Firstly, thank you for making this. I was seriously considering making some combs one of my next acquisitions, and this has given me pause. I know some of the guys who've been doing it a while make it look simple, but they're doing so usually in an attempt to present the tool in a positive light. So thanks for showing the other side of that coin. Secondly, I cannot express how refreshing it is to see a channel dedicated to outlining not only the victories but also the follies of locksport. It's nice to be reminded that struggling with locks is a thing, and that it shouldn't be discouraging, simply a learning experience. Keep doing what you're doing, it's more helpful than you know
Thanks a lot. I agree that others have made them look easy and useful - and maybe I just need more practice or better technique, but the fact that they don’t fit or line up well is something no amount of practice will fix. I really appreciate your encouraging comment - it’s a bit embarrassing sometimes posting blunders or failures, but this channel is meant to at least resemble my locksport journey, so I feel I should show some struggles too (at least every once in a while 😉). Thanks and take care.
It is depressing seeing people being successfully opening a lock while you struggle and can't get it open... so yeah content like this is very relevant to anyone thinking lockpicking is easy.
I don't think that lpl even remotely suggested it would work on all locks. That said, they work on my Master 140, Master 150, ABUS 55/40, Master No. 575, Master 970 puck lock. Most impressed that it opened the Master 970 puck lock so effortlessly!
No - they certainly don’t say it will work on most locks, but they did say it was thinner to fit in more locks I thought. I had trouble getting it into many of the keyways I tried them on. I’m certainly no pro with them, and I couldn’t get it on my Master 575, but I’ll try again. Others have told me they work in their 140s as well. I just haven’t found the right lock or the correct technique on locks possibly. Thanks for the feedback!
They have some new ergo ones that look pretty good. I’ve now got some locks that these work on, and it’s pretty cool. They are definitely a lot less useful than I thought they would be though 😢
I feel like if one is going to purchase combs, they may as well purchase either the minis for the Covert Companion, or ideally the Ergo Combs - simply because they list the common locks that they’ll work on - prevents you from having to shine a light into the lock to count the pins
I do r have the Covert Companion, and those ergo ones weren’t available at the time that I purchased these. I saw LadyLocjs use the new ergo ones and they look great!
Thanks you saved me some money. I had had my eyes on Covert Instruments offering. Since some of my cash is "burning a hole in my pocket" I shall indulge myself on some other picks for my collection.
I’m glad I read the item description on covert instruments website before I picked this set up. Looking forward to being able to use these combs on the locks they are designed to be used for.
They are quite specific on the website listing locks and clones they typically will work on. I was hoping the slimmer (less than 0.032) profiles would fit into a lot of locks and I’d be at least able to try this on more locks, but it wasn’t meant to be. It looks like a lot of fun when you can get it to work - I hope you enjoy yours! I look forward to my first successful attempt with mine. Take care.
The comb picks were made for locks mostly from the past. There isn’t a lot of the locks with deep bibles around anymore. I will have to check my CI Companion to see if there comb picks are thinner and dig up some locks to test them on. Nice honest review.👍🦊
Thank you Jack. I’ll bet that they are a slimmer pick just by the nature of that tool and it’s portability. One day I’ll find the lock that this works on! Cheers
Hey, I have comb picks as well. I initially couldn't get mine to open any locks, but I kept practicing and now I can open some. I have an ABUS 5 PIN Craftsman lock that I don't have a key for, I used a 5 pin comb to open it. Can open Masterlock 140 series easily with a 4 pin comb. Start with one of those. These do not generally work well with locks that have paracentric keyways.
I don’t have too many locks, and I don’t yet own a 140, but I’ll definitely give it a shot if I come across one. Thanks for the encouragement and the tips!
That was an interesting review. I had always thought the comb picks were thinner so they fit in a lot more locks. Apparently that doesn't seem to be the case. Great overview on the CI Comb Picks 😉👍
Thanks Roy. I’m admittedly not very adept with the tools, but the thickness and spacing of the fingers is a design feature that fundamentally affects how effective they can be. Take care.
Just tried it on both of my 1100s and on a Squire SAL40 and I couldn’t get it to work. The spacing seems right, so either they aren’t susceptible to this attack, or the fingers on the comb aren’t the right length.
