I really wanted to do a short video that gets straight to the point and takes people through the basic techniques and tools that will allow them to pick their first real lock, not a cutaway or see-through lock 😀🔐 the hardest part of making this video was deciding what to leave out. Happy Picking 😀
Marvin Anciro some of the Oxford and Kryptonite locks are pretty good. Make sure you do your research (I really can't advise you on your security) and if you get a chain, make it as thick and as hard as you can afford. No point in having a great padlock on a tiny chain :-)
Not even lying, this guide got me to a level where I could reliably pick a lock in under a minute (which isn’t great but it’s still a consistent level of picking). Thank you so much for putting this out there, the part that helped most was not to use too much tension, how to use the city pick, and how to use the shallow hook. Thanks so much!
@@LockNoob hobby? I thought you were a professional locksmith or something. What joy do you get from picking the same locks constantly? Then again, I play computer games and smoke my own homegrown organic weed, which are my hobbies and could just as easily be viewed as unimportant and not fun...(they're wrong obviously, but everyone finds solace in different places, so Im glad you found yours)
that was me like 2 weeks ago.... before discovering lock picking lawyer, then bosnianbill, then ordering my first cheapo set, then struggling with a real lock... watched this video and finally got it picked with single pin picking after a minute or two... And last but not least vocally rejoiced loud enough that anyone outside my house prob heard me.. LOL
This was the video I needed...I made a homemade pick and tension wrench and I watched dozens of videos but the trick is in the pressure on the tension wrench...you really focus on that in this video and I was pressing WAY too hard and bending the wrench...never picked a single lock but 15 minutes after watching this video I did two padlocks, my deadbolt and my door knob all several times. Thanks.
I know this is an old comment, but I would recommend not picking any lock that is in active use securing your home. While unlikely, it is possible to damage your lock or break your pick off in it, and then you'll probably never be able to open that lock again, resulting in you needing to replace your whole door.
@@3rdalbum why would anyone in their right mind replace the whole door when you can just put a new lock in. you must have never put in a door lock before, its a few screws
Thank you for this video. My wife got me a kit for fun and until this video all I could pick was the practice lock. Now I picked a master lock with this video. I was getting so frustrated as she spent a good amount for a huge kit and I couldn' t do it.
This is an excellent beginner video. I spent hours watching beginner lock picking videos and not a single one was as valuable as this one with tips on starting out.
This video says it all for beginners. I've watched a bunch, who've tossed way more info into their vids and it's just not needed for starting out. Kudos!
I had a breakthrough moment watching your video. I really focused on how you are holding the pick in your right hand with the third finger braced against the lock and under the pick. This gives a tremendous amount of control of how far the pick is in the lock and amplifies the feedback from moving the pins. I was able to single pin pick my first lock repeatedly copying your technique. Thanks for creating this content, a new picker is born and subscribed!
Really appreciate this. Got into locksport bc of LPL, and found it is actually useful in my profession (when someone forgets or loses their key to the panel or rack we're supposed to be working in...)
I came across your channel after someone suggested I have a different career in being a locksmith after an illness. I watched several different episodes whist waiting for my startup kit to arrive. It turned up today and picked my first lock see through practice lock within 40 minutes. I then grabbed the shed lock and picked that within minutes 😆. Thank you so much for your guide, it really has helped.
Excellent video! I'm still very new to this (3 weeks) but yours is the first video to really show me the basic techniques for the use of the city rake and snake rake. Thank you for taking the time to put this together it definitely was a help!
I've seen a lot of videos about picking your first lock but yours, is, FAR AND AWAY the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand of the lot. Thanks so much and cheers from Snowy Canada North
Fantastic video! Many vids out there that "talk" about single pin picking, but this was the first one that helped me SPP my first padlock! Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
Just wanted to swing by and say thank you for your content. I picked my first lock today - a Brinks 161 with a long shackle we had used to secure our stuff when we moved. I picked it in about 10 seconds with a Peterson city rake from my Ghost kit. I went on to pick the lock again with the shallow hook, half diamond, worm rake, triple peak, and city rake several times over the next hour. I really got to learn the lock. The third pin bound pretty good first. However, if I got too aggressive with the raking I could easily overset the pin and had to back off the tension and try again. I would bet it has some sort of security pin, probably a spool of some sort. If I set the third properly the fourth would bind and be easy to set. After that, one and two could easily just be stroked open with the diamond or easily pushed up with the shallow hook. With the rakes I would focus on the back two first and then easily bump the front two if the back two set properly. It was a really neat process. I have some old door locks I recently replaced I'm going to try next. I also still can't pick the Brinks with top of the keyway tension using the top tensioner from the Ghost set with any pick so that's on my to do list. With multiple practice locks and more picks coming in from Sparrows along with different security pins and repinning kits, I have a lot of fun ahead of me. After that I want to learn a wide variety of bypass techniques, wafer locks, and then try some actual locksmithing in the field. I wouldn't have been able to jump into this hobby so easily without your great beginner content. Thank you
Excellent video. Very concise and accurate, I picked a laminated (not transparent acrylic!) padlock while watching this and it seemed so simple suddenly. I have a kit of picks and I really only needed three...... for the time being anyway! Nicely produced too.
The *LockPickingLawyer* has very a good video on tension called "[188] My Approach to Lock Picking Tension." He uses more tension than what is usual within picking, and he claimst that it helps him with more advanced locks. On the other hand, he has a very spesific and peculiar way of doing it that seems hard to beginners like me.
