Gear for Gearheads: BOLT Locks

In the inaugural feature of the Gears sections we highlight sponsor BOLT Locks

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It’s a problem we gear heads often have: too many vehicles for one driveway. That trickles down to too many keys for one keychain, or in my case a keychain so bloated with keys that it would make George Costanza uncomfortable. Why so many keys? I have car keys, bike keys, and worse — keys that open doors and/or treasures that I don’t even remember — yet I carry them around daily in case said treasures reveal themselves to me. This is no bueno.

Enter the BOLT series of locks by STRATTEC Security Corporation. The patented locks “learn” your vehicle’s ignition key and are permanently coded to that key. On the first insertion into the lock cylinder, spring-loaded plate tumblers move up and down until they are matched exactly to that key. The first time the key is rotated, the cylinder is uniquely coded to only that key. From there, the world is your oyster and you can open locks including padlocks, receiver hitch locks, and a dozen other types of locks with the same key.

As a truck owner, the receiver hitch and padlock are no brainers. I’m embarrassed to admit I have on more than one occasion lost the keys to said locks. For $31.99 and $21.99 for the receiver hitch lock and padlock respectively, I can a) get rid of some of my jangling keys and b) stop buying locks over and over again. Color me interested. It’s time to reclaim some pocket space for more important things than keys – like my 90’s-laptop-sized iPhone.

For more information, visit the BOLT Lock website.