"I actually have a pick specifically designed for locks like this." Of course he does. If a picking tool exists, LPL has it. If it doesn't exist, he makes it.
You have broken down the entirety of the metal shaping industry to its most base component. Welders, machinists, and smiths usually have more self made tools than commercially made.
As a locksmith of 20 years, thank you for explaining that the locksmith was not wrong in their approach.... A few factors are at play in these situations. First, if you're dealing with a new customer you may have no idea what hardware you'll be working on..... Buying every single specialized tool out there, just in case, with no idea of how often you'll use it is a good way to go broke. It's better to have an acceptable, reliable, method and the tools for it that will work, quickly, in multiple scenarios. Secondly, the lock gods like to throw curveballs.... The minute you buy a really expensive specialized tool because you've had a few jobs recently where it would have come in handy, you probably won't see another job like that for a LONG time. lol
I was a Locksmith for 45 years and did have a few banks over the years that I serviced their SD boxes. They all preferred drilling or nose pulling as they didn't want the customer to think that their valuables were vulnerable to quick access. I do admit that having the guard key makes it a lot easier, and the main security of a SD box is the fact that it's located inside the vault, probably with a time lock on it. Anyway, I did enjoy the video. Keep 'em coming. DB
I totally relate to the curve ball part lol. Working renovation, from times to times I replace appliances for customers. I used to take the old ones (if working) with me to: 1/ customer doesn't have to take it to the dump so they save some dosh, 2/ I get some dosh if another customer wants it and 3/ that next customer can save some dosh from buying brand new (that they don't really need, like if it's for rental). Funny enough whenever I keep those things, it will sit one hell of a long time in my garage collecting dust, THEN after I gave up and threw it out, suddenly I have some customers asking if I have [that exact thing I just threw away]. That happens often enough now I simply throw out everything and just go find some used one on the market if customer requested
@@E1m0ren You may be overestimating how much a one person locksmith business makes a year, and UNDERESTIMATING how many specialty tools there are out there for it. I ain't Wal Mart, I'm me... The formula of "Tool cost divided by tool usage" DOES matter. You're looking at it as a hobbyist, I'm looking at it as a business. I don't pick or work on locks because I'm looking to be the coolest kid on the block, I do it for money, to pay a mortgage, insurance, taxes, licensing, dealer fees, vehicle and equipment maintenance, inventory costs, unexpected expenses, operating capital, medical coverage, utilities, retirement, and personal income.... A buddy of mine, who's a full time SAVTA certified master safe tech has a $7000 auto dialer. For HIM that makes sense. I open MAYBE one or two cheap Sentry safes a year. It doesn't make sense for me because even if I COULD charge $300 each, it would take me 24 openings for it to START to turn a profit... There's a Kwikset Smartkey decoder, it costs about $500. It's cool, I don't own one, because on EVERY model of the Kwikset Smartkey system (except the 99170 unless the model has been updated) the cylinder is replicable (and they're cheap wholesale), which means, considering how little residential work I do these days it's cheaper for both me, and the customer, for me to just drill the cylinder and sell them a new one for $15-$25 plus my trip charge..... IF I EVEN need to do that considering that most of the time I can just loid them open even if I have to use an airjack to do it. Lets say I open safe deposit boxes and I know that one bank uses this exact Diebold 175-50 Safe Deposit Lock, so I spend the severial hundred on this tool... That's great, until ANOTHER bank calls and they use an S&G, or LeGuard, or ANY other model that tool doesn't work on... Meanwhile that first bank doesn't call me for a year or two. So I can either spend severial thousand to get every single specialty SDB tool (if one is even available).... OR.... I use my $200 nose puller kit which works on ALL of them.
You run your own business. You pick your clientele. Don't have a tool to fit that job? Refer them to someone else. Buying the tools for the clients you are most likely to service isn't some revolutionary idea dipshit.@@derekbroestler7687
lol. That locksmith didn't realize he was in the presence of Bruce Wayne. I would have laughed if the smith said "well, I imagine the LPL could, but what are the chances you'd run into him?".
lol, if he said so, it would make the story even more entertaining. imagine if somehow that locksmith watches this video in the future, and says to himself, wait a minute this story sounds familiar
@@benedict6962 I mean, no local lockpick would snitch him out. People are generally very respectful of people's privacy. Especially adults who have careers and things to do. But if a person really wants to find out who he is, it is very possible to do so. He does his best to hide his identity, but the Internet is a very powerful tool.
Destructive method is also better for bank customers. As a customer what would you prefer to hear as an answer to "what do you do if I loose my key?" "We would have to destructively replace the lock" or "It's OK, we can pick the lock with a special tool in 30 seconds"
"Its okay! He didn't have any red bull cans, special tools, and his hands were tied behind his back! Only managed to pick open three boxes before stopping when I got curt."
Hi, I open safe deposit boxes every single day. Both LPL and the locksmith are correct. It's important to remember that this tool is $400, and only works for 175-70s, but we run into a lot of other locks when we go this. Lots of professional shops are hesitant to buy expensive tools for extremely niche applications, if there's a cheaper way to do more.
Thanks for providing a number to the tool! For someone who has no idea about all of this (and is just enjoying the videos) "having a specialized tool" could also be a $5 thing :D
I totally agree people see stuff like this and think every locksmith should be able to pick open every single lock. People don’t realize what a vast array of hardware locksmiths deal with. From access control, car keys, door closers, door hardware, locks, hinges, safes, file cabinets, safe deposit boxes, household locks, commercial locks, and probably more I’m not remembering because I just woke up ten minutes ago. And each of those that I just listed have thousands of different parts under each different purview. It’s literally insane how much you have to be familiar with. I have been in the locksmith field for years, now I work for a huge company that does a specialized type of work where I’m only dealing with specific equipment and even then there are over 400,000 part numbers in our database we use for ordering.
"Is this lock pickable?" "By a prepared professional? Most likely. By me? Possibly. Within the confines of what you're willing to pay? No." NOTHING is scure.... You can only make it Cost Prohibitive. ;)
any lock would be pickable (I'm guessing)... 'if you can make it, you can break it' either forcefully, using strong enough magnets, or picking the pins one by one.... with or without special tools... ok, if the lock was made of tungsten or similar material the destructive method might be a no go 😉-oh yeah, explosives might still work...
@@Wrecker3D All locks are designed with a weakness in that they are made to be opened. If they are designed to be opened then they can be opened wrongly. It doesn't care how its opened only that the particular trigger that it was designed with was satisfied.
@@mistressabysstressyeah, as a general rule of thumb, the more convenient it is, the less secure. The inverse is true; the more secure it is, the less convenient. Nowadays, hostile invasion is accomplished by targeting the weakest link of security: the user, usually via phishing and/or impersonation. "Wear a hi-vis vest and carry an air of confidence and a clipboard and you can go anywhere you're not supposed to." Don't need to worry about locks if they just open the door for you.
@@CrimSkies Probably not an original thing by any means but we had a local radio station arm a fellow with hi-vis and an extension ladder, and sent him to attempt entry at various locations over the course of a few weeks. 'Look busy, don't make eye contact.' It worked every time, including - rather comically - a small river cruise vessel where said ladder was completely pointless.
Hey assuming $1000 an hour. it might still be worth it, since he took less than 30 seconds picking. So many another 4.5 mins for the rekey? 1000/12 = $83.33
@@workhard2belazy where i come from the hours of a craftsman are for every beginning hour. 1 min = 1 hour billed 61 min= 2 hours billed also travel to the client is billed.
@@ulrichkalber9039yep. And this is so important, because you're not paying for the ten seconds it took to solve the problem, you're paying for the ten years it took to learn to do it in ten seconds...plus the travel time, the mental energy cost of task switching, the amortized risk of when it doesn't go right on the first time, etc. A skilled laborer doesn't spend fewer resources than an unskilled one, they just change their distribution in a way that's often advantageous because it compresses a lot of cost into a small amount of elapsed time. But rather than explaining that every time..."here's my rates, minimum fee is x".
My great grandpa was the inventor of this type of lock. He sold the patent and didn’t make much off of it. He was also a train conductor in my home town of Cape Girardeau Mo and still has his train on display in the middle of one of the public parks for kids to play on.
I like that the locksmith gave an honest answer and didn't just proceed to pick it with out explaining the extra cost of doing so. This video just proves the passion LPL has for his craft which the rest of us get to enjoy and in some cases learn to love it just as much as him
@@David_Crayford Yep, time is money. I've been a locksmith for 30-odd years, and most entry jobs come down to that. Even if I had the tool, and even if I was fairly skilled with the tool, there's always the chance this lock is going to have something odd about it that thwarts me. Maybe it's broken, maybe there's a key bitting that the pick can't quite handle. But a nose puller and destructive entry? That works every time, takes an amount of time I can quote the customer beforehand, a price I can name beforehand, and in the end the customer has a brand new lock. Now if it was a typical schlage deadbolt, I'd Lishi pick that in 30 seconds becase THAT is the most predictable route. It's all about finding the path of least resistance.
1. He's a skilled locksmith, not just a hobbyist picker. Has thousands of locks, keys to match, and can make the latter as needed, be it by machine or hand. 2. Since he's also a skilled lawyer, that key was probably one he had made just for this, rather than give away an actual bank's bitting combo.
