New lock suggestions

[JohnnyWalker]

Hi all,

It's been quite some time since my last post, but I've still been reading posts here and learning a lot from you folks. While I'm far from being an expert at picking locks, my skills have improved a fair amount to the point where I'm no longer relegated to "raking" or "zipping" locks to unlock them. I'm not trying to brag here (my skills aren't really anything to brag about, lol), but to give you some perspective, I'm at a point where I can SPP locks with security pins or spools or without them (especially without them). I finally have the ability to feel pins setting and I know when to adjust the force (if needed) I apply to my tension wrench. For the longest time I wondered how you guys who could pick a lock by feel were able to do it and what I realized is that like anything else, it just comes with a lot of practice. With all of this being said, I would like to try to find some more challenging locks so I can further improve my skills. I suppose I'm still looking for pin and tumbler locks since I don't have proper picks (e.g., dimple picks, caba picks, etc) to deal with locks that utilize other locking mechanisms. I'm still working with a basic set of rakes, hooks, ball (single, double, and half), and diamonds. So, with all of this in mind I was hoping you folks could recommend some "intermediate" locks that would offer more of a challenge to pick, but aren't so advanced that you need specialized tools, or at least a lot more experience than I have now? Thanks for reading this and for any suggestions you can offer.

- JW

[JohnnyWalker]

Sorry, Mods. I just realized I probably should have posted this in the "What Lock Should I Buy?" section. My mistake

[mseifert]

I am at about the same stage as you and what was recommend to me was .... Schlage Everest, Sargent, Corbin/Russwin

I picked up a Schlage Everest at a local locksmith shop I had visited and purchased from a few times ..... Sent them an email asking if they had any used Schlage Everest laying around .. $10.00 and I was the owner of a new challenge...

[JohnnyWalker]

Thanks for the suggestions here, mseifert. I've been running around town to the local hardware stores and some of the "big box" stores, but all I've been able to find are cheap locks that don't really offer any more of a challenge than the locks I already own. It's nice to know what brands to look for now.

[GWiens2001]

If you can, try making friends with a local locksmith. They will have much better locks than the big box stores or hardware stores.

Gordon

[JohnnyWalker]

If you can, try making friends with a local locksmith. They will have much better locks than the big box stores or hardware stores.

Gordon

Thanks for the tip, Gordon. I stopped by one of the locksmith shops in town this afternoon and they had a few good locks, but I'm heading to the other one tomorrow to see if they have any better locks or better deals on locks. I'm hoping I can get to know the one at the shop tomorrow. He has a good reputation here in town and I think he could really help me develop my skills once he sees I'm into this purely as a hobby and not for any sort of criminal activity.

[JohnnyWalker]

A quick update here:

I went to one of the local locksmith shops here in town and purchased an A50D American Lock. It's definitely what I was looking for. This is one I will be working on for a while. Unlike all of my other locks this is not one I have been able to pop open within a few minutes of removing it from the package. However, I think I may need some new tools to beat this one, specifically a Peterson pry bar. All of my tension wrenches work best for bottom of the keyway tension. I could be wrong, but this lock seems like top of the keyway tension would be better. Have any of you had success with this model using botk tension? I saw Squelchtone's post on his series 50 American Lock, so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm up against in terms of security pins, but I'm still struggling with this one.

- JW

[GWiens2001]

That is a good learning lock, JW. TOK is the best way, but have beaten them before with BOK as well.

Gordon

[JohnnyWalker]

That is a good learning lock, JW. TOK is the best way, but have beaten them before with BOK as well.

Gordon

Thanks for your input here, Gordon. It's good to know I'm on the right track with this one. Until I get one of those pry bars I think I'm relegated to BOK tension, but it's good to know at least one other person out there has had success with this lock using BOK. I think I might try to modify one of my tensors to see if I can use it for TOK.

