Combination padlock vs keyed padlock
Updated: October 2026
You are choosing a mechanism, not a trophy. A combination padlock vs keyed padlock decision is about who must get in, and whether you will be dialling a shed in the dark or losing a key every school term. A shared code is easy to pass on, which is both the point and the leak. Two keys in the box are copies of one key, unless the listing says keyed alike. Grades and weather sit on the [padlock buying guide](/hub/door-and-window-security/padlock/sub/padlock-buying-guide). Prices are on the [padlock comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/padlock). Peter F. compared these amazon.co.uk listings in October 2026. There was no timed attack. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are choosing a mechanism, not a trophy. A combination padlock vs keyed padlock decision is about who must get in, and whether you will be dialling a shed in the dark or losing a key every school term.
You are choosing a mechanism, not a trophy. A combination padlock vs keyed padlock decision is about who must get in, and whether you will be dialling a shed in the dark or losing a key every school term. A shared code is easy to pass on, which is both the point and the leak. Two keys in the box are copies of one key, unless the listing says keyed alike. Grades and weather sit on the padlock buying guide. Prices are on the padlock comparison. Peter F. compared these amazon.co.uk listings in October 2026. There was no timed attack. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Lock type | Shackle | Access | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Diyife Diyife 52 mm combination padlock | 4-digit combination | 8 mm, 304 stainless | Resettable code | 9.4 | about £13.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  GRIFEMA GRIFEMA 4-digit padlock | 4-digit combination | Hardened steel, diameter n/a | Resettable code | 8.8 | about £3.78 | View offer |
 SEPOX SEPOX keyed-alike long-shackle pair | Keyed alike pair | 46.5 mm long, diameter n/a | 3 keys, one family | 8.8 | about £9.97 | View offer |
On this page
The choice is who can open it, and when
A 4-digit code can be told to a neighbour, a teenager or a gym reception, and it can be changed later if you still know the current number. A key is one motion, which matters in gloves and in the dark, and a lost key means a new lock for the ordinary keyed padlocks in this set, not a reset at the kitchen table. Neither side wins a security contest on this shelf. Insight Security treats combination padlocks as low-level security. None of the twelve listings states a BS EN 12320 grade or a Sold Secure mark, keyed or coded.
A cheap code and a cheap key fail for the same reason if the hasp is screwed on from the outside. The shackle can stay locked while the staple leaves with the screws. That fitting limit is the same for both columns, so it should not crown either mechanism. The shed pattern of two closed shackles is not met by either column here.
A 4-digit code is easy to share and easy to pass on
A 4-digit lock has 10,000 codes if every wheel runs from 0 to 9. Listings such as the Diyife state that count. The count is the size of the number space. It is not a security grade, and it is not resistance to cutting, leverage or a weak hasp. Cheap wheels can be worked by feel. Do not widen that into a claim that no combination lock anywhere has a CEN rating. These combination listings do not state a grade.
The Diyife, the top pick at about £13.99, has a stated 8 mm shackle. The best padlock page uses that listing inside those limits. The Squire CP50 is about £20.50, with Squire’s own 5/10+ note, which is still not a CEN grade. The CP40 at about £13.00 is the locker-sized Squire, listed for lockers, bags and cupboards. GRIFEMA, the best value at about £3.78, has the most reviews and does not state a shackle diameter. A code you tell a neighbour is a code you no longer control. Squire states there is no override code on their combination products. Write the new code indoors before the lock goes on the staple.
A key is faster in the dark, and it is not one key
A key is the better motion when you cannot see worn wheels: a shed at night, cold hands, a torch in the other fist. A lost key is not a reset. You cut the lock off or you replace it. Two keys supplied with one padlock are spare copies of that key. Keyed alike means every lock in the set you ordered opens with the same key. Keyed to differ means the key from one lock does not open the next.
In this set, the keyed-alike claim is the SEPOX pair at about £9.97, 4.4 from 1,621 reviews: two laminated locks and three keys. The size lines conflict, 58 mm in the title, 40 mm in the model name, 46.5 mm on the shackle, diameter not stated. The xdg pair, about £6.25, is sold keyed to differ. Reviewers say the JMIATRY pair, about £20.99, is not keyed alike. YIKI, about £3.90, is a single 38 mm keyed lock with a stated 5 mm shackle. If several locks must share one key, that job is padlocks keyed alike.
One recommendation, with a condition
Choose a re-codable 4-digit combination for a locker or a low-risk family gate. Choose a key for a shed you do not want to open by feel in the dark. If several locks must share one key, leave this page for the keyed-alike comparison rather than assuming the two keys in a single box will do it.
Skip a code for a number that many people will know and that you will not reset, and for anyone who needs a published grade. Skip a key for a school or gym locker where keys disappear every term. Neither recommendation survives a hasp you have not measured, or a listing that is silent on a grade your insurer has already named. Both mechanisms on this shelf remain ungraded open shackles. Convenience is the real difference between them.
Common questions
When is a combination padlock the better choice?
When several people must get in and the risk is low: a school or gym locker, or a family gate you are not treating as a strongroom. You can tell them the code and, if you still know it, change it when they should no longer have it. Insight Security still classes combination padlocks as low-level security. A 10,000-code count does not change that, and it does not suit a shed you will dial in the dark.
When is a keyed padlock the better choice?
When you want one motion in poor light or with gloves, which is the ordinary shed you open after work. The limit is loss. A lost key on these ordinary keyed locks means a new lock, not a reset. Keep the spare indoors or with a neighbour. Do not treat two keys in the box as proof that a second lock will open with the same key.
Is 10,000 codes the same as a security grade?
No. Four digits from 0 to 9 give 10,000 numbers. That is arithmetic. BS EN 12320 grades, and Sold Secure marks mapped to CEN 3 through 6, are a different statement, and none of these listings makes it. Cheap wheels can also be worked by feel. The number of codes says nothing about an open shackle or a hasp screwed on from the outside.
What happens if I forget the code or lose the key?
A forgotten code leaves you stuck unless the lock is open or the number is written down indoors. Squire says there is no override for their combination products. A lost key, on the keyed locks here, means replacing the lock. Do not look for a shim. Write a new combination down before you close the shackle, and keep spare keys out from under the shed.
Does two keys mean the locks are keyed alike?
No. Two keys with one padlock are copies of that one key. Keyed alike means one key opens every lock in the set. Keyed to differ means it does not. Here, SEPOX is the pair sold as keyed alike. The xdg pair is sold keyed to differ. Reviewers say the JMIATRY pair is not alike. A full one-key set is the keyed-alike comparison, not a guess from a pair title.
What should I buy for a school locker versus a shed I open in the dark?
For the locker, a re-codable 4-digit lock. The CP40’s own listing is the Squire aimed at lockers, bags and cupboards rather than gates. For the dark shed, a key, with the spare kept indoors. If that shed must follow the two closed-shackle pattern, neither column in this set is the lock. Measure the hasp before you treat either answer as final.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings in the product files. None of the twelve listings states a BS EN 12320 grade or a Sold Secure mark.
- BSI Knowledge, BS EN 12320:2021 padlocks and padlock fittings (retrieved October 2026)
- SIST EN 12320:2022 preview, durability and corrosion (retrieved October 2026)
- ProtectUK, locks (retrieved October 2026)
- Sold Secure ratings (retrieved October 2026)
- Secured by Design, secure sheds and outbuildings (retrieved October 2026)
- West Yorkshire Police, shed and garage security (retrieved October 2026)
- Squire, how to choose a padlock (retrieved October 2026)
- Insight Security, ten factors when choosing a padlock (retrieved October 2026)