Litelok X1 Moto review | A diamond-rated D-lock designed to destroy angle grinder blades

Environmentally friendly and high security don’t necessarily go hand in hand, yet Litelok fuse them together in much the same way as the ceramic composite armour they use to make the X1 Moto D-lock such a tough nut for thieves to crack.

A ceramic composite is a material created from two or more elements with fundamentally different properties, giving a result that is greater than its parts. Bulletproof armour, high performance brakes and turbine blades are all examples that use ceramic composites of one kind or another to suit their particular applications.

Litelok’s own special sauce for this is a trademarked recipe called ‘Barronium’ (after founder and CEO Professor Neil Barron) and has been specifically developed to offer high resistance to angle grinder attacks.

The claim is that it deflects the energy from the grinding disc back on itself, and there have been several independent tests that certainly seem to prove the point. For added protection against assault from cutters and croppers, the Barronium armour is fused to a high tensile steel core, making chopping through it just as much of a challenge as cutting.

I haven’t tried attacking it myself, preferring to use the X1 as my lock of choice both in the shed and for when I’m out and about.

Which brings me on to the environmental aspect. Litelok are a UK based firm and manufacture their security products at a solar powered facility in Wales. They also use a plant based ’eco-rubber’ for the X1’s coating and ship them in a plain recyclable brown cardboard package, all in all a nice concession to the welfare of the planet.

The rubber coating has a soft, malleable like feel which helps prevents damage to delicate parts like discs, wheels and fairing panels. This is something I really like as the X1 is most effective when threaded around spokes and through brake discs to give any would-be thieves a time consuming puzzle they’ll hopefully walk away from.

The self-sealing silicone cover over the lock barrel to prevent water and grit getting inside is a well thought through feature too.

I used to carry a substantial lock and chain whenever I needed peace of mind on the go, but it was an awkward and heavy lump to lug about, especially when all I had was a rucksack. The X1 only weighs 1,500 grammes (on my scales) and measures just 265 x 178mm, meaning I can chuck it in my top box, tank bag, or any other piece of luggage for that matter, without worrying about the extra weight.

It may be green in some respects, but there’s no concession to biodegradability where the security of the lock is concerned, and the Sold Secure Diamond rated Litelok X1 Moto feels like it would outlast a major apocalyptic event or three.

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