Mind the Gap

Back in December Andrew Coles announced that he had a new design that he was almost ready to inflict on the public. He offered a few of us the chance to purchase an early copy and given just how different Lock Out was, I immediately sent him some PayPal to secure a copy… and not long after I had a big old hunk of brass in my paws.

Mind the Gap is another Abus lock that Andrew has modified into being a trick lock. This one has a hefty straight shackle that passes between two extended bits of the main body of the lock (apparently this is a shutter-style lock) – it looks like it means business – and if it doesn’t intimidate you at least a bit, you’re clearly a locksmith. For the most part it doesn’t look like it’s been heavily modified, although there is a screwhead that looks a little incongruous, suggesting that all is perhaps not quite what it may seem.

The lock and a pair of keys on the customary AC key fob come inside one of Andrew’s gold embossed velvet bags. The little card that accompanies the lock asks you to fully open the shackle… which is interesting, normally you wouldn’t need any form of qualification in an instruction like that… but there must be a reason… surely.

…and indeed there is – it becomes apparent as soon as you insert one of the keys into the lock and turn it – the shackle spits out, just a little, and stops right there… which sort of feels like progress, only now you have a bit of a puzzle to solve. The locky bit has done its thing, yet nobody in their right mind would describe this shackle as being fully open…

And it turns out that’s the start of a lovely little journey into Andrew’s wonderfully creative world. Lock out used something wonderfully unique in trick locks, and dare I say it, Mind the Gap continues that tradition.

There’s fun and games with lots of things to discover along the way and before you ultimately get the shackle all the way open (albeit still trapped – and that’s right). The good news is that resetting this little puppy isn’t entirely trivial and does need you to keep some of your wits about you…

Once again Andrew has produced something totally new in a puzzle lock – something that will amuse even the most jaded of trick lock afficionados.