Super Max Security 7-pin Practice Lock

[phrygianradar]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to show off a new practice lock that I got. What makes this practice lock really unique, in my opinion, are a couple of things. First, as the name of the thread implies it has 7-pin chambers. The most I had seen before this was 6. Adding a seventh pin makes the lock a formidable foe! Plus it comes with a couple of different types of security driver pins; both serrated drivers and spooled drivers (no "spoorated" drivers). That really beefs up what you can do with this lock. The keyway is a Schlage "C" which is the most common Schlage keyway, so it is good to practice on something that you actually will come across in real life. I figure, if I can defeat a 7-pin Schlage lock at home, it will make the five and six pin ones in the real world seem easier.

I was impressed with how professional the whole package looked when I got it. Each type of pin/spring is in it's own little bag, they are not just all tossed in a bag'o'bits for you to rummage through

There are plenty of different size master pins (7 sizes) for you, so you can practice master keying or go to the hardware store and get SC4 key blanks and file your own keys. The instructions are really intuitive and thorough.

I am really stoked on mine, check out the pics of it.

http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Natha ... 0.jpg.html
http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Natha ... e.jpg.html
http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Natha ... b.jpg.html

And a close-up of the security pins

http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Natha ... e.jpg.html

So, this is what I will be playing with for a while! Thank you Mr. Wizard! If you want to know more PM me, or Mr. Wizard, as he is the craftsman who made this little package of joy!

Happy Picking! -Nathan

[MrWizard]

Nathan

Nice review and pictures.
Thanks for the kind words glad to hear you like it.
I like your LAB pinning mat I will have to get one.

Richard

[phrygianradar]

Yes, the LAB pinning mat is cool, plus it has 7 slots for pinning and a place to put the plug

I gotta tell you man, this one blows the other practice lock away! I gutted it and took it all apart, re-pinned it; it is awesome! I have 6 pins with two spools in right now. I am going to make use of the seventh pin later, I want to get some more practice on my spools. I'm thinking of going down to four pins with all spools (maybe three) and then building on that. There are just so many options!

Thanks again,
Nathan

[ARF-GEF]

This looks like great work Wizard. Congrats!

[MrWizard]

Nathan

Thanks again for your feedback I did my best to make this practice lock the best around and something anyone can use so that a complete novice or experienced skilled can benefit from it. Didn't cut any corners on quality. The instructions were produced so if you know nothing about how a lock works it gives the basics of a working cylinder and works up to tips for more advanced to still get satisfaction from as well. It was a labor of love of locks for me and will try to make it even better if possible in the future. Good to know all the work was worth the effort have fun with it.

Thanks ARF-GEF appreciate the congrats.

Richard

[fgarci03]

@Nathan, that is a beautifull lock to practice. Having mushrooms and serrated really make it something even better! And I like your pinning matt too

@Richard, that really looks like professional work. Have you thought about mass production of those (at least as mass you can DIY)?

I recently got a Scandinavian Oval Cylinder from zeepia, who was kind enough to make it an easy re-pinable lock:


It's the same lock featured in here: viewtopic.php?p=413918#p413918

[IndigoChild]

I got some practice lock from LPS and they are 7 pin kwikset locks. Never heard of such a thing and works with regular KW1 blanks. I have worked with some 8 pin locks before. but that was a little..... stupid, to say the least. It looked like such a fragile lock. hard as hell to rekey too. Simply because it was a knockoff of a sargent HA and none of my pin charts worked for it.

[MrWizard]

Nathan

Nice review and pictures.
Thanks for the kind words glad to hear you like it.
I like your LAB pinning mat I will have to get one.

Richard

I picked up one of those LAB pinning mats today from local lock supply for $23.90. Really nice I should have got one a long time ago.

I do a lot of pinning in the van just standing outside the door so it makes it nice to throw down the mat on the van floor by the doorway keeps things from rolling around.

