Masterlock #5, only 1 pin has to be picked

[Jrexx]

Hi all,

I recently became interested in lock picking and decided to buy a Masterlock #5 as a first lock, since they seem a good start for beginners.
It didn't take very long to get it open with raking techniques and single pin picking. Today I wanted to play a bit with it again, but now I noticed that only the 4th pin has to be picked in order to get it open. Is this a common flaw from these locks, and is there a fix to get it working how it's supposed to be?

Regards

[Squelchtone]

Depending on how rough you were while raking, some of the other pins might already be set permanently or their springs crushed so only 1 pin is keeping the lock closed, but more likely the key cuts are all very shallow and similar and just touching them with the shaft of your pick is moving them up to the set position.

Can you share a photo of your key?

Thanks
Squelchtone

[Jrexx]

This is the key:



I don't think I've been too rough with raking.
I also have been thinking that inserting the pick caused the pins to set, but then I though a lock can't be that bad .

[G-lock]

This is the key:



I don't think I've been too rough with raking.
I also have been thinking that inserting the pick caused the pins to set, but then I though a lock can't be that bad .

Yeah, like squelchtone suggested your key does not have any deep cuts in it. Master has ALOT of locks like this. The next time you buy a lock try to look for one with keys that have some lower cuts in it. Another suggestion would be to buy a rekeyable lock with a few different keys.

[drumnut01]

When you stick the pick in there the shaft of the pick is getting the pins close enough to the shear line that the plug can turn. What makes masterlock so horrible is the combination of horrible bitting and VERY sloppy tolerances. You don't have to set the pins precisely, just get them in the ballpark and the lock will open.

[Jrexx]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions.

I ordered the lock online, so I guess I didn't have much to choose when it comes to bitting. Apparently my current lock definitely isn't a suitable lock to learn on, and it's hard to believe that Masterlock #3/5's are more expensive than Abus 65/40's for example. Does Abus have locks with 4 normal pins, or maybe you can suggest me another good 4 pin lock?

[drumnut01]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions.

I ordered the lock online, so I guess I didn't have much to choose when it comes to bitting. Apparently my current lock definitely isn't a suitable lock to learn on, and it's hard to believe that Masterlock #3/5's are more expensive than Abus 65/40's for example. Does Abus have locks with 4 normal pins, or maybe you can suggest me another good 4 pin lock?

I only have a few Abus padlocks and they all have spools in them. When I first started, I bought a set of practice locks from Sparrows. They have a set with standard pins and a set with security pins. I also bought mortise cylinders, which are cheaper than padlocks, and turned them into practice locks. Bosnian Bill has a YouTube video that details how to do that. Even unmodified, most factory mortise cylinders contain 5 standard pins, which shouldn't be much more difficult than 4. I've gotten mortise cylinders from Amazon for around $8 and even cheaper from lockpicks.com.

[Jrexx]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions.

I ordered the lock online, so I guess I didn't have much to choose when it comes to bitting. Apparently my current lock definitely isn't a suitable lock to learn on, and it's hard to believe that Masterlock #3/5's are more expensive than Abus 65/40's for example. Does Abus have locks with 4 normal pins, or maybe you can suggest me another good 4 pin lock?

I only have a few Abus padlocks and they all have spools in them. When I first started, I bought a set of practice locks from Sparrows. They have a set with standard pins and a set with security pins. I also bought mortise cylinders, which are cheaper than padlocks, and turned them into practice locks. Bosnian Bill has a YouTube video that details how to do that. Even unmodified, most factory mortise cylinders contain 5 standard pins, which shouldn't be much more difficult than 4. I've gotten mortise cylinders from Amazon for around $8 and even cheaper from lockpicks.com.

That really is a great tip, I looked up Bosnianbill's video you're referring to. Only too bad that I can't really find mortise cylinders in Europe (and shipping from US to Europe is really expensive), so I guess I have to go with one of the other options.