Please Stay Tuned Every Wednesday at 4 pm Eastern for more episodes! Please share any good habits or tips you think a beginner should start off with here. My approach is not the only approach but it has been successful historically. I would love to hear from others and please feel free to share! If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to leave them here and I will do my best to answer them!
So I am bran new. Litteraly got my set yesterday....I picked my clear lock within seconds of trying....and can do it over and over very easily. But when I pick up a brinks pad lock I can't get it at all lol what's your advice?
Scott Walker thank you for the kind words, I'm glad the videos are helping :-) don't forget to check out www.reddit.com/r/lockpicking that is a great community as well
I just signed up and verified my email address. Thanks for the tip. Do you have any idea where I can get some decent lock springs. A selection would be nice but I can't find any. Thanks.
Got it. Tks. Looked for a week now, found these on ebay, www.ebay.com/itm/Locksport-Extra-strong-Springs-for-locks-Euro-Oval-Rim-locks-1st-P-P-Inc-Vat/282708305213?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649 This next one just appeared today. www.ebay.com/itm/144-Pieces-Kwikset-and-Schlage-Lock-Springs-Rekey-Locksmith-Pin-Rekeying-Kit/222739759329?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
For the left handed out there. I usually take wiper blade inserts and bend about 3mm (just over 1/10 of an inch) 90°. And use that in top of the keyway. I also cut my cheap bottom tensioners the same on one side, leaving the other side for bottom. This gives you a 90° difference towards traditional top tensioners. Hope someone finds this helpful
Good tutorial, i'm left handed and this is never addressed in almost all tutorials. I've found out my own preferences,but nice to know it is sometimes a pean in the b...😉
If both your hands don’t work the same, you won’t be someone hourding toilet paper; Way to busy picking, not raiding supermarkets for things you don’t need...
I’m just getting started with this hobby, honestly I haven’t started yet as I’m waiting on my first set in the mail, I watch the videos and all of the pickers make it look so easy, am I in for a rude awakening when it’s not that easy when I first try?
Love your channel man. Absurdly informative. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. Best channel on youtube for beginners/intermediate pickers alike.
I have a cheap bessey vice and that has helped hold so many more locks. Also I think I need to take a fine tip sharpy to mark my picks. Great job thank you
best advice going , start out with the right way , im a newb but doing well , mm well as far as i think but taken the lessons to heart and winning . some cheap chinese locks can be very hard but using methods and techs from mr helpfull ... just cant go wrong with hard practice, i practice every opportunity , always have a few picks a lock or 2 and some tension tools, any free time , its pick practice time. its addictive. and fun too
As always no need to thank me but quite the reverse. you have tought me so much in little time but i have become so much better and know how to advance now. have some better tools coming some better wrenches, i understand upper keyway tension and so much more . you sir are brilliant and a star
just started out and im a lefty but im kinda ambiextrous i play guitar righty and pool etc, but can do either. i think the way you start is important , easier to get used to the tools as right handed , thing is the tools are new to you at first so feel odd anyway so may as well go down the easiest path, finding i can do both now though. just about to start on a squire 660 need to make lever tools. that will be fun
Ian Jowett I would definitely say top of the keyway tension is a lot easier for someone that is right handed. Many of the Cutaway locks are designed for right-handed picking. If I could choose I would do it right handed LOL
How do you know which way to pick a lock, clockwise or counterclockwise? I did pick some locks already but many times I was frustrated since I had picked it the wrong way.
You just need to learn what is typical. Most padlocks open CW. Deadbolts open away from the door frame. There isn't a great way to tell without prior knowledge
I finally got it. If you pick the seventh pin then the lock core can come out and this is for the see-thru training locks only. By taking the core out you can totally take the lock apart. And you can rearrange the pin order.
GreatestJack Black I made a video on how to fully disassemble these locks, they are great learning since you can re pin them and let them grow with you. I usually take them apart from the top
I cannot tell the individual pins apart. Is that 3 or 4? Did I slide enough for another pin or too much so that I skipped a pin? Are the pins pushing on the top of pick or on the handle of the pick?
Can you pick up just one hand ?? If you can can you do a video on that I am a one-handed picker but I can only pick with my right hand I can't use my left hand. I've been picking for a while but I am still having a lot of trouble opening up padlocks even with the vice.