I was a vault locksmith and owned the proper tools to open all safe deposit locks. I opened litterally thousands of safe deposit locks and rekeyed as well. Diebold and Lefebure locks offer picking tools but the rest (Yale, S&G, Mosler) do not offer this feature. Nose pulling is the most common method for opening these locks and for the very old locks for which replacement locks and parts are scarce; we drill the door and pick the lock. I would like to see you pick a Mosler Invinceable lock; made in the 1950's
As an industrial and commercial locksmith of 20 years, THIS ALL DAY. Especially considering that if you're dealing with a new customer you may have no idea what hardware you'll be working on and buying every single specialized tool out there, just in case, with no idea of how often you'll use it is a good way to go broke. Especially since the fates like to throw a twist or two in.... The minute you buy a really expensive specialized tool because you've had a few jobs recently where it would have come in handy, seems to ensure you won't see another job like that for a LONG time. lol
@@JohnW118 I doubt he's suggesting that LPL wouldn't be able to, rather than it would make for a most satisfying video to watch it being done by an artist.
I used to be a vault technician for Diebold and actually worked on this specific lock many times. The destructive means, was always fastest. I could've had that lock opened in half the time it took to pick it, but that's the tradeoff. Well done!
Same here. I was I told to make it look hard... obviously a customer that sees that opened in 10 seconds is not going to have a warm and fuzzy for Diebold or the bank.
Can we respect how humble LPL is? He absolutely showed up a locksmith on picking the lock, but completely respect the method that the locksmith used and even calls out that getting someone with the proper tools and expertise would cost just as much money, if not more.
Whilst we can all respect how humble LPL is, I think you perhaps misheard: It was the *locksmith* in the story, not LPL, that made the admission that picking the lock was quite possible, just prohibitively expensive. LPL then went on to demonstrate this by opening it using a completely custom fabricated tool for the job.
@rossstewart9475 You are correct that the locksmith said it would cost more for him to try to pick it. LPL also said that a specialist that would have the tools and could pick would cost much more as well.
LPL didn't show up the locksmith, nor was he being humble. He acknowledged that the locksmith was right-it could be done, but the customer would have to pay more. And it's doubtful the locksmith had the tool LPL used on hand, as 99% of the time a bank just wants it opened, for cheap. In the end, LPL says what the locksmith did works, and the bank is happy
Would have been neat if he brought his tool and offered to let the locksmith try to pick it. I think LPL is in the final design/patent phase and that's why the tool was revealed to us.
Love the extra explanation of "Well you can but it may not actually be the best choice" I usually try to get the best quality product/service, but within reason. Thanks for sharing the "reason" part.
Not only very good at lock manipulation but also exceptional at diplomacy. Thanks, as always, for the sharing of your experiences in the world of locks.
I really appreciate that you didn’t cast shade on the other locksmith or the destructive technique he used. Thanks for your honesty and professionalism.
Or he removed most of pins to impress naive morons (saw how lock "opens" halfway through pins?) and the kid crowd here totally bought it as "professionalism"...
I like how LPL was very careful to show his respect of the locksmith and their approach. He just wanted to show what someone with extreme skill could do, and then explained why that isn't done.
I just bought a $14,000 flatbed trailer. The most damage-resistant lock I can find slides up into the gooseneck and locks into place while inside. This prevents drilling, cutting, etc, but if LPL wanted that trailer, it would be picked in thirty seconds.
I really thought this would take longer. From my past knowledge of locksmiths I've used I always asked why they don't pick the locks instead of drill them and I always got the answer "this is not the movies we don't pick anymore" even when I just locked myself out and my key was in site on the hook inside. I have since learned to pick my walmart quik set on my house about as easy as using the key, thanks to you and your tools. I'm learning disk locks from old vending machines, very fun hobby.
conversely, after locking myself out my business (and an hour commute away) i called a locksmith to gain entry, he drilled and replaced the lock in , ohnestly 2 minutes? i was happy to pay his fee. as it was a drop compared to a days lost earnings. now by this point i was fairly proficient as a hobby picker, but i needed in there right now. few years later I do the same, was easier to borrow a drill from another local business (a cafe of all things) and drill the lock myself than find someone with a pick set or a bench grinder and old style wiper blades! so in practical terms, destructive entry is fast and consistent.
@@timothyodonnell8591 I imagine LPL standing behind the other locksmith, whipping out his phone camera, starts saying "This is the Lock Picking Lawyer, and today, I'm going to show you how a locksmith would typically get into a bank safe deposit box".
Thanks for not dismissing the majority of the trade and acknowlidging the vast expense of a specialist. Also props to the locksmith for being clear and saying that it can maybe be picked and saying it how it is.
The reason bank vault technicians don't pick locks is that it shakes the customer's confidence in the bank to protect their valuables if we can enter their box in seconds with no indication it has happened. As an industry we always destroy the lock.
I really respect a person who can see other ways of doing something and explaining it all without bashing someone elses tried and true method. Good Job - LPL!
Big respect to that locksmith for explaining that while it could be picked, it wasn't worth it. I feel like quite a few would have just said it couldn't because they either weren't able to, or wouldn't want to.
A lot of LPL fans don’t get that a locksmith’s job isn’t to sit around picking locks all day. As he says at the end, it takes a specialized and highly skilled technician to pick a lock like that. You can pay for expertise for the sake of saving the lock, or you get the exact same results with a new lock for less.
This reminds me of the folk tale of the programmer/sysop/whatever that gets a call in the middle of the night, and goes in to the office l, resolves an issue in thirty seconds, and then goes home and puts in for overtime pay. His boss says "What, I'm going to pay you overtime for pressing a couple buttons?" And the Mary Sue says "no, I did that for free. You're paying me for knowing exactly what buttons to push, it would have taken your night crew hours to figure out" Specialization is expensive.
Dude if you're "on call" you're being paid for that time. If you're exempt you don't get overtime. If you're in a position where people will call and wake you up and you'll drive into the office to do something either this is the craziest emergency that's ever happened or you already have an understanding with your boss and HR department as to how you'll be compensated. No company that has mainframe sysops is so cavelier with pay practices.
@@b4ux1t3-techIf everything works great "why do we need IT?" If everything goes wrong, "why do we need IT?" The tale might be apocryphal, but many industries do work that way. Easy fix for a pro, but good luck otherwise.
@@b4ux1t3-tech I've seen the same essential format used in a lot of other specialties as well (art, law, etc). I think it's more common these days for people to just go straight to pointing out that they're paying for a result not a duration, which is mostly the same point but with less chance someone is going to start an argument about on-call hours for hourly vs salaried positions or otherwise nitpicking the narrative logic.
@@mechalith2791 The version I've always heard was a car mechanic. Looks at the engine, gives it a small tap, immediately fixed. Thousand dollar invoice. "It's $5 for the tap and $995 for knowing _where_ to tap."
This is a great tool ,I use it regularly . The sources of replacement sd locks are drying up and are getting expensive . This system lets you open quickly with no damage and if you walk with a precut pair of keys you can reset the lock in minutes ,complete the job in a single visit and get paid . Happy days all around!
I'm a locksmith now after watching your videos for years now. Hooby is now job and I appreciate your approach in explaining the reality of the job. You are truly gifted and learned many skills. some times people forget the work and research it takes to make it look so easy. In the field having all tools for clean approach isn't always possible or feasible. But i still try if no time pressure before drilling. its cheaper for the customer, and i get a kick out of it. ;) there are still a few tools from your shop I want, but I'm barley breaking even with all the tools, gas and replacement parts in the beginning. But I still love the job. Thank you for inspiring me over the years and for all your great content! esp Christmas, i look forward to the new one :) Have a great day :)
This reminds me of an anecdote my grandfather would tell all the time. A steam engine broke down, the piston completely seized. So the master machinist traveled out to the rail yard. He doesn't say a word to the engineer, or the conductor or even the yard mechanic. He walks up to the locomotive puts his ear to the piston and then taps a couple of places with a small ball peen hammer before picking up a small sledge and tapping a single spot on the side of the engine. He then gets the fire going, opens a couple values and viola the engine is fixed. The engineer is livid, screaming about how much time and money was wasted waiting for the machinist to come out and spend less than an hour fixing it, why should the line have to spend thousands of dollars for such an easy fix. The machinist grins and simply says, "The line pays me $500 to come out here and do this not because of the difficulty of the job, but because of the knowledge I have. Yes, anyone could hit this with a hammer. Your yard mechanic easily could remove and replace the engine. But the day you lost waiting on me, saved you four days waiting on parts and two more days waiting for them to be put in. They could have paid the mechanic sixteen hours to do this job at $30 an hour or me $500 for an hour of my knowledge." The moral is, knowledge is more valuable than time because in the long term, knowledge will save time.
Before people start yammering on about how easy this was to pick. Don't forget that most banks have all these safe boxes inside a vault behind a much more secure vault door where the whole vault is encased in concrete, steel and other materials to make it particularly difficult to break in without either running out of time or making so much noise that you are caught. The safe deposit boxes are there to prevent someone from opening a box that isn't theirs and shuffling the contents around or over to theirs or their pockets.
