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Hiplok D1000 Bike Lock Review

A nearly uncuttable lock that's nice to use and soft on your bike, but it's heavy, very expensive and a tad small
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Hiplok D1000 Bike Lock Review (We were able to lock our ebike to this fairly standard rack easily, your mileage may vary though.)
We were able to lock our ebike to this fairly standard rack easily, your mileage may vary though.
Credit: Luke Hollomon
Price:  $300 List
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Manufacturer:   Hiplock
By Luke Hollomon ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Aug 8, 2023
65
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#7 of 23
  • Security - 40% 9.5
  • Ease of Transport - 25% 3.0
  • Ease of Use - 20% 6.0
  • Versatility - 15% 5.0

Our Verdict

When we saw the Hiplok D1000 marketed as a revolution in bike lock technology, we were skeptical. But four minutes after we turned our diamond-studded angle grinder blade onto the graphene-enhanced shackle of this lock and still hadn't cut it, we were believers. This really is a revolutionary design that's the most secure we've ever used. It took almost five minutes to cut through one side of this lock, and the double-locking square shackle design means we'd have to cut it twice in order to get it off your bike. The lock is heavier than we'd like to lug around, smaller than most competitors, and very expensive, but there's no denying it's the toughest-to-cut U-lock we've ever tested. For a list of the top-scoring competitors, head over to our review of the best bike locks.
REASONS TO BUY
Incredible security
Non-marring rubber coating
Smooth keyway that's protected from the elements
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Heavy
Small locking radius
Requires aftermarket carrying method

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Bike Lock for Security
Best Buy Award
Best U-lock on a Budget
Best Buy Award
Best Chain Lock on a Budget
Top Pick Award
Best Wearable Design
Price $299.99 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers
$300 ListCheck Price at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers
$70 List
$65.12 at Amazon
$99.99 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line Ridiculously hard to cut and won't mark up your bike, but comes with a smaller locking area and much higher price than alternativesThe most theft deterrent lock, although it's heavy and doesn't come with a mount despite the high price tagAbove average security in a large, versatile lock that's let down a bit by difficult to use key and annoying mountCan fit any bike and rack and is remarkably secure though tough to ferry around townWear this chain lock around your waist to bring solid security with you whenever you cycle
Rating Categories Hiplok D1000 Bike Lock LITELOK X3 Kryptonite KryptoLok Abus Ivera 7210 Hiplok Original: Su...
Security (40%)
9.5
10.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
Ease of Transport (25%)
3.0
3.0
6.0
5.0
8.0
Ease of Use (20%)
6.0
6.5
7.0
8.0
7.0
Versatility (15%)
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
7.0
Specs Hiplok D1000 Bike Lock LITELOK X3 Kryptonite KryptoLok Abus Ivera 7210 Hiplok Original: Su...
Type U-Lock U-Lock U-Lock + cable Chain Wearable chain
Time to Defeat Lock 330 seconds 464 seconds 20 seconds 12 seconds 13 seconds
Measured Weight 4.2 lbs 4.7 lbs 2.5 lbs 2.8 lbs 4.3 lbs
Locking Dimension 6" x 3.5" 3.93" x 7.6" U-lock: 4" x 9", cable 5' 33.7 circumference 33.5" circumference, 2" width
Primary Materials/Thickness 20mm graphene reinforced hardened steel 24-26mm, Barronium (patent pending composite material), high tensile steel 12.7mm hardened steel 7mm hardened steel square chain 8mm hardened steel chain, 600D polyester sleeve
Included Keys 3 coded keys 3 keys 2 keys 2 keys 3 keys
Defeated by Tin Snips No No No No No
Defeated by Hammer No No No No No
Defeated by Hacksaw No No No No No
Defeated by 36" Bolt Cutters no No No No No
Number of Angle Grinder Cuts to Defeat Lock 2 cuts 2 cuts 2 cuts 2 cuts 1 cut

Our Analysis and Test Results

If you've been following the bike industry over the last few years, you've probably heard the word “graphene” pop up over and over again. From tires to frames to jerseys and shoes, just about every product now includes this wonder material. When Hiplok released the graphene-enhanced D1000 bike lock, claiming that it was designed to resist angle grinders, we were skeptical. They wouldn't be the first to promise a graphene revolution and deliver a dud. But after we tried to slice it open with our diamond-tipped grinder, we became believers. The Hiplok D1000 is ridiculously difficult to cut and is coated in thick rubber that protects your frame and the items in your bag when you're lugging it around.