I appreciate that you call it a “sport.” I told my wife that it is my new hobby, she said lock picking isn’t a hobby. I agreed with her and called it a sport. Ending the conversation calling myself a locklete. You calling it a sport will help my future debates with her!
I did review the banggood set which is a great set for someone who is new and does not want to commit much money. th-cam.com/video/m67TRuHC5yY/w-d-xo.html
How can you tell if you need to tension clockwise or counterclockwise? Thinking of my house locks - they’re the same but lock in opposite directions. Top towards the near frame is how they are. Thanks 🙏
You can tension whichever way but what it think you mean is which do you need to pick it to open the lock. Deadbolts open away from the door frame and a lot of it is memorization
Im trying to pick a lock where i put the first pin down, start working on the others but no matter what i do the first one keeps coming back up. How do i fix this
I'm finding that when using BOK tension, my tension rod keeps binding with my pick. It's easier to use TOK, but then there's not enough leverage with the rod to keep the lock open. Help! How do I keep the rod from interfering with the pick? (Very beginner here)
whimsey rhodes some locks TOK works better and other BOK works better. Have you tried using a different size BOK? One downfall of BOK is it can take up a lot of valuable room
How do you know if you need to apply tension clockwise or counter clockwise. I found i was picking the lock just fine but applying tension in the wrong direction .
Depends on the lock and it's something you just there in overtime. For example deadbolts open away from the door frame And most padlocks open a clockwise
@@HelpfulLockPicker ahhh. Nice tip on the dead bolt! I guess i have to pay more attention to what locks turn which way. It sucks spending forever on a lock only to realize you could of had it open in 30 seconds if you were just turning it the right way. Thanks man
as a new subscriber i don't know if you have a video on how much pressure to use on your tension tool. on my practice locks i find i can start to judge after a while, but what about when i first approach a lock. how much pressure should i be putting on my tension tool? to avoid bending and breaking my picks? (most of all a fail on the lock open)
Marty Hastings video number 73 is on tension. I think you're more likely to break your pick from picking the warding by accident. This is a very good question and very difficult to answer because there is no number to give. Generally speaking what you can do is tension the lock very hard until you start to feel the pins bind very strongly and slowly release that pressure until you can only feel one bind and that's roughly the tension you need. I don't use the feather-light tension typically that you read about unless I am dealing with all serrated pins
A lot of it comes down to experience for example most padlocks open clockwise and deadbolts open away from the door frame. However, if you happen to open it the wrong way and check out my video on how to use a plug spinner it is a wonderful tool to save you the aggravation
I'm a surgeon, and I'm obviously very used to holding instruments in a precision grip. But when I'm trying to teach students how to hold them, I say "hold them like you hold a pencil" and I'm gobsmacked by the ridiculous way in which so many younger people hold their pencils! They hold them in a kind of "death grip" with fingers and thumb wrapped tightly around the pencil, tip of thumb poking through between index and middle finger, and write by moving their entire hand at the wrist. Definitely NOT a precision grip. I then have to teach them a true precision grip - like the one you show at the start of this video. What are our teachers teaching the kids these days??
A good amount of it is just knowing which way the common locks typically open for example a padlock almost always unlocks in the clockwise position. Also locks like a deadbolt always unlock in the direction away from the door frame. Sometimes you do get it wrong and when you do I would check out my video on how to use a plug spinner those are very helpful tools
I am ambidextrous so I can pick or hold a lock in either hand but my question is does what kind of pics matter like American versus Chinese I mean obviously the American pics are going to be better made but will I open up more locks with American pics versus Chinese pics
One thing that can really limit your success is if the pick itself is too thick. a lot of the cheap ones are rather thick and hard to get into locks. You can certainly open locks with cheap picks it is just harder. However, if the pick is just too thick it can be near impossible.