Interesting timing for your video. My mother died five years ago, and a few weeks ago my siblings and I learned she had a safety deposit box in Petaluma. We have no idea where the key is so I made arrangements with the bank manager to have the box opened by a locksmith. My brother and I made the three hour drive and talked about how life could be if there were a bunch of 50-year old IBM stock certificates in there. It took the locksmith nearly 30 minutes to drill the lock out and open the box. I paid $125 and then we took the box to the viewing area. It was empty.
Many banks prefer paying for a new cylinder over customers asking "Wait, so these can be picked in 30 seconds?". Many locksmiths understands this too, and will hence give a vague answer in the presence of a non-bank-executive.
I think the answer to any "Is it pickable" question can be answered with the following: "Does it have a mechanism to accept a working key/passcode? If yes, it can be picked." After all, what is a key but the fastest picking method? If a key exists, it can be mimicked. The only "pick proof" lock is one that cannot be opened. Even then, a big enough "boom" can bypass any lock.
The key is the most consistent method that works without any form of specialized knowledge that allows the lock to be used again, not necessarily the fastest.
I like the simplicity of clever locks, and the security they provide. There have been some very well made safe locks using levers, including 15 or more levers and mechanisms to detect pressure on the bolt, to help mitigate picking. One of the simplest and most effective designs were pay phone locks.
Yeah.. there's a lot of liability there. Unless LPL is a bonded locksmith (which is possible, I guess) the action of him even putting a pick in a lock he doesn't own could be illegal regardless of whether he opens it or not.
"Licensed, Bonded, Insured"..... Once you have Permission you can do things but if something 'goes wrong' those other bits become SO important to keeping yourself out of lawsuits and 'debt free'....
It’s really nice how the LPL doesn’t put or talk down about the locksmith technician’s decision to destructive open the safety deposit box and focus on the difference between the technician pay/ time/training and a more professional experienced locksmith with the tools to do the job. Always great videos and cool to watch you work. Makes me want to go take training at Lock-masters in Tennessee.
I was wondering why I don't have that pick and I was trained to pull the nose. The pick is specific to the Diebold 175-70 lock and costs roughly 400$. Pulling the nose is going to work on the majority of different lock models and type that I encounter. The tool maybe nice but its price is prohibitive and its use limited.
One of my old managers once told me, "You can generally only pick at most two of these three qualities in a good (i.e. a product or service)- price, quality, and speed". You can get something that's both fast and high quality, but you're going to be paying a higher price for it. If you want a lower cost, then you're going to have to sacrifice on either the quality of the good, or the time taken for it to be created, delivered, executed, or otherwise rendered.
Hi my friend. I live in the UK. Average rate for a call out on a locksmith is about £150--£200 pounds not including new lock . I've these smiths turn up drill a lock and often make a mess . Now I'm not a professional locksmith but have been picking locks for on and off 20 years. And have picked quite a few lock outs in less than 5 minutes. Or simply because of a lost key . I think I'm in the wrong trade .
A friend had locked herself out of her appartment by pulling the door. I was called for help but hadn't her spare key. Meanwhile a locksmith which worked previously for us was already on site. He took a look at the door, trying to put pressure on it with his foot. "hum... really good quality door". Then he took a X-Ray and 20 seconds later the door was open... 50 bucks quickly earned but without any damage. That what a true professional do. Don't destroy unless no other any option is available. On the other hand I know some building that have X-rays hidden in the some utility cupboad in the stairway. Some are planning ahead ;)
As someone who specifically does this, those locks are like 35 bucks, and you can open them in 20 seconds destructively. Its definitely way less skilled but cheaper for every party involved. Very cool to see one picked though, always wondered if you could, Thanks LPL
@@Rhewin except someone pointed out this tool works for only one specific model of one specific brand of deposit box lock and the tool also costs $400, so it probably isn't laziness.
Banks like to tell their customers "only key" and "If you lose both copies, we have to have the box drilled or the lock destroyed at your expense". The problem with a bank using a picker is that it destroys the illusion that the bank cannot surreptitiously enter a safe deposit box because "you have the only keys". I wonder if the FBI ever uses a pick like to service a warrant that contains a provision that the bank may not inform the customer the box has been opened.
I cannot imagine precedence for the latter case. By the time warrants are issued for search of specific items like lockboxes or computers, a suspect has generally already been notified and is: being arrested / already arrested / on the run and said containers are considered abandoned. Covert investigations are generally limited to information and items shared with other parties, until enough evidence is collected for an arrest. At that point, there's no need to hide the search. Closest thing I can imagine is a private mailbox being used for drops, but those are open on the back and require no picking, only managerial access. (Ripe for "stupid criminal" cases...)
@@VoltisArt - It reminds me of the recent case where there was a warrant for the structure HOLDING safe deposit boxes, but explicitly not the boxes themselves. So of course for 'safe keeping' they confiscated all the boxes, and had to open them to inventory the contents so it could be returned to owners. Turns out that was the plan from the beginning, to do an end run around having to get warrants for the boxes. Warrants aren't the protection against bad investigation that the general public assumes they are.
I should clip that last part and send it to clients who sook about the pricing on some invoices.. 💯% correct, one will rarely get more than what you pay for. In all professions .
I think you summed it up perfectly. If you want a well skilled professional that takes a caring and professional manner to his work, thats also backed by years of experience and expertise then you will ultimately pay for it. If you just want the job done then the standard of that will be to depth of your wallet or budget.
My father's favorite saying about locking his tool box at the steel mill. " Locks keep honest people honest. If someone really wants it, they will get it."
Then you took away the completely wrong lesson. Locks are time delays that, hopefully, makes the thief go elsewhere. You just did the "Airbags and seat belts don't save lives 100% of the time, so I've decided to use neither" argument with locks.
@@karls4777 While true at face value, be careful not to extrapolate that into "locks are useless anyway". They still ward off opportunistic theft (and lots of lowlifes are on the lookout for opportunity every minute they are awake), and if the lock is more trouble in "hourly wage" than what it protects, thieves will look for greener pastures everywhere.
I just go and buy Abloy. Knowing that well at least it won't be picked at site(for anything beyond classic) even if you can break the lock or the thing attached to.
"Could you pick it?" "Eh, if I had a specialised tool with me maybe, but it'd cost ya extra, and who has one of those just lying around?" Honestly, respect to the locksmith for knowing the most efficient option for that use-case.
A destructive approach also ensures to the customer that the original key will no longer work under any circumstances. It's give peace of mind that a lost/stolen key is useless.
My idea of a lawyer is that they often need to prepare well and then perform well when "the camera is rolling". Otherwise. It is four minutes long. He probably has more fun reshooting it a couple of times than to patch it in editing.
As he mentioned several times in previous videos, he is prepared, so it is very likely that it is not his first attempt. He does that to keep the videos short and interesting.
The “locksmith” took long enough for you to stand around talking about smoking pork, among other things. Meanwhile this entire video with you explaining the process is only 4:08😂
Been locksmithing for 20 years and yes we can’t focus on perfecting picking at a doctorate level because it does not make enough money compared to the laundry list of other things we do.
Insurance, plus you don't ask friends on jobs so stringent about security because that leaves room for the bank manager to be lenient about a shoddy job. It's the principle
As a locksmith, well put LPL! My approach tends to be non-destructive until there’s just enough time to quickly get in destructively specially on after hours jobs as they are quite expensive and people don’t want to pay a tonne extra if I keep trying to pick
Im from Brazil. I would like to say tannks. Tanks to you , more than one time i could pic a lock for my own. Last week i lost keys of home and evan drunked i got in in a non destructive way.
Locksmith here. The pick resistance and required security features varies region to region. In my particular region, most safe deposits boxs require false gates at every other position, bar the correct bitting. Lpl is very skilled to be clear, however there was no false gates to be heard there, and those make ot significantly harder to pick. Great video tho, you do a great job at painting a more realistic view of locksmiths
@@Speedbird9L yes, i believe there are brands that provide such. I'm not familiar with this particular system, but i learnt about resetable lever locks with false gates in college
I found your videos around the time I started working at a bank & I've been hoping for a safe deposit video the whole time! Thank you for your insight, definitely worth the wait!
Mister, you are fantastic! I am watching you with so much pleasure from Romania. I have no interest in this domain, but your videos are (for some reason) such a delight.
I think that's one thing a lot of people don't think of too often. If a tradesperson is very good and experienced they will likely be expensive by the hour but you're not paying for their time, you're compensating them for the years of learning and experience they have gained as well as any natural skills they may have, along with tools and materials. Hourly is just how they happen to bill customers. So many people get angry when paying a plumber $300 and they clear your drain in 15 minutes. I made these numbers up I don't know the going rates it was just an example...
I want to quickly say thank you for your view of the destructive method. All but the tiniest fraction of the internet would have the opinion that sounds something like this: "Any locksmith worth a flip could pick that in under a minute, saving you a fortune". Maybe I shouldn't read so many comments on the internet, but it was nice to finally hear some logic for once and not hateful emotion.
As typical, usually the answer for "can it be done this (less destructive) way" the answer has to be "Yes or Maybe, but you aren't going to want to pay that cost", similar answers exist in server administration, and automotive repair. There are ways to fix the symptom, and there are ways to fix the problem, and fixing the symptom doesn't mean the problem has gone away. You can pick the lock once, but that doesn't mean you will also be able to rekey it if the picking process fails and have to destructively enter it anyway. That's often why a lot of businesses do things inefficiently and expensively, because cheaper/faster options lead to higher costs later.