Richard

[phrygianradar]

I want to post an update now,after I have had this practice lock for about a week. Still really love it. I have yet to make use of that 7th pin chamber (which is silly because that was one of the reasons I bought it ), but anyway, I dumped all the pins out and started loading spools in one chamber at a time, gradually until I had picked one through six all spooled. Then, when all six where filled back up and all spooled, I started taking out some of the spools and putting regular drivers in there place, but still keeping six chambers working. When I got done with this exercise, I had some interesting things to note. As I went through adding one chamber after another with all spools, they were almost all equally easy (except one and two, right? ) But, when taking spools out and replacing them with regular drivers, I noticed that three spools; one in every other pin chamber was tough. Four spools; in chambers 2,3,4, and 6, was tough. I don't know why, but that surprised me. I had this idea in my head that the more spools, the harder it would be. That is sort of true, but when they were all spools, it wasn't as hard as when 3of6 or 4or6 were spooled. Maybe some of you have noticed that long ago, but it was an interesting thing for me to discover. Now I can see that it may not just be cost that would keep a company from spooling all of the pins. Having two, three, or four (depending on the total number of chambers) in random locations is way more tricky (obviously) than if they are all the same thing.

I kept the original keying, which has its ups and downs but nothing wild (which I think is one of the most common patterns to come across), so I haven't even started doing any crazy highs and lows with spools yet. Tomorrow hopefully, but there are so many other combos and ideas to try out!

I am still just really impressed with the quality and tightness of this lock; it was an awesome buy. I am really starting to feel more comfortable with spools, which has been a sore subject in days past...

After all that practice, I took out some old Brinks Padlocks and beat the living snot out them! Heck yeah! I remember a time when those things took me like 30 minutes to pick, or stumped me all together! They were like lambs to the slaughter... I know that practicing makes you get better, and I know that it wasn't this practice lock that magically did anything to me (although it was sold to me by a man that goes by; Mr. Wizard....hmmm....), but it was so easy to re-pin and just has a great feeling of quality. Definitely nine thumbs up!

Nathan

[fgarci03]

Nathan, congrats on the picking

Yes, in fact, with all spools it gets easier. It has to have at least one regular pin, or the lock gets into a false set too easily.
I had the same issue some time ago viewtopic.php?p=412084#p412084

[MrWizard]

Nathan

Yes I also have done magic as long as I have done locks so the voodoo is done.

Glad to know you find the lock to be all it is suppose to be a challenge! Yes in fact the more spools you have the easier it is to get a false set so random spools and regular drivers is best to try to defeat.
If you can get someone else in your house to put in the unknown amount of spools and drivers for you while your back is turned you can drop the springs in and cap them yourself and practice with the unknown locations of the spools and how many and where they are to make it even more fun. Just be sure to tell them which way the spool is to be dropped in there and your good to go. Have them hide the unused spools and drivers from your sight so you can't cheat by seeing how many are still not in the lock.

Very happy you like the lock and appreciate hearing how much fun you are having with it makes my day!
I always like to get feedback on something I have made it makes me feel it was worth all the effort.

Thanks from the Wizard

[phrygianradar]

Nathan, congrats on the picking

Yes, in fact, with all spools it gets easier. It has to have at least one regular pin, or the lock gets into a false set too easily.
I had the same issue some time ago viewtopic.php?p=412084#p412084

It's funny, because I remeber when you got that 7x7 and followed that thread for a long time, but I must have missed the part at the end when everyone was talking about all the spooled pins making it easier. So true!

[gunny]

Am I the only one? Where was the lock purchased?

[MrAnybody]

Am I the only one? Where was the lock purchased?

PM phrygianradar. He'll sort it out for you.

[MrAnybody]

Am I the only one? Where was the lock purchased?

PM phrygianradar. He'll sort it out for you.

Oppps, sorry. My mistake.

It's MrWizard who makes the lock. He'll happily set you up with one.