There’s something very intriguing in puzzle locks.
Here’s why.
Some designers really have a strong sense of imagination –
They can take a normal, everyday padlock, and mod it to be a puzzle.
It’s amazing to see the diversity of mechanisms that can fit there.
Imagine this – You take a common padlock,
Expecting the lock to behave normally.
So like any thinking person,
You take the key, put it inside the hole,
And try to turn it.
“Nope”, whispers le lock.
This is when the shenanigans start.
Quick Navigation
Dan Feldman
One of the first puzzlers in Israel, Dan Feldman, enjoyed all kinds of locks.
Especially puzzle locks.
He liked them so much that he made his own designs,
And after combining two of them (!)
DanLock was born.
The DanLock has proved itself a worthy, and eventually became a legend among puzzlers.
In fact, it was such a revolutionary design that it marked a new age of puzzle designs.
Not only because the lock itself is a common padlock with a modded mechanism,
But also, unlike other puzzle locks back then, the Danlock included many steps and secrets, making it a sequential discovery lock.
Moreover, Dan’s designs aren’t his only contribution to the puzzle world.
Dan’s son, Boaz, growing up in the house of a puzzle-lock enthusiast, became a puzzler himself.
Not just a puzzler.
Boaz continues his father by taking care of producing the DanLocks, and even designing many original locks himself,
Which you can find at his store, Puzzlocks
First Impressions
DanLock is first and foremost, a padlock.
Made of heavy and chill brass.
On the shackle itself you have a key stuck,
And outside the shackle you have a key. Yay!
Well, that key is broken. Whoops.
Before you blame customs for their handling,
You should know that all is planned.
DanLock
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Puzzle Type | Take-Apart – Sequential Discovery Puzzle Lock |
| Designer | Dan Feldman |
| Manufacturer | Boaz Feldman |
| Budget | High |
| Difficulty | Intense |
| Material | Metal |
| Quality for Price | Very Good |
| Puzzling Value for Price | Super |
| Best for | *Champions |
| Warnings |
From the very start of my puzzling, somewhere in 2012-2013, DanLock was talked about everywhere.
All the famous blogs talked very highly of it.
I don’t know why I only got ahold of it in 2020.
How did I get it?
The Mechanical Puzzles Discord lent it to me. Super thankful to them for that!
Well anyway, as soon as I got it, I thought to myself –
How hard can this be?
I did the first step in literally one minute.
From there I found what I needed, continued some more, feeding my confidence even more.
Then Bam.
How can this be?
Stumped.
Just like that.
I tried tons of approaches, but my mind was absolutely jammed.
Then I took it out in sessions.
I couldn’t do it in one run.
Until, on my third session, I noticed a certain… Peculiarity.
Using this information was not straightforward.
Finally, after some more thinking, I deduced it logically,
But it just…
Blew my mind.
Immediately after the solve,
I couldn’t help but feel stupid to not try this one before.
Seriously.
How can one fit so much puzzling inside a padlock?!
The Verdict
If you like locks and lockpicking and puzzles, then for the love of life, the universe, and everything, give DanLock a shot.
It’s an essential classic;
Genre defining;
Has high-tier sequential discovery,
And is a DAMN GOOD Champion puzzle.
…If you’ve read up to here… You should know that there’s a rumor running in town.
About a new design from Boaz.
They say it’s really, really close.
And really unique.
But is it true?
Only time can tell I guess……