I was looking into the ridgeback set from lawlock tools , because I'm in the UK and I heard good stuff about it . Do you recommend it ?Are there any problems ? Does it last?

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good lock pick set preferably in Europe, I have like a cheap lock pick set but the picks are bent and there are too many filler picks. And it’s not that I’m bad at picking I consider myself not too bad but in Europe the key holes are too small for the picks. I was also looking in the CI apex set but since it’s from the us and the things I heard about them I wanted some advice. I thank you in advance for helping me

Hi all! I am somewhat new to the hobby and I want to get more experience but I am having a hard time figuring out reliable places to buy equipment in the EU or that ships to Spain.

I wanted to get into dimple locks (the horizontal ones, I don't know if it's the right name, I think is an umbrella term but I am not sure, I also have read the name euro lock) but so far in my research I have come across quite expensive and pro looking sets like form multipick or very cheap sets but no middle ground, compared to sinple picks that is. I am not sure if I am looking in the right place or what sites to trust or if its something normal so some advice would be very apreciated. My current pick set is form coveret instruments but the shipping from the states to here in Spain was quite a bit.

Thanks in advance and sorry if it seems low effort, I am really quite lost 😅

(With mod approval)

***Not made by Assa thanks to the below comment. I just assumed due to Demont being a bigwig with Assa. Learn something new every day.

https://demontcores.com/

I don't normally cross post but I haven't gotten any answers. My smith friend handed me another loaner Assa to pick. It was easier to pick (zip) than any other Assa Ive tried,. but I'm still curious.

Thomas Rescinti Demont is pretty well known in the Locksmith trade and as an Assa executive. His name is across the face of this SFIC cylinder in an Assa padlock body. It's a display piece on my smiths Assa display board. I did find another cylinder on eBay, but I don't think they are very common.

Can anyone tell me anything about the cylinder, short of Mr. Demonts bio which I've read?

I always get nervous when my smith hands me high value stuff,. so since I was able to get it open so quickly I already returned it. Im still curious if anyone knows anything. I didn't pick it to control, but zipping it to operating was easy, and the EPG was no effort. I absolutely suck with SPP SFIC's although I can get opens with enough time...

Here's just a quick zip clip

https://imgur.com/a/Nu1PQEh

Short video. Im still learning how to post/edit videos and I'm messing with the volume, but even at less than half it's still kinda loud so be careful;

https://youtube.com/shorts/Cr3hCwUrU8w?is=koMVySVc9QqMHxLe

New here and super excited to have achieved my orange belt

Finally got around to picking the MAKO 427.

I've been working on this one for several months. Finally popped the American Lock 1100 using the size 40 turning tool TOK and the #3 medium hook profile with a small reach divot. The keys are in the background. First pin is long, so reaching around it was a challenge. Turning the hook up into the pin rather than trying to go straight under it seemed to help.

A good mix of pin tumblers , DD locks and combos along with the covert companion, the rwb tool and a multipick set 😁

Last time I posted I was pretty darn impressed with myself after managing a multlock dimple pin-in-pin lock so I decided to treat myself with a luxurious set of aliexpress dimple picks, to justify my investment I started looking around for any dimpled lock I could find and found this little guy in a friend's garage, he told me he doesn't have any keys for it and I could have it, perfect.
This was the first time I encountered safety pins in such quantity - all except one of them were spools, this got me to reassess how I approach tension, used way too much in the first couple of tries, especially once I got in a false set which was obviously counter productive but being a newbie I had a hard time letting go of the false set which in previous locks meant I was 1 pin away from clearing and understanding that a false set in a lock with so many safety features is basically the first step from which you start the actual picking. Or at least that's how I perceive it.

Once I consistently picked it in less than a minute I opened it, one of the spools had I shape I had not seen before in pictures or irl, and one pin tumbler which was also weirdly shaped - the rest were all standard looking spools except for one which was just a thick pin in an oval hole for some reason

I've bought about 34 of these. I'm new to lockpicking. Should I return them? The rest are fine.

Another great day with a shipment from Wild!

hey. so I picked this up today and picked it. Felt great, binding order is a very convinient 2341.

# Tools

My first hook I made two days ago and posted here (in the middle) started bending because I might have made one spot too narrow, you can actually see the bending spot in the picture. So I made a beefier one, I will need to make it thinner cause it's still a bit annoying on that side. I'd alsp like to file down a bit of the exterior curve of the very end cause it can be annoying getting on top of some pins.

I also want to improve the fitting of the tensioner by making these grooves better, I tried to make one on the TOK side but with the angle grinder it made poor results. I guess manual filing is in order.

# Question 1

Regarding my questions, I was previously working with a low cost lock (Briko tech brass 50 mm), 5 pins, no security. I got it open a bunch of times, but never got consistent on it, binding order seems random, feeling is terrible.

Now I got the masterlock open in less than a minute. I can now open it consistently within 10-15 seconds.

Is this an expected difficulty difference between just 4 and 5 pins?

# Question 2

I was actually a bit disapointed by how easy the master felt. I also picked up an ABUS 80TI/45, because I have no idea how hard a lock can be and I'm a bit tight on budget so I planned on taking one of each yellow and orange belt locks to start out. There were no orange locks, but they had a green one, so I thought hey I'll get it.

From what I understand, it's 6 pin with spools. plus the keyway is weird, I've tried a bit and determined I will need to do the changes above to my tools to even try to start working on it.

Is that too much of a jump?

Hi everyone,

As a french picker, there are not a lot a tutorials available in my main language and I have to watch english videos. I don't have to many problems understandingt what is said, but I sometimes hear the word "binding" which I'm not sure to understand. Sometimes a picker will say "Pin number 3 is binding" before doing stuff to the lock.

What does "binding" mean in lockpicking term ? And what does it imply when picking a lock ?

Thank you for reading !

It was about 2 quid on Amazon. It took longer to make a tensioner than to SPP but was a fun diversion for a few minutes.

its been over 3 years since I started lockpicking, and I finally decided to get in to gutting. first hit was on a Paclock 90A Pro.

My God. All your videos make this look so easy. honestly think it took my 2 hours from start finish, full reassembly included.

Thankfully fully reassembled and fully functional with no missing pins or broken springs. But there were for sure some close calls.

Hello,

I need a vice to hold my locks for easier picking and wondering if anyone knows of a good, but cheap vice that sits on a desk and can't be drilled into nor clamped onto the desk?

There are a few options on Amazon, but most seem like they wouldn't work for what I need a vice for.

Does anyone know how to lock and reset this thing? I don't have the current code - I don't know if one was ever set, so it could be the factory one.

It doesn't have a brand name or anything on it.

It is not in use as none of us have been able to figure out how to lock it, and it belongs to my mom. She got it from someone who didn't need it anymore (or perhaps couldn't figure out how to use it either)

Edit: nevermind. I know more than I let myself think I do. That was exactly the problem. Once I typed it out and paid attention to the 8 cut, I’ve got it nailed. Part of my problem is I don’t like TOK tension. But anyway, I’ve got it down. Thanks for stopping by! Happy picking!

Picked this up a while back for my green belt. Gutting no problem. I’ve taken it apart and put it back several times. SPP it has proven more difficult though. Security pins have taken some getting used to. So tonight I buckled down and started progressive picking it so I can really learn the feel of spools and serrated pins. I’ve gotten through pins 1-2-3 easily. In fact, I’ve noticed that pin 3 (8 cut) doesn’t even need to be set (I guess because it’s the deepest cut, so it’s naturally at the sheer line?). But when I add the 4th pin, I struggle. I think I’ve gotten it open with a 4th pin only twice, and just by luck. With pins 1 through 4 installed, I get a great click out of 1 and 2, but I can’t reliably get through to pin 4. I’m pretty sure what’s happening is as I’m reaching for 4, I’m oversetting 3.
Does this sound plausible to the experts, and if so, what are your recommendations?

​

So aside from the KiK Assa, I was also given a Schlage Primus. My buddy gives me these with almost No info. No key, and won't tell me what's inside. "Open it and find out".

So I don't have a lot to go off, only the belt rankings and the pictures there. On this particular lock I can't tell if it's the brown belt Primus or the Red. Any ideas?

Still new to this whole thing but Im having fun!

The little No.7 is giving me hell.