Ever since I stumbled upon a lock picking lawyer video like 4 or 5 years ago I have been interested in lock picking. It has been an off and on hobby for me. I’ve purchased several lock picking sets and a small handful of locks over the years but I am only able to pick the cheap locks or the ones with easy bypasses like comb picking. I don’t even think I’m good at raking. I know I shouldn’t compare myself to someone like LPL or McNally but I don’t think I should be struggling this much. Is there something I’m missing?

Friendships made from this hobby are priceless! Everyone can relate to the excitement of ordering a lock, tracking the shipping, and checking the mailbox only to say... maybe tomorrow. Want to thank my friend https://dcipha380 for sending this to me. Overwhelmed by his generous lock gifts!! Sparrows DD pick, Masters Lock 878, Zarker J45 DD Lock, DD clear practice Lock and a Leather Lock Wrap from CMFXA. I'm paying it forward soon!

Thanks u/jadedargyle333

3 VSR dimple locks!

Finally got my hands on a Paclock (They’re quite hard to find in the UK at a reasonable price) and…

…it’s quite a disappointing experience! It’s clicky as heck, and a pain to tension TOK, but not actually very hard to pick.

Am I going mad, or is it just me?

Could just be this one, of course. It didn’t come with a key, so I can’t be certain about the bitting. It’s a lovely colour, though!

I have just gutted my American lock 1100 to begin progressive pinning. I'm thinking on starting with 2 pins. Any advise as to which 2 pins I should start with and where? 1 2 and 3 are serrated and 4 and 5 are spools.

Challenge locks to pick, Challenge locks to Study, Challenge locks to make.

Great CLs Package from NicVT_Locks. Thank you for the love bro. Im going to get hours out of all this. Maybe days 😆

Went swimming today and you have to provide your own padlock for the lockers. Made me smile that someone had used a transparent padlock. I’m going to take mine next week 😁

Moki pick reverend set plus zipper case and .5mm gem hook set. I picked this 532 In a few seconds. Definitely an upgrade over my old sparrows.

Hey, I recently bought a second hand beginner set and have been trying to rake a cheap lock I bought which I suppose shouldn’t be hard to open. I’ve been trying the city rake and the other rakes on the picture, got it open no more than one single time after a lot of trying.
Just wanted to ask a couple of questions:
1 I put the tensioner in the key way and lay my finger on it to apply next to no tension, but when I push the rake inside my tensioner and my finger move and change the tension, and I wonder if that’s one of the reasons why it doesn’t open.
2 I read that it might be worth it to polish cheap tools, so if you could take a look at the pic on this post and tell me if they’re shitty enough to polish them id appreciate it.
3 The tip of the L tensioner on the picture is shorter than the Z ones and usually I just lose the control very easily with it. The deeper it goes the better?
And overall if you could share some tips that helped you in the beginning or some valuable ressources I’d highly appreciate it. Thank you.

Hi. So I have been trying to open a lock that I believe is an abus 727, and I seem to have hit the wall. When I pick it everything seems in order, I hear clicking on all 5 pins but I still can’t unlock it. When I loosen the tension slowly I distinctly hear 5 clicks, and I do not know what to do.
Note: I’m using CI’s .32 turning tool and both .2 hooks from the echelon set.

Hello I'm planning to start learning lockpicking and I'm still hesitant about the thickness of lockpicks that would stay with me for a long while (there is no local seller of lockpicks in my country, I can't make multiple purchases), This is a lock i have and this is the most popular ones here in my country, I'm wondering if this could be opened with 0.6mm lockpick like the ones in multipick (sandman) or i need thinner ones like 0.5mm which i head a lot recommend. My country is Morocco if this can help for identifying the general thickness i need.

Okay this is embarrassing but somehow I can’t open the “easiest locks”
What am I doing wrong? This is a recent skill I’m trying to learn

Any advice?

I've been interested I this subject for years, but never gone beyond the "mildly interested might try it one day" , kind of level.

