Locks - a public service announcement

[Josh66]

I can't figure out how to embed the video, so here is a link:
No. 3 Master Lock | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
[EDIT - Is the audio working for anyone? The audio works fine when I play it on my computer, and the video I posted on Facebook (same file) works fine - but I don't hear anything on Flickr (still the same file). Might have to upload it to YouTube or something...]

I posted this on Facebook and Flickr, so some of you may have seen it already.

Some of you may know that another hobby of mine is lock picking... You would probably be surprised at how easy it actually is. I haven't even been doing it that long...

If you use padlocks on your stuff, don't use Master Lock. They are probably the most common lock, but they are also the easiest to pick. As far as I know there is not a single Master Lock that has any security features designed to make them harder to pick.
If you want a better lock for the same price as a Master Lock, look at Brinks.

This one, in particular, is probably the most bang for your buck that you can get. $7, and better than anything Master Lock makes.

IMG_9167 by J E, on Flickr

Like anything else, you get what you pay for, but Brinks makes a better lock for the same money.


Don't skimp out on your front door deadbolt either. Good locks aren't cheap. Most cheap deadbolts are as easy to pick as they are to open with the key (some are easier to pick than to use the key).

 

[o hey tyler]

I actually didn't see that on FB... Huh. Regardless, I've wanted to get into lockpicking. Perhaps I'll have to consult you, ol' chap, once I get a set of picks. Good info right here, stay away from Master.

 

[Josh66]

Check out this forum if you want to learn more about lock picking:
Lock Picking 101 • Index page

 

[joel28]

I really like your lock picture

 

[Josh66]

Thanks.

 

[Josh66]

I've wanted to get into lockpicking. Perhaps I'll have to consult you, ol' chap, once I get a set of picks.

It's not hard to make your own. I made all of mine.

Of course, you can buy a set - but if you have the materials, the tools, and the knowledge to use them - it's pretty straightforward.

Here are a couple links that will show you how locks work (and why you can pick them), as well as instructions on how to make a basic pick set:

http://locksport.com/index.php/download_file/11/64/

The Document Which Was Formerly Called The MIT Guide to Lockpicking

The key (lol) is the tension - you don't want too much, a little goes a long way. That is the hardest thing to learn starting out. The best way I have heard it described is this - imagine a couple coins balancing on your finger, that is about how much pressure you want to put on the tension wrench. Some locks need more tension than others, but generally - you need less than you think you do. You'll get a feel for it as you practice.


Obviously, we don't want to be breaking any laws... You should check your local laws, but generally possession of lock picks is not a crime. Using them to break into someone's house is. Same as a crow bar - there is no law against owning one, but if you use it to illegally gain entry - you'll have a lot of explaining to do. In some jurisdictions (DC, for one) possession IS a crime, so look up the laws where you live if you aren't sure.

And, of course - don't pick locks that you don't own or have permission to pick. Also, it is possible to damage a lock by picking it (unlikely, but possible), so don't pick locks that you rely on, unless you have no other choice.
There are a lot of other ways to get around a lock than picking it - that isn't the point. Opening that which wasn't meant to be opened is half the fun.


If you only learn one thing from this, know that most locks aren't as secure as you think they are. If you're buying a lock, you probably have some nice stuff that you want to keep safe. Don't cheap out on the lock.

 

[Buckster]

I've always viewed locks as devices that really just keep honest people honest, rather than to keep criminals out. When a criminal wants to get past a lock, it's simply going to happen, one way or another. I've used bolt cutters of various sizes a lot in my work over the years - they pick locks really fast.

 

[Josh66]

Yeah, but a bolt cutter isn't nearly as much fun. There's no challenge in that.

Plus, the lock is destroyed after that...

edit
You are right though, that locks only keep honest people honest (cheap locks, anyway). Lock picking taught me exactly just how true that was. I never knew locks were so easy to pick...

I have to say, my standards on what is a 'good' lock, compared to what is just a toy went up a lot once I started picking. I could never trust a lock that I can pick...

 

[boborone]

 

[Josh66]

I've done that before. Lol. The shim is pretty much single use - it does work pretty fast though.
Combination locks don't really have as many possible combinations as they advertise though... Your typical Master combo lock has 40 numbers on the dial, and 3 numbers in the combination. That means that, in theory, there are 64,000 possible combinations.
The truth is, there are far less. You don't even have to know the last number - assuming you got the first two numbers right, you can just try every number till it opens.
And then, you don't have to be exactly on the number either - you could only use even numbers and it would still open.

Factor in those two things, and you go from 64,000 possible combinations to 800 possible combinations. Assuming you had bad luck and didn't get the right one till the very end - you could still open that in an afternoon just by systematically trying every combination.
You could cut that 800 figure down a little more when you consider that the first two numbers are not going to be the same.


Is the audio working for anyone on the link to the video on Flickr?
There is audio on the video - it works fine when I play it on the computer, it works fine on Facebook, but I don't hear anything on Flickr... They're all the same file.



edit




OK, I put it on YouTube...



Audio should be fine now. Not sure why it wasn't working on Flickr... (This is the exact same file...)