual words as the combo instead of a random arrangement. They even give a list of possible words to use as a combo. If I were trying to guess someone's combo, I'd start with that list that came with the lock.