I've watched a suitcase come off the carousel with its zipper pull hanging wide open more times than I'd like to count, and every time it happens I think about everything a stranger could have grabbed on the trip between the ticket counter and my hotel room. That's the whole reason a TSA luggage lock rides in my checked bag on every trip I take. For the last year that's been the Master Lock 4689T, a keyed lock sold as a two pack, nothing fancy about it, just a hardened shackle and a small lock body that clips onto both zipper pulls and holds them shut.
I'll say this straight up before the list, because I don't sell anything I wouldn't stand behind myself. A TSA lock does not make a bag theft proof. Nothing does. A determined thief with a blade can cut through a soft-sided suitcase panel regardless of what's holding the zipper shut, lock or no lock. What a good luggage lock actually does is close off the easy, lazy opportunity, the zipper that's already open, the pull two fingers can work apart in about three seconds while nobody's watching. Here are ten honest reasons I keep a TSA luggage lock on every bag I check, and where the Master Lock 4689T earns its spot in that routine.
A wide open zipper is an invitation. A locked one isn't.
The Master Lock 4689T is a TSA-accepted keyed luggage lock that closes off the easy opportunity every checked bag faces between the ticket counter and baggage claim.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →It closes the zipper that opportunists look for first
Checked bags get thrown, stacked, and dragged across conveyor systems all day, and zipper pulls work loose more often than people realize. A TSA luggage lock clips both pulls together so your bag doesn't roll off the belt with a gap wide enough for a hand. It's the single simplest thing a lock does, and it's the reason I never send a bag through without one.
TSA agents can open it without cutting it off
The Master Lock 4689T is TSA-accepted, which means a screener with the right master key can open your bag, inspect it, and lock it right back up if it gets pulled for a hand check. A lock that isn't TSA-approved gets cut off with bolt cutters and you find out at baggage claim with a note in your suitcase. I walk through exactly how that screening process works in how to secure checked luggage with a TSA lock.
A key beats a spinning dial when you're in a hurry
Standing curbside with a rideshare waiting, digging through a bag, is not the moment to spin a combination three times because your thumb slipped. A keyed lock is one motion. I keep the spare key clipped to my keyring right next to my truck key, so opening a checked bag at the hotel counter takes about two seconds. After a year of daily use, I put the full rundown together in my long-term review of this lock.
The shackle holds up better than what ships free with cheap luggage
A lot of budget suitcases come with a built-in TSA lock molded right into the zipper pull, and most of those are thin pot metal that flexes if you look at it wrong. The Master Lock 4689T uses a hardened steel shackle that's noticeably tougher to snap or pry than the stock hardware. I laid the two side by side, along with a popular combination competitor, in Master Lock vs Sure Lock, which TSA luggage lock wins.
A locked zipper is a visible deterrent at baggage claim
Most casual tampering isn't a planned heist, it's opportunity. Someone scanning a row of unattended bags for the easiest one to unzip is going to move past the one with a lock hanging off it and try the next bag over. It won't stop somebody determined, but it takes your bag out of the running for the lazy grab, which covers the overwhelming majority of what actually happens at a busy carousel.
One two pack covers more than a single suitcase
Since the Master Lock 4689T comes as a two pack, I lock the main checked bag and hand the second lock to whoever else is traveling with me, usually my wife's carry-on or the duffel bag full of the kids' gear. On a family road trip that means two bags secured for the price of packing one small item, instead of buying a lock apiece for everyone at the counter.
It's not just an airport tool
A TSA luggage lock doesn't retire once you land. I use the same lock on a duffel bag tossed in the truck bed at a rest stop, on a golf bag left with a valet, and on a gym bag in a locker room where the bank of lockers doesn't come with hardware of its own. Small, keyed, and durable is useful well past the terminal, which is more than most single-purpose travel gear can claim.
It barely adds weight or bulk
This isn't a bulky cable lock or a chain you'd use on a bike. The Master Lock 4689T is a small brass-toned body and a slim shackle, light enough that you won't feel it in a packed bag and won't notice it against a carry-on weight limit. I go over exactly what it weighs and how it holds up day to day in the honest review after 15 trips.
Losing one key isn't a bag emergency
Each lock in the two pack ships with a pair of keys, so I keep a spare tucked in my wallet and another on the keyring, instead of relying on a single copy that ruins the whole trip if it slides out of a pocket at security. It's a small detail, but it's the difference between a minor annoyance and standing at a hotel with a locked bag and no way in.
Peace of mind between check-in and the carousel
There's a stretch of every flight where your bag is completely out of your hands, and you just have to trust the system. A TSA luggage lock doesn't erase that feeling, but it takes the edge off it. I wrote about the specific trip that turned this from a nice-to-have into a habit in the baggage claim scare that made me start locking my bags, and I haven't checked a bag without one since.
What I'd Skip
I'd skip any TSA luggage lock with a shackle you can bend with your fingers, and there are plenty of those in bargain bins near airport gift shops. If it flexes before you've even left the store, it's not going to hold up to a baggage handler tossing your suitcase into a cart. I'd also skip trusting a lock, any lock, with real valuables. Jewelry, electronics, prescriptions, and anything you can't replace belong in your carry-on, not in a checked bag protected by a padlock, no matter how solid that lock is. A TSA lock is honest, effective peace of mind against casual tampering, not a substitute for common sense about what you check versus what you carry on.
A luggage lock won't turn a soft-sided suitcase into a safe. What it does is take away the free, no-effort opportunity for everybody who touches your bag between the ticket counter and the carousel.
Send your next checked bag out locked, not hoping
The Master Lock 4689T has been on every bag I've checked for a year, and it's held up to conveyor belts, rideshare trunks, and rest stop parking lots without a single failure. Read the full year-long breakdown in <a href="/master-lock-luggage-lock-review-long-term">a year on the road with this lock</a>, or grab a two pack and stop sending bags out unlocked.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →