Buying the Right Stuff

[Raffles101]

Hi all
First time poster so good to meet you all.

Ive just ordered Mad Bobs Tactical Entry Kit as recommended by Bosnian Bill. (5 week wait or so).
So now im looking for practice lock and have seen this

https://locksaway.co.uk/ultimate-challe ... 6-pin-euro

Its got standard serrated and spool pins repinnable and cutaway. So im thining start off with standard 1/2/3/4/5/6 and move onto the security pins. What do you think?

I cant see the logic in buying seperate locks yet till ive learnt the basics. I know tolerances will be different but i need to learn in gradual steps.

Good to get into a fascinating hobby that may one day prove invaluable

Short story. I once had my gas metter padlocked despite not tampering with the meter. My kids went hungry because of this crazy woman. The food was being cooked at the time. We got an apology later on of the gas company and refund but never went back with them. Now thats why i never want to ecperience something like that again. People with locks sometimes get it wrong.
!

[GWiens2001]

Just be sure not to pick a lock that does not belong to you. That is a crime, and we do not advocate breaking the law at all, let alone by using our skill. It gives the rest of us a bad name.

When you set up a practice lock, I would recommend you start with one or two pin stacks, but pin them from the back of the lock, not the front. That means put the pins in the lock that would be set by the tip of the key.

The reason for that is simple - you will learn to navigate the keyway while there are few pins, so when you are increasing difficulty by adding pin stacks, you are not having to learn to navigate the keyway with more pins in the lock, increasing the difficulty of learning.

You should contact our member MrWizard, who makes practice locks as well. His are seven pin Schlage C keyway locks. The practice lock you linked has a Sargent LA keyway, which is open enough to drive a truck through. While that makes your first pick easier, it does not help when you pick other keyways later.

Gordon

[Raffles101]

Thanks Gordon

I didnt know about keyway size. Thats important

[Raffles101]

Im in England. Mr Wizard is USA and

[femurat]

...and?

The suspense is killing me!

Cheers

[Raffles101]

And... lol

The shipping brings it to nearly £100.

Would i be be better off forgetting the repinnable

[cledry]

And... lol

The shipping brings it to nearly £100.

Would i be be better off forgetting the repinnable

Just buy a inexpensive Union cylinder in paracentric keyway.

[Razor2016]

If you are just starting out, Sparrows make repinnable practice locks that are reasonably priced and a Reload kit to modify the locks as you improve. If price is really an issue, check out Ebay under "locksmith tools".


A great hobby, but as with most things in life, play by the rules and be prepared to spend more money as you improve to buy better locks (more difficult to pick) and higher quality picks.

Cheers Ray

[G-lock]

Hi all
First time poster so good to meet you all.

Ive just ordered Mad Bobs Tactical Entry Kit as recommended by Bosnian Bill. (5 week wait or so).
So now im looking for practice lock and have seen this

https://locksaway.co.uk/ultimate-challe ... 6-pin-euro

Its got standard serrated and spool pins repinnable and cutaway. So im thining start off with standard 1/2/3/4/5/6 and move onto the security pins. What do you think?

I cant see the logic in buying seperate locks yet till ive learnt the basics. I know tolerances will be different but i need to learn in gradual steps.

Good to get into a fascinating hobby that may one day prove invaluable

Short story. I once had my gas metter padlocked despite not tampering with the meter. My kids went hungry because of this crazy woman. The food was being cooked at the time. We got an apology later on of the gas company and refund but never went back with them. Now thats why i never want to ecperience something like that again. People with locks sometimes get it wrong.
!

I like the set but, I would consider adding a couple of hooks that are shorter than the one that comes with that kit. As a new picker i find it hard to get hooks that tall under a low cut 4th or 5th pin without over setting them sometimes but that depends on the keyway. Also if im correct the only top of the keyway or (TOK) tension wrench that comes with that kit is .030 thick. I might recommend there tension wrench set also which comes with some thicker TOK tension wrenches. I've found that having a tension wrench with as little slop as possible tends to make it alot easier for me to open locks.

[Raffles101]

Thanks guys.

I can find lots of 4/5 pin locks but security locks.

http://www.diy.com/departments/yale-ste ... 53_BQ.prd#

Any good? They dont say how many spools or are all security locks (5 pin) the same. Theres no information on Brand as i live in UK and limited choices. I want to progress with the best locks not cheap rubbish.

Are Abus security padlocks any good?

[G-lock]

Thanks guys.

I can find lots of 4/5 pin locks but security locks.

http://www.diy.com/departments/yale-ste ... 53_BQ.prd#

Any good? They dont say how many spools or are all security locks (5 pin) the same. Theres no information on Brand as i live in UK and limited choices. I want to progress with the best locks not cheap rubbish.

Are Abus security padlocks any good?

Im fairly new to picking but from my experience you might want to start with a cheap repinable cutaway. Idk if anyone in your area sells sparrows lock picks but if you could get your hands on a sparrows reload kit i would highly recommend it with a matching cylinder. It has taught me alot. I dont know much about the locks you linked to other than they are 5 pin & yale but since there cheap i would say buy 1 & give it a shot. You might be surprised at how much or if your lucky how little finesse it takes to pick a lock. Abus padlocks are great for learning how to detect spool pins and dealing with false sets but i wouldn't suggest them as a first lock to start with. Again im new myself but this is my opinion.

[jimu57]

And... lol

The shipping brings it to nearly £100.

Would i be be better off forgetting the repinnable

I sell practice locks on Ebay. Cant give you the link here. Mine was not mentioned here. I was maybe the first one on ebay to put together a repinnable practice lock that comes ready to pin like you want with a mini pinning kit in a compartment plastic box. Bottom pins, top pins, spools, serrated pins, springs. Have been doing this for almost 2 years. Goes by the name of Build-A-Lock. I have sold hundreds I have Schlage and Sargent available at a reduced price. The Sargent has an easier keyway to pick. I can send you one with first class shipping for around 40 GBP. If you PM me I can give you a link to ebay. ALso, if you buy from me direct, what I save by not giving it to ebay, I donate that plus a percentage to the forum.

jim

pics of an example
------------------------

[Raffles101]

Thanks MR. Wizard I will PM you as soon as my Mad Bob set arrives.

Are these locks similar to UK locks?

[jimu57]

I'm not Mr. Wizard. He makes a great practice lock. A 7 pin Schlage that he has is very good. Most practice locks on Ebay are good. Some come with extra pins.

US locks generally have a wider keyway than UK locks. I have made some practice locks from euro type locks. Also dimple locks like mul-t-lock made in Israel.

I have a lot of 5 pin locks that I am working on, making them with keys,pins, security pins, springs,etc. Pinning setup for high to low, low to high, and high-low.

I really want to make a nice lune of euro style. Working source for pins,etc.

[Ralph_Goodman]

When it comes to starting out, I would recommend something that you can assure a level of success with.

Most of the specific practice locks give room to grow, and I think they are important to have, but you can also get the cheap stuff from your local hardware store.

Masters and Kwikset deadbolts and door knobs are cheap and they give you a little more of a practical feel. Finding out how to hold a lock in your hand can be a big help. It gives you some sense of the different issues you may not expect to be a problem.

You can also put the deadbolts and door knobs in a plank of wood and get a very practical sense of what it is like to pick these things when they are installed. And you can put a padlock on a chain to understand what that was like.

In my experience the more practical you feel your knowledge is, the more passionate you become. (But of course, you should never use these skills outside of professional and other legal settings). It just helps to feel like you have real world knowledge. Seems to keep people interested.

And who knows, if you really like lock picking, you could make it into part of your career.

Good luck! Hope you stick with it.