Double bevelled pin tips, why?

[jimmythelock]

Hi all.
After buying a yale deadbold latch from a car boot sale this weekend I was up for some picking fun. The lock was pretty dirty so I took it apart to clean before picking. Also I wanted to look at the actual bolt mechanics. Anyhow, I was shocked to find my key pins look like the picture below (sorry no camera today). They had double bevelled tips!!



I have heard about keypins being inserted the wrong way so the bevelling touches the drivers, but to have both ends like this . This needless to say would give a wide sheer line if the pins were over set and then reverse raked (a method used when security pins are involved, as they are in this, and many other yale locks! Positions 2 and 4 again!!!)

There may of course be a simple explination and a purpose for this that I am missing.

Has anyone else seen this or know why it is done? Any input would be great.

Thank you.
Jimmy

[randmguy]

I've seen pins like this on dozens of Kwikset knock-offs. Most of the time when I find pins like this I also find that the drivers are beveled just like the key pins. I've got a Brinks house keyable padlock that came with 2 spools and all the rest of the pins were the beveled type you found. You have probably found out by now that using spool pins with these beveled pins makes picking a walk in the park. As to why they would use pins like this, the explanation is probably MONEY. I'm sure its just cheaper to use the same pins on the top and bottom of a cylinder. These pins are also MUCH more forgiving to crappy key cutting processes as well. I've filed the key for my Brinks lock down almost a full depth and it still operates the cylinder. On the brighter side of things, if you were just learning to pick I would heartily recommend the Brinks house rekeyable padlock as a great first lock. You get a little packet with extra pins and a cute little key gauge so you can pin the thing up. Its also really easy to rekey these locks, they give you instructions. You can remove pins for learning and pin it up to 6 pins as you improve your skills. And its a good lock to try the first time. The cylinder turns visibly when you hit the shear line so it gives excellent visual and tactile feedback.

[locksmistress]

Cheap is it. Faster and easier to pin a lock if you don't have to worry about directional pins - quite possibly done by machine.

Personal experience with the double beveled pins - Yale is actually using them in their commercial Grade 1 levers. Oh the horror! But it isn't a cakewalk to pick all the same. Pleasant suprise. There have been 3 people working on it with no success.

That does unfortunately seem to be the exception.

[thertel]

Okay so after reading this I went to Wal-Mart and got one of these brinks locks. I've personally found that the better the tolerances on the lock the less effect these double beveled pins have. I loaded some in to a seargent and a medeco this morning to verify this and it made little or no difference in picking. I then loaded them into some no name locks and and a monkey could have opened it by sticking in a paper clip and jiggling. The problem is that when the top and bottom pins are both beveled like this just pushing the pin towards the shear line causes the pin to set itself because of the bevel. Just for fun I took my pickgun out and a single flick open these compromised locks. And its definently a money issue, companies are just being cheap.

Thomas

[Rath]

how much was a Brinks house rekeyable padlock at wallmart just might go out tonight and buy one

[thertel]

I paid like 6 bucks after getting a discount.

[Rath]

so around 10 dollars? cool definetaly gona check it out

[jimmythelock]

Thank you all for your input. I did not think about the directionality arguement.

Jimmy

[randmguy]

$12.95 plus tax where we are Rath.

[randmguy]

As an added bonus I'll bet you could shim a lock with these pins if you were having an attack of the palsy

[thertel]

Yea they definently pass the Parkinsens Usage Test.

[Rath]

wow this thing is cool altho i have the springs in it (oops heh heh) i put all 4 spool pins in the lock that i was praticing on and it was a little bit diffrent but with verry light tention it was open in the same amount of time. verry cool idea tho thanks for the tip

[Rath]

wow this thing is cool altho i have broken the springs in it (oops heh heh) i put all 4 spool pins in the lock that i was praticing on and it was a little bit diffrent but with verry light tention it was open in the same amount of time. verry cool idea tho thanks for the tip

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