Beginning to get the hang of it

[Bittersoul]

First off, this is my first post, so hello to everyone. Lock picking is a hobby I've been interested in picking up (no pun intended) for quite a while. I recently got a 14 pick Southord set and a cheap Defiant deadbolt to practice on, and I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it. The Defiant doesn't provide much of a challenge anymore at 5 pins, and I'm even doing pin-by-pin picking. My concern at the moment, however, is where to go next.

I can easily pick the Defiant, but I can't help but notice that my sensing is still a bit muddled. I'm having a hard time telling what's set and what's not, even though I tend to be able to figure it out through trial and error. I have a six pin Best lock which I've been messing around with to absolutely no avail (though from the posts here about them, it doesn't discourage me that much). I'm ready for something new and more challenging, I'm just concerned that my precision and pin-feeling techniques might need some work before I move too far forward...

Any suggestions?

[toomush2drink]

Just keep practicing and it will fall into place, the fact you have had success is good so keep it up.

[Vek]

Join the club I know exactly how you feel. I'm in the same spot as you are, basically. I can pick my practice lock without much effort, but my sensing isn't all that great. I figure I'll just keep practicing and it'll get better with time

As for where to go, from what I've read, I think you should grab a Kwikset, Schlage or Yale. Just make sure it doesn't have any security pins (Unless you really want a challenge. ).

I would think, anyways

[digital_blue]

Congrats no your success so far! As for where to go from here...

At this stage in the game, I would say that just about any fairly simple lock is good. In fact, the more the merrier. If budget permits, pick up a Kwikset, Weiser, or Schlage. Try to get one of the deadbolts that are keyed on both sides (this way you get 2 cylinders to pick for around the same price). Also, you might try picking up a few cheap padlocks. Stay away from the really really cheap ones though.

The best advice I can give is to have a number of locks around you to practice on. The reason is this. As you begin to develop the feel of picking, if you are just working on one or two locks there is a good chance that what will happen is you will begin to "memorize" the steps that it takes to open that particular lock. This can be a detriment to your picking skill because those same steps will not work when you go on to the next lock. It is sort of like the difference between memorizing a song on piano through repitition, and learning to comfortably read sheet music. Both will teach you the song, but only one of them is really teaching you to play piano. Remember that any particular lock has a "set order", as in the order in which the pins will bind and set.

If you find yourself at a point with a lock that you are just sort fo repeating the same steps because you know that they work to open the lock, that would be an indication that you have memorized that lock and it no longer provides a challenge to you. Set it aside. Later on when you come back to it you will have forgotten the "tricks" to that lock and it will offer a new challenge. Also, if you find yourself really stumped on a particular lock (to the point where you are getting frustrated and it is not fun anymore) put that lock aside in a pile of "Haven't defeated yet" locks and be happy that you have a place to grow to.

One final thought. Deadbolts are a nice thing to work on because you can disassemble them and actually see if there are any security pins. IF a lock is too hard for you at first you can actually demove smoe of the pins and start with a fewer number until you can work your way up to all of them.

So, to sum it up, surround yourself in locks (as many as budget will allow), don't worry too much about what is hard and what is easy when you're buying them because even with the hard ones you'll be glad you have them later, and get comfortable with taking locks apart to see what is going on.

Hope this helps. Happy picking!

db

[Ezer]

I know what you mean about not being able to get the feel of picking pin-by-pin with a Defiant.

A Defiant deadbolt was my first lock too, and I didn't want to get a new lock to work on 'till I felt I had the pin-by-pin thing down. Problem was I kept opening the lock before I could figure out what was going on.

What I did was get a double cylinder Brinks deadbolt. Now the ones I got had spool pins in them, but if you go through the process of just picking it with one pin, then two, and so on, it should not only help you with pin-by-pin, but you'll have started into the fun and exciting world of security pins as well.

Another thing that worried me when I started, was getting a lock that would be too hard for me and that it would mess me up. If you do get one you can't pick, just set it aside and work on a different one, and when you've learned more and practiced more, go back to it. Then when you finally get that lock after it's been sitting there for a while, it feels great.