I've found that some locks don't seem to have much room in the key way so I couldn't properly fit a hook in there so I used the half diamond instead and that worked fine. When I first started I was picking padlock and dead bolts and I didn't have a practice lock so what I did is remove the cap from a dead bolt so that the springs were revealed and I could watch them move as I picked which was very instrumental in seeing how the pick affected the pins and the range of movement but it was pretty annoying in the way that if I bound a key pin I couldn't just release the tension and have it snap back down I had to tap all the springs down again with my finger. Also of course it didn't feel the same because there was no resistance. But in the absence of any teaching locks that was a great DIY way to see visually the impact of the pick
Been watching the Lock Picking Lawyer for a while now because I've become very interested in locksport as a hobby. Although LPL doesn't really do any "beginner" stuff...he's attacking locks with 6-7 security pins in them all the time (including a Challenge Lock from you if I remember correctly....awesome lock btw!). I wanted to find a bit of a more appropriate starting point and so I started looking around TH-cam. I've found more than a few "starter tutorials" but even most of them seemed like they only had a very basic frame of knowledge about picking and didn't really explain things very well. Then just today this 3 year-old video popped into my "Recommended" video feed. Thanks Lock Noob! Really appreciate the walkthrough on the proper tools that I should get started with as well, this is the only video I've found that gives solid recommendations and explains why this is a good place to start. Even though I'm 3 yrs late to the party this is good stuff. Holiday wishes to you from the U.S.!
The first lock I picked was a TSA approved combination lock. The tools I used were a paperclip and a hairpin. Those locks are the easy mode of easy modes.
Good video, I kno this video is like 6 years but I have been watching a lot of videos to help me with lock picking. I purchased a tuxedo from sparrows and genius from covert instruments and I still couldn’t open any lock until I watched this. I opened the 2 locks with the city rake just like in the video. Now I just have to practice single pin picking! Love this video!!
I found myself watching a lot of LPL over the past week and went and got interested in trying all of this so I went ahead and bought a kit which should be arriving today. But despite watching a lot of lock picking videos I haven't actually seen any tutorials that describe the small details such as you have here, so for that I thank you as I use this info to help me dive into a potential new long term hobby!
@@LockNoob I am enjoying the time that I've gotten to practice so far. I worked a bit on the practice locks that came with the Sparrow set that I ordered until I felt comfortable with those. Then I got a small 3 pin master lock which, at first gave me a lot of problems since this was my first time unable to see the pins, but is now fairly simple for me to pick open. Yesterday I also went and got 2 brinks locks, one with 4 pins and the other with 5, just to add some more diversity. The 4 pin brinks lock is definitely the most challenging as I think I've identified that it has 3 security pins while the 5 pin lock only has 2 and I have been struggling with learning how to properly handle them. I have managed to open all 3 locks several times each but I still feel like I'm not consistent enough as some times I manage to open them in a matter of seconds while others I find myself spending a couple of minutes on them. I also picked my front door open because why not? But overall I'm having a lot of fun figuring things out and I can't wait to add more locks to my collection as well as someday expanding to different lock types such as dimple locks. Also my girlfriend is ecstatic because she now has new ideas for gifts to get me for Christmas or my birthday so that's a bonus!
Another LPL fan here, got a picking kit for my birthday and been trying my luck. Mixed success so far - the thing that drives me nuts is when I manage to pick one open and then have no idea what I did, followed by 30 mins of grumbling and pin torture.
I can't overstate how useful the city rake is with these cheap Master Lock and Master Lock knockoffs. I bought an unbranded 45mm stacked plate padlock from Walmart just to have something on hand to pick getting back into lock sports. Broke out my ancient Southord set that ive had since probably around 2005. I was able to single pin pick it with a short hook and then used a wave or Bogata style rake to rake it. But then tried the city rake as shown rocking it back and fourth and I giggled at how fast it sprung open. A few days later I took that lock, my city rake, and tension tool to my 74 year old mother and said "here hold this lock like this, put a little bit of pressure on this thingie, and put this thingie in and gently wiggle it up and down." and she had the lock open in a few seconds as well and laughed. A good tip about not putting too much tension on these. The cores and mechanisms are VERY springy. So it's easy to want to torque them all the way till they won't move, which is not needed, just hit resistance and hold it there. Unfortunately I just broke my trusty old Southord city rake a few minutes ago picking through a few old cheap locks I had around. This thing has been a trusted primary tool for me in my recent re-invigorated interest in lock sports. I saw it had a very small crack in it 2 days ago and immediately got online to order a few spares so I've got them on the way. But this is the first pick I've ever broken, and it sucks that it's probably my absolute favorite. In fairness the pick probably would have lived a lot longer but I managed to put a pretty harsh left bend in it. Not exactly sure how but I was probably ham-fisting it a bit on one of the new to me locks and just tweaked it. Knew it wasn't long for this world. I should have retired it because I actually saw the tiny crack. Oh well at least I was able to extract the head out of the lock I was working on. So yeah. City Rake, Short hook, wave rake or Bogata rake and a few tension tools. Nothing real fancy and certainly not expensive needed to get started. And these cheap stacked padlocks are cheap, under $10, at your local big box store.
Had picks set for a few days but achieved nothing and have no practice locks. While watching this i learned to pick an apparently matched pair or masterlock M1's three times each. Excellent video. Thanks
OMG ! Ive spent hours trying to pick and i used the rake technique with the rocking and it opened first try !!!! thank you Edit : 25 min later cannot open it again :(
I just picked my first real lock. It's all because of this video. I've seen other videos explain it but this one did the trick. I realized what I was doing wrong, made corrections and BAM! Thank you, Lock Noob!
just bought my first set and getting in to the hobby (thank you for the motivation btw). Just followed you picking those locks just now with that "Holy s***! That's so cool" look on my face. I feel like a child again with that spark in my eyes :D Thank you!
Dear Lock Noob, Thank you very much for your video. I have bought a lock pick set and a training lock. The training lock is extremely easy to pick. I then tried a lock (GLIP 7514p) and I didn't manage at all. A bit frustrated I stumbled over your video. I paused your video, to try the city rake and applied all your tips. IT POPPED OPEN!!! My first real lock! It will now be my favourite lock! Thank you again Lock Noob. You are a Lock Pro and excellent in teaching! Now I will continue your video and subscribe of course:)
Thank you! My practice lock’s key looked exactly like a basic lock pick. That meant I could just push up and unlock it, so I couldn’t get any practice!
I just have to say thank you. I bought a set years ago and decided to give it a go again. I brought my set to work today to practice and ironically broke my house key while there. I have them on a belt loop and it must have snagged something. I had to break into my house, so glad I had that and watched this. I used the city rake one, took a minute, still learning.
@@LockNoob not gonna lie, after watching this I found an old master no.130 in the shed, and stole a few of my missus bobby pins and had a go Fallout style. Using the ole needle nose pliers, I fashoned a wrench and a pick. The wrench was too small to tension the bottom of the keyhole so I put it at the top which left heaps of room for the pick underneath. Overset the pins a million times and had to keep resetting the middle core piece but managed to fluke the lock 3 times in about 4 hours of having fun :)
@@cognitivedissident9825 lockpicking is not a sport,sorry for being pedantic but it's a pastime and hobby at best. Sports usually involves a competition or physical exercise and a scoring system of sorts.
@@DanceySteveYNWA are you the gatekeeper of what is or is not considered a sport? That must pay a fortune, dude. All jokes at your expense aside, I didn't invent the phrase LOCKSPORTS, so maybe you should take your pathetic commentary to those that did. Cheerio, idiot.
Just got my lockpick set from Covert Instruments. Then practiced on a MasterLock no3. Once I could get it open in under 10-30 seconds consistantly (took about 45 min), I went outside to my goal, a Masterlock holding the tow hitch onto an Armada I want to sell. I lost the key awhile ago. Within a few minutes I was able to pick the Masterlock and get the tow hitch off the Armada. Thanks for the video!
After learning the workings of a transparent lock, bought around 10 used door tumbler locks of different firms. It went from trivial to hardmode very fast. My pick is terrible though, probably need a proper hook. Thanks for the vid though :3
I wanted to say thank you for this video. I purchased a set of lock pics and received them yesterday. Within a couple of hours, I had successfully opened a Master Lock 3 several times using a city rake, a snake rake, and by single pin picking. Today, I picked a Kwikset door lock several times with a city rake and by single pin picking. Each time the lock opened, I giggled. I can see why people are getting into this.
Thank you! This is the first video I've been able to find that shows just how much tension to use. (Surprise surprise I was using way too much!) Finally got my first lock open!
Another great video! I like your videos because of the details you present to the watcher. I started picking about 3 months ago and have learned so much from your videos. I just got my first lock with security pins and have picked it open twice so far. Now i understand what you mean when you talk about feedback and counter-rotation. I cant wait to accumulate more locks to increase my picking skills. As long as you keep making videos ill continue watching and learning from them.
literally everyone in the lock picking community: master locks are the best master: :) literally everyone in the lock picking community: to learn how to break into master: :(
This very lock is for sale on e-bay. Part of the description states "non-rekeyable 4 pin cylinder helps prevent picking" As a noobie at lockpicking I have reached the stage where I can pick my beginner's see through lock over and over, so I feel I am ready for the next step - watch this space! Very nice informative video
Thanks for this. Yeah, I started with dollar store locks that were so bad that after raking them a few times I couldn't even open them with the keys. Thanks for the tip on rocking the city rake. I've been practicing locating and lifting the pins for a few days and experimenting with tension. I have a master #1, and another that might be a #3 (has a weather cover).
Hey thanks for your tutorial! Within one minute of watching, I was able to pick my first "real lock" (the Master lock I'd just bought to work on)...I've never used clear/see-thru locks.
I have watched many videos on lock picking and this seems to explain it better than most. Now to practice more. I already have some plastic ones and I think it’s time to get some like you recommended.
Great video and very useful to watch for those beginning to learn how to lockpick. The first locks I ever opened were old ones I picked up at a yard sale with worn out pins which led to a lot of frustration but now I really have a good sense for light tension control and knowing what sounds to look for lol. Awesome work man!
@@aaronlundqvist7130 ye if they were not numbered you would be saying " did you see that vid, the one were they picked a lock" when every vid is lock picking
With locks with standard pins, raking is often much, much easier but it becomes far more difficult to rake locks with security pins, but not impossible :-)
Wow thanks for this video after watching a few videos i got my first set and I’ve been putting too much pressure on the tension wrench and i was sawing with the city rake. Then i saw this video and got way better results from doing this!
It's my second day into this hobby. I have watched this video and some others and all I have accomplished is to get very sore fingers. Can't figure out what I'm dong wrong.
I've been following LPL and a few others, I just subscribed to your channel And I think I found my new hobby.. It's been loads of fun and I'm totally hooked now. I'd like to thank the community and the comments left behind.
Great guide to picking that first lock - I had a lot of success with a shallow hook and a snake rake picking 'easy' padlocks - and some harder ones too, later. There's nothing like a 4 pin Master padlock for understanding what on earth you are doing with your pick inside there....:o)
OMG, I was sitting here watching your video messing around with a brand new master lock, I don’t have any pics rakes I don’t even have a lock picking set. I was using a paper clip as a peck and a big paper clip as a tension tool and popped it open
Nice. Another beginner tip I was given if it helps anyone is try picking when the lock is already open. I had one that I couldn't feel any feedback whatsoever. Tried it unlocked and got all the feedback I needed.
![[1376] A Locksmith Couldn’t Open This - Find Out Why](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ABQEu14OJYQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I really wanted to do a short video that gets straight to the point and takes people through the basic techniques and tools that will allow them to pick their first real lock, not a cutaway or see-through lock 😀🔐 the hardest part of making this video was deciding what to leave out. Happy Picking 😀
Lock Noob do you know good bike locks from a price from 50-200dollars
Marvin Anciro some of the Oxford and Kryptonite locks are pretty good. Make sure you do your research (I really can't advise you on your security) and if you get a chain, make it as thick and as hard as you can afford. No point in having a great padlock on a tiny chain :-)
Lock Noob thank you so much
Funny. To get the 1st lock open you did EXACTLY what you said NOT to do.
Thank you. I've bought my first cheap set of picks. Even if your rubbish like me people seem to think it's so cool to pick locks
You know your lock is bad, when people use it as a beginners lock for lockpicking
You know it :-)
I think I might put that on my shed
I picked a lock to a junior high elevator and have been practicing on it ever since
@@Chizzoide ;
xD
Not even lying, this guide got me to a level where I could reliably pick a lock in under a minute (which isn’t great but it’s still a consistent level of picking). Thank you so much for putting this out there, the part that helped most was not to use too much tension, how to use the city pick, and how to use the shallow hook. Thanks so much!
Thank you 🙏
since master locks are so easy to pick, they should just title them "practice locks" in their product name
But the hardest licks to pick ar also master locks
@@VenitYT Alton SAF lock: Helo
@@VenitYT I love picking licks.
That's cold lol
Haha....funny 😑
"How to pick a REAL lock."
Brings in a masterlock.
I didn’t say a good lock ;-)
I dont think he meant it in a gatekeeping way. He's was just saying an actual, working lock.
@@LockNoob LOL
For noobs.. it is a real lock.
The master locks are not really like master they are just normal locks and the pins are bad to
What a legend, still replying to comments 2 years later.
Yeah, I try :-)
Lol
How about 6 years?
How about 7
how about 9?
Very informative. I’ve just started this strange hobby. For me it’s like solving a puzzle.
Fantastic, keep up the practice and don't get frustrated :-)
Don't even have a lock-picking set, what am I doing here? lmao
Get one! This is a great hobby :-)
a random TH-cam video is what got me started.
@@LockNoob hobby? I thought you were a professional locksmith or something. What joy do you get from picking the same locks constantly? Then again, I play computer games and smoke my own homegrown organic weed, which are my hobbies and could just as easily be viewed as unimportant and not fun...(they're wrong obviously, but everyone finds solace in different places, so Im glad you found yours)
that was me like 2 weeks ago.... before discovering lock picking lawyer, then bosnianbill, then ordering my first cheapo set, then struggling with a real lock... watched this video and finally got it picked with single pin picking after a minute or two... And last but not least vocally rejoiced loud enough that anyone outside my house prob heard me.. LOL
2 paperclips
This was the video I needed...I made a homemade pick and tension wrench and I watched dozens of videos but the trick is in the pressure on the tension wrench...you really focus on that in this video and I was pressing WAY too hard and bending the wrench...never picked a single lock but 15 minutes after watching this video I did two padlocks, my deadbolt and my door knob all several times. Thanks.
That’s awesome!
I know this is an old comment, but I would recommend not picking any lock that is in active use securing your home. While unlikely, it is possible to damage your lock or break your pick off in it, and then you'll probably never be able to open that lock again, resulting in you needing to replace your whole door.
@@3rdalbum
Dont panic. Just replace the lock. It's not hard.
@@3rdalbum why would anyone in their right mind replace the whole door when you can just put a new lock in. you must have never put in a door lock before, its a few screws
@@3rdalbum wouldn't need to replace the whole door, technically just the knob/lock mechanism.
Thank you for this video. My wife got me a kit for fun and until this video all I could pick was the practice lock. Now I picked a master lock with this video. I was getting so frustrated as she spent a good amount for a huge kit and I couldn' t do it.
Heli PadUSA that's awesome! Master lock make great practise locks :-) happy picking :-)
Huge amount? $20 on amazon....
Why did he have to use my exact lock for beginning lock pickers
Yeah, please get a better lock than this unless it’s only used in a very low security environment :-)
Yeah you picked the lock in using for my locker
haha because it's one of the cheapest and most commonly available locks on the planet.
NEVER GET MASTER LOCKS
Idk
This is an excellent beginner video. I spent hours watching beginner lock picking videos and not a single one was as valuable as this one with tips on starting out.
Glad it was helpful!
This video says it all for beginners. I've watched a bunch, who've tossed way more info into their vids and it's just not needed for starting out. Kudos!
Thanks 🙏
I had a breakthrough moment watching your video. I really focused on how you are holding the pick in your right hand with the third finger braced against the lock and under the pick. This gives a tremendous amount of control of how far the pick is in the lock and amplifies the feedback from moving the pins. I was able to single pin pick my first lock repeatedly copying your technique. Thanks for creating this content, a new picker is born and subscribed!
Awesome!
Really appreciate this. Got into locksport bc of LPL, and found it is actually useful in my profession (when someone forgets or loses their key to the panel or rack we're supposed to be working in...)
Thanks 😊
I came across your channel after someone suggested I have a different career in being a locksmith after an illness.
I watched several different episodes whist waiting for my startup kit to arrive. It turned up today and picked my first lock see through practice lock within 40 minutes. I then grabbed the shed lock and picked that within minutes 😆.
Thank you so much for your guide, it really has helped.
Excellent video! I'm still very new to this (3 weeks) but yours is the first video to really show me the basic techniques for the use of the city rake and snake rake. Thank you for taking the time to put this together it definitely was a help!
Thanks, I’m glad it helped :-)
I've seen a lot of videos about picking your first lock but yours, is, FAR AND AWAY the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand of the lot.
Thanks so much and cheers from Snowy Canada North
Very nice of you to say!
Fantastic video! Many vids out there that "talk" about single pin picking, but this was the first one that helped me SPP my first padlock! Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
Thank you :-)
Just wanted to swing by and say thank you for your content. I picked my first lock today - a Brinks 161 with a long shackle we had used to secure our stuff when we moved. I picked it in about 10 seconds with a Peterson city rake from my Ghost kit. I went on to pick the lock again with the shallow hook, half diamond, worm rake, triple peak, and city rake several times over the next hour.
I really got to learn the lock. The third pin bound pretty good first. However, if I got too aggressive with the raking I could easily overset the pin and had to back off the tension and try again. I would bet it has some sort of security pin, probably a spool of some sort. If I set the third properly the fourth would bind and be easy to set. After that, one and two could easily just be stroked open with the diamond or easily pushed up with the shallow hook. With the rakes I would focus on the back two first and then easily bump the front two if the back two set properly.
It was a really neat process. I have some old door locks I recently replaced I'm going to try next. I also still can't pick the Brinks with top of the keyway tension using the top tensioner from the Ghost set with any pick so that's on my to do list. With multiple practice locks and more picks coming in from Sparrows along with different security pins and repinning kits, I have a lot of fun ahead of me. After that I want to learn a wide variety of bypass techniques, wafer locks, and then try some actual locksmithing in the field.
I wouldn't have been able to jump into this hobby so easily without your great beginner content. Thank you
Excellent video. Very concise and accurate, I picked a laminated (not transparent acrylic!) padlock while watching this and it seemed so simple suddenly. I have a kit of picks and I really only needed three...... for the time being anyway!
Nicely produced too.
Thank you :-)
Thanks, realized I was using too much pressure on the wrench, eased up a bit and opened a lock I lost the key too years ago. Woo!
That’s awesome :-)
The *LockPickingLawyer* has very a good video on tension called "[188] My Approach to Lock Picking Tension." He uses more tension than what is usual within picking, and he claimst that it helps him with more advanced locks. On the other hand, he has a very spesific and peculiar way of doing it that seems hard to beginners like me.
I've found that some locks don't seem to have much room in the key way so I couldn't properly fit a hook in there so I used the half diamond instead and that worked fine. When I first started I was picking padlock and dead bolts and I didn't have a practice lock so what I did is remove the cap from a dead bolt so that the springs were revealed and I could watch them move as I picked which was very instrumental in seeing how the pick affected the pins and the range of movement but it was pretty annoying in the way that if I bound a key pin I couldn't just release the tension and have it snap back down I had to tap all the springs down again with my finger. Also of course it didn't feel the same because there was no resistance. But in the absence of any teaching locks that was a great DIY way to see visually the impact of the pick
Been watching the Lock Picking Lawyer for a while now because I've become very interested in locksport as a hobby. Although LPL doesn't really do any "beginner" stuff...he's attacking locks with 6-7 security pins in them all the time (including a Challenge Lock from you if I remember correctly....awesome lock btw!). I wanted to find a bit of a more appropriate starting point and so I started looking around TH-cam. I've found more than a few "starter tutorials" but even most of them seemed like they only had a very basic frame of knowledge about picking and didn't really explain things very well. Then just today this 3 year-old video popped into my "Recommended" video feed. Thanks Lock Noob! Really appreciate the walkthrough on the proper tools that I should get started with as well, this is the only video I've found that gives solid recommendations and explains why this is a good place to start. Even though I'm 3 yrs late to the party this is good stuff. Holiday wishes to you from the U.S.!
That's awesome! Thank you for watching, i hope it helped :-)
When it opened I felt so satisfied. Thank you for helping me to learn a new skill.
that's awesome! Well done :-) Keep up with the practice :-)
Nothing like spending ten bucks on a masterlock, sticking a snowman in it for three seconds and the lock opens up instantly
The first lock I picked was a TSA approved combination lock. The tools I used were a paperclip and a hairpin. Those locks are the easy mode of easy modes.
They really are! :-)
Same
Good video, I kno this video is like 6 years but I have been watching a lot of videos to help me with lock picking. I purchased a tuxedo from sparrows and genius from covert instruments and I still couldn’t open any lock until I watched this. I opened the 2 locks with the city rake just like in the video. Now I just have to practice single pin picking! Love this video!!
I found myself watching a lot of LPL over the past week and went and got interested in trying all of this so I went ahead and bought a kit which should be arriving today. But despite watching a lot of lock picking videos I haven't actually seen any tutorials that describe the small details such as you have here, so for that I thank you as I use this info to help me dive into a potential new long term hobby!
