Favorite Newbie Tip

[vrocco]

I would like to ask all of you seasoned lockpickers to think back to when you were a newbie.

Surely there was one or two pieces of sage advice that someone gave you that made everything start to fall in place a bit better.

What is your best piece of newbie advice?

[freakparade3]

Read all that you can on the subject. Be patient. Proper tension is the key (no pun intended) to picking locks.

[MacGyver101]

What is your best piece of newbie advice?

Start with a good, but simple set of tools (e.g., a proper tension wrench and three or four simple picks). All of the other tools have their place and proper use -- but I'd recommend avoiding the urge to buy 100 picks and every bumpkey, snapgun and lockpick-jackknife on the market. Focusing on proper technique with the basic tools is a very good way to get started.

Many people (myself included) have a collection of home-made and commercial picks. There are many excellent resources on this site that describe people's efforts at making their own tools; they're well worth a read before picking up a file.

Hope that helps!

[globallockytoo]

Assemble your cylinder with 1 pin only in 1 chamber and practise for feel and technique. When confident, progress to 2 pins, then 3, 4, 5 and 6. This way you get all around practise on your choice of cylinder before moving to another brand.

[Oliwerko]

Exactly as globallockytoo said. Disassemble the lock and learn how it works. Pick with good picks, not with a hairpin or something like that. Start with the simplest standard lock ( not a padlock ) - depending where you live, in Europe, buy the cheapest 5-pin cylinder and disassemble it. Then continue like stated in post above.

Search for F.A.Q.'s and tutorials on anything you find useful. You can find tons of materials on this site.

[Eyes_Only]

As freakparade mentioned, proper tension is what really helped me out. Too much tension and you'll get the wrong feedback from the lock and you'll eventually start bending your pick tools. I made that mistake before and snapped my Majestic hook pick.

Experiment with the different types of wrenches that are out there that you feel most comfortable using with your style of picking. Just keep your tension light and never put yourself in a position where you have to force or "pry" a pin stack up.

[vrocco]

I know as a newbie, tension is one thing I didn't get at first. I thought I needed to keep as much pressure as possible on the wrench.

Once I lightened up a bit, I got much better feedback and I saw my picking improve significantly.

These are all great tips so far, and it's good to start with the basics.

[kissnatcher1]

Practice whenever you have time,If it doesnt work for you in the first few min change your style and try again.If all that fails walk away clear your head then come back and try somemore.The best info was that not everyone can pick every lock every time, Even the pro's on here will tell you if they are honest about it that there are locks they couldn't open or that really gave them a hard time,For most pro's it's a time thing it's cheaper for a customer to pay for a new lock then pay for several hours of a lockies time.As a hobbie just learn and enjoy thats what i do..

[UWSDWF]

never eat the soup....

[vrocco]

Man I hope I never get invited to UWSDWF's house for dinner.

[UWSDWF]

Man I hope I never get invited to UWSDWF's house for dinner.

you have no need for concern... you won't be

[User]

Thank you for the insight. I have so much to learn, and appreciate any prodding in the right direction.

[lockpick1968]

Patience is the key when playing locks, whether a pro or hobbyist alike.
If you get frustrated you will not succeed in your task or goal.