I have the same set it worked really well on a few master locks, but for real I wouldn’t waste my money. The locks it works on are easier & faster to just rake!
Some of the locks I tried it on fall apart with a rake, so I expected at least a few of these low quality locks to open with the combs. I agree that I should probably have saved the money. Cheers.
@@unitedstatesirie7431I was wondering if I might have to modify them. I’ve tried again on my Master 575 since others have said they were able to get it open, but no dice yet.
I've found that a Master 140 is the best to comb pick. the brass body will work best with a 5 tooth comb, but the platic covered ones will open with a 4 tooth comb. other than that, I've not found a lock that can be combed.
Thanks Peter! I’ve got to find a 140 so I can get in on all the fun. Earlier somebody said they got an open on a 575 as well - have you tried that one?
Whats funny is i did the same thing. Tried every lock i had. The one i got it to work on was the clear practice lock you started with. My comb picks were from wish and cost 5 bucks. Thanks for the video
I almost got those wish ones too. They’re the double sided blue ones, right? I thought for sure I’d open that acrylic lock 😂. Still haven’t opened anything with them
I thought the same thing. I think there are some others out there that are thinner. I may take some sandpaper to them one day, but for now I’m working on my picking.
@@PickingPrincipals or a metal nail file. I actually opened up the plastic lock with my comb pick pretty quickly, but the keyhole is probably more open from practice. But it worked on a couple of random locks. I'm probably going to file mine down to see if it works on locks I have trouble with.
I mainly use the thin six pin comb for Master/American padlocks one big problem people do on some padlocks is they do not use a tension wrench to assist the plug open.
@@PickingPrincipals Pressure from the tailpiece attached to the cylinder is tight sometimes the tension wrench assists the plug to turned not to mention door installation or the gate.
Well done mate 👍 It's a funny old exploit , probably takes a bit of practice, I've never done it because I haven't got the picks . Locknoob made a comb pick out of a metal comb 😂😂😂 Cheers and all the best to you and yours 🍻🍻🍻
Thank you. Yes, it probably does take some skill and practice. I’ll keep plugging away on padlocks I come across and see if I can’t get some use out of them yet. Cheers my friend!
Probably more often than that even! I’d say that’s a good thing for security since it means that most locks cannot be opened that way. If so, you know he’d do it! Thanks for the comment.
Yes - if only I knew which locks in my collection it would work for. Kind of difficult to practice and know if you’re doing it correctly if it isn’t even possible to open that specific lock 😂😂
Hi John - a couple of mothers have mentioned I should try the 140s as well. I don’t have any in my collection yet, but I certainly will give it a shot once I do. Thanks for the tip.
Great review. I have only got them to work on Master 140s if memory serves. I agree with what you said about, what if the teeth were more slimmed down. I was thinking the same thing.
Thanks RookKnight. I’ll give it a shot if I come across a 140. I definitely want to at least get one open with them. When I do, I’ll be sure to post it. I should start a tally sheet and show the score once it happens. Have a great week!
I didn’t buy the covert companion - probably won’t since I don’t really need to carry my stuff around. I like the feel of these handles since I know you need to push and turn with some force, but if they are impeding their function, that’s terrible. I’ll give a 141 a go if I come across one and hopefully I can get an open and make this purchase not completely useless 😂. Thanks!
Buy comb picks after you have everything else. I love them, but they have very limited use. Pro tip (not really, I am a FNG) a 5 pin comb will work on both a 5 pin Master 150 AND a 4 pin Master 140. That shows you how crappy Master locks can be. I was picking one of my 140s and putting in a pick felt like I had room to fly the Enterprise into the keyway.
That is hilarious. I’ve still not successfully managed to open a lock with my combs, but to be fair, I don’t have any that they advertise them as being useful for either.
I would first recommending getting locks you can open. After that i wonder if grinding each tooth to be more narrow would make it a tad more universal. I have Red Teams 4/5 picks and the 5 pin certainly has wider teeth by about 50%@@PickingPrincipals
I’ve considered making them a tad more narrow but I’m a bit clumsy with a file. Also, the end to beginning spacing is a concern too. Like you said - just need to find the correct lock for them.
Thanks! Believe me, I wished I had tried it on a lock it worked on. I’m not convinced it won’t work on the Master 575 since it fit so well and lined up nicely with the key, so I’m going to keep trying it on that one. Take care!
