The Ultimate Practice Lock...Any thoughts?

[sean_1971]

I found this online a while back, and I bought it with the upgrade, spool drivers and extra pins and springs etc. here's the link: http://www.learnlockpicking.com/order.html. Can anyone suggest what else I shoud get in conjunction with this to expedite the learning curve? Thanks all, any suggestions are more than welcome.
Sean

[Squelchtone]

I found this online a while back, and I bought it with the upgrade, spool drivers and extra pins and springs etc. here's the link: http://www.learnlockpicking.com/order.html. Can anyone suggest what else I shoud get in conjunction with this to expedite the learning curve? Thanks all, any suggestions are more than welcome.
Sean

That's a great price for a very nice selection of parts. as for suggestions what else you need, well.. there's nothing really that will expedite the learning curve other than 2 hours of practice a day for 1 year and reading as many posts on this forum as possible, as well as asking questions when you get stuck on a lock, or don't understand what's going on inside.

A good set of picks is also a plus, be it home made, Southord, Southern Specialties, Brockhage, Rytan, Majestic, Peterson, or HPC if you are starting out.

I picked locks for a year before I even found this forum, and most of that was raking and luck. Skill will come with time and proper tools.

Squelchtone

[Viggs]

I found this online a while back, and I bought it with the upgrade, spool drivers and extra pins and springs etc. here's the link: http://www.learnlockpicking.com/order.html. Can anyone suggest what else I shoud get in conjunction with this to expedite the learning curve? Thanks all, any suggestions are more than welcome.

That looks like an awesome practice lock. But I would also suggest that you don't limit yourself to one keyway. If you re-pin the same lock over and over, you'll definitely master it. But, ideally, you want to be able to approach almost any lock for the first time and get to work efficiently. When I first learned to pick, I opened a kwikset lock over and over for weeks. But as soon as I tried a schlage, It was like I had never touched a pick before in my life! Later, I was determined to master spool pins. So I took a schlage that was full of spool pins and picked it 500 times (I kid you not). But I could hardly believe it when I picked up a common master padlock, and felt like a total beginner. I believe that a very important part of practice is continually exposing yourself to new keyways. And over time, you'll gain a sense of feel for locks in general (as opposed to just the locks you're used to).

Also... don't hesitate to un-pin and re-pin every lock you work with. If a new lock is kicking your ass, reduce it to three pins at first and build up. A plug follower is one of the best tools you can have!