It’s a great hobby, keep going :-)
@@LockNoob I am enjoying the time that I've gotten to practice so far. I worked a bit on the practice locks that came with the Sparrow set that I ordered until I felt comfortable with those. Then I got a small 3 pin master lock which, at first gave me a lot of problems since this was my first time unable to see the pins, but is now fairly simple for me to pick open. Yesterday I also went and got 2 brinks locks, one with 4 pins and the other with 5, just to add some more diversity. The 4 pin brinks lock is definitely the most challenging as I think I've identified that it has 3 security pins while the 5 pin lock only has 2 and I have been struggling with learning how to properly handle them. I have managed to open all 3 locks several times each but I still feel like I'm not consistent enough as some times I manage to open them in a matter of seconds while others I find myself spending a couple of minutes on them. I also picked my front door open because why not?
But overall I'm having a lot of fun figuring things out and I can't wait to add more locks to my collection as well as someday expanding to different lock types such as dimple locks. Also my girlfriend is ecstatic because she now has new ideas for gifts to get me for Christmas or my birthday so that's a bonus!
Another LPL fan here, got a picking kit for my birthday and been trying my luck. Mixed success so far - the thing that drives me nuts is when I manage to pick one open and then have no idea what I did, followed by 30 mins of grumbling and pin torture.
Thomas Boys with time it all slots into place. Keep up the practice :-)
I can't overstate how useful the city rake is with these cheap Master Lock and Master Lock knockoffs. I bought an unbranded 45mm stacked plate padlock from Walmart just to have something on hand to pick getting back into lock sports. Broke out my ancient Southord set that ive had since probably around 2005. I was able to single pin pick it with a short hook and then used a wave or Bogata style rake to rake it. But then tried the city rake as shown rocking it back and fourth and I giggled at how fast it sprung open. A few days later I took that lock, my city rake, and tension tool to my 74 year old mother and said "here hold this lock like this, put a little bit of pressure on this thingie, and put this thingie in and gently wiggle it up and down." and she had the lock open in a few seconds as well and laughed.
A good tip about not putting too much tension on these. The cores and mechanisms are VERY springy. So it's easy to want to torque them all the way till they won't move, which is not needed, just hit resistance and hold it there.
Unfortunately I just broke my trusty old Southord city rake a few minutes ago picking through a few old cheap locks I had around. This thing has been a trusted primary tool for me in my recent re-invigorated interest in lock sports. I saw it had a very small crack in it 2 days ago and immediately got online to order a few spares so I've got them on the way. But this is the first pick I've ever broken, and it sucks that it's probably my absolute favorite. In fairness the pick probably would have lived a lot longer but I managed to put a pretty harsh left bend in it. Not exactly sure how but I was probably ham-fisting it a bit on one of the new to me locks and just tweaked it. Knew it wasn't long for this world. I should have retired it because I actually saw the tiny crack. Oh well at least I was able to extract the head out of the lock I was working on.
So yeah. City Rake, Short hook, wave rake or Bogata rake and a few tension tools. Nothing real fancy and certainly not expensive needed to get started. And these cheap stacked padlocks are cheap, under $10, at your local big box store.
Had picks set for a few days but achieved nothing and have no practice locks. While watching this i learned to pick an apparently matched pair or masterlock M1's three times each. Excellent video. Thanks
Awesome!
OMG ! Ive spent hours trying to pick and i used the rake technique with the rocking and it opened first try !!!! thank you Edit : 25 min later cannot open it again :(
Thanks and yeah, locks can be just like that! You will get it again
I just picked my first real lock. It's all because of this video. I've seen other videos explain it but this one did the trick. I realized what I was doing wrong, made corrections and BAM! Thank you, Lock Noob!
Thanks 👍😀
I watched other TH-cam channels on lockpicking but they never told me about too much tension until I got to your video!!! Thanks.
Ah, the snake rake. Opens any "Master" lock in a few seconds.
Sure does :-)
YEA,ALWAYS START WITH A RAKE,.
Ben Gunderson and thaaaats why you use combination locks.
@@LucasWills nah I decoded one in 10 minutes and I had no experience
@@LucasWills or you could shim them open
A hobby I didn't know I needed in my life
You DO need it!
just bought my first set and getting in to the hobby (thank you for the motivation btw). Just followed you picking those locks just now with that "Holy s***! That's so cool" look on my face. I feel like a child again with that spark in my eyes :D Thank you!
4:32 we've ALL done that,too late....
:-)
Dear Lock Noob,
Thank you very much for your video.
I have bought a lock pick set and a training lock. The training lock is extremely easy to pick.
I then tried a lock (GLIP 7514p) and I didn't manage at all.
A bit frustrated I stumbled over your video.
I paused your video, to try the city rake and applied all your tips. IT POPPED OPEN!!! My first real lock! It will now be my favourite lock!
Thank you again Lock Noob. You are a Lock Pro and excellent in teaching!
Now I will continue your video and subscribe of course:)
All three methods worked perfectly!!! I can't stop doing it over and over again!
Thank you again!!!
That’s awesome, thank you 🙏
1:32 "This lock is broken... it's not easy to pick it..."
Awesome video!! I picked my first lock while watching your video!!! Tension is everything!!
Thank you! My practice lock’s key looked exactly like a basic lock pick. That meant I could just push up and unlock it, so I couldn’t get any practice!