I went to the covert website and got greeted by a disclaimer saying they don't allow my country to buy from the website and I couldn't even browse the site. I don't get it why they would geolock countries from browsing or buying from their website but ok, if they don't want my business I'll just buy a lockpicking set on Aliexpress or something
![[37] Covert Instruments Review](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/--hYP1igCS4/mqdefault.jpg)
![[37] Covert Instruments Review](/img/tr.png)
![[안방1열 풀캠4K] 베이비몬스터 'DRIP' (BABYMONSTER FullCam)│@SBS Inkigayo 241110](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AQ4RIghEvUs/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1561] Important Addition to Covert Companion (Riv-Pick)](/img/n.gif)
Firstly, thank you for making this. I was seriously considering making some combs one of my next acquisitions, and this has given me pause. I know some of the guys who've been doing it a while make it look simple, but they're doing so usually in an attempt to present the tool in a positive light. So thanks for showing the other side of that coin.
Secondly, I cannot express how refreshing it is to see a channel dedicated to outlining not only the victories but also the follies of locksport. It's nice to be reminded that struggling with locks is a thing, and that it shouldn't be discouraging, simply a learning experience. Keep doing what you're doing, it's more helpful than you know
Thanks a lot. I agree that others have made them look easy and useful - and maybe I just need more practice or better technique, but the fact that they don’t fit or line up well is something no amount of practice will fix.
I really appreciate your encouraging comment - it’s a bit embarrassing sometimes posting blunders or failures, but this channel is meant to at least resemble my locksport journey, so I feel I should show some struggles too (at least every once in a while 😉). Thanks and take care.
@@PickingPrincipals if it makes you feel any better, I'd have waaayyyyy more content if I posted my blunders 😂
It is depressing seeing people being successfully opening a lock while you struggle and can't get it open... so yeah content like this is very relevant to anyone thinking lockpicking is easy.
I don't think that lpl even remotely suggested it would work on all locks. That said, they work on my Master 140, Master 150, ABUS 55/40, Master No. 575, Master 970 puck lock. Most impressed that it opened the Master 970 puck lock so effortlessly!
No - they certainly don’t say it will work on most locks, but they did say it was thinner to fit in more locks I thought. I had trouble getting it into many of the keyways I tried them on. I’m certainly no pro with them, and I couldn’t get it on my Master 575, but I’ll try again.
Others have told me they work in their 140s as well. I just haven’t found the right lock or the correct technique on locks possibly.
Thanks for the feedback!
I appreciate the review. I thought of getting some myself but I think I'll pass now 😅 thanks Picking Principals!
They have some new ergo ones that look pretty good. I’ve now got some locks that these work on, and it’s pretty cool. They are definitely a lot less useful than I thought they would be though 😢
I feel like if one is going to purchase combs, they may as well purchase either the minis for the Covert Companion, or ideally the Ergo Combs - simply because they list the common locks that they’ll work on - prevents you from having to shine a light into the lock to count the pins
I do r have the Covert Companion, and those ergo ones weren’t available at the time that I purchased these. I saw LadyLocjs use the new ergo ones and they look great!
Thanks you saved me some money. I had had my eyes on Covert Instruments offering. Since some of my cash is "burning a hole in my pocket" I shall indulge myself on some other picks for my collection.
No problem! They work for what they work on, but my personal opinion is that regular picks are a much better investment. Happy picking!
I’m glad I read the item description on covert instruments website before I picked this set up. Looking forward to being able to use these combs on the locks they are designed to be used for.
They are quite specific on the website listing locks and clones they typically will work on. I was hoping the slimmer (less than 0.032) profiles would fit into a lot of locks and I’d be at least able to try this on more locks, but it wasn’t meant to be.
It looks like a lot of fun when you can get it to work - I hope you enjoy yours! I look forward to my first successful attempt with mine.
Take care.
The comb picks were made for locks mostly from the past. There isn’t a lot of the locks with deep bibles around anymore. I will have to check my CI Companion to see if there comb picks are thinner and dig up some locks to test them on. Nice honest review.👍🦊
Thank you Jack. I’ll bet that they are a slimmer pick just by the nature of that tool and it’s portability. One day I’ll find the lock that this works on! Cheers
Hey,
I have comb picks as well. I initially couldn't get mine to open any locks, but I kept practicing and now I can open some. I have an ABUS 5 PIN Craftsman lock that I don't have a key for, I used a 5 pin comb to open it. Can open Masterlock 140 series easily with a 4 pin comb. Start with one of those. These do not generally work well with locks that have paracentric keyways.
