(everything listed above is stuff I use constantly, in roughly descending order)
For the picks (and some of the extras), I'd like to do skeletonized handles with laser cut designs that folx associate with me (bunny silhouettes, heart-shaped love locks, etc), because I figured other companies I won't name already have the tacticool crowd's tastes covered.
This is, of course, subject to change/tweaking as it develops, but Deviant and I are both excited to make it happen. And of course, of course, y'all know I wouldn't put my recommendation on anything that I didn't test myself and thoroughly approve of.
Several people have asked me to make a lockpicking zine for new folx, and I want to include some wisdom from y'all.
What are the top few tools in your kit that have gotten you into the most locks/places (specific pick profiles, bypass tools, turning tools)? It would be amazing if you provided a good quality, closeup photo of them so I can have an artist sketch them.
What's some advice you wish you had when you were still pretty new to lockpicking?
Please keep your responses to about ⅛ of a notebook page of text (like a few sentences) total.
Here are my answers:
A slim short hook, a sturdy medium hook, a two-hump w-rake, and a variety of turning tools.
If you can't open it with one of those tools, it's a skill issue. And you're better off learning more about the lock than reaching for another tool.
Gorgeous antique 8-Lever "Mastodon" steel padlock, picked in ~7 seconds, using homemade tools fashioned out of recycled bike spokes.
This is the second of two beautiful antique locks my partner gave me as a present.
The reason this opened so quickly is because several of the levers are rusted in place, and I bypassed the remaining ones and pushed the locking pawls out of the way directly.
A large card table, covered in two white-ish towels, with every square inch packed with locks. The right ⅔ is all love locks of various shapes, sizes, and colors—many decorated with initials and designs. The left ⅓ is assorted locks from my personal collection, from tiny padlocks, to high-security locks, to handcuffs and deadbolts. There are around 200-250 locks visible.
An add on a locksmith site suggests buying a "yale" lock but their headline is "Why Pick Yale Locks" rather than "Why choose yale locks," Kind of suggests a whole different activity.
Additional text is just marketing yadda yadda below that headline.
heise+ | Schlösser knacken für Einsteiger: So starten Sie ins Lockpicking-Hobby
Schlösser können Sie auch ohne Schlüssel öffnen: Beim Lockpicking kommt es auf mechanisches Verständnis und Geduld an. Der Einstieg gelingt günstig und schnell.
Antique brass Yale & Towne padlock, picked open. It is sitting on a black faux leather pad, and the homemade lockpick (a short hook, made from a street sweeper bristle) is lying next to the lock.
Hey lock pickers. Moving into the suburbs and after I buy a house I'll be changing the locks (obviously).
The price for a good medeco lock from my local smith is higher than I can do right now, and I'm looking at getting a Schlage B60 for each entry door. From my reading it appears to be a 5 pin re-keyable lock. However, I haven't picked/taken one apart to judge for myself yet.
Anyone have any input or information sources? There's windows which would act as the alternate entry path for a determine burglar.