Profile Madness!

[gratefuldeadbolt]

I just had a brainstorm of an idea that may be useful for the hobbyist lock picker and regular locksmiths too, I'd like to put together a table / chart of some kind that rates different manufacturers locks in relation to their key profile and its resistance to picking and specific pick tools.

Indirectly it would also be rating locks in terms of pick resistance based on keyway profiles and picking tools / techniques.

It may help the hobbyist in knowing if a specific tool could physically be used to manipulate a #2 (short pin) that is in chamber #5 behind a #6 (long pin) in chamber #4

granted this chart has to be based on COMMONLY USED or PURCHASED tools as a reference.

Hacksaw blade in a Y1 profile vs Stainless pick or HPC half diamond vs HPC hook in an Sargent LA Plug.

Just a thought..... perhaps we could use a spreadsheat... put plug profiles along the top and known picks or additional tools along the side.... and people can vote or add the amounts off successful openings in the appropriate cell.... this can be an ongoing tally... and yes it would rely on the honesty and integrity of those that are involved, so I don't want to see a huge amount of openings in the Medeco M3 (profile?) with the bent arm of your Rayban, Matrix or Gucci Sunglasses!!!

[criminalhate]

the idea has been discussed before the problem brought up last time (don't worry it was a really long time ago) was that a database would be inaccurate. To say one lock is easier to pick then another is an opinion. Someone may be able to open a master no3 all day long but not be able to open a kwickset. Also every lock is different because of bitting. So I may have 5 different kwickset locks that are the same model yet each one may take a different amount of time to open it.

[ToolyMcgee]

If only it were this easy then king and queen picks would exist for every model lock of every kind. You could buy a short hook that would be the exact height of the deepest key cut, and the right bogota could get you into anything with a slight jiggle. Majestic picks attempt to emulate the highest number of common key cuts, auto jigglers exist for every make and model car, and the search continues...

If there were to be a database formed it would be based on opinion rather than acutal fact like criminalhate has said. It's not a terrible idea, as I'm not opposed to seeing others opinions. Imagine though the poll number that would rate a Master 5, #40, #140, #532, Yale profiles, KW profiles, Schlage profiles, at an unpickable difficulty? I don't think we have enough active member's to make such a opinionated database worth it. Not to mention the list would be astronomically huge as I'm sure people would attempt to poll on individual locks instead of keyways or cylinder types. Even, "I have this lock my grandpa gave me" or "front door lock" as lock brands. Alright... I think this rant is long enough. Neat idea though. Thanks for sharing it.

[raimundo]

beyond the fact that even the same lock will be hard or difficult depending on the pickers having a good or bad day, this would try to match picktools to locks, and could easily be gamed by the lock manufacturers sycophants, just like lockpicktools has those sketchy guys posting on youtube doing.

[Archive555]

Well then, why don't we have a poll, see which lock everybody finds the hardest/longest (no references to intercourse, please) to pick?
Then gratefuldeadbolt can get his info, and we'll see how it turns out.

Anyone?

[Archive555]

Ahhh.
After re-reading ToolyMcgee's previous post, I see why this is partially unfeasible.

Sorry.

[ToolyMcgee]

I didn't mean to kill the fun with my rant. I just don't want to read a hundred thousand posts on how hard Master 5's are to pick. At the moment I find Best locks to be very time consuming. All other difficulties aside, I just hate it when I have to bank my pick off the warding in one of their many different keyways. 19 maybe? Anyway the holes mess with my mojo.

I don't know if I fully grasp what raimundo is saying. Lock company fan boy's using brand specific picks on youtube to boost sales maybe? Sounds about right. I can't make a SO style inverted snake pop a best lock in a single stroke, and if I could posting it on youtube wouldn't help anyone improve their skills. It might help me sell some picks... crap did I just learn something? All this time I thought it just a couple overly obsequious, ego maniacs. That's tobacco company sneaky.