Best get yourself some more locks! 🔐🔐
I got a cheap set 2 weeks ago, been on cheap locks like a $4 master lock, I just picked my lockwood 120/40, thank you for helping
Glad I could help
Just a really, really great demo...very easy to understand, builds ones confidence!
Again,
Thanks!
Thanks :-)
I just have to say thank you. I bought a set years ago and decided to give it a go again. I brought my set to work today to practice and ironically broke my house key while there. I have them on a belt loop and it must have snagged something. I had to break into my house, so glad I had that and watched this. I used the city rake one, took a minute, still learning.
Awesome!
Just hope the robbers didn't get my ideas
where did you get the tools?
Brilliant video man. Starting to get into the hobby myself after cracking a few combolocks and watching vids like these for far too long haha. Lovely.
That’s great! Happy picking :-)
love that feeling when it all finally *clicks*
Yeah!
How cool is this for a sport! I didn't even know it existed haha awesome
It IS awesome :-)
@@LockNoob not gonna lie, after watching this I found an old master no.130 in the shed, and stole a few of my missus bobby pins and had a go Fallout style.
Using the ole needle nose pliers, I fashoned a wrench and a pick. The wrench was too small to tension the bottom of the keyhole so I put it at the top which left heaps of room for the pick underneath.
Overset the pins a million times and had to keep resetting the middle core piece but managed to fluke the lock 3 times in about 4 hours of having fun :)
@@LockNoob here I made a little video of my pro toolkit haha. Sorry about the horrible focus..
th-cam.com/video/qqclRec5KLU/w-d-xo.html
@@cognitivedissident9825 lockpicking is not a sport,sorry for being pedantic but it's a pastime and hobby at best. Sports usually involves a competition or physical exercise and a scoring system of sorts.
@@DanceySteveYNWA are you the gatekeeper of what is or is not considered a sport? That must pay a fortune, dude.
All jokes at your expense aside, I didn't invent the phrase LOCKSPORTS, so maybe you should take your pathetic commentary to those that did. Cheerio, idiot.
Just got my lockpick set from Covert Instruments. Then practiced on a MasterLock no3. Once I could get it open in under 10-30 seconds consistantly (took about 45 min), I went outside to my goal, a Masterlock holding the tow hitch onto an Armada I want to sell. I lost the key awhile ago. Within a few minutes I was able to pick the Masterlock and get the tow hitch off the Armada. Thanks for the video!
nice video. well explained. Nice to see a meaningful use for those padlocks, when manufacturers refuse to stop making them.
Rune International they won't stop making them until people stop buying them sadly :-)
Great explanation. I have heard different advice on how to use the tension tools and your explanation makes the best sense.
Glad it was helpful!
After learning the workings of a transparent lock, bought around 10 used door tumbler locks of different firms. It went from trivial to hardmode very fast. My pick is terrible though, probably need a proper hook. Thanks for the vid though :3
Thanks!
I've seen so many beginner explanations and this one takes a slightly different approach. Thanks very much
Thank you :-)
Just picked my first "real" lock - Master #3 - 2 minutes after starting I had it open - Thanks for your great videos!
Cool!
I wanted to say thank you for this video. I purchased a set of lock pics and received them yesterday. Within a couple of hours, I had successfully opened a Master Lock 3 several times using a city rake, a snake rake, and by single pin picking. Today, I picked a Kwikset door lock several times with a city rake and by single pin picking. Each time the lock opened, I giggled. I can see why people are getting into this.
Glad I could help
im going to buy a set,idk why im interested in this type of stuff
Go for it :-)
Bwack Fwip OwO it’s great when you accidentally get locked out of your house or room without a key
@SmellyCat Hmm, that's a great idea. I've got a surgery coming up too...
I think your username explains why
Thank you! This is the first video I've been able to find that shows just how much tension to use. (Surprise surprise I was using way too much!) Finally got my first lock open!
Master locks are the Monty Python of locks just fart in their general direction and they will open LOL
It great to learn on :-)
My favorite channel for this hobby. Thanks a bunch
Another great video! I like your videos because of the details you present to the watcher. I started picking about 3 months ago and have learned so much from your videos. I just got my first lock with security pins and have picked it open twice so far. Now i understand what you mean when you talk about feedback and counter-rotation. I cant wait to accumulate more locks to increase my picking skills. As long as you keep making videos ill continue watching and learning from them.
Thanks you for the kind comments :-)
I was looking for how to pick a lock for 3 hours and I couldn't find anything. then I came across your video. thank you so much!
Thanks!
Lock Noob damn, 3 years and still replying👌
literally everyone in the lock picking community: master locks are the best
master: :)
literally everyone in the lock picking community: to learn how to break into
master: :(
This very lock is for sale on e-bay. Part of the description states "non-rekeyable 4 pin cylinder helps prevent picking"
As a noobie at lockpicking I have reached the stage where I can pick my beginner's see through lock over and over, so I feel I am ready for the next step - watch this space!
Very nice informative video
Thanks and happy picking :-)
Thanks for this. Yeah, I started with dollar store locks that were so bad that after raking them a few times I couldn't even open them with the keys. Thanks for the tip on rocking the city rake. I've been practicing locating and lifting the pins for a few days and experimenting with tension. I have a master #1, and another that might be a #3 (has a weather cover).
Thanks 🙏
Hey thanks for your tutorial! Within one minute of watching, I was able to pick my first "real lock" (the Master lock I'd just bought to work on)...I've never used clear/see-thru locks.
That’s great! Happy picking :-)
Great video sir. Very informative for all the newbies we were all new at some time my friend.