@@HelpfulLockPicker I know what you mean I went through and filed down some of my pics now they feel even cheaper than they already did I just need to save up and buy a decent set from southord or lock-picking world
i have had the curiosity bug bite me on lock picking and smithing, i have tried the cheap chinese pick sets which seems that i have had better luck on picking some easy walmart ( brinks and masterlock brands ) bought a new set which is made of spring steel it seems that i lack luck of picking them as fast as i did with the chinese versions ( which were of softer steel and being new to the field i have broken 2 of them { yes i know sub par tools tend to do well with sub par locks } and turned them into knives/shanks, however you want to label them ). i have had this intrigue with lock picking and lock smith, and now have recently decided to dabble with in the area. it seems that going from the chinese kit to a southord 22 pc set i am less successful with opening the practice locks i had bought from the store. i have been holding picks to be able to finess the pins and not bully them when it cones to spp. what recommendations would you have that could help me out and help me becomes more acclimated to different types and materials that picks and tension tools are made from?
I keep hitting the plastic divider separating the pins in the Bible. I can never count the pins without hitting a divider or confuse a binding pin with the plastic divider. What should I do?
When I first started to pick locks back in the 80's I only had homemade lock picks and tensioners and I was self taught and I realized that I had been holding all the padlocks upside down and picking them the European way. Once I started to watch TH-cam videos about Locksport and ordered from Sparrows my first professional lock picking tools it was a hard habit to change placement of padlocks in my hand but I stayed on holding the locks the right way and now I am used to the American way of lock position
for me open is open but having Deluxe oriented the way we have them in the US has a distinct advantage because if the spring goes it's less likely the lock will get stuck
@@ingeborgsvensson4896 if this Heist is legal, meaning that the security of the building or structures are being tested to find out if there is a way for people to be able to break in and gain access to the product inside that they are trying to keep protected? If this is a test and is legal and all travel, housing, and food expenses are covered in full and all I have to is bring my tools, get on a plane, show up in Amsterdam with my tools and participate in the testing of the building security and it is all legal? Yes I will come to Amsterdam with my tools and participate in the testing of the building security. If it is a illegally done heist then no thanks. I am wanting to stay safe and legal and bring good things to the Locksport community
@@ryanclay959 No, just kidding: there is no heist. I live in the Netherlands, visited the US several times and always wondered why your locks were mounted upside down. Now I know it was done intentionally. Guess it is something cultural. I got interested in lock picking only recently and I'm waiting for my first picks from Aliexpress to arrive. I already bought some padlocks without a key from a thrift store really cheap. If you have some tips for a noob like me... I would welcome them.
How did people mark their picks to know what pin you are on? I tried using a file and lightly making a dash and colored it with a permanent marker but it weakened my pick ( maybe too deep) and I tried using a permanent marker and clear coating it but it just dissolved and spread the line into a unidentifiable blob. Help or ideas from anyone please.
If you rely on visuals, you'll be handicapped. Maybe add more tension so you can get more tactile feedback. Also, if your lock isn't picking, listen closely when you release tension to hear if you set any pins.
Actually using a vise may be comfortable but in reality it should be placed in a natural position in which you would encounter the lock to be picked open in the real world
That is why it is best to practice the way that locks often come in your area. Whenever I pick a lock and that orientation it always throws me off because I don't do it very often
Keep practicing. To quote my (crude) boss, lockpicking is like sex. You can know the theory, but that doesn't mean that you are skillful immediately. You need time to develop and refine your own technique.
Perhaps this is a foolish question, buy why would you need to apply CCW tension when the lock opens CW? I'm probably wrong but it seems to be of very little use. Rank beginner speaking!
I have tried to reteach myself to hold my pick right, but I just can't make it click for me, having never had the occasion to hold a pencil at length before. I've tried pretty hard, but just can't make the right way work for me. Still, I am kind of delighted at how far I've come despite my flawed technique. That is, it may slow me down, it may even bring me to a point where I can advance no further, but so far, I'm still getting by, and that's cool to me. :)
HelpfulLockPicker I'll be interested to figure that one out. :) I'm still browsing Ebay for a good Medeco to start with. Want to find one that can have its pins easily removed, so I can work my way up to picking a full Medeco.
Sightless Senshi I have opened a few of them they aren't quite as mystical as they seem. I do hope to do a series on them once the series is more appropriate towards that so that's why I've been holding off picking them
Love the videos but totally wrong vise, way too heavy, too rough on the lock. You can add some rubber to the jaws for protection. You may still injure yourself if you drop or tip over the vice. Get the more common style vice you see on most videos, not an industrial vice. I really prefer to hold locks in my hand, I want to get used to field conditions.
![[68] How To Select Your First Pick Set](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NGzT6irGkcc/mqdefault.jpg)
![[68] How To Select Your First Pick Set](/img/tr.png)
![[76] How To Learn The Binding Order When Picking Locks](/img/n.gif)
Please Stay Tuned Every Wednesday at 4 pm Eastern for more episodes!
Please share any good habits or tips you think a beginner should start off with here. My approach is not the only approach but it has been successful historically. I would love to hear from others and please feel free to share!
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to leave
them here and I will do my best to answer them!
Thing is, in Europe, locks are indeed mounted "the other way", and we do find American weird for doing everything upside down 😉
So I am bran new. Litteraly got my set yesterday....I picked my clear lock within seconds of trying....and can do it over and over very easily. But when I pick up a brinks pad lock I can't get it at all lol what's your advice?
I started picking about 6 weeks ago, and this video was very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to help us new people.
Scott Walker thank you for the kind words, I'm glad the videos are helping :-) don't forget to check out www.reddit.com/r/lockpicking that is a great community as well
I just signed up and verified my email address. Thanks for the tip. Do you have any idea where I can get some decent lock springs. A selection would be nice but I can't find any. Thanks.
www.clksupplies.com has a lot of stuff, including springs.
Got it. Tks. Looked for a week now, found these on ebay, www.ebay.com/itm/Locksport-Extra-strong-Springs-for-locks-Euro-Oval-Rim-locks-1st-P-P-Inc-Vat/282708305213?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649 This next one just appeared today. www.ebay.com/itm/144-Pieces-Kwikset-and-Schlage-Lock-Springs-Rekey-Locksmith-Pin-Rekeying-Kit/222739759329?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
year later check up. how is the picking going?
Hands down you are the most helpful picker on the internet thank you 😊
"There's nothing wrong with holding this way"
"But really you should hold it the right way"
😂
Lol
For the left handed out there. I usually take wiper blade inserts and bend about 3mm (just over 1/10 of an inch) 90°. And use that in top of the keyway. I also cut my cheap bottom tensioners the same on one side, leaving the other side for bottom. This gives you a 90° difference towards traditional top tensioners. Hope someone finds this helpful
Thanks for sharing!
Good tutorial, i'm left handed and this is never addressed in almost all tutorials. I've found out my own preferences,but nice to know it is sometimes a pean in the b...😉
Being a left can be quite hard. I was very jealous of the right handed picker's when I started
Same.... its not wrong tho its judt diffrent.
If both your hands don’t work the same, you won’t be someone hourding toilet paper;
Way to busy picking, not raiding supermarkets for things you don’t need...
bro thank you for the tups, i finally opened the lock after using a good handposition and and tension, omg now I can practice more
Great stuff man. If you want to REALLY learn how to pick locks, this guy is your man! He is easily the best teacher on TH-cam!
Thanks :)
Holding my pick the way you suggest made it easier for me to (at least) pick the easy see-through locks blindly, going by feel alone. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words and I am glad it helps
I’m just getting started with this hobby, honestly I haven’t started yet as I’m waiting on my first set in the mail, I watch the videos and all of the pickers make it look so easy, am I in for a rude awakening when it’s not that easy when I first try?
Love your channel man. Absurdly informative. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. Best channel on youtube for beginners/intermediate pickers alike.
Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad it helps :-)
Thank you for the video, I just started and found the level of detail helpful but not overwhelming.
Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad it helps
Thanks for the video. I really appreciate you taking the time to put out your videos even though this is well below your skills.
Thank you for the kind words. My goal is to help people learn and I am glad it is helpful!
I have a cheap bessey vice and that has helped hold so many more locks. Also I think I need to take a fine tip sharpy to mark my picks. Great job thank you
best advice going , start out with the right way , im a newb but doing well , mm well as far as i think but taken the lessons to heart and winning . some cheap chinese locks can be very hard but using methods and techs from mr helpfull ... just cant go wrong with hard practice, i practice every opportunity , always have a few picks a lock or 2 and some tension tools, any free time , its pick practice time. its addictive. and fun too
Ian Jowett thank you for the kind words :-)
As always no need to thank me but quite the reverse. you have tought me so much
in little time but i have become so much better and know how to advance now. have some better tools coming some better wrenches, i understand upper keyway tension and so much more . you sir are brilliant and a star
How do you know which direction you should put tension on. Clockwise, counter clockwise? Is every lock different which direction it opens?
