Master Lock #3

[micpyo]

I just started lock picking so i thought i'd buy myself a master lock 3 to practice on.

After unlocking it a few times i realized that it's unlocking just by setting the first pin.
Is it like that with you guys or is mine just broken?

[Kayvon]

Yours isn't broken, per se. All the #3s have very loose tolerances. Yours seems easier than most I've encountered, but that's the general quality of them. It's fun to see what you can use to pick them: a hairpin, a paperclip, a piece of plastic, etc.

If you're serious about learning, pick up a cheap deadbolt at your local store and practice on that. If you can't get it after a few tries, take it apart and carefully remove a few of the pins first. Then work your way up to all 5 pins.

[Eyes_Only]

You'll sometimes even run into situations like that with door locks as well. Not too often but once in a while you'll feel three out of five pins set and the lock will open.

[dboeren]

I have a #3 that seems to open if you set the two innermost pins, but I've also set the front pin on it so it's at least possible.

Does the #1 have the same issue? I've been thinking that the 1/3/5 were all essentially the same lock in different sizes but maybe there's another reason the #3 is cheapest besides being the smaller version.

[FFVison]

Yours isn't broken, per se. All the #3s have very loose tolerances. Yours seems easier than most I've encountered, but that's the general quality of them. It's fun to see what you can use to pick them: a hairpin, a paperclip, a piece of plastic, etc.

If you're serious about learning, pick up a cheap deadbolt at your local store and practice on that. If you can't get it after a few tries, take it apart and carefully remove a few of the pins first. Then work your way up to all 5 pins.

Heh. I saw a guy on YouTube that picked a Master lock (either 1, 3, or 5, I don't remember which) with the stem from a banana peel.

On a different note, I saw an even smaller lock than the Number 3, the other day. I looked at the bottom of the lock and it said that it was a Number 7. This lock looked like a typical Number 1/3/5, but smaller. I was wondering, has anyone here had any experience with this lock? Is it basically the same also?

[micpyo]

Yours isn't broken, per se. All the #3s have very loose tolerances. Yours seems easier than most I've encountered, but that's the general quality of them. It's fun to see what you can use to pick them: a hairpin, a paperclip, a piece of plastic, etc.

If you're serious about learning, pick up a cheap deadbolt at your local store and practice on that. If you can't get it after a few tries, take it apart and carefully remove a few of the pins first. Then work your way up to all 5 pins.

hah yeah i've done it with a paper clip...
that's exciting

[poor paperclip picker]

Yeah I had a #3 ( I took it apart so now I just have the cylinder). But any way, after picking it a lot, it would open just by picking the 2nd pin. It was the only lock I picked for a while, and my friends seemed interested in what I was doing. They would ask "hey that doesn't look too hard. Can I try?" I would hand it over and in 5 min. they had it open. Then they said " Hey, I can do this, I am as good as you!"

Then I got a Schalge KIK and a Schalge deadbolt with 4 spool pins. They asked to try and they would get so frustrated after 5 min. of picking. Then they hand me the KIK, and I would open in about 1 min.

So I guess after all my rambling, I would say a #3 is good to start with, but get a KIK (key in knob) or deadbolt with 1 security pin or no security pins. That way you can improve your skills rather than just picking #3s, 1s, or whatever.

[LockNewbie21]

Heh. I saw a guy on YouTube that picked a Master lock (either 1, 3, or 5, I don't remember which) with the stem from a banana peel.

That Fine gentlemmen would be our own Digital Blue

I liked the Eh... lets jsut call it transistor shack bit

Goood stuff.

LN21

[LockNewbie21]

or wait Josh did the wafer lock.. N/m my mistake

[csthomas]

I started lockpicking with paperclips & a bent pin as a wrench then eventually wet to actuall lockpicks

[Havoc]

I want to meet that ten year old kid that picked a masterlock 160 on youtube with a pair of paperclips in under five minutes.

Talk about humbling. I have a professional set, and a much thinner, more elastic set I've made myself, along with a set of tension wrenches, along with the basic know-how in my head, and I simply can NOT pick the 140 yet.

The kids instructions were something like...jiggle it around like so...twist it back and forth...and presto!