I don’t have too many locks, and I don’t yet own a 140, but I’ll definitely give it a shot if I come across one. Thanks for the encouragement and the tips!
That was an interesting review. I had always thought the comb picks were thinner so they fit in a lot more locks. Apparently that doesn't seem to be the case.
Great overview on the CI Comb Picks 😉👍
Thanks Roy. I’m admittedly not very adept with the tools, but the thickness and spacing of the fingers is a design feature that fundamentally affects how effective they can be. Take care.
The 5 tooth comb from this set opened my American Lock series 1100 in 5 seconds.
Wow - I’ve never seen that. Now that I have a couple 1100s, I’m going to have to try that for myself! Thanks for the suggestion.
@@PickingPrincipals 10-4. Hope it works on your 1100s…. If not hit me back…. Maybe my 1100 is different somehow.
Just tried it on both of my 1100s and on a Squire SAL40 and I couldn’t get it to work. The spacing seems right, so either they aren’t susceptible to this attack, or the fingers on the comb aren’t the right length.
@@PickingPrincipals that is weird. Mine is the “lock out/tag out” style 1100. Red one.
@@telecatsermaster loto locks tend 2 be lower security
I have the same set it worked really well on a few master locks, but for real I wouldn’t waste my money. The locks it works on are easier & faster to just rake!
comb picks only work on locks which are made horribly, so makes sense
Some of the locks I tried it on fall apart with a rake, so I expected at least a few of these low quality locks to open with the combs. I agree that I should probably have saved the money. Cheers.
@@PickingPrincipalsI believe these comb lock picks will open some of the locks in this video if you grind the comb fingers more narrow 🔓
@@unitedstatesirie7431I was wondering if I might have to modify them. I’ve tried again on my Master 575 since others have said they were able to get it open, but no dice yet.
I've found that a Master 140 is the best to comb pick. the brass body will work best with a 5 tooth comb, but the platic covered ones will open with a 4 tooth comb. other than that, I've not found a lock that can be combed.
Thanks Peter! I’ve got to find a 140 so I can get in on all the fun. Earlier somebody said they got an open on a 575 as well - have you tried that one?
Whats funny is i did the same thing. Tried every lock i had. The one i got it to work on was the clear practice lock you started with. My comb picks were from wish and cost 5 bucks. Thanks for the video
I almost got those wish ones too. They’re the double sided blue ones, right? I thought for sure I’d open that acrylic lock 😂. Still haven’t opened anything with them
@@PickingPrincipals yep those are them. I was told that pick style locks should work with them but I don't have any in my collection. Happy holidays
@@allenrusselljrThanks - you as well!
Couldn't you shave it down to make it a little thinner on entry?
I thought the same thing. I think there are some others out there that are thinner. I may take some sandpaper to them one day, but for now I’m working on my picking.
@@PickingPrincipals or a metal nail file. I actually opened up the plastic lock with my comb pick pretty quickly, but the keyhole is probably more open from practice. But it worked on a couple of random locks. I'm probably going to file mine down to see if it works on locks I have trouble with.
@@JetTowle good luck. How much are you taking off? One third?
I mainly use the thin six pin comb for Master/American padlocks one big problem people do on some padlocks is they do not use a tension wrench to assist the plug open.
I didn’t know you could or should use a tension wrench. I’ll have to give that a go next time. Take care.
@@PickingPrincipals Pressure from the tailpiece attached to the cylinder is tight sometimes the tension wrench assists the plug to turned not to mention door installation or the gate.
Well done mate 👍
It's a funny old exploit , probably takes a bit of practice, I've never done it because I haven't got the picks .
Locknoob made a comb pick out of a metal comb 😂😂😂
Cheers and all the best to you and yours 🍻🍻🍻
Thank you. Yes, it probably does take some skill and practice. I’ll keep plugging away on padlocks I come across and see if I can’t get some use out of them yet. Cheers my friend!
