a must

[chip]

sorry, that's supposed to say "DOESN'T" come across very professional!

[yoyoboy]

If you break the lock while letting a customer back in, you can sell him/her a new lock == $profit$. But using that as the only excuse wouldn't be that ethical.

If you know what you are doing, you shouldn't have to replace the lock, just the plug and bottom pins.

[Jaakko]

If you break the lock while letting a customer back in, you can sell him/her a new lock == $profit$. But using that as the only excuse wouldn't be that ethical.

If you know what you are doing, you shouldn't have to replace the lock, just the plug and bottom pins.

Well if you are in Finland like ilmr and I, you need to replace the whole cylinder if you drill it, as Abloy can't be drilled half-DE. They talk about "drilling the soul out of it"

[gotta]

I would think the bigger question would be, "Why wouldn't you want to learn to pick locks?" It's such a basic skill for the job. The most common uses (and most frequent) are for rekeying purposes. Schlage F,D series, and old Schlage F series (resemble Kwikset chasis). Weiser knob locks and others, but those are the most common. I do pick the Schlage A series to rekey, but it's possible to get the knob off for rekeying from the backside. Also on the A series, a chronic problem is broken actuators that prevent turning the key using picks to turn it far enough to remove the cylinder. Learning how to do it from the back is essential.

I unlock about a 1/4 of the car lockouts I do by picking. There are a lot of cars that can be picked, but there are more that shouldn't be. When you locksmith for profit, experience dictates the fastest average method. As a disclaimer, don't attempt an auto lock unless it's yours and you want to take out the lock and have it replaced or repaired. I've also found the biggest need for making my own pics and tension wrenches is for automotive use.

If you install new hardware for a living, than you may never have the need to pick one of the locks. Odds are at some point, you'll need to. Even if you did strictly safe work, there are locking dials, locking handles, and interior locks that require picking.

Regards