The cover of the book itself is very interesting with good color, and lots of interesting little tidbits if you take the time to look closely.
Unfortunately, that's about the best I can say about the book.
1. The editor of the book should have been fired when that book was printed. Bad grammer, misuse of words, poor terminology, and outright misinformation abound throughout the book.
Most of the bad grammar seems to be the result of dependency upon a spell check program as opposed to actually have someone read through it.
2. Oh, I forgot to mention one other positive, some pretty decent photo's and diagrams (standard 'net stuff.)
3. Spends a lot of time (and pages) on Master combination locks. Is this bad? Well, I personally kinda felt so...after all, the book is on lock PICKING".
4. Repetition. The frequent suggestion that a paper clip and hairpin are adequate tools is rather..hmm...maybe I'll leave that one alone.
5. The "how much tension" portion of the "guide" equals a total of 2 paragraphs, not even found in the same portion of the "guide". I think everyone knows my thoughts about that subject.
6. It's a personal issue I have when it comes to guides, etc. This one just seemed too...well...friendly. Maybe I've been in the "biz" too long, but in parts this book seemed more of a "My personal journey through the world of lockpicking" rather than a guide.
7. One my pet peeves.....the blatant rip-off of the terminology thread on this site, and then has the audacity to "copyright" the info..
Yes, I do know that a couple of the terms have been changed and even one or two added, but wouldn't you find it kind of interesting that the terminology section begins with the EXACT term that is listed on this site.
[rant on] I have no idea who Mr. Chick really is, his experience level or knowledge, other than what was listed in his book. I am personally ticked off about people who think they can blatantly rip off other people's information, then copyright it as if it were their own idea. I mean, get REAL. I bust my butt to inform, educate, and sometimes re-educate in concerns to proper terminology, technique, and use of terms. When I see someone trying to pass stuff like that on as something worthwhile, it really gets to me. I mean, a simple read through the FAQ's on this site (other than blatantly copy and pasting info) would have corrected TONS of misinformation) [/rant off]
Whew....now that I've calmed down a bit, I can say this. Please don't waste your money buying this book. Spend the $20 and buy some new picks, or a dremel or grinder or something.
I know I might receive a message or email from Mr. Chick concerning his book, and I'm sorry I had to rip his book apart, but other than for a casual read and a good chuckle, (and maybe the section on Master combo locks) this book is pretty much not worth it.