A number of years ago, I had to gain access to a safe deposit box that hadn’t been opened in about 20 years. Opening both locks was only a minor obstacle( a little Liquid Wrench spray) but opening the door was a challenge because the dirt in the perimeter of the door fused itself to the face of the box. It took a needle bottle of alcohol and a small hammer to tap the dirt loose. It took over 30 minutes to open,
Personally I would have love to see this picked with out the specialist tool. To really drive home the point. I do appreciate taking the time to talk about the different approaches and why it matters.
Tbh LPL is always right when it comes to these topics. The locksmith could have charged more had he invested time and money learning how to pick and rekey a bank safe lock but then again he was there just hanging with his friend and the locksmith was actually working. When you get 5-10 calls a day and have to travel long distances in between each job you just don't have the same time as someone who is a retired lawyer picking locks in his free time and making videos. LPL buys or even designs a tool and it's paid off the second he uploads a video while a locksmith charges in the tenths or few hundreds per service. I've worked as a locksmith for 4 years and have never been called to pick a bank safe. Not saying it's not worth it just saying it's not something that makes little financial sense. It's not some sort of ego battle of who knows how to pick the most locks. Plus locksmiths nowadays spend a ton of time and money in equipment to program car keys and whatnot.
I understand why it isnt practical for you to make a video on it but would love one more about bank vaults. I worked in a bank and have seen the locksmith come drill the safe deposit boxes. Glad you made a video about this. cool stuff
Have that exact tool and use it often. When i first purchased it i sat down with a bag of about 70 sets of keys so I wouldn't get used to the same pattern. The problem with this tool and the one for the LeFebure 7700 lock (even faster) is customers get upset sometimes it was too fast. Nose pulling is the only way to go on alot of locks. For some older banks it is less expensive to drill a small in door to pick it and repair the door than to source and replace a 80 to 100 year old lock.
A very good friend of mine was safe-smith and he had service contacts with several banks companies in the Washington DC metro area. I used to give him a hand now and then. One day he asked if I could help with opening several small safes and a hundred or so safety deposit boxes that were abandoned because that bank location was moving. Anyway we tried finessing the 4 small teller safes and we able to gain access to two of them that way. The other two safes had to be drilled to be opened. We then moved onto the safe deposit boxes and like the LPL he had made several different tools to pick the locks. It took us about 5 minutes a lock to open and remove the locks and replace them with a new lock cylinder which puzzled me that we had to replace the lock cylinder because everything in that bank was being scraped but that’s what they wanted and that’s what they got. That said having to destructively get into a safe deposit lock to me took a far longer time and was basically for my friend a last resort. My friend did say that when he worked for Diebold there standard procedure for gaining access to safe deposit box locks was to do so destructively and he theorized it was to sell the bank new locks instead of picking and rekeying them.
Great video LPL. And very fair comment about the destructive method too. In the real world setting, lock owners can only find so many locksmith with excellent techniques, so a more general approach does make sense for the general public.
The tools you show off are like high end tools a mechanic would need for their job but for lock smiths. If i were one id have a back pack with compartments for all these tools.
He’s actually done some videos where people have sent him locks in packaging that is marked in such a way that you can tell if it had been opened in advance. Meaning, no prior knowledge of the lock. And it’s taken him maybe 10 seconds longer.
There is a lot of paperwork involved in opening safe deposit boxes. I have the "Destructive Kit" and would go in and sometimes open hundreds of boxes. There are two ways to get in. Some locks you pull the nose or core and others you use screw and screw that into the lock and pull, the back of the lock will split. These are made out of soft brass so they are designed to do this. There is a lot of regulations on accessing SDB's. That customer who lost his key was probably charged $500 USD. That is a standard fee. Pays for the lock and the tech's time. I am not a locksmith but have been do to the different schools on vaults, time locks, Safe Deposit. The door and nose puller can be purchased from Lockmaster.
I appreciate that you didn't demean the guy using the destructive method. Despite some jibing at him in the comments, it is important to realize that just because something can be done in a certain way that seems better, doesn't mean it is always the ideal method and we should mock people for accomplishing a task by other means.
That looked like a very simple but extremely specialized tool for this job. I wouldn't be surprised if a locksmith would've charged double or even triple the price of destructive entry.
LOL. "I'm the worlds greatest lockpick. I am also friends with a bank owner, and was allowed in the vault on a whim." 4D Chess for a heist in the making haha.
For extra security against picking of his own stuff, LPL has naturally used secret techniques to design his own core for his own safe deposit box, and then subsequently welded it together in the locked position.
![[1177] Australian High Security: BiLock Version 2 Picked and Gutted](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/f5uk6C1iDkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1177] Australian High Security: BiLock Version 2 Picked and Gutted](/img/tr.png)
![[1591] The Replicant: Pocket Key Casting Perfected!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L5Fus7qbRZM/mqdefault.jpg)
"I actually have a pick specifically designed for locks like this."
Of course he does. If a picking tool exists, LPL has it. If it doesn't exist, he makes it.
You have broken down the entirety of the metal shaping industry to its most base component. Welders, machinists, and smiths usually have more self made tools than commercially made.
Little known fact LPL made the pick Star Lord at the beginning of Guardians 1
And if he doesn't have it, it doesn't matter anyway.
If it doesn't exist, he and Bosnian Bill make it.
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath): "I have a riff for that."
LPL: "I have a pick for that"
As a locksmith of 20 years, thank you for explaining that the locksmith was not wrong in their approach.... A few factors are at play in these situations.
First, if you're dealing with a new customer you may have no idea what hardware you'll be working on..... Buying every single specialized tool out there, just in case, with no idea of how often you'll use it is a good way to go broke.
It's better to have an acceptable, reliable, method and the tools for it that will work, quickly, in multiple scenarios.
Secondly, the lock gods like to throw curveballs.... The minute you buy a really expensive specialized tool because you've had a few jobs recently where it would have come in handy, you probably won't see another job like that for a LONG time. lol
I was a Locksmith for 45 years and did have a few banks over the years that I serviced their SD boxes. They all preferred drilling or nose pulling as they didn't want the customer to think that their valuables were vulnerable to quick access. I do admit that having the guard key makes it a lot easier, and the main security of a SD box is the fact that it's located inside the vault, probably with a time lock on it. Anyway, I did enjoy the video. Keep 'em coming. DB
I totally relate to the curve ball part lol. Working renovation, from times to times I replace appliances for customers. I used to take the old ones (if working) with me to: 1/ customer doesn't have to take it to the dump so they save some dosh, 2/ I get some dosh if another customer wants it and 3/ that next customer can save some dosh from buying brand new (that they don't really need, like if it's for rental). Funny enough whenever I keep those things, it will sit one hell of a long time in my garage collecting dust, THEN after I gave up and threw it out, suddenly I have some customers asking if I have [that exact thing I just threw away]. That happens often enough now I simply throw out everything and just go find some used one on the market if customer requested
Go broke? What? You can literally see how much all these tools cost and it's not a "business go broke" number or even close to it.
@@E1m0ren You may be overestimating how much a one person locksmith business makes a year, and UNDERESTIMATING how many specialty tools there are out there for it. I ain't Wal Mart, I'm me... The formula of "Tool cost divided by tool usage" DOES matter.
You're looking at it as a hobbyist, I'm looking at it as a business. I don't pick or work on locks because I'm looking to be the coolest kid on the block, I do it for money, to pay a mortgage, insurance, taxes, licensing, dealer fees, vehicle and equipment maintenance, inventory costs, unexpected expenses, operating capital, medical coverage, utilities, retirement, and personal income....
A buddy of mine, who's a full time SAVTA certified master safe tech has a $7000 auto dialer. For HIM that makes sense. I open MAYBE one or two cheap Sentry safes a year. It doesn't make sense for me because even if I COULD charge $300 each, it would take me 24 openings for it to START to turn a profit... There's a Kwikset Smartkey decoder, it costs about $500. It's cool, I don't own one, because on EVERY model of the Kwikset Smartkey system (except the 99170 unless the model has been updated) the cylinder is replicable (and they're cheap wholesale), which means, considering how little residential work I do these days it's cheaper for both me, and the customer, for me to just drill the cylinder and sell them a new one for $15-$25 plus my trip charge..... IF I EVEN need to do that considering that most of the time I can just loid them open even if I have to use an airjack to do it.
Lets say I open safe deposit boxes and I know that one bank uses this exact Diebold 175-50 Safe Deposit Lock, so I spend the severial hundred on this tool... That's great, until ANOTHER bank calls and they use an S&G, or LeGuard, or ANY other model that tool doesn't work on... Meanwhile that first bank doesn't call me for a year or two. So I can either spend severial thousand to get every single specialty SDB tool (if one is even available).... OR.... I use my $200 nose puller kit which works on ALL of them.
You run your own business. You pick your clientele. Don't have a tool to fit that job? Refer them to someone else.
Buying the tools for the clients you are most likely to service isn't some revolutionary idea dipshit.@@derekbroestler7687
lol. That locksmith didn't realize he was in the presence of Bruce Wayne.
