At just over £40 (less online) you'd expect mid-range performance from a U-lock but the Brute proved itself to be a tough cookie and it's a great lock to sling in your bag for the daily commute. You'll need a bag, as there's no bracket supplied, although one is available.

The Brute mates a 16mm hardened shackle with a bar made from a single piece of steel, and the locking mechanism is protected against drilling and picking. The whole lock is rubberised to protect your paintwork and you get five keys (one with an LED light) to open it with. Like we said above, there's no bracket.

We attacked our sample with our standard armoury – 3ft bolt croppers, persuader, hammer, cold chisel, screwdriver and hacksaw. The 16mm shackle was too big for the jaws of our croppers so we went after it with the persuader and hammer but after five minutes the damage was pretty cosmetic, and the lock – with a slightly bent shackle – still worked fine. Onguard claim that the lock can cope with 10 tons of pulling force. It's a fairly beefy lock and you'll certainly feel the weight carrying it around, it's even heavier then the Kryptonite New York 3000, but then it is also substantially cheaper which means that in terms of bangs for buck it's a solid choice.

Verdict

Good level of security from a mid-price lock, really good value

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road.cc test report

Make and model: OnGuard Brute U-lock

Size tested: 178mm

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 190cm  Weight: 98kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing…  My best bike is: Trek 1.5 with Ultegra 6700

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track