smseace Outdoor Faucet Lock Device kit 304 Stainless Steel Faucet Cover with Code Lock uesd for Outside Faucet Gate Valve Lockout Device

Lock didn't work, completely useless.

Bought this faucet for my outside faucet where neighbors would help themselves to my water. My spigot is more convenient so they would just use my water that I pay for! This solved that problem, water bill was so much less this month!

My neighbors were turning my water on and using the water for their usage. I tried duct taping around the spigot but as you can guess it didn't last long. I purchased this and it fit like a charm. Didn't know that so many people have intrusive neighbors. Keep off your neighbors property people!

The lock was very confusing. I initially could not get it to open, even though the combination was there on the lock. I tried several times entering those numbers, flipping the little lever on the bottom, nothing. It took me several minutes and attempts to open the lock. Finally, I let someone else help with the lock and they were able to finally figure it out.I didnt know a lock that looks so basic, could be so complicated.Well after I finally placed this on the outdoor faucet, now my neighbor has stopped coming onto my porch to use the water when I'm not home.

CONCLUSIONS: This device will probably deter the opportunistic water thief (your tenant or next door neighbor) from accessing the spigot without tools, time, and trouble - none of which that type of thief will invest. The same is true for the vandal who wants to take your hose and push it through a window, turn on the water, and flood your house or just flood your back yard to run up your water bill. That's the only reason why this device gets a five. If you are relying on this for greater protection, it's not worth the investment even with some tweaks (see below) to make it better.FEATURES: It's a simple device based on the clamshell principle of surrounding the handle and making it impossible to rotate on. The device is stainless steel and it is adequately finished. The steel is 1/16" thick and strong. It's fitted close enough that pry apart would require hammering in one of the sides - too noisy and time consuming. The hinge is strong enough to prevent bare handed breakage, but it's unlikely anyone would try that because attacking the lock is easier and faster. The hole for wrapping around the stem is large, as will be reviewed later. The lock is easy to operate. They are not kidding about keeping the combination number safe - make copies and don't lose them. The shackle of the lock barely fits into the hasp, so you have to keep it in the correct position or it won't go through. The combination is easy to operate: push in the buttons corresponding to the numbers and make sure that the remaining numbers are pushed out all the way, otherwise the lock won't open.TESTING: I tested using an outside spigot with a turnbuckle handle and with two "vintage" valves with a round and oval handle like you would find in old homes. The hole was too large for the outside spigot to fully protect the handle and packing nut. While I couldn't operate the handle with my fingers, there was enough room to access the handle where a couple of screwdrivers would let me turn it. Also, with the packing nut exposed, a vandal with a wrench could easily remove it and use pliers to turn the stem until it was out of the spigot body to create a geyser. Results were slightly better on the oval handle, where the packing nut was captured inside the clamshell. in between was the round handle, which allowed for minimal access, but the packing nut was exposed. Finally, the lock shackle is completely exposed and even a medium size bolt cutter could cut the lock - fastest and easiest way to defeat it.TWEAKS: There are a couple of modifications you can perform to make this better. The first is to use epoxy and attach a split washer to the inside of the clamshell to reduce the size of the hole (Photo - but I didn't split the washer for illustrative purposes). Second, reinforce the hinge by covering the moving parts with masking tape and then using an epoxy like JB Weld to layer over the leaves of the hinge. This will reinforce it against twisting. If you can find a small enough chain link, slip it onto the lock shackle to make it more difficult for a bolt cutter to get a bite on the shackle. Put a plastic bag over the lock with the bottom open to keep water from entering the mechanism.