I would have laughed if the smith said "well, I imagine the LPL could, but what are the chances you'd run into him?".
That would have been awesome! Great comment. Cheers, Calgary Canada.
lol, if he said so, it would make the story even more entertaining.
imagine if somehow that locksmith watches this video in the future, and says to himself, wait a minute this story sounds familiar
Somewhere a locksmith watching this has just said "Wait? What?"
In practice, that would soft doxx him
@@benedict6962 I mean, no local lockpick would snitch him out. People are generally very respectful of people's privacy. Especially adults who have careers and things to do. But if a person really wants to find out who he is, it is very possible to do so. He does his best to hide his identity, but the Internet is a very powerful tool.
Destructive method is also better for bank customers.
As a customer what would you prefer to hear as an answer to "what do you do if I loose my key?"
"We would have to destructively replace the lock" or "It's OK, we can pick the lock with a special tool in 30 seconds"
more like 5 minutes. not everyone has LPL sitting in their office talking about smoking pork shoulders
That's called security theatre
"why do you need a key in first place?" - LPL Bank
@@dahn57 Yea, just like TSA
But since both are true, it's only theater for the customer. The reality of the vulnerability remains exactly the same.
Bank manager: "I invited one of the world's most skilled lock-pickers into the safe deposit vault."
Board of Directors: "You -- what?"
"Its okay! He didn't have any red bull cans, special tools, and his hands were tied behind his back! Only managed to pick open three boxes before stopping when I got curt."
It's OK, he's a lawyer too...
HE'S WHAT?
Bank manager: "It's fine. His hat is whiter than my undies."
@@GulyusThis thread is gold.
Describe the plot of Serenity badly 😄
Hi, I open safe deposit boxes every single day. Both LPL and the locksmith are correct. It's important to remember that this tool is $400, and only works for 175-70s, but we run into a lot of other locks when we go this. Lots of professional shops are hesitant to buy expensive tools for extremely niche applications, if there's a cheaper way to do more.
Thanks for providing a number to the tool! For someone who has no idea about all of this (and is just enjoying the videos) "having a specialized tool" could also be a $5 thing :D
I totally agree people see stuff like this and think every locksmith should be able to pick open every single lock. People don’t realize what a vast array of hardware locksmiths deal with. From access control, car keys, door closers, door hardware, locks, hinges, safes, file cabinets, safe deposit boxes, household locks, commercial locks, and probably more I’m not remembering because I just woke up ten minutes ago. And each of those that I just listed have thousands of different parts under each different purview. It’s literally insane how much you have to be familiar with. I have been in the locksmith field for years, now I work for a huge company that does a specialized type of work where I’m only dealing with specific equipment and even then there are over 400,000 part numbers in our database we use for ordering.
Was gonna say try it on an old HHM
"Is this lock pickable?"
"By a prepared professional? Most likely. By me? Possibly. Within the confines of what you're willing to pay? No."
NOTHING is scure.... You can only make it Cost Prohibitive. ;)
any lock would be pickable (I'm guessing)... 'if you can make it, you can break it' either forcefully, using strong enough magnets, or picking the pins one by one.... with or without special tools... ok, if the lock was made of tungsten or similar material the destructive method might be a no go 😉-oh yeah, explosives might still work...
@@Wrecker3D All locks are designed with a weakness in that they are made to be opened. If they are designed to be opened then they can be opened wrongly. It doesn't care how its opened only that the particular trigger that it was designed with was satisfied.
@@mistressabysstressyeah, as a general rule of thumb, the more convenient it is, the less secure. The inverse is true; the more secure it is, the less convenient. Nowadays, hostile invasion is accomplished by targeting the weakest link of security: the user, usually via phishing and/or impersonation. "Wear a hi-vis vest and carry an air of confidence and a clipboard and you can go anywhere you're not supposed to." Don't need to worry about locks if they just open the door for you.
Basically any security measure is meant to stop the amateurs and slow down the professionals (though in the case of LPL, not for very long).
@@CrimSkies Probably not an original thing by any means but we had a local radio station arm a fellow with hi-vis and an extension ladder, and sent him to attempt entry at various locations over the course of a few weeks. 'Look busy, don't make eye contact.' It worked every time, including - rather comically - a small river cruise vessel where said ladder was completely pointless.
That was the nicest way to dance around a "hold my beer Flex" without making anyone upset.
Remember the last word in the name. LPL's also a professional at making a point.
@@VoltisArtremember that one part of Star Wars in the trash compactor. There were so many problems with that scene…
"Is this lock pickable?"
If you're willing to pay me _lawyer_ rates, sure.
Answer too long, might allow voice recognition.
Hey assuming $1000 an hour. it might still be worth it, since he took less than 30 seconds picking. So many another 4.5 mins for the rekey? 1000/12 = $83.33
@@workhard2belazy where i come from the hours of a craftsman are for every beginning hour.
1 min = 1 hour billed
61 min= 2 hours billed
also travel to the client is billed.
@@ulrichkalber9039yep. And this is so important, because you're not paying for the ten seconds it took to solve the problem, you're paying for the ten years it took to learn to do it in ten seconds...plus the travel time, the mental energy cost of task switching, the amortized risk of when it doesn't go right on the first time, etc.
A skilled laborer doesn't spend fewer resources than an unskilled one, they just change their distribution in a way that's often advantageous because it compresses a lot of cost into a small amount of elapsed time. But rather than explaining that every time..."here's my rates, minimum fee is x".
@@ulrichkalber9039Lawyers usually bill in 6 minute increments.
My great grandpa was the inventor of this type of lock. He sold the patent and didn’t make much off of it. He was also a train conductor in my home town of Cape Girardeau Mo and still has his train on display in the middle of one of the public parks for kids to play on.
My great grandpa gave your great grandpa wedgies.
I like that the locksmith gave an honest answer and didn't just proceed to pick it with out explaining the extra cost of doing so. This video just proves the passion LPL has for his craft which the rest of us get to enjoy and in some cases learn to love it just as much as him
I am guessing he had a full schedule for the day already and wanted to get it done quickly so he can move on to the next one.
Yup and LPL had to use a specialized tool on top of his rare skill. The locksmith probably gave the bank the better option
@@David_Crayford Yep, time is money. I've been a locksmith for 30-odd years, and most entry jobs come down to that. Even if I had the tool, and even if I was fairly skilled with the tool, there's always the chance this lock is going to have something odd about it that thwarts me. Maybe it's broken, maybe there's a key bitting that the pick can't quite handle. But a nose puller and destructive entry? That works every time, takes an amount of time I can quote the customer beforehand, a price I can name beforehand, and in the end the customer has a brand new lock. Now if it was a typical schlage deadbolt, I'd Lishi pick that in 30 seconds becase THAT is the most predictable route. It's all about finding the path of least resistance.
Yep destructive isn't pretty but its more predictable. Picking and key 5 to 60 min, Pull and replace 20 min flat.@@David_Crayford
Do I miss something or is re-using the lock out of the question anyway? They don't have the key to give it to a client, at least.
I had a Hackers “Don’t Ask” moment when I considered how he has a door and banker’s key.
1. He's a skilled locksmith, not just a hobbyist picker. Has thousands of locks, keys to match, and can make the latter as needed, be it by machine or hand.
2. Since he's also a skilled lawyer, that key was probably one he had made just for this, rather than give away an actual bank's bitting combo.
Ebay's got sixty six door and key sets for sale right now.
@@brucetheloonLove those. I got a beautiful Swiss set several years ago.
I'm sure there has been lot of bank vaults that have been dismantled. And that key does not seem too complicated to copy.
I worked for Diebold and copied guard keys and there were not so many different keys. You could probably keep them all on 1 Small key ring.
I was a vault locksmith and owned the proper tools to open all safe deposit locks. I opened litterally thousands of safe deposit locks and rekeyed as well. Diebold and Lefebure locks offer picking tools but the rest (Yale, S&G, Mosler) do not offer this feature. Nose pulling is the most common method for opening these locks and for the very old locks for which replacement locks and parts are scarce; we drill the door and pick the lock.
I would like to see you pick a Mosler Invinceable lock; made in the 1950's
My money goes on LPL.
Send me one please, I'll do it!
As an industrial and commercial locksmith of 20 years, THIS ALL DAY. Especially considering that if you're dealing with a new customer you may have no idea what hardware you'll be working on and buying every single specialized tool out there, just in case, with no idea of how often you'll use it is a good way to go broke. Especially since the fates like to throw a twist or two in.... The minute you buy a really expensive specialized tool because you've had a few jobs recently where it would have come in handy, seems to ensure you won't see another job like that for a LONG time. lol
Same tooling issues in So Many Fields. Broke out a super-secret-squirrel tool just last week ... for the second time in nearly 20 years
@@JohnW118 I doubt he's suggesting that LPL wouldn't be able to, rather than it would make for a most satisfying video to watch it being done by an artist.
I used to be a vault technician for Diebold and actually worked on this specific lock many times. The destructive means, was always fastest. I could've had that lock opened in half the time it took to pick it, but that's the tradeoff.
Well done!
Same here. I was I told to make it look hard... obviously a customer that sees that opened in 10 seconds is not going to have a warm and fuzzy for Diebold or the bank.