Sometimes I feel like I want to stab the lock lol. Great videos for the beginners. awesome information my friend.
Bill Bacardi Thank you for the kind words! :)
When approching a new lock, how do i know which direction to tirn?
how would put markings on the pick without damaging lockpick?
just started out and im a lefty but im kinda ambiextrous i play guitar righty and pool etc, but can do either. i think the way you start is important , easier to get used to the tools as right handed , thing is the tools are new to you at first so feel odd anyway so may as well go down the easiest path, finding i can do both now though. just about to start on a squire 660 need to make lever tools. that will be fun
Ian Jowett I would definitely say top of the keyway tension is a lot easier for someone that is right handed. Many of the Cutaway locks are designed for right-handed picking. If I could choose I would do it right handed LOL
thanks for the videos too, have subscribed to the channel . its a very relaxing hobby .
How do you know which way to pick a lock, clockwise or counterclockwise? I did pick some locks already but many times I was frustrated since I had picked it the wrong way.
You just need to learn what is typical. Most padlocks open CW. Deadbolts open away from the door frame. There isn't a great way to tell without prior knowledge
HelpfulLockPicker Thank you for your answer, it is greatly appreciated!
Thank god he also teaches for lefties
Yeah, left handed people often have a much harder time. I'm glad I could help!
As a lefty, I bend my top of the my prybar 90degrees and tension with my thumb.
Jerr Barker Nice, that would be cool to see!
I finally got it. If you pick the seventh pin then the lock core can come out and this is for the see-thru training locks only. By taking the core out you can totally take the lock apart. And you can rearrange the pin order.
GreatestJack Black I made a video on how to fully disassemble these locks, they are great learning since you can re pin them and let them grow with you. I usually take them apart from the top
I cannot tell the individual pins apart. Is that 3 or 4? Did I slide enough for another pin or too much so that I skipped a pin? Are the pins pushing on the top of pick or on the handle of the pick?
This is certainly something that is normal and takes a lot of time to develop a skill for
@@HelpfulLockPicker Hey, thanks for all the videos, I'm on a binge. I just picked up this hobby and it's incredibly frustrating.
Can you pick up just one hand ?? If you can can you do a video on that I am a one-handed picker but I can only pick with my right hand I can't use my left hand. I've been picking for a while but I am still having a lot of trouble opening up padlocks even with the vice.
You could it is more difficult. You could use a vise and some sort of weight to hold tension on the tension wrench
Im left handed and when i pick a padlock in hand if i can fit a finger through the shackle i do that, it makes it feel more stable in my hand.
Thank you for sharing :)
I am just getting into this, thanks for the video!
Thank you for the kind words and I wish you luck on your journey:)
Exactly the video I was looking for!
Thank you for the kind words
I appreciate that you call it a “sport.”
I told my wife that it is my new hobby, she said lock picking isn’t a hobby. I agreed with her and called it a sport. Ending the conversation calling myself a locklete.
You calling it a sport will help my future debates with her!
Congrats on joining the hobby
@@HelpfulLockPicker Thanks, your videos are very helpful. 👍🏼
Do you have any reviews of beginner lockpicking sets?
I did review the banggood set which is a great set for someone who is new and does not want to commit much money. th-cam.com/video/m67TRuHC5yY/w-d-xo.html
How can you tell if you need to tension clockwise or counterclockwise? Thinking of my house locks - they’re the same but lock in opposite directions. Top towards the near frame is how they are.
Thanks 🙏
You can tension whichever way but what it think you mean is which do you need to pick it to open the lock. Deadbolts open away from the door frame and a lot of it is memorization
@@HelpfulLockPicker thanks 👍 i’m still making my way through your videos
OMG! A left handed picker! This is soooooo helpful.
