European Certifications
XENA Security disc-locks have the largest range of SoldSecure Gold, Classe SRA, NF, ART and VAT certified disc-locks in the world. Each year, we submit products for fresh (and ever-more-brutal) testing regimes, working in close cooperation with all major European certification bodies.
Other locks get certified too. But they almost never pass as many as XENA locks. Larger-scale lock companies can engineer a new lock for every attack-type the testers throw at them. But while a 2kg lump of cast iron may pass SoldSecure Gold, it’s not a very convenient way to lock your motorcycle or scooter. Constant innovation has allowed XENA to pass SoldSecure Gold (among others) with a 450-gram disc-lock with electronics inside” a much more elegant and practical solution for the daily rider.
To stand out from the crowd, we need to be all things to all certification bodies.
Why SoldSecure matters: A very realistic test simulates attacking a lock on a motorbike.
SoldSecure is an independent body funded by UK insurers that tries to set a bar to eliminate low-level products from the market. They assign three levels: bronze, silver and gold (the first two are very easy). To award Gold they tend to test the products on the bikes to recreate a “real-life theft” situation. Disc-locks undergo some of the hardest tests to pass on a bike: wedge test with hammer chisel and screwdriver. Lock without double-locking pin do not pass.
SoldSecure Gold testing involves lock picking, drilling, slide-hammering, sawing, wedging test and a torque test. Testers require 6-8 samples, and they study technical drawings before the tests to determine weak points. They re-test annually.
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Why Classe SRA matters: The French standard; brutality of attack, insurance requirement.
In France, locks that do not carry the Classe SRA logo are not considered to be an effective theft deterrent. In fact, you cannot insure a motorbike in France against theft without a Classe SRA-rated anti-theft device.
Classe SRA do not use a motorbike or machinery, only heavy duty tools with human force (but no picking). Classe SRA demand to see highly detailed drawings of the locks before testing, which they use to decide the weakest point (most often the locking pin) and then saw, leveraging/wedge; two tests on the key barrel include drilling with tungsten-carbide drill bit. They take five samples of each lock and even if they don’t succeed in breaking it, they try again. With U locks (like XENA Bullett U-Locks), they use additional tests including sledge-hammering. Testing is done by an official government laboratory.
Recent Classe SRA testing has renewed or issued fresh certificationfor XENA XN14+Claw14+Chain, XENA XN15+Claw+Chain, XENA Bullett XUL300 & 310S, XENA XM14, XH14, XE15, XH15 & XEHD.
Our in-house testing ensures that we meet all these standards, in many cases, in a single product. As a relatively small manufacturer with a global customer base, we do not have the luxury of engineering locks aimed at specific requirements in any one market. That’s why XENA disc-locks have to be engineered to be the best all-around security solution. Period.
Why ART matters: The Dutch standard. Stringent attack and production-control tests.
ART testing involves a combination of human power and machines. Testers again demand to study all documentation and technical drawings for weak points before the tests. Strict requirements on number of key combinations, that they can be re-cut, etc.
In Holland, locks that do not carry the ART foundation logo are not considered effective theft prevention. Riders seeking to insure their bikes against theft find that in most cases insurance companies will demand the use of an ART-approved mechanical anti-theft device.
ART attack tests are performed by machines (tensile strength-, torsion strength-, cutting-, corrosion-, dust and freeze tests) and/or test engineers (brute and intelligence-based attack tests).
In 2006, XENA secured its largest-ever number of ART independent-testing certifications, with cross-the-board renewals for the full XN line, XH series and Claw adaptor” plus newcomers such as the XD10 and XEHD.