Half the picking time is the opening part, but what about replacing it? Wouldn't that take more time than just rekeying the undamaged lock?
Can we respect how humble LPL is? He absolutely showed up a locksmith on picking the lock, but completely respect the method that the locksmith used and even calls out that getting someone with the proper tools and expertise would cost just as much money, if not more.
Whilst we can all respect how humble LPL is, I think you perhaps misheard: It was the *locksmith* in the story, not LPL, that made the admission that picking the lock was quite possible, just prohibitively expensive.
LPL then went on to demonstrate this by opening it using a completely custom fabricated tool for the job.
@rossstewart9475 You are correct that the locksmith said it would cost more for him to try to pick it. LPL also said that a specialist that would have the tools and could pick would cost much more as well.
@@d4gu1t4r5 Well he know how much the hour of a lawyer costs. So most likely he knew that hiring him for that job would be more expensive.
LPL didn't show up the locksmith, nor was he being humble. He acknowledged that the locksmith was right-it could be done, but the customer would have to pay more. And it's doubtful the locksmith had the tool LPL used on hand, as 99% of the time a bank just wants it opened, for cheap. In the end, LPL says what the locksmith did works, and the bank is happy
Would have been neat if he brought his tool and offered to let the locksmith try to pick it. I think LPL is in the final design/patent phase and that's why the tool was revealed to us.
I’m so happy to hear the LPL call it a safe deposit lock instead of a safety deposit lock. Thanks LPL!
Love the extra explanation of "Well you can but it may not actually be the best choice" I usually try to get the best quality product/service, but within reason. Thanks for sharing the "reason" part.
Not only very good at lock manipulation but also exceptional at diplomacy.
Thanks, as always, for the sharing of your experiences in the world of locks.
I really appreciate that you didn’t cast shade on the other locksmith or the destructive technique he used. Thanks for your honesty and professionalism.
Or he removed most of pins to impress naive morons (saw how lock "opens" halfway through pins?) and the kid crowd here totally bought it as "professionalism"...
@@KuK137no mate.
@@KuK137 I’ve seen about 5 locksmiths in the replies here. None of them are accusing him of that.
@KuK137 tell me you're new here and an idiot without telling me you're new here and an idiot 😂 at least your honest with your user name
I like how LPL was very careful to show his respect of the locksmith and their approach. He just wanted to show what someone with extreme skill could do, and then explained why that isn't done.
I just bought a $14,000 flatbed trailer. The most damage-resistant lock I can find slides up into the gooseneck and locks into place while inside. This prevents drilling, cutting, etc, but if LPL wanted that trailer, it would be picked in thirty seconds.
What makes you think it would take him that long? Lol
@@Pip2andahalf He's gotta explain to the camera what he is doing, and may re-lock it and re-pick it to show that it was not a fluke 😆
Misspelled. You meant thirteen ... Or three ?
You used a $14,000 flatbed trailer. It can be opened with a $14,000 flatbed trailer.
@@FilmFlam-8008 Give McNally two of them and we'd see a video.
I really thought this would take longer. From my past knowledge of locksmiths I've used I always asked why they don't pick the locks instead of drill them and I always got the answer "this is not the movies we don't pick anymore" even when I just locked myself out and my key was in site on the hook inside. I have since learned to pick my walmart quik set on my house about as easy as using the key, thanks to you and your tools. I'm learning disk locks from old vending machines, very fun hobby.
conversely, after locking myself out my business (and an hour commute away) i called a locksmith to gain entry, he drilled and replaced the lock in , ohnestly 2 minutes? i was happy to pay his fee. as it was a drop compared to a days lost earnings. now by this point i was fairly proficient as a hobby picker, but i needed in there right now. few years later I do the same, was easier to borrow a drill from another local business (a cafe of all things) and drill the lock myself than find someone with a pick set or a bench grinder and old style wiper blades! so in practical terms, destructive entry is fast and consistent.
"Could you have picked this lock instead?
"Sure if you have LPL standing beside you haha"
*Bank manager looks at LPL*
LPL: "Who?"
And LPL replies: "Yes, but now that you have both seen my face, I will have to kill both of you".
LPL takes his anonymity extremely seriously. I'm certain he would not have given his identity away to someone he does not already know and trust.
@@timothyodonnell8591 Eh, he's done talks at conferences before. I'd give it 50/50.
@@timothyodonnell8591 I imagine LPL standing behind the other locksmith, whipping out his phone camera, starts saying "This is the Lock Picking Lawyer, and today, I'm going to show you how a locksmith would typically get into a bank safe deposit box".
Thanks for not dismissing the majority of the trade and acknowlidging the vast expense of a specialist.
Also props to the locksmith for being clear and saying that it can maybe be picked and saying it how it is.
That locksmith is a professional
LPL is Legendary
The reason bank vault technicians don't pick locks is that it shakes the customer's confidence in the bank to protect their valuables if we can enter their box in seconds with no indication it has happened. As an industry we always destroy the lock.
I really respect a person who can see other ways of doing something and explaining it all without bashing someone elses tried and true method. Good Job - LPL!
Big respect to that locksmith for explaining that while it could be picked, it wasn't worth it. I feel like quite a few would have just said it couldn't because they either weren't able to, or wouldn't want to.
A lot of LPL fans don’t get that a locksmith’s job isn’t to sit around picking locks all day. As he says at the end, it takes a specialized and highly skilled technician to pick a lock like that. You can pay for expertise for the sake of saving the lock, or you get the exact same results with a new lock for less.
This reminds me of the folk tale of the programmer/sysop/whatever that gets a call in the middle of the night, and goes in to the office l, resolves an issue in thirty seconds, and then goes home and puts in for overtime pay.
His boss says "What, I'm going to pay you overtime for pressing a couple buttons?"
And the Mary Sue says "no, I did that for free. You're paying me for knowing exactly what buttons to push, it would have taken your night crew hours to figure out"
Specialization is expensive.
Dude if you're "on call" you're being paid for that time. If you're exempt you don't get overtime. If you're in a position where people will call and wake you up and you'll drive into the office to do something either this is the craziest emergency that's ever happened or you already have an understanding with your boss and HR department as to how you'll be compensated. No company that has mainframe sysops is so cavelier with pay practices.
@@ssl3546 it's a folk tale, friend, it's not a true story. It's a way of justifying how expensive specialized knowledge is in the IT space.
@@b4ux1t3-techIf everything works great "why do we need IT?" If everything goes wrong, "why do we need IT?"
The tale might be apocryphal, but many industries do work that way. Easy fix for a pro, but good luck otherwise.
@@b4ux1t3-tech I've seen the same essential format used in a lot of other specialties as well (art, law, etc). I think it's more common these days for people to just go straight to pointing out that they're paying for a result not a duration, which is mostly the same point but with less chance someone is going to start an argument about on-call hours for hourly vs salaried positions or otherwise nitpicking the narrative logic.
@@mechalith2791 The version I've always heard was a car mechanic. Looks at the engine, gives it a small tap, immediately fixed. Thousand dollar invoice. "It's $5 for the tap and $995 for knowing _where_ to tap."
This is a great tool ,I use it regularly . The sources of replacement sd locks are drying up and are getting expensive . This system lets you open quickly with no damage and if you walk with a precut pair of keys you can reset the lock in minutes ,complete the job in a single visit and get paid . Happy days all around!
“Maybe”
LPL: “Hold my pork shoulder”
I'm a locksmith now after watching your videos for years now. Hooby is now job and I appreciate your approach in explaining the reality of the job. You are truly gifted and learned many skills. some times people forget the work and research it takes to make it look so easy. In the field having all tools for clean approach isn't always possible or feasible. But i still try if no time pressure before drilling. its cheaper for the customer, and i get a kick out of it. ;) there are still a few tools from your shop I want, but I'm barley breaking even with all the tools, gas and replacement parts in the beginning. But I still love the job. Thank you for inspiring me over the years and for all your great content! esp Christmas, i look forward to the new one :) Have a great day :)
I think your friend immediately got the gist of it when you answered "I'll make a video out of this."
This reminds me of an anecdote my grandfather would tell all the time.
A steam engine broke down, the piston completely seized. So the master machinist traveled out to the rail yard.
He doesn't say a word to the engineer, or the conductor or even the yard mechanic. He walks up to the locomotive puts his ear to the piston and then taps a couple of places with a small ball peen hammer before picking up a small sledge and tapping a single spot on the side of the engine.
He then gets the fire going, opens a couple values and viola the engine is fixed.
The engineer is livid, screaming about how much time and money was wasted waiting for the machinist to come out and spend less than an hour fixing it, why should the line have to spend thousands of dollars for such an easy fix.
The machinist grins and simply says, "The line pays me $500 to come out here and do this not because of the difficulty of the job, but because of the knowledge I have. Yes, anyone could hit this with a hammer. Your yard mechanic easily could remove and replace the engine. But the day you lost waiting on me, saved you four days waiting on parts and two more days waiting for them to be put in. They could have paid the mechanic sixteen hours to do this job at $30 an hour or me $500 for an hour of my knowledge."
The moral is, knowledge is more valuable than time because in the long term, knowledge will save time.
