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Have you always wanted to learn about locks, helmets and more?

We look forward to your questions!

Simply send them to us via email: kids@abus.de – and you might find them here online soon.

Why does steel need to be hardened?

Hardening the steel makes bike locks and padlocks much stronger. It’s then not so easy to break them.

This is how it works:

When, for example, a thief wants to steal a bike, they don’t want to be obvious. So some thieves use a small metal saw. These saws have hard and sharp teeth which can even cut through steel and other metals. But here at ABUS, we use a special steel which can be hardened. This makes the outside layer so hard that it is even harder than a metal saw. If the thief uses this type of saw, our locks will only be scratched, but the saw will soon find itself with blunt teeth.

And the lock stays just the way it is!

Why do keys have jagged edges?

When you look at mum or dad’s set of keys, you'll see this: the edges of all the keys have different sized points.

The part of the key with jagged edges has a funny name: it's called a key bit. The edges on the key bit fit perfectly into the inside of the lock for which the key was made. This is the cylinder. Inside, there are small pins which move back and forth. But only when the edges of the key bit fit perfectly on the pins. Then, the lock opens.

That’s why a key has jagged edges!

    

Information for parents

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Break-in protection
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Theft protection
Accident prevention
Carbon monoxide
Security for companies

Video surveillance
Preconceptions and myths
Keys and Cylinders
Checked & tested
Security glossary
83 Padlock Series