Very first lock

[mihalski]

Hi,

I'm going to buy the very first lock to attempt to pick and was wondering whether this looked suitabl

As you may have guessed I'm in Australia and I have no idea where to source locks other than hardware stores for "real" locks and supermarkets for padlocks. I'd like to start with the simplest possible lock just so that I don't get discouraged early

Thanks!

Regards,
Michal

[spoonzor]

anything without a known brand name on it should do. If it has "made in china" printed on it and costs less than 5 USD it should be pretty easy to open.
Good locks that are hard to pick usually cost 100 USD and (far) up.

[mihalski]

Thanks.

I managed to find a few padlocks while cleaning up around the house.

Ironically the only one out of 3 I could open was a Made in China AAA/Tri-A padlock I think the reason it is extra difficult for me (as my 3rd ever lock to pick) because the middle(isn) pin doesn't get pushed up at all and the only tension wrench I have is a bit too big.

The Lockwood and Master padlocks I found were relatively easy to pick, ESPECIALLY the Master. I did them about 4 times each and can do so repeatedly using nothing more than this wide half diamond looking pick from the iFixit Lock Pick Set which I also discovered I already had while cleaning

Perhaps I should do something about my memory as well as finding a decent and simple lock pick set and locks

I feel I could benefit from a lock where I can see the pins (if I wish too) and I can also reconfigure for practice. That way I can better learn the relationship between what I del, and what I'm actually doing inside a lock with any given pick).

In Australia locks seem to be WAY more expensive than in the US. The worst of the worst padlock costs around $10 :/ I fear my visit to the hardware store, as I expect the most basic door lock will be exorbitantly expensive. I'm sure it's all much cheaper in Thailand

[AshokaTano]

I actually found padlocks difficult when i was first starting out, the reason for this was in the cheap ones i.e masterlock #3 you cant take out any pin stacks so your stuck with a 4 pin lock and no feel for the pins. I woudl recommend going to a hardware store (been a long time since i was last in australia, so Im not sure if u have home depot) and buying a cheap deadbolt lock, really the cheaper the better (deadbolts are the simplest lock your going to get form a hardware store that you can remove the cylinder easily), once you have a deadbolt, go on YouTube and find a video on how to dissaseble it, begin with one pin work your way up, i prefer to find like with 6 pins or more whenever i can simply so you have more to work with, either way another great place to get locks is ebay, spend time surfing around if you don't find anything you like come back in a couple days, ppl are always adding new locks for great prices

[mihalski]

Thanks for the tips.

In the last few days I ended up ordering the Southord 15 piece slim lock pick set and two Peterson pry bars (the standard and slim) from the LockpickShop and a cut-away Re-Pinnable 6 pin Euro Cylinder Practice Lock along with a re-pinning kit from LocksAway.

Now I guess I'll need to get some decent pin tweezers from somewhere

Hopefully this will give me enough to practice with for a long time, and just because the lock is cut-away doesn't mean I have to look, but it's nice to have the option to when you're beginning and don't have a feel for the pins and depth of a lock.

[smokingman]

Sounds like you are set for now, good choices in training equipment.
I find lots of padlocks at the local flea market (swap meets) for around 25 to 50 cents a piece that have no key.
Perfect for practice since you can't see the key.
If there is one near you , you might see what you can find for future picking on the cheap.

[KPick]

A good tip when you find old locks is to use some kind of lubricant inside the lock.

I usually spray a mist of WD40 (lubricant) inside a lock before picking the old ones or weathered locks. This helps lossen up the pins and helps with feeling pins.

Btw welcome to lockpicking. Hope you like the hobby like I do.