Performance Comparison


hiplok d1000 bike lock - the hiplok d1000 busted three different metal grinding discs at...
The Hiplok D1000 busted three different metal grinding discs at three different attack points in our most recent round of testing. While we could get through it, it takes a lot of time and persistence.
Credit: Jon Oleson


Security


The Hiplok D1000 earned top ratings for security. It was so difficult to cut; we had to reset our scale to give it a position at the top. The 20-millimeters (~0.75 inches) thick, rectangular shackle is made from graphene-infused hardened steel and resisted our angle grinder like nothing we've ever cut before. Using an angle grinder equipped with a brand new blade, we did our best impersonation of a desperate thief. It took our grinder about four and a half minutes to slice through one side of this lock while it was locked in a vise, but that wasn't enough to free it. Because of the double lock design and rectangular shape, you have to cut this lock twice to get it free. We'd already used up one blade and a full battery, so we decided to call it a day on trying to slice this lock.

The second attack point on the Hiplok D1000, where the shackle meets the crossbar, wore through a second metal grinding disc.
Credit: Jon Oleson

After disassembling the crossbar covering and cutting off the thick rubber coating on the shackle, we looked for new weak points. We tried attacking the crossbar through the keyhole. No dice. After that, we went after an area that looked thin on the edges of the lock. We were able to cut through it in about 30 seconds, but that only exposed the shackle more. The lock wouldn't budge. Eventually, this lock had three partial cuts and one all the way through, and we still hadn't discovered a weak point. Very impressive.

As far as picking goes, we're not the LockPickingLawyer; it's not our skill set. And very few bike locks are picked on the street. Most thieves prefer the smash-and-grab (or slice-and-grab, in this case) when it comes to bike locks. The D1000 does have a unique keyway and comes with three coded keys that can be registered and replaced if you lose them.

Ease of Transport


If you're going to make a lock that takes five minutes to cut, it's probably going to be heavy. That's the case with the D1000. We measured it at 4.2 pounds, one of the heaviest U-Locks we've tested. In addition to its weight, this lock doesn't come with any mounting apparatus. You have to purchase that as a costly add-on. Fortunately, the thick, soft rubber coating means it's not going to beat up things in your bag too much, nor will it rattle if you strap it to your rack, but it's still difficult to get around.

hiplok d1000 bike lock - this part of the keyhole protector regularly peeled up in use and...
This part of the keyhole protector regularly peeled up in use and was a pain to tuck back down.
Credit: Luke Hollomon

Something else we noticed, as we lugged this beast of a lock around town to meetings and classes, was the rubber coating is quite sticky. The material feels nice in your hand and is very nice to your bike, but if you plop this into your bag with a paperback book or notebook, the paper is going to stick to the rubber, bending up the cover and pages. It's a little thing, sure, but with no method provided to carry the lock other than chucking it into a bag, it's important to know you may be putting a book at risk. For the price you'll pay for this lock, we wish it came with anything to help carry it and protect your stuff.