We pop up here and there
Im trying to pick a lock where i put the first pin down, start working on the others but no matter what i do the first one keeps coming back up. How do i fix this
Maybe you are not picking the correct binding order
I'm finding that when using BOK tension, my tension rod keeps binding with my pick. It's easier to use TOK, but then there's not enough leverage with the rod to keep the lock open. Help! How do I keep the rod from interfering with the pick? (Very beginner here)
whimsey rhodes some locks TOK works better and other BOK works better. Have you tried using a different size BOK? One downfall of BOK is it can take up a lot of valuable room
How do you know if you need to apply tension clockwise or counter clockwise. I found i was picking the lock just fine but applying tension in the wrong direction .
Depends on the lock and it's something you just there in overtime. For example deadbolts open away from the door frame And most padlocks open a clockwise
@@HelpfulLockPicker ahhh. Nice tip on the dead bolt! I guess i have to pay more attention to what locks turn which way. It sucks spending forever on a lock only to realize you could of had it open in 30 seconds if you were just turning it the right way. Thanks man
Is that a Sparrows Lock Picking pinning mat? Great video though, thx. 😎.
Yes, it is!
as a new subscriber i don't know if you have a video on how much pressure to use on your tension tool. on my practice locks i find i can start to judge after a while, but what about when i first approach a lock. how much pressure should i be putting on my tension tool? to avoid bending and breaking my picks? (most of all a fail on the lock open)
Marty Hastings video number 73 is on tension. I think you're more likely to break your pick from picking the warding by accident.
This is a very good question and very difficult to answer because there is no number to give.
Generally speaking what you can do is tension the lock very hard until you start to feel the pins bind very strongly and slowly release that pressure until you can only feel one bind and that's roughly the tension you need.
I don't use the feather-light tension typically that you read about unless I am dealing with all serrated pins
Where did you get your tools? The tension bar I got is much different than yours. Your L shape looks better than my flat version
I got my bottom of keyway from Sparrows and my top of keyway from Peterson
How do you know if you need clockwise or counter clockwise tenzion?
A lot of it comes down to experience for example most padlocks open clockwise and deadbolts open away from the door frame.
However, if you happen to open it the wrong way and check out my video on how to use a plug spinner it is a wonderful tool to save you the aggravation
Are all pins the same distance away from each other ? You said some people make marks on their picks is why I ask, it might help me .
For the most part they are more or less the same distance but I have not really measured it out
@@HelpfulLockPicker I am curious to what the distance is ?
What is the brand of your Vice? How much?
I usually use a panavise which should be linked in the description
I'm a surgeon, and I'm obviously very used to holding instruments in a precision grip. But when I'm trying to teach students how to hold them, I say "hold them like you hold a pencil" and I'm gobsmacked by the ridiculous way in which so many younger people hold their pencils! They hold them in a kind of "death grip" with fingers and thumb wrapped tightly around the pencil, tip of thumb poking through between index and middle finger, and write by moving their entire hand at the wrist. Definitely NOT a precision grip. I then have to teach them a true precision grip - like the one you show at the start of this video. What are our teachers teaching the kids these days??
Thanks for sharing!
Haha my teacher would say my friend had a deathgrip, he would leave the darkest markings with his graphite..
how do you know whether to tension clockwise or counter-clockwise?
A good amount of it is just knowing which way the common locks typically open for example a padlock almost always unlocks in the clockwise position. Also locks like a deadbolt always unlock in the direction away from the door frame. Sometimes you do get it wrong and when you do I would check out my video on how to use a plug spinner those are very helpful tools
I am ambidextrous so I can pick or hold a lock in either hand but my question is does what kind of pics matter like American versus Chinese I mean obviously the American pics are going to be better made but will I open up more locks with American pics versus Chinese pics
One thing that can really limit your success is if the pick itself is too thick. a lot of the cheap ones are rather thick and hard to get into locks. You can certainly open locks with cheap picks it is just harder. However, if the pick is just too thick it can be near impossible.
