BEST locks???

[PickerOrange]

Has anyone ever tried picking a BEST brand lock? I've tried googling for them but all you get is the "This is the best lock" etc etc.




I have a BEST padlock at home and I can't seem to pick it. (No it's not in use and it's not broken). Anyone know what kind of security pins these locks have?

The padlock kinda looks like this one but it has BEST written on it...

[MacGyver101]

That type of cylinder is generically referred to as a Small-Format Interchangeable Core (SFIC): if you search for that, you should find lots of information and tips:

http://www.google.com/search?q=SFIC+sit ... ing101.com

They're more complicated to pick because they have two shear lines: controlling which shear you're picking to is part of the fun/challenge. If you're interested in finding out more about how they work, the Best Core and Key Service Manual should answer a bunch of questions about how they're constructed, and Matt Blaze has a nice array of photos on his page on SFIC locks.

[PickerOrange]

Thanks for the info and quick post. I found another post regarding BEST locks here.


http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=33104

I figured they were a little hard since I couldn't pick them. Thanks again.

[PickerOrange]

Sorry for the double post but after reading both of those sources, these things are really cool. I never knew they were so interchangeable with a simple special key. Needless to say that's pretty cool, however, wouldn't the multiple control lines (I.E. multiple pins for master and regular keys), make the lock easier to pick? If you have 2 times the chance of getting one of the pins to sheer then shouldn't it be easy? Of course that's assuming that they aren't all spools...

Anyway, I thought it was cool...

[hydruh]

Needless to say that's pretty cool, however, wouldn't the multiple control lines (I.E. multiple pins for master and regular keys), make the lock easier to pick? If you have 2 times the chance of getting one of the pins to sheer then shouldn't it be easy?

You know what, I thought EXACTLY the same thing.

MacGyver101? Thoughts?

S

[VashTSPD]

not at all, in fact the opposite;

say it's a regular 6 pin lock and you pick the first five pins to the lower shear line but then you pick the last pin to the upper shear. The lock won't open.

hypothetically a 6 pin with 2 shear lines will have ~64 upper and lower pin-pick combinations.

[poor paperclip picker]

I was wondering where can you pick one or more of these padlocks up at? Or is it like the deadbolts, where you have to be in a company or other large business?

[_]

not at all, in fact the opposite;

say it's a regular 6 pin lock and you pick the first five pins to the lower shear line but then you pick the last pin to the upper shear. The lock won't open.

hypothetically a 6 pin with 2 shear lines will have ~64 upper and lower pin-pick combinations.

Sounds like you'd need a good memory if the pins don't all bind on the first sheer line before binding on the second.

[WOT]

I was wondering where can you pick one or more of these padlocks up at? Or is it like the deadbolts, where you have to be in a company or other large business?

Buy one on eBay.