A friend has loaned me a lock he got from eBay. Although I do not think they are being sold over there, the box has this address on it where they are still apparently for sale:
http://www.learnlockpicking.com/I have to say after playing around with this one it is without doubt the best aid to learning picking I've come across. I REALLY wish I'd had one of these when I started out, it would have saved me so much time and work. I should also point out that I have nothing to do with the company (individual?) making these, I was just loaned one to play with!
The first picture is of what you get for your $37.50
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff34 ... uper01.jpgPlease note that I have altered the picture of the key, since it is not my lock...
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff34 ... uper02.jpgThe lock has been drilled out and threaded. Nylon grub screws hold the springs and pins in place. I like the idea that as you set the lock up for different picking challenges, you also learn a lot about repinning locks, almost by accident.
The inclusion of an Allen key (wrench) is welcome, as not everyone will have one, or the right size handy. Personally I would have liked to see a few more pins enclosed and possibly a "super set" which includes a repinning tray. I suspect a lot of people will loose pins fairly quickly from the kit as they are very smooth and fiddley and are also non-magnetic, so don't go relying on one of those old disk drive magnets to find any dropped pins. Just remember to only tighten the nylon grub screws VERY slightly, just enough to hold, otherwise you will strip the threads from them (there are some spares included though).
There are enough spool pins to fill each one with a spool. This gave me the chance to try a lock with a spool pin in positions 1,3,4 & 6. No other pins, just pick these four. It is remarkable how clearly you can feel the differences in the spools when they are isolated like this. The front one is the easiest to pick and it gets progressively harder as you move further into the lock.
Another pleasant suprise for me, was the quality of the adaptions made to the lock. They were done very professionally, infact, the adaptations felt as though they were to greater tolerances than the original lock itself was.
If you are just beginning picking - Or possibly learning to repin locks, then the inclusion of the small "discs" is another nice touch, as they are used for making locks that can be opened by their own key, or a masterkey.
So many pickers find picking a lock inhand feels completely different, that I would make a small mounting board for this lock as well, so I could get a feel for it in a "door", not just inhand.
This is just crying out for the addition of more types of security pins and I hope either the original maker of the lock will make them available, or someone else will. Spools are a great way to learn anti-picking pins, but the variations all feel a little different.
Even so, I think this is a great little practise lock and the best I've come across so far. Even the price seems reasonable compaired to others I've seen.
I too would have loved to have something like that starting out.
