New vise

[sentientsentinel]

Just got a new cheap chinese vise now its alot harder to pick my locks but I imagine its better in the long run as its more real especially with cylinders etc.I'll get the hang of it but right now nothing works or feels the same as picking the lock in my hand.

[deralian]

Even that is going to have a different feel from picking a lock mounted to a door. At least on the door you have something to brace your hand on. You should cut a hole in some wood and put the lock thru it with the vice holding it from behind

[deolslyfox]

I use the the little articulated hobby vise from Harbor Freight. Its small, light and does a good job of holding the lock at whatever angle is best for you. Jaws have removable rubber inserts to help protect your lock from scratches, etc.

[MrAnybody]

Just got a new cheap chinese vise now its alot harder to pick my locks but I imagine its better in the long run as its more real especially with cylinders etc.I'll get the hang of it but right now nothing works or feels the same as picking the lock in my hand.

It will definitely teach you a whole lot about tension control, but yeah, I guess it will be a little different to get used to in the beginning. The thing is with picking while holding the lock in your hand is that your hand gets tired, and this can mess up with amount of tension you use when you first start picking locks. Learning through a vice and then picking locks in your hand is a lot better since you're already much more aware of tension control, if you then choose not to use the vice.

I know guys who don't use a vice, and they're fine with it, but I'd always recommend a beginner to use one. A cheap hobby vice with a ball joint is perfect.

[sentientsentinel]

The vise that I got was the cheap table mount, chinese,green, ball joint vise off of ebay but a big hunk of wood with a cutout for the cylinder is probably the best and cheapest idea.

[nite0wl]

The vise that I got was the cheap table mount, chinese,green, ball joint vise off of ebay but a big hunk of wood with a cutout for the cylinder is probably the best and cheapest idea.

Just about everyone has that vise, I don't know who actually makes it but it seems like it is sold under dozens of brands. A wooden lock board is a great way to practice on a complete lockset because you can mount a latch or bolt and the cylinder so that you can practice 'practical' techniques. I have seen some people make them out of old, discarded doors.