It’s a lock. It’s a knog-ified lock, but it’s still a lock. We’ve reviewed a few knog products here on BNA, such as the knog blinder rear light, and we’ve visited the knog HQ in Melbourne. Yes, they’re an innovative design company that sets industry standards, and yes, they’ve developed products so good that they’re routinely copied, but this is a lock, what’s innovative about that?
The knog party coil is one of a range of knog locks. It’s a cable lock with a silicone outer cover available in eight different colours. It looks pretty; it’s very knog. The party coil is 1.3 metres long, 10mm thick and comes with 3 colour matched keys. On the technical side, the party coil is a PVC coated, braided steel cable with a fibre core. According to knog, it’s this fibre core that makes the cable strong enough to offer some security. Apparently this core will result in the cable crushing before cutting, which will make bolt cutter attacks more difficult. I can’t confirm any of that because I didn’t cut into it. I was planning to, however.
When the cable lock first arrived, I had every intention of using it for a few weeks and then going nuts on it with my bolt cutters, side cutters, angle grinder and anything else I could find. The lock initially didn’t impress me very much. Yes, it looked very nice, but it didn’t look “butch”. When I lock up my bike I want potential thieves to see a good quality cable lock (and usually D lock as well) that’s too much trouble to bother with. I know that if someone wants my bike, they’ll get it, but if it’s too much hassle to steal, perhaps they’ll move on to the next bike. There’s a visual component to that security and the knog party coil looks too good.
Don’t get me wrong here, the lock is far from the “dental floss” cable locks you can buy, but it doesn’t look scary hard to cut. As such, I was going to have some fun with it; that is until I started using it. Knog know their customer base and they’ve taken a simple cable lock and made it just that little bit more convenient, too convenient for me to cut up.
According to the instruction manual that comes with the lock (yes, it has an instruction manual), the party coil can fit into your pocket. I tried it out, and it does; it will fit into the back pocket of your skinny jeans and it will also fit into your jersey pocket. The coil is very tight, but it’s not bulky, and it only weighs 300g, so it’s not going to drag you down.
The party coil is short, only 1.3 metres long, which I initially found disappointing. My 1.8 metre cable lock allows my to secure both wheels around a sign post or light pole without too much hassle. The party coil will just fit through both wheels and wrap around a bike rack or railing that’s very close to the bike, or if you’re willing to take the front wheel off and chain it to the frame, you can secure your bike to something larger. I’m willing to trade some slightly limited parking options for the convenience of the party coil and after using it for a few weeks I’m quite used to the getting the cable around my bike and whatever I’m chaining up to.
So my perception changed with a bit of use and the party coil now sees quite a bit of action when I’m out riding. When I have to lock up in the city, I take my shabby commuter bike with the rack and panniers, and I still carry my big cable lock and D lock. Now, however, I can easily take a lock with me when I’m on my racing bike or my fixie, which don’t have racks. I just stick the party coil in my jersey pocket and I can lock my bike up at the coffee shop or supermarket when I need to. Provided I don’t take too long or I’m not too far away from the bike, the party coil gives me enough protection to keep my ride safe.
There we have it, the knog party coil is a really useful lock. It looks good, and it’s convenient to carry with you. It’s not for every security situation, but it’s also not knog’s only lock. Knog have a range of stylish locks, from stylish D locks to stylish wearable locks, providing a range of stylish security strengths (their top D lock is rated 90% and the party coil is rated at 30%, but what that means objectively is anyone’s guess). There’s a trade off between security and convenience with the party coil, but now that I’ve used it, it makes me want to look at the other knog locking options.
Knog put a considerable amount of thought into their products and all they make is common bike accessories, but they make them better. The party coil is a simple cable lock that is just a little bit better, a little bit more convenient, a little bit more…knog.
The party coil can be purchased for $29.95 from knog online or good bike shops. See entire range of knog bike locks online.
