Best SFIC door lock- which way does it turn?

[silentspin]

I will say from the beginning- I am a newb so please excuse my ignorance. I was able to pick my apartment lock recently with relative ease. I think it was a rather simple lock and I am aware that luck must have played a part. I then tried a Best SFIC lock and, of course, failed miserably. I was not aware of how difficult they were until I read up on them.

I seem to find contradicting information on which way they're supposed to turn(especially since they can be open at control and operating line). Can someone dispel the confusion on this topic, giving a clear-cut answer?

The lock I'm trying to pick is a door lock, but not knob. It looks rather old and from what I could feel it seems to have 5 pins, which is again confusing since I read that Best SFIC are usually 6 or 7 pins (unless they're padlocks?). By the sounds made when I release tension it feels like I am never able to set more than 2 pins, which I guess could be at different lines too. Knowing the direction would at least halve my possibilities of failure. Any other tips would be appreciated.

[unbreakable]

To pick these locks, a special tension wrench is used.

I seem to find contradicting information on which way they're supposed to turn(especially since they can be open at control and operating line). Can someone dispel the confusion on this topic, giving a clear-cut answer?

They should be able to turn either way, as long as you pick them to the shear line, not the control line.

Is this lock still in use on a door?!? Need I say DONt pick lock you rely on, and dont pick locks that arent yours.

These are used on commercial buildings alot, and are fairly hard to pick.

My advice- put this one down for now and pick up something a little easier. If you got your doo lock with no problem, try a schlage or sargent or russwin.

Welcome to the site.

[Octillion]

First, do not pick that lock, it is not yours.

The tool pictured above is for picking the control sheer line, so that the core can be removed. The control must be picked clockwise in order for the cam that holds the core in to retract.

To pick the lock in general, a standard torque wrench will work. However, there is no guarantee whether you will pick the control or operation sheer lines, if you are able to pick one at all. SFIC’s can be extremely difficult to pick, because there is no fool proof way to determine which sheer line you pick the pins to, setting a pin to either line feels the same.

Most locks tend to open by turning the operation key clockwise, but there are a few that lock clockwise and open counter-clockwise.

There is a lot of information on SFIC’s in this forum and on the internet, and I’ll leave it up to you to search for more info.

[silentspin]

The lock is not in use... It was gathering dust in my friend's basement, and since there's no key to be found, I bet I could open it. Still no luck with that though... almost got it last time I tried- made it turn quite a bit. Felt like I was 1-2 pins away.. I still have one question- can Best door locks be 5 pins? (I've only read about Best padlocks being 5 pins) Because that's how this one feels to me and I am either dead wrong or the lock is defective (?)

thanks

[raimundo]

you know how to count the pins by lifting and dropping them one at a time? five pins is possible with best, but six is more likely, you can pick the lock, the two shear lines could be a problem, such locks function in either the clockwise or anticlockwise direction depending on the installation, (doors are either right handed or left handed) but the plug control function is always cw.

[ldnlksmth]

sorry to limp in late...

you can make a turning tool for BEST and only get the operating sheer line by getting a key blank (or old key, whatever) and filing it down flat to the top of the wards. This will ensure that the pins are only going down 'so far' and not below the line that you want.

[medicman151]

To answer your question...If it is a Best lock, the name Best is stamped on the core. You need to turn towards the "T" in the name.