Lock Picking 101 Forum
A community dedicated to the fun and ethical hobby of lock picking.
       

Lock Picking 101 Home
Login
Profile
Members
Forum Rules
Frequent Forum Questions
SEARCH
View New Posts
View Active Topics


Live Chat on Discord
LP101 Forum Chat
Keypicking Forum Chat
Reddit r/lockpicking Chat



Learn How to Pick Locks
FAQs & General Questions
Got Beginner Questions?
Pick-Fu [Intermediate Level]


Ask a Locksmith
This Old Lock
This Old Safe
What Lock Should I Buy?



Hardware
Locks
Lock Patents
Lock Picks
Lock Bumping
Lock Impressioning
Lock Pick Guns, Snappers
European Locks & Picks
The Machine Shop
The Open Source Lock
Handcuffs


Member Spotlight
Member Introductions
Member Lock Collections
Member Social Media


Off Topic
General Chatter
Other Puzzles


Locksmith Business Info
Training & Licensing
Running a Business
Keyways & Key Blanks
Key Machines
Master Keyed Systems
Closers and Crash Bars
Life Safety Compliance
Electronic Locks & Access
Locksmith Supplies
Locksmith Lounge


Buy Sell Trade
Buy - Sell - Trade
It came from Ebay!


Advanced Topics
Membership Information
Special Access Required:
High Security Locks
Vending Locks
Advanced Lock Pick Tools
Bypass Techniques
Safes & Safe Locks
Automotive Entry & Tools
Advanced Buy/Sell/Trade


Locksport Groups
Locksport Local
Chapter President's Office
Locksport Board Room
 

A tale of two padlocks

Information about locks themselves. Questions, tips and lock diagram information should be posted here.

A tale of two padlocks

Postby Hachronn » 3 Sep 2014 13:18

Have you ever had trouble picking a padlock only to tune into a YouTube video where the "same" lock seems to fall open at the touch of a pick? How about reading that post where a guy says that he can't pick a Schlage F Series deadbolt to save his business, and you pick yours both ways in under a minute?

Not all locks are created equal!

I have a Master 532 in my collection that I struggle with more than any other lock I own. It's tougher than my American 5200, and it gives me a hell of a lot more fight than my American 1305 ever did. I don't care what anybody says, that fracking 532 is a soul crusher.

Aside from the fact that it the biting is extreme (Deep, shallow, Deep, and extremely shallow), just getting something, anything, to bind is a chore. This lock has a sweet spot to beat all sweet spots. Once I have it, it's not so bad, but getting there is more than three quarters of the fight.

I've just about got this lock's number, and I've definitely moved from the luck to skill level of picking this lock, but it still a challenge every time I pick it up.

Now contrast that with the 532 I picked up over the weekend. I don't know why I bought it, but I was in a hardware store, it was hanging from a hook, and it went home with me. Talk about a lock that falls open at the touch of a pick. I all but whisper Peterson into the keyway and the hasp pops open.

I've been taking a bucket list approach to lock picking. The lesson here, at least for me, is that that needs to change. I could have just as easily picked up the second 532 first, and I would have moved on after deciding that it was trivial. Obviously, I'm learning far more from working with the PITA 532 than I am from picking the easy one. Anyway, that's my two cents for the morning.
-- I have a tendency to write hasp when I mean shackle. It's a bad habit, but I'm working on it one day at a time.

If you find my insistence that you pay me to do something unreasonable, you probably shouldn't be bothering me at work.
Hachronn
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 135
Joined: 7 May 2013 14:22
Location: Southern California

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby mseifert » 3 Sep 2014 15:19

I completely agree.. I have the same situation but with 2 American 5200... I do find that the older of the 2 is a harder to pick than the brand new one I bought... May just be the grim .. but for just about every lock I own I have multiples and will pick all of them .. Because much like women .. Locks all have a different way of getting them to open up.... :D :D
When I finally leave this world.. Will someone please tell my wife what I have REALLY spent on locks ...
User avatar
mseifert
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 720
Joined: 19 Sep 2013 20:56
Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby Hachronn » 3 Sep 2014 15:31

I couldn't agree with you more mseifert, but I'd be willing to bet that if you whispered Peterson at most women, they'd just look at you funny. :D
-- I have a tendency to write hasp when I mean shackle. It's a bad habit, but I'm working on it one day at a time.

If you find my insistence that you pay me to do something unreasonable, you probably shouldn't be bothering me at work.
Hachronn
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 135
Joined: 7 May 2013 14:22
Location: Southern California

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby GWiens2001 » 3 Sep 2014 16:21

Yes, each lock - even the same model - will pick differently. This is due to the same flaws whichwhich make picking possible.

As for the older American lock being harder to pick than the brand new lock - several possible explanations. One is that the newer lock has nice crisp edges on the pins and pin channels and plug, so it is easier to feel the 'clicks'. Another, which you mentioned, is grime deadening feedback and increasing wear.

The most likely, in my opinion, is that your older American was made before Master Lock bought American and introduced lower cost lock cores. These newer cores are just not as well made, and usually don't have the high quality serrated, spoorated, or even normal spool pins. They rely on the bump-stop pins. You can find a thread here on the site comparing the old and new American 5200 locks if you want a more detailed explanation.

Keep picking!

Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
User avatar
GWiens2001
Site Admin
 
Posts: 7550
Joined: 3 Sep 2012 16:24
Location: Arizona, United States

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby C-Horse » 3 Sep 2014 20:56

I got my 5260 picked last night broke her down and cleaned out the grime. It was a great pick I am looking for another American or US lock to pick. I am willing to trade with you guys.
" In the end it is only me my weapon and my trigger finger "
Image
C-Horse
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 114
Joined: 5 Aug 2014 2:31
Location: Largo Florida

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby mseifert » 3 Sep 2014 22:02

Hachronn wrote:I couldn't agree with you more mseifert, but I'd be willing to bet that if you whispered Peterson at most women, they'd just look at you funny. :D


:D :D :D :D :D
When I finally leave this world.. Will someone please tell my wife what I have REALLY spent on locks ...
User avatar
mseifert
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 720
Joined: 19 Sep 2013 20:56
Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby Robotnik » 3 Sep 2014 23:33

Hachronn wrote:Have you ever had trouble picking a padlock only to tune into a YouTube video where the "same" lock seems to fall open at the touch of a pick? How about reading that post where a guy says that he can't pick a Schlage F Series deadbolt to save his business, and you pick yours both ways in under a minute?

Not all locks are created equal!

I have a Master 532 in my collection that I struggle with more than any other lock I own. It's tougher than my American 5200, and it gives me a hell of a lot more fight than my American 1305 ever did. I don't care what anybody says, that fracking 532 is a soul crusher.

Aside from the fact that it the biting is extreme (Deep, shallow, Deep, and extremely shallow), just getting something, anything, to bind is a chore. This lock has a sweet spot to beat all sweet spots. Once I have it, it's not so bad, but getting there is more than three quarters of the fight.

I've just about got this lock's number, and I've definitely moved from the luck to skill level of picking this lock, but it still a challenge every time I pick it up.

Now contrast that with the 532 I picked up over the weekend. I don't know why I bought it, but I was in a hardware store, it was hanging from a hook, and it went home with me. Talk about a lock that falls open at the touch of a pick. I all but whisper Peterson into the keyway and the hasp pops open.

I've been taking a bucket list approach to lock picking. The lesson here, at least for me, is that that needs to change. I could have just as easily picked up the second 532 first, and I would have moved on after deciding that it was trivial. Obviously, I'm learning far more from working with the PITA 532 than I am from picking the easy one. Anyway, that's my two cents for the morning.


I completely agree. I too had taken a 'bucket list' approach to lockpicking, but recently ran across a standard Schlage SC1 5-pin deadbolt that - ordinarily - I'd have picked with my eyes closed, however this one has thrown me for a loop. Can't pick it, can't bump it, nothing.

I don't even know if the cylinder is functional, but I keep it on my shelf as a reminder to stay humble and to keep moving forward. If this was the first Schlage I tried to pick, I may have given up on lockpicking altogether, but as it turns out, I 'd picked dozens before I ran into this one. Maybe I'll pick it someday, maybe I won't, but either way, it will have definitely served its purpose, and I'll have learned a lot from it.
Robotnik
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 668
Joined: 3 Aug 2014 16:21
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby Hachronn » 5 Sep 2014 10:59

Robotnik wrote:I completely agree. I too had taken a 'bucket list' approach to lockpicking, but recently ran across a standard Schlage SC1 5-pin deadbolt that - ordinarily - I'd have picked with my eyes closed, however this one has thrown me for a loop. Can't pick it, can't bump it, nothing...


I had a similar experience with a Schlage SC1 5-pin mortise cylinder. It was so bad that I was beginning to develop a fear of mortise cylinders. I eventually found that I had to alternate between BOK and TOK to get it picked. I'd approach it first with BOK, set a couple of pins, and then finish off with TOK. After much trial and error, that turned out to be the "key" to that particular lock.
-- I have a tendency to write hasp when I mean shackle. It's a bad habit, but I'm working on it one day at a time.

If you find my insistence that you pay me to do something unreasonable, you probably shouldn't be bothering me at work.
Hachronn
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 135
Joined: 7 May 2013 14:22
Location: Southern California

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby YouLuckyFox » 7 Sep 2014 1:54

Aw, man. I thought this was going to be a review of the book of the same title by Charles Pickens; author of BEST Expectations, A Kwikset Carol, and The Posthumous Papers of the PickQuick Club. :P
YouLuckyFox
 
Posts: 630
Joined: 10 Aug 2012 19:25

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby GWiens2001 » 7 Sep 2014 8:45

YouLuckyFox wrote:Aw, man. I thought this was going to be a review of the book of the same title by Charles Pickens; author of BEST Expectations, A Kwikset Carol, and The Posthumous Papers of the PickQuick Club. :P


:lol:

Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
User avatar
GWiens2001
Site Admin
 
Posts: 7550
Joined: 3 Sep 2012 16:24
Location: Arizona, United States

Re: A tale of two padlocks

Postby Hachronn » 7 Sep 2014 10:17

YouLuckyFox wrote:Aw, man. I thought this was going to be a review of the book of the same title by Charles Pickens; author of BEST Expectations, A Kwikset Carol, and The Posthumous Papers of the PickQuick Club. :P


:D
-- I have a tendency to write hasp when I mean shackle. It's a bad habit, but I'm working on it one day at a time.

If you find my insistence that you pay me to do something unreasonable, you probably shouldn't be bothering me at work.
Hachronn
Supporter
Supporter
 
Posts: 135
Joined: 7 May 2013 14:22
Location: Southern California


Return to Locks

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

cron