This reminds me of O.J. Simpson trying on the glove.
They didn’t fit, so I quit…
LPL doesn’t even use combs on most locks. I’d say 85-90% of the time he uses a tension wrench and a pick.
Probably more often than that even! I’d say that’s a good thing for security since it means that most locks cannot be opened that way. If so, you know he’d do it! Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for sharing my friend
As with everything time and practice and of course some locks can't be beat with this exploit
Stay well
Yes - if only I knew which locks in my collection it would work for. Kind of difficult to practice and know if you’re doing it correctly if it isn’t even possible to open that specific lock 😂😂
Surprised you didn't try the masterlock 140 and 141,142
Hi John - a couple of mothers have mentioned I should try the 140s as well. I don’t have any in my collection yet, but I certainly will give it a shot once I do. Thanks for the tip.
Great review. I have only got them to work on Master 140s if memory serves. I agree with what you said about, what if the teeth were more slimmed down. I was thinking the same thing.
Thanks RookKnight. I’ll give it a shot if I come across a 140. I definitely want to at least get one open with them. When I do, I’ll be sure to post it. I should start a tally sheet and show the score once it happens. Have a great week!
You're right. I think my 141 is the only one it's worked on. They come in black, brass and all sorts of colors.. Longer and shorter shackles.
ML 141 is easy if I remember right. I also find the CI combs that the thick handle gets in way. I use the ones on my CI companion.
I didn’t buy the covert companion - probably won’t since I don’t really need to carry my stuff around. I like the feel of these handles since I know you need to push and turn with some force, but if they are impeding their function, that’s terrible. I’ll give a 141 a go if I come across one and hopefully I can get an open and make this purchase not completely useless 😂. Thanks!
Buy comb picks after you have everything else. I love them, but they have very limited use. Pro tip (not really, I am a FNG) a 5 pin comb will work on both a 5 pin Master 150 AND a 4 pin Master 140. That shows you how crappy Master locks can be. I was picking one of my 140s and putting in a pick felt like I had room to fly the Enterprise into the keyway.
That is hilarious. I’ve still not successfully managed to open a lock with my combs, but to be fair, I don’t have any that they advertise them as being useful for either.
I would first recommending getting locks you can open. After that i wonder if grinding each tooth to be more narrow would make it a tad more universal. I have Red Teams 4/5 picks and the 5 pin certainly has wider teeth by about 50%@@PickingPrincipals
I’ve considered making them a tad more narrow but I’m a bit clumsy with a file. Also, the end to beginning spacing is a concern too. Like you said - just need to find the correct lock for them.
I get them to work easily on Master 140 and 150.
Awesome. I don’t have any of those locks yet. I’ll be sure to try them out when I do! Take care.
0.235 inches is 235 thousandths not 23.5 thousandths
Yes - of course. Thanks for the correction.
I have the same set but to be honest I have never used them.
When I find a lock they work on, I’ll be sure to let you know! Thanks TruckingLock.
Great video 👍
Thanks a lot! It is a bit funny now that I watch it. Take care.
Most videos that I have seen using these combs. Are used on locks with wafers in them.
Really!? I don’t think I’ve come across that yet. I’ve got a couple wafer locks I can try it on. I wonder if they’ll be useful picking sliders too?
Sad you didn't use it on locks it works on...
Anyways old exploit, that doesn't work everytime m.
As always, great review though
Thanks! Believe me, I wished I had tried it on a lock it worked on. I’m not convinced it won’t work on the Master 575 since it fit so well and lined up nicely with the key, so I’m going to keep trying it on that one. Take care!
🎉Furst 🎉 😂
🕺Nst🕺
😂 You beat Dyson to the punch
@@PickingPrincipals
the jokes on you because I let him.
🤣
@@PickingPrincipals
Just kidding,
I was fast asleep when he was 🎉Furst🎉.
Почему не вскрываете что то серьезное
your lousy at this
Thanks for the feedback. I’m learning every day. Take care.
I went to the covert website and got greeted by a disclaimer saying they don't allow my country to buy from the website and I couldn't even browse the site. I don't get it why they would geolock countries from browsing or buying from their website but ok, if they don't want my business I'll just buy a lockpicking set on Aliexpress or something
Your country must consider import or possession of lockpicking tools illegal. That's too bad!