@@HelpfulLockPicker I know what you mean I went through and filed down some of my pics now they feel even cheaper than they already did I just need to save up and buy a decent set from southord or lock-picking world
i have had the curiosity bug bite me on lock picking and smithing, i have tried the cheap chinese pick sets which seems that i have had better luck on picking some easy walmart ( brinks and masterlock brands ) bought a new set which is made of spring steel it seems that i lack luck of picking them as fast as i did with the chinese versions ( which were of softer steel and being new to the field i have broken 2 of them { yes i know sub par tools tend to do well with sub par locks } and turned them into knives/shanks, however you want to label them ). i have had this intrigue with lock picking and lock smith, and now have recently decided to dabble with in the area. it seems that going from the chinese kit to a southord 22 pc set i am less successful with opening the practice locks i had bought from the store. i have been holding picks to be able to finess the pins and not bully them when it cones to spp. what recommendations would you have that could help me out and help me becomes more acclimated to different types and materials that picks and tension tools are made from?
It really comes down to practice. With time you will get comfortable with different tools and you will find your preferences
@@HelpfulLockPicker thanks, i have been trying to practice as much as possible and get use to the differences between the quality of tools.
What brand of picks do you use or prefer? Where is the best place to purchase individual picks?
I typically use Peterson lock picks. Peterson, Sparrow, and Southord are all great choices.
I keep hitting the plastic divider separating the pins in the Bible. I can never count the pins without hitting a divider or confuse a binding pin with the plastic divider. What should I do?
Maybe try to learn on a lock with a more open keyway first and progress from there
When I first started to pick locks back in the 80's I only had homemade lock picks and tensioners and I was self taught and I realized that I had been holding all the padlocks upside down and picking them the European way. Once I started to watch TH-cam videos about Locksport and ordered from Sparrows my first professional lock picking tools it was a hard habit to change placement of padlocks in my hand but I stayed on holding the locks the right way and now I am used to the American way of lock position
for me open is open but having Deluxe oriented the way we have them in the US has a distinct advantage because if the spring goes it's less likely the lock will get stuck
@@HelpfulLockPicker very true and yes I see the advantage of the American way of lock position when picking locks
We are looking for an upside down picker for a heist in Amsterdam. Interested?
@@ingeborgsvensson4896 if this Heist is legal, meaning that the security of the building or structures are being tested to find out if there is a way for people to be able to break in and gain access to the product inside that they are trying to keep protected? If this is a test and is legal and all travel, housing, and food expenses are covered in full and all I have to is bring my tools, get on a plane, show up in Amsterdam with my tools and participate in the testing of the building security and it is all legal? Yes I will come to Amsterdam with my tools and participate in the testing of the building security. If it is a illegally done heist then no thanks. I am wanting to stay safe and legal and bring good things to the Locksport community
@@ryanclay959 No, just kidding: there is no heist. I live in the Netherlands, visited the US several times and always wondered why your locks were mounted upside down. Now I know it was done intentionally. Guess it is something cultural.
I got interested in lock picking only recently and I'm waiting for my first picks from Aliexpress to arrive. I already bought some padlocks without a key from a thrift store really cheap. If you have some tips for a noob like me... I would welcome them.
Simply the best...
Thank you for the kind words!
Nice and good content man from rera and Ireland 👍🔐🇮🇪
thanks for checking it out!
How did people mark their picks to know what pin you are on? I tried using a file and lightly making a dash and colored it with a permanent marker but it weakened my pick ( maybe too deep) and I tried using a permanent marker and clear coating it but it just dissolved and spread the line into a unidentifiable blob. Help or ideas from anyone please.
It is not something I have done a whole lot but the few people that I know that did it used a permanent marker.
If you rely on visuals, you'll be handicapped. Maybe add more tension so you can get more tactile feedback. Also, if your lock isn't picking, listen closely when you release tension to hear if you set any pins.
@@kskochko Thanks for sharing!
Nice video! Thanks!
Thanks for checking it out!
Actually using a vise may be comfortable but in reality it should be placed in a natural position in which you would encounter the lock to be picked open in the real world
Terry Lambing thank you for the feedback!
with the exception of emergencies or lost keys, you shouldn't be picking locks in the real world 🤔
In europe the pins are on the bottom
That is why it is best to practice the way that locks often come in your area. Whenever I pick a lock and that orientation it always throws me off because I don't do it very often
I most always pick my locks upside down cuz i started with handsets off door. :)
Ha!!! Great idea for video! Ive played guitar for over 40 years and I still suck! Because i didnt learn it correct from the start!