Pretty sure it was a fluke as it wasn't shown twice
Best LPL video comment. This needs all the likes.
Very observant! 🤣
Clearly! 😂
I had to watch it twice because it just didn't feel right seeing him only pick it once
OP works as a Safe Technician ! 😀 His profession just got burned.
Incredibly fair, level-headed and discerning video. Thank you for bringing reasonableness to an otherwiser unreasonable internet discussion.
I love the explanation and the honesty of the locksmith’s response.
Before people start yammering on about how easy this was to pick. Don't forget that most banks have all these safe boxes inside a vault behind a much more secure vault door where the whole vault is encased in concrete, steel and other materials to make it particularly difficult to break in without either running out of time or making so much noise that you are caught.
The safe deposit boxes are there to prevent someone from opening a box that isn't theirs and shuffling the contents around or over to theirs or their pockets.
Interesting timing for your video. My mother died five years ago, and a few weeks ago my siblings and I learned she had a safety deposit box in Petaluma. We have no idea where the key is so I made arrangements with the bank manager to have the box opened by a locksmith. My brother and I made the three hour drive and talked about how life could be if there were a bunch of 50-year old IBM stock certificates in there. It took the locksmith nearly 30 minutes to drill the lock out and open the box. I paid $125 and then we took the box to the viewing area. It was empty.
LPL got there first.
Ughh that’s frustrating! Not even some sentimental item in there just completely bare? That’s odd honestly. I wonder if someone emptied it out?
@@mnorth1351 😄😄
That story is really cool! Is say you got your money's worth. 😊
Worked an estate case with two safe deposit boxes. One had old car titles, the other had 100K in cash.
Class act not blowing the "pro" locksmith outta the water at the bank.
Well done as always, thanks and regards.
Yeah he could've been like "hold my beer, lemme show you how it's done" 😂
But that would have been super rude.
Many banks prefer paying for a new cylinder over customers asking "Wait, so these can be picked in 30 seconds?". Many locksmiths understands this too, and will hence give a vague answer in the presence of a non-bank-executive.
I think the answer to any "Is it pickable" question can be answered with the following:
"Does it have a mechanism to accept a working key/passcode? If yes, it can be picked."
After all, what is a key but the fastest picking method? If a key exists, it can be mimicked. The only "pick proof" lock is one that cannot be opened. Even then, a big enough "boom" can bypass any lock.
The key is the most consistent method that works without any form of specialized knowledge that allows the lock to be used again, not necessarily the fastest.
You’re the Bob Ross of TH-cam! Your videos are so calming!
As a Diebold safe technician, we all had that tool when the lock first came out.
When was that just out of curiosity?
I like the simplicity of clever locks, and the security they provide. There have been some very well made safe locks using levers, including 15 or more levers and mechanisms to detect pressure on the bolt, to help mitigate picking.
One of the simplest and most effective designs were pay phone locks.
The manager didn’t just ask you instead of calling a locksmith?!
Legal, insurance, banking laws….
it's funny but 1)probably a national bank and not in the manager's authority 2)insurance would probably have rules about this.
Yeah.. there's a lot of liability there. Unless LPL is a bonded locksmith (which is possible, I guess) the action of him even putting a pick in a lock he doesn't own could be illegal regardless of whether he opens it or not.
Oh, I had already figured all of those reasons out. I just thought it was a fun off the cuff thing to say! 🙃
"Licensed, Bonded, Insured"..... Once you have Permission you can do things but if something 'goes wrong' those other bits become SO important to keeping yourself out of lawsuits and 'debt free'....
It’s really nice how the LPL doesn’t put or talk down about the locksmith technician’s decision to destructive open the safety deposit box and focus on the difference between the technician pay/ time/training and a more professional experienced locksmith with the tools to do the job. Always great videos and cool to watch you work. Makes me want to go take training at Lock-masters in Tennessee.
I was wondering why I don't have that pick and I was trained to pull the nose. The pick is specific to the Diebold 175-70 lock and costs roughly 400$. Pulling the nose is going to work on the majority of different lock models and type that I encounter. The tool maybe nice but its price is prohibitive and its use limited.
Who makes the pick?
One of my old managers once told me, "You can generally only pick at most two of these three qualities in a good (i.e. a product or service)- price, quality, and speed".
You can get something that's both fast and high quality, but you're going to be paying a higher price for it. If you want a lower cost, then you're going to have to sacrifice on either the quality of the good, or the time taken for it to be created, delivered, executed, or otherwise rendered.
Hi my friend. I live in the UK. Average rate for a call out on a locksmith is about £150--£200 pounds not including new lock . I've these smiths turn up drill a lock and often make a mess . Now I'm not a professional locksmith but have been picking locks for on and off 20 years. And have picked quite a few lock outs in less than 5 minutes. Or simply because of a lost key . I think I'm in the wrong trade .
A friend had locked herself out of her appartment by pulling the door. I was called for help but hadn't her spare key. Meanwhile a locksmith which worked previously for us was already on site.
He took a look at the door, trying to put pressure on it with his foot. "hum... really good quality door". Then he took a X-Ray and 20 seconds later the door was open...
50 bucks quickly earned but without any damage. That what a true professional do. Don't destroy unless no other any option is available.
On the other hand I know some building that have X-rays hidden in the some utility cupboad in the stairway. Some are planning ahead ;)
As someone who specifically does this, those locks are like 35 bucks, and you can open them in 20 seconds destructively. Its definitely way less skilled but cheaper for every party involved. Very cool to see one picked though, always wondered if you could, Thanks LPL
Yeah but all the hobbyists in the comments are telling me that you’re just lazy for using the standard professional method lol.
@@Rhewin except someone pointed out this tool works for only one specific model of one specific brand of deposit box lock and the tool also costs $400, so it probably isn't laziness.
@@mattymerr701 I know it’s not. Read my comment again.
5 to 10 seconds!
Banks like to tell their customers "only key" and "If you lose both copies, we have to have the box drilled or the lock destroyed at your expense". The problem with a bank using a picker is that it destroys the illusion that the bank cannot surreptitiously enter a safe deposit box because "you have the only keys".
I wonder if the FBI ever uses a pick like to service a warrant that contains a provision that the bank may not inform the customer the box has been opened.
I cannot imagine precedence for the latter case. By the time warrants are issued for search of specific items like lockboxes or computers, a suspect has generally already been notified and is: being arrested / already arrested / on the run and said containers are considered abandoned. Covert investigations are generally limited to information and items shared with other parties, until enough evidence is collected for an arrest. At that point, there's no need to hide the search.
Closest thing I can imagine is a private mailbox being used for drops, but those are open on the back and require no picking, only managerial access. (Ripe for "stupid criminal" cases...)
@@VoltisArtAlthogh rare, there are sneak and peek warrants.
UHMMM, there are a LOT of warrants issued pursuant to DHS investigations that are 'you can't tell the target' warrants.@@VoltisArt
@@VoltisArt - It reminds me of the recent case where there was a warrant for the structure HOLDING safe deposit boxes, but explicitly not the boxes themselves. So of course for 'safe keeping' they confiscated all the boxes, and had to open them to inventory the contents so it could be returned to owners.
Turns out that was the plan from the beginning, to do an end run around having to get warrants for the boxes. Warrants aren't the protection against bad investigation that the general public assumes they are.
@@robertboudrie2234
More unconstitutional BS.
I'd like to see the internals of that lock; that mechanism to allow re-keying sounded interesting.
The speed at which you picked that was awe inducing. Just wow...im speechless over here.
I should clip that last part and send it to clients who sook about the pricing on some invoices..
💯% correct, one will rarely get more than what you pay for. In all professions .
I think you summed it up perfectly. If you want a well skilled professional that takes a caring and professional manner to his work, thats also backed by years of experience and expertise then you will ultimately pay for it. If you just want the job done then the standard of that will be to depth of your wallet or budget.
Honestly this channel has done 2 things for me. I now have a very weird obsession with lockpicking and i also dont even bother locking things anymore
My father's favorite saying about locking his tool box at the steel mill. " Locks keep honest people honest. If someone really wants it, they will get it."
Then you took away the completely wrong lesson. Locks are time delays that, hopefully, makes the thief go elsewhere. You just did the "Airbags and seat belts don't save lives 100% of the time, so I've decided to use neither" argument with locks.
@@karls4777 While true at face value, be careful not to extrapolate that into "locks are useless anyway". They still ward off opportunistic theft (and lots of lowlifes are on the lookout for opportunity every minute they are awake), and if the lock is more trouble in "hourly wage" than what it protects, thieves will look for greener pastures everywhere.
I just go and buy Abloy. Knowing that well at least it won't be picked at site(for anything beyond classic) even if you can break the lock or the thing attached to.
"Could you pick it?"
"Eh, if I had a specialised tool with me maybe, but it'd cost ya extra, and who has one of those just lying around?"
Honestly, respect to the locksmith for knowing the most efficient option for that use-case.
A destructive approach also ensures to the customer that the original key will no longer work under any circumstances. It's give peace of mind that a lost/stolen key is useless.
But he just showed you can rekey the lock easily.
@@Carlos-ux7gv Doesn't give the same peace of mind. It's till the same lock.
Mad respect for the fact he does his videos in one run and no breaks without a mistake! Takes balls to be able to do it that well!
