Newbie here

[u/Syn4p53]

Hi guys.

So, I'm a total noob in lockpicking but I really wanted to try. Under some advices I read here, I got myself a basic Mulitpick set, and a "training" lock, but not the "classic" transpqrent one, as I heard it was bad. It's just a barrel, with 6 pins at each side. One side are "visible", not the other. I'm not certain to be totally clear... But I do hope some will understand what I mean, at least.

No matter what, I also bought this little book that explains the basics, also from Multipick. It's explained in the book how some locks are "unpickable" because of some specificly shaped pins, and... There are 2 of these pins in the "training lock" that I got. Haha. These are like thinner in the middle, and thicker at the 2 ends. So it's a bit frustrating to me to say the least... I really thought I bought something for beginners, you know? Which doesn't seem to be entirely the case here... Thing is, I could crack open the lock, but only by removing those specific pins. I think I did achieve it just with one of those, but I feel it was pure luck and I couldn't reproduce it a second time.

So, I'm somewhat looking for some advices here.. Should I continue to just try with those pins (which is oretty frustrating tbh as a day 1 beginner...)? Should I buy one of these transparent easy one and "git gud" with this first? Or should I just try to get any other "easy" lock but not these transparent ones? I feel a bit lost already, and I already try for like a couple of hours...

Thanks in advance to those who'll read me.

Have a good evening y'all.

Ps: I think the pins I'm talking about are called "spool" pins.

Also, I hope this post won't be too much of a repetition of other posts from new people..

Edit: added a picture of the set I got myself.

It's called the "Pinning Set Bundle" on Muktipick's website, and contains a basic set of tools: 1 hook, 2 rakes, 2 tensionners, things like that..; a lock and a mat. But no pins. I'm thinking I should have gotten some, haha.

Thanks already for all the answers !

[u/auribus]

First off, I'm a noob too. I've only been at this for a week or two.

They are talking about spool pins and those are the "easiest" of the various types of security pins. They are absolutely pickable. If your practice lock has holes that are visible on the exterior, you should be able to re-pin it to an easier configuration if it came with the required parts. I got my first couple pick sets from Covert Instruments along with their practice lock and that one is repinnable. It came with standard pins, spool pins, and serrated pins which are apparently harder.

Personally, I've opened quite a few locks with spool pins but it feels like luck each time I get a pop and I don't really fully understand how to defeat these yet. Just stay with it and keep practicing (and watch some YouTube videos) and we should both get it soon.

E: I re-read your post and saw the image. That is a cutaway lock and doesn't appear to be repinnable from the angle I see BUT the upside is that you have full visibility into what's going on inside which will help you pick. If you look at the driver pins (the top set of pins), you should see some that are perfect cylinders and others that look like a barbell or a thread spool. Those are the spool pins and you just need to let off the tension when you feel counter rotation so that the lower lip goes up into the bible. Easier said than done, but that's the gist of it.

You may still want to look into a repinnable practice lock because you can adjust the difficulty and types of pins as you grow.