Ease of Use


The Hiplok D1000 ran into some positives and negatives in this area. The key and keyhole are very nice to use. They're smooth, don't take a lot of force, and don't have to be jiggled to get them just right like you see with some other locks. Even after spending a few weeks out in the rain and dirt in our yard, we had no trouble fitting the key into the lock. This lock also performed very well in our freezing rain test. The two pieces came apart instantly, with no trouble at all.

hiplok d1000 bike lock - even completely iced up after we sprayed it down with water and...
Even completely iced up after we sprayed it down with water and plopped it in the freezer, the lock performed perfectly.
Credit: Luke Hollomon

So where did it suffer? The size of the lock and the keyhole protector both left a bit to be desired. We understand that Hiplok needed to find a compromise between usable size and weight, and they chose to make the D1000 a bit smaller than its competitors so it wasn't way too heavy. Unfortunately, this means you'll have to park your bike just right and probably do some fiddling in order to get it locked, especially if you have oversized tubes or an unwieldy locking place. The rubber keyhole protector was nice to use day to day when it stayed in place. It was easy to open and close and never got sticky or in our way. But it didn't like to stay attached to the lock body. After slipping around in our bags for a couple of hours, it would often start to disconnect from the lock and fall off, and it's a pain to fit back into its grooves. We weren't fans.

Versatility


The D1000 also suffered a bit in versatility ratings, largely due to its small shackle size and the thickness of the shackle. Combined, these two elements can make it difficult to use in some circumstances. One of our testers regularly rides their carbon-tubed mountain bike to work and tested this lock as their main method of security at the office. Due to its small shackle size, they couldn't use one of their office's bike racks, and they had to lock to a signpost nearby. On their round-tubed gravel bike, this wasn't a problem, but the semi-rectangular, oversized tubes of their mountain bike made it tougher to find a good place to lock.

A size comparison between the Kryptonite Kryptolok and the Hiplok...
A size comparison between the Kryptonite Kryptolok and the Hiplok D1000. You can see how the D1000 is significantly smaller than the Kryptonite, sometimes making it difficult to use.
We were able to lock our ebike to this rack with the Kryptonite New...
We were able to lock our ebike to this rack with the Kryptonite New York Standard U-Lock, but the Hiplok D1000 was a little too short.
A size comparison of the Hiplok D1000, the Kryptonite New York...
A size comparison of the Hiplok D1000, the Kryptonite New York Standard U-Lock, and the Kryptonite KryptoLok.

The locking area is large enough for most bikes in most situations, but it's not universal, nor is it big enough to make locking a simple, easy process all the time. If the places you commonly lock your bike are large tubes or at awkward angles, the Hiplok D1000 may not work for you every day. And if you have to lock your bike to something thinner and weaker because your U-lock is small, you're compromising the security of your bike. Lockups are only as strong as their weakest link. As part of our testing, we cut through a road signpost (obtained legally, not out on the street). It took us about four minutes to slice it due to its awkward size and shape. But something smaller, like a line post on a chain link fence, only took about a minute to slice. So make sure you can still lock this smaller U-lock to posts that adequately protect your bike.

hiplok d1000 bike lock - the shackle of the lock was too small for us to lock our bike to...
The shackle of the lock was too small for us to lock our bike to this large pole.
Credit: Luke Hollomon

Should You Buy the Hiplok D1000?


If you want the ultimate in U-lock security and you're willing to compromise on convenience to have it, this is the lock for you. Keep in mind it costs more than twice as much as other top U-locks but is significantly more secure. If you're regularly locking in sketchy areas, have a bike you really want to protect or value the piece of mind of knowing that a potential thief will have to hack away at your lock for minute after minute, the D1000 is a great choice. If you don't like carrying extra pounds in your bag, regularly lock to larger posts or non-round bike tubes, or are willing to trade some security for versatility and ease of use, you may want to look at the other locks we've reviewed.

hiplok d1000 bike lock - after over a minute of slicing by our battery operated angle...
After over a minute of slicing by our battery operated angle grinder, that's as far through the shackle as we made it. We tried to gouge a chunk out of the right side to get into the lock there, but no dice.
Credit: Luke Hollomon

What Other Bike Locks Should You Consider?


If you're looking for a lock that's quite secure while also being very convenient to use anywhere, check out the Editor's Choice Abus Ivera 7210. And if you want a U-lock that can fit just about anywhere and you're willing to compromise on security a bit compared to the D1000, check out the Kryptonite New York Standard U-Lock.

Luke Hollomon