My idea of a lawyer is that they often need to prepare well and then perform well when "the camera is rolling". Otherwise. It is four minutes long. He probably has more fun reshooting it a couple of times than to patch it in editing.
As he mentioned several times in previous videos, he is prepared, so it is very likely that it is not his first attempt. He does that to keep the videos short and interesting.
@@gubx42 I'm aware it likely isn't the first take um saying it's the fact it's just 1 long run no brakes that is impressive
The “locksmith” took long enough for you to stand around talking about smoking pork, among other things. Meanwhile this entire video with you explaining the process is only 4:08😂
Been locksmithing for 20 years and yes we can’t focus on perfecting picking at a doctorate level because it does not make enough money compared to the laundry list of other things we do.
If the bank manager was your friend, why didn't he just ask you in the first place?
Most likely because hes not a professional lock smith and probably wouldn't have the correct insurance for it
Insurance, plus you don't ask friends on jobs so stringent about security because that leaves room for the bank manager to be lenient about a shoddy job. It's the principle
Because LPL bills as both a locksmith AND a lawyer. 💰
Bank manager friend and lock-picking friend is quite possibly the most dynamic duo of all time.
Your competence is one of the best things to see. Thank you for what you do.
As a locksmith, well put LPL! My approach tends to be non-destructive until there’s just enough time to quickly get in destructively specially on after hours jobs as they are quite expensive and people don’t want to pay a tonne extra if I keep trying to pick
Im from Brazil. I would like to say tannks. Tanks to you , more than one time i could pic a lock for my own. Last week i lost keys of home and evan drunked i got in in a non destructive way.
You know, you never disappoint.
Locksmith here. The pick resistance and required security features varies region to region. In my particular region, most safe deposits boxs require false gates at every other position, bar the correct bitting. Lpl is very skilled to be clear, however there was no false gates to be heard there, and those make ot significantly harder to pick. Great video tho, you do a great job at painting a more realistic view of locksmiths
I’m curious. Is it possible to have a lock with false gates that is also rekeyable, like this one?
@@Speedbird9L yes, i believe there are brands that provide such. I'm not familiar with this particular system, but i learnt about resetable lever locks with false gates in college
I found your videos around the time I started working at a bank & I've been hoping for a safe deposit video the whole time! Thank you for your insight, definitely worth the wait!
I like the guys answer of it's possible but too expensive for me to try. Seems fair and honest.
Mad respect for the time, tools, and knowledge.
"Can it be picked?"
"Maybe. But I would be so slow, it is probably cheaper with me going the destructive road."
Fair assessment
Always such a gentleman. Respect.
I just bought the FNG. I'm hooked. Lock picking is the coolest thing ever. I just started trying to pick random locks around my house. So much fun
Mister, you are fantastic!
I am watching you with so much pleasure from Romania.
I have no interest in this domain, but your videos are (for some reason) such a delight.
I think that's one thing a lot of people don't think of too often. If a tradesperson is very good and experienced they will likely be expensive by the hour but you're not paying for their time, you're compensating them for the years of learning and experience they have gained as well as any natural skills they may have, along with tools and materials. Hourly is just how they happen to bill customers. So many people get angry when paying a plumber $300 and they clear your drain in 15 minutes. I made these numbers up I don't know the going rates it was just an example...
I want to quickly say thank you for your view of the destructive method. All but the tiniest fraction of the internet would have the opinion that sounds something like this: "Any locksmith worth a flip could pick that in under a minute, saving you a fortune".
Maybe I shouldn't read so many comments on the internet, but it was nice to finally hear some logic for once and not hateful emotion.
As typical, usually the answer for "can it be done this (less destructive) way" the answer has to be "Yes or Maybe, but you aren't going to want to pay that cost", similar answers exist in server administration, and automotive repair. There are ways to fix the symptom, and there are ways to fix the problem, and fixing the symptom doesn't mean the problem has gone away. You can pick the lock once, but that doesn't mean you will also be able to rekey it if the picking process fails and have to destructively enter it anyway. That's often why a lot of businesses do things inefficiently and expensively, because cheaper/faster options lead to higher costs later.
This entire video, from the story to the picking made me grin ear to ear the entire time
Крутой у вас инструмент 👍
A number of years ago, I had to gain access to a safe deposit box that hadn’t been opened in about 20 years. Opening both locks was only a minor obstacle( a little Liquid Wrench spray) but opening the door was a challenge because the dirt in the perimeter of the door fused itself to the face of the box. It took a needle bottle of alcohol and a small hammer to tap the dirt loose. It took over 30 minutes to open,
Personally I would have love to see this picked with out the specialist tool.
To really drive home the point.
I do appreciate taking the time to talk about the different approaches and why it matters.
My favourite educational channel!😊 I would pay extra for your time!
Tbh LPL is always right when it comes to these topics. The locksmith could have charged more had he invested time and money learning how to pick and rekey a bank safe lock but then again he was there just hanging with his friend and the locksmith was actually working. When you get 5-10 calls a day and have to travel long distances in between each job you just don't have the same time as someone who is a retired lawyer picking locks in his free time and making videos. LPL buys or even designs a tool and it's paid off the second he uploads a video while a locksmith charges in the tenths or few hundreds per service. I've worked as a locksmith for 4 years and have never been called to pick a bank safe. Not saying it's not worth it just saying it's not something that makes little financial sense. It's not some sort of ego battle of who knows how to pick the most locks. Plus locksmiths nowadays spend a ton of time and money in equipment to program car keys and whatnot.
I understand why it isnt practical for you to make a video on it but would love one more about bank vaults. I worked in a bank and have seen the locksmith come drill the safe deposit boxes. Glad you made a video about this. cool stuff
Have that exact tool and use it often. When i first purchased it i sat down with a bag of about 70 sets of keys so I wouldn't get used to the same pattern. The problem with this tool and the one for the LeFebure 7700 lock (even faster) is customers get upset sometimes it was too fast. Nose pulling is the only way to go on alot of locks. For some older banks it is less expensive to drill a small in door to pick it and repair the door than to source and replace a 80 to 100 year old lock.
A very good friend of mine was safe-smith and he had service contacts with several banks companies in the Washington DC metro area. I used to give him a hand now and then. One day he asked if I could help with opening several small safes and a hundred or so safety deposit boxes that were abandoned because that bank location was moving. Anyway we tried finessing the 4 small teller safes and we able to gain access to two of them that way. The other two safes had to be drilled to be opened. We then moved onto the safe deposit boxes and like the LPL he had made several different tools to pick the locks. It took us about 5 minutes a lock to open and remove the locks and replace them with a new lock cylinder which puzzled me that we had to replace the lock cylinder because everything in that bank was being scraped but that’s what they wanted and that’s what they got. That said having to destructively get into a safe deposit lock to me took a far longer time and was basically for my friend a last resort. My friend did say that when he worked for Diebold there standard procedure for gaining access to safe deposit box locks was to do so destructively and he theorized it was to sell the bank new locks instead of picking and rekeying them.
4 min vid for 17 seconds to defeat the lock.... AWESOMENESS attained... as usual!!!! :D
LPL showing mad respect to his fellow lock aficionado
The nice part about being a lock picker. Showing up to the bank and you forgot your security box key. “Don’t worry, I’ll just pick it.” 😁
Great video LPL. And very fair comment about the destructive method too. In the real world setting, lock owners can only find so many locksmith with excellent techniques, so a more general approach does make sense for the general public.
love the added insight into why it may or may not be done using certain techniques
The tools you show off are like high end tools a mechanic would need for their job but for lock smiths. If i were one id have a back pack with compartments for all these tools.
LPL always knows the actual correct key cuts when picking.
That makes a HUGE difference.
He’s actually done some videos where people have sent him locks in packaging that is marked in such a way that you can tell if it had been opened in advance. Meaning, no prior knowledge of the lock. And it’s taken him maybe 10 seconds longer.
There is a lot of paperwork involved in opening safe deposit boxes. I have the "Destructive Kit" and would go in and sometimes open hundreds of boxes. There are two ways to get in. Some locks you pull the nose or core and others you use screw and screw that into the lock and pull, the back of the lock will split. These are made out of soft brass so they are designed to do this. There is a lot of regulations on accessing SDB's. That customer who lost his key was probably charged $500 USD. That is a standard fee. Pays for the lock and the tech's time. I am not a locksmith but have been do to the different schools on vaults, time locks, Safe Deposit. The door and nose puller can be purchased from Lockmaster.
I appreciate that you didn't demean the guy using the destructive method. Despite some jibing at him in the comments, it is important to realize that just because something can be done in a certain way that seems better, doesn't mean it is always the ideal method and we should mock people for accomplishing a task by other means.
That looked like a very simple but extremely specialized tool for this job. I wouldn't be surprised if a locksmith would've charged double or even triple the price of destructive entry.
LOL. "I'm the worlds greatest lockpick. I am also friends with a bank owner, and was allowed in the vault on a whim." 4D Chess for a heist in the making haha.
For extra security against picking of his own stuff, LPL has naturally used secret techniques to design his own core for his own safe deposit box, and then subsequently welded it together in the locked position.
That ending explanation reminded me of the saying: "If you are good at something, never do it for free."