Any other hobby lock pickers on the forum?

[Reman]

Just starting this thread because the subject's in danger of permanently derailing another thread here.

I bought my first set of picks about 6 or 7 years ago, But never really tried to learnt how to use them properly until about a year back. Since then I've got quite hooked on lock picking as a hobby. I find it quite a relaxing thing to do as I have to focus a lot of attention on what I'm doing, and everyday worries haven't got head space to echo around in.

I can open most Euro/KIK locks I find now, An alarming quantity of padlocks, And every cheap desk lock I've been given permition to mess about with. As I said in the other thread, It's an eye opener how unsecure most locks really are. I have REAL trouble with lever locks though, I just don't seem to have a feel for them. When I want to give another one a try I usually have to make the tools to tension and manipulate the levers from scratch because the previous ones I'd made had been launched into some dark corner in disgust due to my inability to out think that style of lock. I've opened a few, But I feel that's more luck than skill.

Anyway, As there seems to be more than a passing interest in lock picking here I thought it would be worth having a thread to chat about it in.

Reman.

 

[mike os]

It's of interest... never really got beyond that though

 

[Migmac]

Often thought about buying a set of picks. More out of curiosity to see if I could pick a lock rather than a hobby

 

[Reman]

It's of interest... never really got beyond that though

Often thought about buying a set of picks. More out of curiosity to see if I could pick a lock rather than a hobby

It's one of those unusual hobby's that you can get into for literally ZERO cost if you just want to have a go. All you need is an old wiper blade for it's spring steel strip, some files to shape a couple basic hook picks, and a lighter to annele a bit of the strip enough that it doesn't snap when bending it 90' to make a tensioning tool...... Then go crazy around your home seeing how many locks you can open !

Word of caution though, When picking locks there's always a non zero chance of bu**ering the lock up. It's a very small chance (I've never managed it) but it's there. Never try to pick any lock if breaking that lock would ruin your day. ie, Don't come crying to me if you snap a pick off in your front door and need to call a locksmith out to fix it !

 

[123hotchef]

seen the picks on ebay was tempted to buy a set to have a play with

 

[Bobtail4x4]

I just bought a lockpick set for my mates 13 yr old for a birthday present,
its the sort of thing young minds love.

 

[Reman]

I just bought a lockpick set for my mates 13 yr old for a birthday present,
its the sort of thing young minds love.

I've gave sets to my 9 and 13 year old niece and nephew. She's not bad, But he's got a real talent for it. Just had to make sure they understood that they mustn't take the picks to school. They're fine to play with at home and I'll pin up practice locks for them as hard or as easy as they want, But you can't just keep them in your pocket in case they'd be handy........ I believe the police call that "Going equipped". LOL !

 

[Dr.Al]

I bought a lock pick set a lot of years ago as I find the mechanics of the locks fascinating. I had a brief play with an old lock shortly after getting the picks but life got in the way and I never got much further than that.

You never know, this thread might inspire me to try again.

 

[armalites]

I find it genuinely scary how easy the Lock Picking Lawyer on youtube gets into any lock,obviously he practices before films it but even so. It seems to me the only way to make any lock semi secure is to make it difficult to get at. If a door lock was recessed to the point where you couldn't get at it it would make a big difference. That may mean you need to make a special long key.

 

[Reman]

I find it genuinely scary how easy the Lock Picking Lawyer on youtube gets into any lock,obviously he practices before films it but even so. It seems to me the only way to make any lock semi secure is to make it difficult to get at. If a door lock was recessed to the point where you couldn't get at it it would make a big difference. That may mean you need to make a special long key.

Best I've seen was one of those "Puck lock" setups you see on the back of vans. It's on a shipping container workshop a customer has. He's welded the brackets to the doors, Then welded a 6x3" ring of thick walled pipe around that before cutting 2 parting lines in it so the doors could open again. He had just enough room to get the key in and turn it, There was no way to get a pick into that locks barrel, and even if you could you'd be working in a very uncomfortable position the whole time you were trying to pick the lock ! It would give the lock pretty good protection against someone trying to smash the whole thing off with a sledgehammer too. The ring was a simple addition that made his workshop many times more secure than it would have been with the lock alone.

Thieves will thieve, The best you can do is make what they want to do so difficult that they look for lower hanging fruit elsewhere.

 

[jimbo84]

I find it genuinely scary how easy the Lock Picking Lawyer on youtube gets into any lock,obviously he practices before films it but even so. It seems to me the only way to make any lock semi secure is to make it difficult to get at. If a door lock was recessed to the point where you couldn't get at it it would make a big difference. That may mean you need to make a special long key.

Not sure on that particular guy on youtube but don't believe every video, some of them remove parts of the lock to make it more pickable, the favourite is removing the O-ring from the Ingersoll 10 lever padlock, the O-ring is integral to making it harder to pick as it reduces feedback.

Most locks are forced not picked in a break in situation. Bumping is the most common form of 'picking' (it's not really picking) a lock to break in. Anti snapping, anti drilling and anti bumping measures and as you mention making access to the lock very difficult/uncomfortable are far more defensive than the anti-picking features of a lock. Your average burglar has no idea how to pick a lock, but they'll know every other method of bypassing that lock (some are unbelievably easy to bypass).