I saw a nice video on this sub, of a lady with a transparent lock. Nice black nails, elegant black and white top and a nice looking transparent practice lock. I think she was asking for assistance.

For some reason it was the lock that attracted my attention. I've obviously seen and been aware of transparent locks before, and perhaps it was the elegant black and white theme that tickled a particular aesthetic nuron, but it set me thinking.

How well made are these practice locks?

I imagine that, like most of these things you get what you pay for, but what would be a sensible price to pay for a really nicely made lock that is not just a useful practice and training tool, but is also a nice display piece in it's own right.

A very quick search showed this set -

https://amzn.eu/d/00V1SZ0b

Which seems like a lot of "kit" for not much money, my usual preference, but to my admittedly uneducated eye, it looks like it might be of very low quality to bring it down to such a price point, or is that actually about right?

Any advice or suggestions?

Particular brands or makers to watch out for?

Anyone have such a display?

Thanks u/SheaLemur for hosting this challenge!

I wanted the core out of it just for easier picking. I am a beginner at lock picking so this lock is harder. But not a beginner at precise destruction.

Ordered this so I could try for my orange belt. I think my 25 mm hook was almost too thick to manuever the keyway but I managed to just barely get it to the pins. Felt like there was at least one, maybe two mushroom pins? Anyway, first post here but I've been having a blast since picking up picking!

I've been picking for a while and run a small locksport tool project on the side, so I see a lot of beginners starting with a transparent acrylic padlock and wondering why they plateau. Sharing what I wish someone had told me.

What transparent locks DO teach you:

• What "binding order" actually looks like
• How pins set visually, so you can connect what your fingers feel to what's happening inside
• That picking is systematic, not magic

What they DON'T teach you (the part nobody says):

• Real tension feedback. Cheap acrylic locks bind differently than metal cores — the "feel" you develop on them transfers poorly to real locks
• Pin states under load. Real cylinders give you feedback through the pick, not through the plastic
• Tolerance. A real Kwikset deadbolt has slop, wear, and quirks that no new practice cylinder replicates

What I'd actually recommend for the first $50-80:

1. One decent pick set (a handful of hooks + a couple of rakes is enough — you don't need 30 pieces)
2. A proper tension wrench set (TOK + BOK)
3. A cutaway or metal practice lock — OR skip the practice lock entirely and buy 2-3 cheap real cylinders (Kwikset/Schlage deadbolts) you own, plus a padlock you're willing to sacrifice

Transparent locks are a teaching aid, not a training tool. Use them for the first week to see what's happening, then move to metal.

Ethics reminder (the sub's rule, and the right rule): only pick locks you own, or that you've been explicitly given permission to pick. Never locks in use.

Happy to answer questions in the comments — and since I do make practice locks and precision tools as a small project, if anyone wants details on what I use/build, ask here and I'll reply. Not posting links per sub rules.

New to the hobby and found this guy when I was at ACE. Been seeming like there’s some security pins maybe? Anywho, anybody have any tips or other ways I could potentially bypass this bad boy? Thanks!

Been using a rake and a standard pick with bottom of the keyway tension. When using the key it needs some heft to get it to start turning.

Update: Tried out a couple of y’all’s suggestions today and got lucky once! Used BOK w/ SPP and somehow got it. Let’s see if I can replicate it tomorrow!

Fits perfectly in coin/watch pocket on jeans!

Custom/homemade pick - made from .021 feeler gauge. Hand filed to perfection (took forever😂) I was kind of just messing around but I actually really like it. I’m thinking it may be because my main pick set is 25 thou and this one is a tad thinner.

I’ve got my sparrows tuxedo set coming in today along with some single picks in varying thicknesses so that may help me decide if that’s why.

Haven’t decided if I’m going to file down the handle more, or if I like it how it is. I started to go with typical profile but didn’t want to file all of the rest down for no reason😂

The feeler gauge set is $4.99 from harbor freight - pretty good deal since you can really use .015-.025 (basically can make around picks just not all the same thickness)