What lock next?

[sisk]

So I've picked my way through all the locks I got off eBay when I started save three. One of those is a tubular lock that I just don't have any way to tension. One is a Best SFIC cylinder that I'm still having trouble with but haven't given up on. The other has an extremely paracentric key way and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to beat it till I spent some time or money to get a much thinner hook than what I currently have. What I've gone through is:

Master #s 3, 1, 5, 140, and one that I don't know the model, but it has for spools and a standard pin
A wb padlock
About 3 dozen kiks, mostly Arrow and Emtech but some Kwiksets and Schlages also
Half a dozen 5 and 6 pin m mortice cylinders
An American 1100
An Ace clone of an American
A Stanley 6 pin padlock with two serrated pins
A 6 pin practice lock made from a Falcon kik cylinder with every conceivable combination of security pins and various bittings

So my question is this. What should my next lock purchase be assuming I want a step up in challenge from what I've already picked (or, in the case of the Best, will probably have figured out before the new lock gets to me)?

[Daltonj21]

I would recommend a couple abus and some more American locks. Maybe a couple yale locks the keyway for me is what makes them tough. Picking 1 lock is far from picking any of them.

As for the BEST unless you new lock takes forever and a day to ship don't hold your breath on "figuring it out" there are some tricks to picking them but I'm convinced it's mostly luck. I open 1 of the ones I have pretty consistent with heavy tension. Light/med tension doesn't work.

[Mattches]

It sounds like you've gotten some good practice with security pins! Have you considered repinning some of your other locks with the security pins from your Falcon practice lock? To master security pin picking, you really should get practice with a variety of locks. To increase the challenge, thread the chambers of the core and/or bible to give something for the serrations to grab on to. Threaded locks with serrated pins can be rather nasty. To thread the chambers, use a 5-40NC plug tap.

Daltonj21 is right about the SFIC cylinder, picking them is all luck. This is often the case with locks that have multiple shear lines. With SFIC locks, there are two shear lines (e.g., operator, control). The operator key opens the lock, the control key removes the core. When picking the lock, you have to pick *every* pin to either the operator OR control shear line. When you set a pin, there is no way to tell which shear line the pin has been set to. If you have 6 or 7 pins, the combinations of shear lines is quite large. They are not impossible to pick, but I don't know anyone who regularly does so by SPP. Try raking/rocking with a bogota, resetting the tension frequently. There are videos online demonstrating this method with SFIC locks.

And yeah, try Yale locks. The paracentric keyway makes some bitting quite a challenge, but a .015" pick helps.

Good luck!

[sisk]

And yeah, try Yale locks. The paracentric keyway makes some bitting quite a challenge, but a .015" pick helps.

I've actually got a mortise cylinder with a very paracentric keyway (possibly a Yale, but I haven't sat down to attempt to identify it) that I've decided not to pick up again till I have either some 0.015" picks or a hook capable of picking through the holes in the warding (on this lock the pins actually go through two wardings). Trying to pick it with my current picks was pure frustration. I couldn't even get the pins half as high as I'd need them for a high cut pin, so I'm pretty sure it's flat not possible with what I currently have.

Daltonj21 is right about the SFIC cylinder, picking them is all luck. This is often the case with locks that have multiple shear lines.

I'm getting that through my thick skull finally. I'm a little disappointed by that, but I suppose it gives me an excuse to work on my currently pathetic raking skills. (What can I say? SPPing is fun. As someone mentioned in the comments on a YouTube video, when I SPP a lock I feel a sense of accomplishment, but when a rake a lock I only feel disappointed in the lock.)

After looking at the thing and some documentation someone gave me on them I've even given up on my plans to make a set of keys for it. I wish I'd known before I bought one without keys that you can't take them apart with a follower and make a key for them the same way you can basically any other lock with a removable cylinder. I've been in touch with a local locksmith who deals with them on a regular basis who says he can make me a set of keys, one operating and one control, for $40. I'll probably do that at some point when I've got a little more money I can throw around.

[Mattches]

I've been in touch with a local locksmith who deals with them on a regular basis who says he can make me a set of keys, one operating and one control, for $40. I'll probably do that at some point when I've got a little more money I can throw around.

I think you can find a new SFIC lock with keys for a lot less than $40 on Ebay. Plus, that sound like a lot of money to spend on a lock that you don't like to pick. : )

[Ian_425]

I have been making my own ez repin practice locks out of kwikset and schlage cylinders. You could do something similar and customize your own "pain".

[Br0keN]

best locks can usually be raked open easily with light tension. But for spping them don't worry about the double shear line. unless you have a tension tool with teeth on one side you can only apply tension to the operating shear line. Im not saying you cant pick it to control but i don't know anybody who can consistently without a special tension tool.

[Robotnik]

best locks can usually be raked open easily with light tension. But for spping them don't worry about the double shear line. unless you have a tension tool with teeth on one side you can only apply tension to the operating shear line. Im not saying you cant pick it to control but i don't know anybody who can consistently without a special tension tool.

Personally, I've found it depends on the core - some pick to control even with TOK/BOK tension. One particularly odd one I have picks to control with TOK and to operating with an i-core tension tool.

There are a lot of factors in play that determine how a particular core interprets the turning force applied to it during picking.