Yale Removable Cores

[andy77]

After working with many Kwiksets and Schlage locks for a while, I decided to move on to practice Yale locks, and I gotta tell you, I don't have much success.

Specifically, I have two Yale 1210 removable cores. One has a GA keyway and the other a Para.

The keyway access on these locks really takes away the feel (of the pins)for me. I'm not sure if I should buy Slimline picks or I just need to get used to the feel of rotating the pick as I lift. Has anyone else had difficulty transitioning to this type of lock?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[maintenanceguy]

I've got thousands of the 121- cores at work.



The GA keyways aren't too bad to pick but the paracentrics are.

The Yale Keymark Paracentric cores have nearly impossible access to the pins and several spool pins. I've never got one and I had a couple on my desk for several weeks that I would pick up and play with a few times a day.

[andy77]

They're one of the most used at my workplace, as well. I bet they're on 90% of the locks, which is why I decided to start practicing them. I ordered 1 GA and 1 Para. Even the GA is difficult with such a steep angle. (your pictures are spot on, by the way)

Even removing most of the pins (starting at 2 and moving up), it is still tough. You don't feel much of a tension change, and the feel for springiness in the pins is next to nill. Probably because I am hitting half the wall as I attempt to lift the pins.

[vitti]

How do the Yale IC's control keys work? Is it an extra pin or extra shear line?

If it's a second shear line, like that keymark one pictured above, then that's a big part of why it's harder to pick. I've never messed with the larger format IC's or any Yale locks so I'm not sure which is the case.

[andy77]

The control key on the one I'm working on (mainenanceguy's first pic) uses an extra pin.

I've removed all but the first 2 pins so that I can practice the best ways to manipulate the pick in the keyway. Perhaps I'm having difficulty due to Yale's better tolerances. (there aren't security pins in this)

I'll keep at it.

Definitely a much harder lock than a masterlocks, kwikset, schlage, titan...or some of the basic locks you start out with.

[Trip Doctor]

Personally, I've found Yales really tough because - at least the ones I have- have lighter spring tension, so it's a lot tougher feeling out the pins and seeing whether they're binding or not. But.. maybe that's just me.