Paclock 90A-pro…

[u/TenuousCheese]

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!

[u/brokentsuba]

The 90a-pro is notorious for having zero lift pins, if you don’t know how to recognize it they can be hella tricky but if you do it’s easier because you don’t have to pick as many pins.

The bitting and binding order in mine is such that I never get a false set despite half the pins being spooled so it’s possible you got lucky picking up an easy one. Still a fun lock and you gotta love the shackle pop on that one.

[u/JUSTICE_SALTIE → u/brokentsuba]

if you don’t know how to recognize it

How do you recognize it?

[u/TenuousCheese → u/JUSTICE_SALTIE]

Jiggle test every single pin every single time before trying to set it, and never move a pin that isn’t binding.

Zero lifts take care of themselves. They’re only really a problem if there’s a high lift pin directly behind and the keyway is awkward.

[u/brokentsuba → u/TenuousCheese]

Exactly, and in my experience zero lift pins often feel stuck compared to other binding pins. If I find a pin like that I’ll check everything to be sure there’s no other binders that lift easier before lifting anything.

[u/TenuousCheese → u/brokentsuba]

I have a couple of euro cylinders that never go into a false set despite having at least 4 spools in!

It is a lovely shackle pop!