I agree . It is often better off to start off without bad habits
Thank you ! 😁🇺🇸
Thank you for the kind words!
Nice video but, is lock picking possibly a good habit in the first place?
It is, when you get to meet the people involved it's a very welcoming and nice community
Pays the bills.
Really helpful. Thanks 😊
thank you for the kind words, I am glad it helped :-)
“Picking upside down”
That’s the normal way in Europe 😂
Great video!
Yes very much a perspective lol
On some locks , the pins are hard to set when you turn , can you make a video on that ?
Thanks for the bike
Just remember to never pick locks you don't own or ones in use :-)
I tried to feel the pins, but after the second one I get lost :P
Just keep practicing and you will get better with time :)
Keep practicing. To quote my (crude) boss, lockpicking is like sex. You can know the theory, but that doesn't mean that you are skillful immediately. You need time to develop and refine your own technique.
@@HelpfulLockPicker I will, thanks!
I need help I’m your big fan form Pakistan please reply 😢
Perhaps this is a foolish question, buy why would you need to apply CCW tension when the lock opens CW? I'm probably wrong but it seems to be of very little use. Rank beginner speaking!
I would apply tension in whichever direction you would like to open up the lock
I can do the easy ones in two seconds timed
thanks for sharing!
I have tried to reteach myself to hold my pick right, but I just can't make it click for me, having never had the occasion to hold a pencil at length before. I've tried pretty hard, but just can't make the right way work for me. Still, I am kind of delighted at how far I've come despite my flawed technique. That is, it may slow me down, it may even bring me to a point where I can advance no further, but so far, I'm still getting by, and that's cool to me. :)
Sightless Senshi I think you are doing very well :) I will be interested to see your approach to pin rotation on Medeco
HelpfulLockPicker I'll be interested to figure that one out. :) I'm still browsing Ebay for a good Medeco to start with. Want to find one that can have its pins easily removed, so I can work my way up to picking a full Medeco.
Sightless Senshi Most Medeco have grub screw on the top so you can top gut :) super easy
HelpfulLockPicker Neat! I've found a few on eBay, so I hope they adhere to that. A cam lock, a KIK, and a padlock.
Sightless Senshi I have opened a few of them they aren't quite as mystical as they seem. I do hope to do a series on them once the series is more appropriate towards that so that's why I've been holding off picking them
Nice tips my friend I'm a Lefty😂👍😊👍😊😎
Thank you for the kind words!
You know Europens have locks the other way round in comparison to the US guys😉
Thanks for sharing!
day 134 of trying to be the ultimate kokichi kinnie: learning lockpicking
Thanks for sharing
Just tried picking left-handed.. that felt entirely wrong.
I would prefer to be able to.do it right handed by my arm won't cooperate
"its a good adVISE"
Thanks for checking it out
@@HelpfulLockPicker im just starting lckpckng and ur tutorials are soooo helpfull🙌
@@joennespreuwers thank you for the kind words and I'm glad they help!
@@HelpfulLockPicker 😄
Ok
10/86 videos done!
💪
When I’m stealing a bicycle I like to use TOK .
Thank you for checking out the video but I wouldn't recommend that practice
Locks are for honest people. Also, you're a total jerk.
Kate Skochko wake-up, we wouldn’t need locks if everyone was honest! you’re the jerk
@@kskochko wait no... wait i have an idea!
this comment should be on r/woooosh !
It’s not hard at all to hold
The lock I think it helps with giving the correct amount of tension
Thanks for sharing
Love the videos but totally wrong vise, way too heavy, too rough on the lock. You can add some rubber to the jaws for protection. You may still injure yourself if you drop or tip over the vice. Get the more common style vice you see on most videos, not an industrial vice. I really prefer to hold locks in my hand, I want to get used to field conditions.
dot_dot_dot_TD great videos
Thanks!
it's a lock pick, not shank !!! what are they thinking....!!!
Ronald Calabrese lol
You don't need a vice to pick padlocks bro. Come on now.
Thanks for sharing
Use real locks. I will be you big bucks you cant pick a lock where you cant see the pins in just a few seconds.
Thanks for sharing.
dislike for comic sans
Thanks for sharing!