I wish I had researched this more before buying. It's a good lock, seems sturdy, and the parts all feel very solid, but there are WAY too many parts! The lock requires: 1) pivot lock that goes into the computer (which is probably secure, but has a lot of wiggle room which doesn't give me great confidence), 2) the steel cord 3) lock, and 4) key. Way too much stuff to carry around, and too many little parts that could get lost along the way. Wish I spent the extra $20 to get a combo lock that's all in one. The one saving grace is that it comes with a bag to hold all the parts.