Abus locks

by **sivlogkart** » 17 Sep 2005 2:10

I have a big box of locks for people to borrow to learn to pick.

The first lock is a small black Abus lock rate security level 5, and it is hard to get a pick in without it opening.

Once they have mastered this they often want a challenge with an Abus Diskus lock rate 8. This claims to have mushroom pins, and there is a hint that it has. With this lock any light random pick movement will open it.

I have many brands of locks but the Abus are the easiest in their price range or for the intended applications on the packet, so how do they sell locks? Apart from provideding graded starter locks for us.

Are there any really good Abus locks? I have three and they are all easy to pick.

If someone from Abus is reading this "Shame on you!"

KJ

by **Chrispy** » 17 Sep 2005 2:14

I've got a couple of 65/40s that are quite hard to pick. Don't know if it's because of a high/low combo (I dont have the key) or because they're just stubborn . Either way.....

by **sivlogkart** » 17 Sep 2005 2:25

The key shapes for the two locks I mentioned is favourable for picking, which is always a factor.

KJ

by **Chrispy** » 17 Sep 2005 2:30

The 83/50s (big silver beasts) are stupidly simple to open. Kinda makes you wonder. :wink:

by **wtf|pickproof?** » 17 Sep 2005 12:51

Chrispy wrote:The 83/50s (big silver beasts) are stupidly simple to open. Kinda makes you wonder.

Can you please be more specific? I can't beliefe they pick all the same:
http://www.abuslocks.com/83_50.asp

Especially the Schalge sounds pretty scary. Never heard of a brand like this :wink:

by **Keyring** » 17 Sep 2005 13:25

I have a set of Abus 65/xx padlocks. They are a joy to me really. My first training on spool pins. When I am in practice I can do them all in the dark. Out of practice I find them useful to re-develop the tension requirements for spool pins.

But on holiday in Germany this year I bought an Abus C83 Euro Cylinder. Can I pick it?... Well not so far anyway. They call it a 'Standard' security lock, and it was one of the cheaper ones in their range. I noticed Abus Euro cylinders *everywhere* in Germany (even on Autobahn toilet doors!). I'd be interested in any tips on this one. By the way the C83 'cheapy' isn't what most people in Germany are using. The C83 front has a much rougher finish than even the toilet door locks.

Lastly, I found an Abus site after I got back off holiday, which showed exploded views of each lock type. But now I just can't find it. If anyone has a link...

by **Chrispy** » 17 Sep 2005 17:11

wtf|pickproof? wrote:http://www.abuslocks.com/83_50.asp

That's them. I've got two of them. They're p*ss easy to rake and surprisingly easy to pin pick. I've repinned them numerous times and they still pop open. I've even got the missus to put the pins in the plug, then without looking, put the plug back in. I still pick it in under 45 seconds....

by **Keyring** » 18 Sep 2005 2:57

Here's a picture of the one I'm talking about: http://www.profilzylinder-shop.de/assets/s2dmain.html?http://www.profilzylinder-shop.de/ (Click on ABUS STANDARDPROFIL). It's actually a Y1 keyway, but for some reason seems harder to work in than a Yale. I guess I'll have to take it apart to see what pins it has.

by **Keyring** » 18 Sep 2005 11:36

Probably should have stared another thread for this in European Locks, but anyway, I took the Abus C83 cylinder I mentioned above apart to find out why I was having problems. Nothing special in there but someone might be interested. The site above who were selling them said mushroom pins, but as you can see there are 4 spools.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/keyring/Abus_C83_2.jpg
Two things interested me. Firstly the non-spool top pin has a shallow groove at each end. Secondly, of the 5 bottom pins, 3 have similar very shallow grooves at the top end, but the two longest pins don't. Theories?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/keyring/Abus_C83_1.jpg

I think my problem may be in assuming which pin would be a non-spool pin. All my Abus padlocks put the non-spool pin at the front. I don't know which one it was here, they all fell out so quickly!

(By the way, when I say top and bottom, this is when the lock is upside down. Euro's are the other way up to the way I usually think - sorry.)

by **treboR** » 18 Sep 2005 12:29

Keyring wrote:Two things interested me. Firstly the non-spool top pin has a shallow groove at each end. Secondly, of the 5 bottom pins, 3 have similar very shallow grooves at the top end, but the two longest pins don't. Theories?

They look to be serrated. I haven't seen any locks where all of the pins were serrated. They probably do this to make it harder to pick.(hard to tell which pins are serrated and which are not without looking)

by **Keyring** » 18 Sep 2005 13:09

I suppose I was wondering too, why you would serate a bottom pin (nearest the key), as you would have had to have raised the pin too high already for it to take effect. But then some people claim to pick backwards (push them all up first and carefully let them down one at a time. Never worked for me.

by **sivlogkart** » 26 Sep 2005 12:15

I have just got a copy of Steven Hampton's Modern High-Security Locks, and to work out quickly if it is any good, I flicked through and found a section on the Abus diskus lock, which I regard as trivial to pick. However Steven Hampton disagrees, and claims it is now very hard to pick. What is he talking about? Is he useless at lockpicking, or ill or something, or is it the case whenever I get an Abus lock it turns out to be a trivial one.

Does anyone here have any thoughts either on this lock or on this book? I have only read this page so far, but I am not going to take anything he says on trust after this! :shock:

by **sivlogkart** » 26 Sep 2005 12:16

I have just got a copy of Steven Hampton's Modern High-Security Locks, and to work out quickly if it is any good, I flicked through and found a section on the Abus diskus lock, which I regard as trivial to pick. However Steven Hampton disagrees, and claims it is now very hard to pick. What is he talking about? Is he useless at lockpicking, or ill or something, or is it the case whenever I get an Abus lock it turns out to be a trivial one.

Does anyone here have any thoughts either on this lock or on this book? I have only read this page so far, but I am not going to take anything he says on trust after this! :shock:

by **skold** » 26 Sep 2005 18:34

Chrispy wrote:
wtf|pickproof? wrote:http://www.abuslocks.com/83_50.asp

That's them. I've got two of them. They're p*ss easy to rake and surprisingly easy to pin pick. I've repinned them numerous times and they still pop open. I've even got the missus to put the pins in the plug, then without looking, put the plug back in. I still pick it in under 45 seconds....

They are extremely easy to pick, with or without security pins, with or without restricted cylinders.

I have at last count about 10 83/45's and 3 83/50's

Abus granit where once easy to pick..maybe you should watch those videos with barry wels in them (i forgot the name).

by **sivlogkart** » 26 Sep 2005 23:46

So why are they mentioned in Steven Hampton's Modern High-Security Locks? Does he just deem them to be hard and then say he can pick them hoping the reader will not try it? :shock:

Abus locks

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Abus diskus lock

Steven Hampton's Modern High-Security Locks

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