 

[mrsbruce]

I’ve owned an underused set of lock-picks for many years now, including a mortice lock picky thing. Bought them all after I had locked myself out my car for the 3rd time (in my defence, the push down door lock sat exactly at the right hit to be hit by an elbow on the way out of the car). I refused to be locked out of anywhere again, if I could help it.

I have a big bag of Yale locks I use for practice, but I haven’t touched them in 2 years, so my experience level will be back to zero.

I have only met one ‘locksmith’ who could actually properly pick a lock, the others just get the drill out. There again, they then get a sale of a new lock out of it, plus the labour.

 

[badabec]

I've gave sets to my 9 and 13 year old niece and nephew. She's not bad, But he's got a real talent for it. Just had to make sure they understood that they mustn't take the picks to school. They're fine to play with at home and I'll pin up practice locks for them as hard or as easy as they want, But you can't just keep them in your pocket in case they'd be handy........ I believe the police call that "Going equipped". LOL !

Can you remember which sets you bought? Once I get the idea I can make other tools but at first I'd be floundering

 

[skotl]

I find it genuinely scary how easy the Lock Picking Lawyer on youtube gets into any lock,obviously he practices before films it but even so. It seems to me the only way to make any lock semi secure is to make it difficult to get at. If a door lock was recessed to the point where you couldn't get at it it would make a big difference. That may mean you need to make a special long key.

Not sure on that particular guy on youtube but don't believe every video, some of them remove parts of the lock to make it more pickable, the favourite is removing the O-ring from the Ingersoll 10 lever padlock, the O-ring is integral to making it harder to pick as it reduces feedback...

The Lock Picking Lawyer is well worth a visit - he is definitely the genuine article and there's lots of info about embarrassed lock manufacturers desperately trying to downplay or respond to the ease with which he can defeat their products.
I've not seen a single manufacturer accusing him of cheating.

Also... he is a practising lawyer so you'd think if anyone would be aware of potential fallout of publicly lying about products and huge manufacturers, then he should be!

And, as armalites says, it is genuinely scary how quickly he can defeat even expensive locks.

Well worth a look: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9K6rby98W8JigLoZOh6FQ

 

[JEZGUZ]

Have a look at Bosnian Bills /the Lock Lab channel as well, another guy who makes it seem so simple. I might get around to having a go at it one of these days.

 

[Reman]

Can you remember which sets you bought? Once I get the idea I can make other tools but at first I'd be floundering

THIS style of set are pretty good as a toe in the water. I've bought several sets for friends and family, Plus you can find them all over ebay. That set on BangGood in particular is nice because it comes with a transparent training lock to play with (And for the next 6 and a bit days it's on offer for less than 6 quid !).

Personally though, If you're buying from BangGood I'd go with THESE. They're a bit more expensive (Still under 14 quid delivered though) and you don't get a training lock, But the quality's on another planet compared to the cheaper set. and they're available reasonably quickly from BangGood's UK warehouse. I've got some of these too and despite having some way more expensive picks, these are the ones I reach for the most.

Hope that helps.

(S**t, As I've got a wholesale account with banggood, I really should have taken the opportunity to set those up as affiliate links going by how many people seem interested at the minute ! LOL ! (They're not BTW !))

 

[stuvy]

I’ve owned an underused set of lock-picks for many years now, including a mortice lock picky thing. Bought them all after I had locked myself out my car for the 3rd time (in my defence, the push down door lock sat exactly at the right hit to be hit by an elbow on the way out of the car). I refused to be locked out of anywhere again, if I could help it.

I have a big bag of Yale locks I use for practice, but I haven’t touched them in 2 years, so my experience level will be back to zero.

I have only met one ‘locksmith’ who could actually properly pick a lock, the others just get the drill out. There again, they then get a sale of a new lock out of it, plus the labour.

A family relative lost the key to there garage and was charged an arm and a leg for the guy to drill it out and replace it in under ten mins I was told it took him longer to unload his drill and new lock

 

[Reman]

I've always found the LockPicking Lawyer's style to be a bit to clinical and dry for my liking (even when he's doing one of his April 1st spoofs). Its all a bit "Here's the lock. This is how I'll pick it. I've picked it. This is why its a bad lock. Thanks for watching" You get the feeling that if, during filming of one of his single shot no cut videos, he fumbled and dropped the lock after picking it he'd reshoot the whole thing so people didn't see him doing something as human as drop something........ And he sound just like Robert Picardo (The guy who played the holographic doctor in Star Trek: Voyager !)

Bosnian Bill in the other hand has the air of one of your dads mates who's impromptly trying to show you how to do something that you're stuck on.

 

[rtcosic]

The Lock Picking Lawyer is well worth a visit

Hm.

Another rat hole to disappear dwon for hours on end.

Very well presented and a calm almost soporific commentary for an American channel. Lovely.

Edit: just to prove @Reman and I don't have the same tastes!

 

[seanc]

One of my wife’s cousin purchased a lock pick beginners set from wish after he’d had a few to many. It had a set of picks with some locks which body’s were made of Perspex so you could see what you were trying to achieve
I had a play with it and it was quite amazing how easy the average padlock is to open