lock models

[omgxraycat]

how do people know what locks they are dealing with? I mean, if you just randomly found a lock in your house that you wanted to research, how would you know what brand / model it is? All my lock says on it is Ace (like ace hardware or something).

Thanks.

[digital_blue]

Well.. the brand is Ace. That's a start. Is this a tubular lock?

Generally, you can figure it out by looking at the keyway. Ilco has some downloadable PDFs that show keyways and key blanks for more anything under the sun, so you can sort it out from there. Most locks will have a brand stamped on them, so you're not going in blind. You can usually sort it out pretty fast.

db

[omgxraycat]

It's a small padlock. The reason I say Ace hardware is because I checked out that store and the logo "Ace" on it is the same.

Oh yea, and it's shiny gold too!!!

[p1ckf1sh]

how do people know what locks they are dealing with? I mean, if you just randomly found a lock in your house that you wanted to research, how would you know what brand / model it is? All my lock says on it is Ace (like ace hardware or something).

Well, in most cases the brand is engraved somewhere. And I don't really see why it is important. You figure out the type of lock by looking at the keyway, using a pick to count the wafers or pin tumblers and start away picking.

Apart from that, in the range of cheap padlocks you often get "branded" stuff. That would be generic stuff from far, far away lands where people eat a lot of rice, but they are branded with some brand or company that will sell them. German DIY hardware stores have the brand "LUX" which probably nobody recognizes as a lock manufacturer. Almost everything there is that brand (so I picked that LUX padlock with a LUX hacksaw pick, which had been polished by LUX sanding paper ).

I'd tend to think, if the lock is worth the research at all, it will be a quality lock with the real manufacturer stamped on. If it isn't, I think it is not worth the bother...

[omgxraycat]

You're right. The reason I was asking how to figure it out was because I noticed people saying things like...

"Just picked a Master #3"

or

"Can you help me with an ACE II?"

I just wanted to know how people knew what locks they were. I mean, obviously I would know what it was if I bought it, but how do you find out if it's a deadbolt on your front door or something?

[Shrub]

Well if your picking locks on doors your a lockie and should have the skills/experiance and practise to know what your daling with.

Key profiles, colour, size, how many pins, how far the plug rotates, how stiff the plug is and other features all help to id a lock.

[Octillion]

Just FYI, Ace is the brand of your lock, but it is also a type of tubular lock. Ace II is referring to a tubular type lock, not necessarily made by Ace Hardware.