Good evening, all.
I've been coming to this site for a couple of weeks now, initially because I lost the key to my mailbox and desperately needed to get my paycheck out (now THAT'S some good motivation to pick a lock!) because I had bills due.
I've ended up finding this to be a fascinating hobby, and one that could become very useful at almost any time. I decided that it would be better to learn with a proper set of picks than homemade ones (which would've been a bobby pin and a paper clip for me--no power tools) to keep from developing bad habits. I wanted something that I could carry around so I got the jackknife set with the synthetic handle from lockpickshop.com. I realize now that this wasn't the best choice for a first set, as I ended up having to learn how to pick at home where a normal set of picks would have been better, and then after I had learned how to pick a portable set would have been reasonable, but it still worked out fine.
I read the MIT guide, which is excellent by the way, Greg Millers site, and the How-To website as well as a great many posts on here. Thanks to those, and a lot of spare time
, I managed to pick several locks so far--the first one was a simple Master padlock that I got at Wal-Mart for $5 along with a Brinks deadbolt that I figured would be more difficult and saved for later, then the Kwickset deadbolt on my apartment door (which I incidently broke in the process of picking it the third time and since I just happened to have a deadbolt on hand already, I replaced it with the Brinks), then I picked the Brinks, and a few days ago I went out and got a Brinks padlock because I wanted something harder with some security pins and figured the Brinks would have it; I'm quite pleased to say that I just finished picking the Brinks padlock which I've been working on for the past few days. Here's photos of the two padlocks and my pick set, and then the Brinks deadbolt:
By the way, can anyone tell me if either of the Brinks locks have any security pins in them? I wasn't sure if the deadbolt did because it was only $10 but I figured the padlock did because it was labeled as one of Brinks' 'maximum security' locks. I'm rather hoping it is because I just picked it
.
Oh, and I realized what kind of difference a good pick set could make and so I just finished ordering lockpickshop.com's C1510--15 piece slimline set with metal handles. I really hope I get them by Saturday because I'm thinking they're really going to impress me since I've only used the jackknife set so far, yes?
Anyways, after picking these three locks I need something harder now, so what should I go for? Yale, Schlage, Abus, American? What models? Where to get them (I was actually looking to pick up a Yale when I went to Wal-Mart but the best thing they had was the Brinks padlock so that's what I ended up with)? Would an Ace Hardware store have some of these?
"I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose; they should draw the line at goats though."
Elton John
If it ain't broke.....pull it down and see how it works anyway!
