$100 Lock Experiment

[jbrint]

So like any new picker and any obsessive personality when I get into something I really get into it. After lurking on this forum for a while and reading some of the other posts about what to learn on and building skills. I just basically said screw it and I need 100 locks.

While I missed that mark by a small margin this is a collection of what I managed to wrangle for $100. This is not a collectors lot of locks and all were obtained by perfectly legal methods. They were all either found, gifted, purchased online/offline traded for or already owned and dug out of the garage. I have keys for about 1/2 of these and this bunch gives me a wide variety of locks to play with at my leisure and the ones I don't have keys for it gives me an excuse to learn to impression. I took more of a quantity over quality approach so I could sample the spectrum. I ended up with some decent locks in the process.


9 American Locks


Some Master Locks


Some more Master Locks


A Tufflock, Abus and some other misc. locks


More Misc.. locks


A Best Padlock, S&G, other misc..


Kwik, Titan, Defiant, etc...


more of the same


Some Schlage locks


Arrow Practice core, Misc Schlage and some cam locks. I also picked up a Vans Vending lock because it looked really cool.

All in all I am pretty pleased because now I have no excuse not to see what different locks and keyways feel like. I am going to keep amassing and plan to do another try at $100 for $100 see if I can hit the mark. I have several out on loan that are not pictured but will do so when I get them back.

[MatrixBlackRock]

So like any new picker and any obsessive personality when I get into something I really get into it. After lurking on this forum for a while and reading some of the other posts about what to learn on and building skills. I just basically said screw it and I need 100 locks.

I may be incorrect, but it seems to me you are tossing coal into the firebox, before you have anything burning.

Wayne

[kwoswalt99-]

Is that a master no. 19 in pic #3? Do you have the combo for the S&G? Do you have the Van's key? If not, I wish you luck in getting them open.

[jbrint]

So like any new picker and any obsessive personality when I get into something I really get into it. After lurking on this forum for a while and reading some of the other posts about what to learn on and building skills. I just basically said screw it and I need 100 locks.

I may be incorrect, but it seems to me you are tossing coal into the firebox, before you have anything burning.

Wayne

Ive been working through them and at this point about 50% of them have been picked open at least once. Today I managed 6 opens on the American 2205 which I am thrilled about. I have been getting these since August so I have spent some time with them.

[jbrint]

Is that a master no. 19 in pic #3? Do you have the combo for the S&G? Do you have the Van's key? If not, I wish you luck in getting them open.

Its a Master 15 and no key. I do not have the combo for the S&G nor do I have a key for the Van's. If I manage to get either of them open I will do so on vid and let you know. I think I can get the Van's open, in fact I am certain I can with some time and practice.

[jbrint]

If any trusted members here want to pick any of these I am willing to travel some locks. Im not hoarding them to hoard, I want to share them. These will get much use at local groups and wherever they go.

[Ralph_Goodman]

Have you decoded the four wheel Master locks (pic #3)? My experience with four wheel decoding, and Master lock, would make me think that a paper lock might offer more security. Could be wrong. People have told me that there are some very decent four wheel combination locks out there that stand up quite fiercely to decoding, I have yet to see one. I doubt that if one does exist that it would be made by Master, but you never know.

Any difficulty or unexpected findings with any of these locks?

I am interested if anything startled you with the ease of which it opened or how difficult it was. Most seem to bee in good condition, but sometimes you don't know until they open, or they don't.

-Ralph

[jbrint]

Have you decoded the four wheel Master locks (pic #3)? My experience with four wheel decoding, and Master lock, would make me think that a paper lock might offer more security. Could be wrong. People have told me that there are some very decent four wheel combination locks out there that stand up quite fiercely to decoding, I have yet to see one. I doubt that if one does exist that it would be made by Master, but you never know.

Any difficulty or unexpected findings with any of these locks?

I am interested if anything startled you with the ease of which it opened or how difficult it was. Most seem to bee in good condition, but sometimes you don't know until they open, or they don't.

-Ralph

They are both open. I just sat on the couch spinning the numbers and trying random things. The silver one opened with the numbers sort of in between numbers and is now frozen (but open). I spun it pretty wildly and was yanking on it to see if I hit pay dirt and think I spun the number past while opening.

The brass one had 3 of the numbers written on the bottom. I only had to guess the 1st one which wasn't much of a challenge.

[Ralph_Goodman]

The brass one had 3 of the numbers written on the bottom. I only had to guess the 1st one which wasn't much of a challenge.

That sounds about right. People seem to forget that the same things that help them open their locks undermine the lock. I once had a neighbor that had one of the four wheel lock boxes that would have a spare key to front door. The label on the back of the box said, "Address #". The combination was just her address, and it said so on the back.

Also she thought it was such a great idea that she showed me! I don't even know how many other people she told.

-Ralph