I did notice, however, that my lock is slightly different than the one Squelchtone posted pics of a few years back. That one had six pins, but mine only has five, but other than that I think they're quite similar. I think I'm up against five serrated pins. I could be wrong, of course, but I'm pretty sure all are serrated. At the very least I know the front pin is. Anyway, I'm going to work on this for a while and see how long it takes me to pick it.

Thanks again, Gordon. I appreciate your feedback.

- JW

[FarmerFreak]

Until I get one of those pry bars I think I'm relegated to BOK tension

Do you have a file or a dremel, and maybe an alan wrench you don't care about? TOK wrenches can be made out of a lot of things.

[JohnnyWalker]

Until I get one of those pry bars I think I'm relegated to BOK tension

Do you have a file or a dremel, and maybe an alan wrench you don't care about? TOK wrenches can be made out of a lot of things.

FarmerFeak, I followed your advice and used my Dremel to make some serrations on one of my tensors and I shortened its length a little, too. It works much better now for TOK tension, but it hasn't made any difference for me...yet. I still plan on getting some of those Peterson pry bars, but for now at least I have something that works better than it did before the modifications were made to it. So far I'm only able to set one pin and nothing else. I think it might be a matter of finding the right amount of force to apply to my tensor. I've read a lot that says light force is best with TOK, so that's the approach I'm taking for now. Like I said before, I'll be working on this one for a while. I'm not real "heavy handed" like I used to be when I first started out with all of this, but I still worry I will ruin the lock before I figure it out. I've already ruined a few locks before, but that was from using too much force and/or from raking locks that should not have been raked with any amount of force.

Thanks for your advice here, FarmerFreak.

[FarmerFreak]

I've read a lot that says light force is best with TOK

Feel free to use as much tension as the wrench can handle to find the binding pin. Once the binding pin has been located, lighten the tension before trying to move the pin.

[KPick]

I've read a lot that says light force is best with TOK

Feel free to use as much tension as the wrench can handle to find the binding pin. Once the binding pin has been located, lighten the tension before trying to move the pin.

Great advice Farmer freak. I didn't have that knowledge in my disposal, and now to apply it.

[JohnnyWalker]

I've read a lot that says light force is best with TOK

Feel free to use as much tension as the wrench can handle to find the binding pin. Once the binding pin has been located, lighten the tension before trying to move the pin.

Thanks for your additional advice here, FarmerFreak. To be honest, I'm still struggling quite a bit with this lock. I thought I was able to set one of the pins, but now I'm not so sure. I think it might be a "false set," but I'm not sure because when I think I've set one of the pins the cylinder hasn't rotated at all, so that makes me think it might be a false set. I wanted a more challenging lock because I was tired of buying locks I could pick within minutes of my first attempt to pick it, but perhaps I've bitten off more than can chew here. Or, perhaps I do not have the proper tools to deal with serrated pins? I know people have their own personal preferences to pick a lock, but I also know some tools are more appropriate than others for the job.

Here's what I have and perhaps you folks can give me some suggestions for the best pick(s) to defeat this lock:





So far what I've tried using are the two hooks on the far left of the top pic and my half diamond along with a tensor I modified for TOK. I've been avoiding using any of the rakes I have because I'm afraid raking may ruin the lock (I've ruined some of my other locks with security pins trying rake them) and for obvious reasons I'm not using my picks for warded locks. I've seen vids of guys using a deforest hook to deal with serrated pins, but as you can see I don't have one of those right now. Based on what you see here, do you guys think there's a better choice of pick(s) for this lock than what I've been using? Thanks.

[KPick]

Based on what you see here, do you guys think there's a better choice of pick(s) for this lock than what I've been using? Thanks.

No. You're fine. Those are the picks I use the most. Most of the picks in my collection are just gathering dust. The ones that you highlighted in your imagery are the small collection most of us in the lock-picking community use as our go to tools.

Personally. I use the diamond as my lifter pick. Lifter pick you say? I use that term in the sense of lifting the key pins up one by one without tilting it against the key hole. SPP basically

The hooks, like the ones you are displaying, (short and medium hook) I use for small keyholes and large ones alike applying pressure as I tilt it against the keyhole.