Bill Bacardi very true :-) I still feel new 😂
I have watched many videos on lock picking and this seems to explain it better than most. Now to practice more. I already have some plastic ones and I think it’s time to get some like you recommended.
someone: no youtuber replies to comments on old videos
lock noob: hold my pick
Lol, I don’t reply to comment on old videos! Oh wait!
Thanks you helped so much. Now I can open my masters padlock
Great video and very useful to watch for those beginning to learn how to lockpick. The first locks I ever opened were old ones I picked up at a yard sale with worn out pins which led to a lot of frustration but now I really have a good sense for light tension control and knowing what sounds to look for lol. Awesome work man!
Thank you :-)
Thanks to a certain TH-cam channel series on them, I LITERALLY /laughed/ when you said "Start...with these" and BOOM.
MASTER LOCK.
Why do lock pickers number thier videos? ie (225)
Just to keep track of the published ones as opposed to the private and privately shared ones x at least for me :-)
Just what Lock Noob wrote and probably easier to refer to certain videos...
I noticed that the lock picking lawyer does this too
Because they make so many fucking vids
@@aaronlundqvist7130 ye if they were not numbered you would be saying " did you see that vid, the one were they picked a lock" when every vid is lock picking
Recently picked this up as a hobby, I find the weird locks are often sometimes easier to rake than actually pick.
With locks with standard pins, raking is often much, much easier but it becomes far more difficult to rake locks with security pins, but not impossible :-)
First video. Awesome. Subbed. Thanks!
Awesome, thank you :-)
A picker of locks is a wiser browser of the locks he plans to buy.
Indeed!
Wow thanks for this video after watching a few videos i got my first set and I’ve been putting too much pressure on the tension wrench and i was sawing with the city rake. Then i saw this video and got way better results from doing this!
Thanks awesome! :-)
This kit can be found in Pakistan
Just picked my first lock in under 1 min. Master #3 with your technique using the single pin rake. I can't believe how easy that was.
Awesome 👏
Great teachings Mr. Noob
Thanks friend :-)
just got into lockpicking. your videos are immensely helpful for me. thank you!
Thanks 🙏
It's my second day into this hobby. I have watched this video and some others and all I have accomplished is to get very sore fingers. Can't figure out what I'm dong wrong.
Usually too much tension. It takes time to get a feel for it, so don’t stress, take a day off and pick it back up - you’ll get there!
@@LockNoob The sore fingers, and wrist, are the ones holding the pick. It seems I'm over setting everything even when raking.
It really does sound like you need to lighten up the tension :-)
Believe it or not the video actually helped me pick my first real lock in about 10 minutes. Thank you!
Very amazing video well done and I love listening to your videos as I am blind and I am a white cane long cane user
Thank you :-)
@@LockNoob you are most welcome
How do you read/write comments if you're blind? Genuinely curious
I've been following LPL and a few others, I just subscribed to your channel
And I think I found my new hobby..
It's been loads of fun and I'm totally hooked now.
I'd like to thank the community and the comments left behind.
Awesome
Great guide to picking that first lock - I had a lot of success with a shallow hook and a snake rake picking 'easy' padlocks - and some harder ones too, later. There's nothing like a 4 pin Master padlock for understanding what on earth you are doing with your pick inside there....:o)
noakeswalker thank you :-) and I gree with you :-)
This was super helpful! Just bought my first set of picks and am excited to start developing my skills. Just needed a place to start.
Just ordered my first lock pick set, soon gonna sign up for a course lookin to hopefully start a career.
Cool!
Thank you for posting this very well explained video. Could you tell me the several companies, or makers, of tools that you recommended?
Southord, Sparrows, Peterson and Multipick do the best picks out there overall I recon :-)
OMG, I was sitting here watching your video messing around with a brand new master lock, I don’t have any pics rakes I don’t even have a lock picking set. I was using a paper clip as a peck and a big paper clip as a tension tool and popped it open
Try the Kwikset lock on your front door. Bet you go out and get a better lock.
@@therealtampadude9175 lol
Very cool!
I actually like using a snake on certain locks to do single pin picking.
If the bitting is right, that’s a viable technique for sure :-)
I can’t stand that damn snake rake that damn thing makes me want to yank my hair out
REALLY well laid out video. Thank you.
Her: be carful
Me: ok
Also me: 4:33
😃👍
Great first video. I've watched lots of advanced stuff, but the first steps are essential for beginners.
Glad it was helpful!
I need to invest in some new locks for practice.
eBay is your friend. And enemy to your bank account 😂😂
@@LockNoob Amazon is a better friend.
Thanks, man. Picked a Master no. 5 in less time than it took me to make the tension wrench out of a nail and find a small enough screwdriver.
Hah, screwdriver
Great video buddy. 👏 My first real lock to open and learn on was a Masterlock #3.
William Mancel it was my 2nd real lock, but my first was truly awful and could be opened using a spoon handle. Really. :-)
This was the video that got me in to lock picking. Thanks!!!
Nice. Another beginner tip I was given if it helps anyone is try picking when the lock is already open. I had one that I couldn't feel any feedback whatsoever. Tried it unlocked and got all the feedback I needed.
choochoochooseyou it's a good tip and definitely works where there is spring tension on the core :-)
Thank you . You are a good teacher . I am very happy to have this knowledge.
Thank you 🙏
I thought most locks have 4-5 pins.
In Europe, most door locks are 6 pin, with older rim locks being 5 pin. Padlocks are often 4-5 pin :-)
I was sliding my raking tool instead of “wiggling” it. Thanks for the tip! Now I can open real locks