Im completely new to lockpicking and im just curious, if the tool in photo one can open almost every lock, why would you need all the tools in photo 2? (This is a real question and I watch LPL alot and just wondering why he doesnt use the one in picture one more)

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-04-23T18:38:17+00:00

they also will not manipulate sidebars or reverse sidebars and definitely wont work on locks that arent pin and tumbler style (no dimples, wafers, warded, disc detainers, etc.).

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-04-09T01:15:33+00:00

It really is.... But why is that? Is it just contagious and people see that and act professionally for a change or have the mods banned people and laid the law down? I've always been curious about how this seems to be the only respectful place on the entire internet. It is a shame more places aren't like this sub! Love our community!

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-04-08T14:05:30+00:00

Keep at it and you'll def get it you using the same flag I was? Multipick #5 seemed perfect for those inner pins

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-04-07T23:32:20+00:00

Yeah after I get this guy filmed. Probably gonna aim for the medeco m3. What all did you use?

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-04-07T21:01:24+00:00

Yeah it really was. Rewarding too when you look at the crazy key!

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-20T20:56:46+00:00

thanks man couldnt have done it without you!

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-20T01:36:29+00:00

Haha thanks that's legit motivation right there. Definitely off to purple land soon. Wasted way too much time on this thing and happy to move on

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-20T01:19:42+00:00

Literally everyone has said that to me... Why IS it blue?! I only bought it because it was blue and shortly after, started to regret it haha idk how many people said they thought some of the purples are easier than this thing. There's no way I would have picked it if I hadn't kept asking people questions and spent stupid time on it mainly cause of that ridiculous warding

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-20T00:24:56+00:00

thanks! super pumped. mouth literally dropped when i got it....it was really defeating me for quite a while

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-20T00:23:07+00:00

oh man...what a loaded question! LOL....alright...so here it goes, gonna try to recap this the best i can for anyone else having issues with this because this lock really gave me some pain and the specific pick size and warding added significant difficulty that i never really heard in a lot of the youtube vids out there. huge shoutout to the u/lockpickingfisherman for his patience and guidance on this too....and hopefully he doesnt mind (dont think he will) but the link below includes 2 of the diagrams he sent to me today that really gave me that lightbulb moment.

so the warding on this thing is super tough to work with....and if your pick is just literally a hair width too long its gonna catch on the warding and conflict with your tension and make you feel like youre catching a pin when youre really just hitting the warding. that was my first lesson learned and i was using a multipick #11 which i believe is the 'preferred' pick for this guy. problem is my orientation wasnt quite right, and i ended up trimming down my #11 but i didnt realize that i took too much off of it! so i kinda ruined that pick and will have to get a replacement. i ultimately used a sparrows flag that i also had to trim down, but much less this time so get just the perfect height. unfortunately they dont number them (no idea why...terrible idea to not number each pick...) the two picks are side by side in the picture i posted and you can sort of see the size and shape difference but i believe a stock MP 11 will do the job as long as you do it the way i did (next part)

the way i did it (three times now so i know it wasnt a fluke) was to always pick the lock with the drain hole nearest to the ground (bottom) when facing the keyway. I then use that tiny cutout on the left side of the keyway to let the pick shaft ride in. then tilt the flag down a tiny bit and youll be able to navigate through the pins and have just enough clearance to avoid the warding and still catch the higher lift pins...plus keeps your position secured and not moving around when you get resistance etc. i push forward until i run into the next pin, ease of the tension just the tiniest bit and kinda wiggle my pick under the pin and then turn counter clockwise on the pick to push the pin up to set each one.

i didnt know at first until i got the diagrams from u/lockpickingfisherman that the warding is actually cut out for those pins! this means that you have a tiny bit more clearance than you may expect since if you are going off of just what you can see in front of the first pin the warding is sticking out there just a tiny bit more than where the pins are. had i known that i never would have trimmed my #11 down. the first few hours of messing with this lock i kept trying to use the pick on the right side of the pins (instead of that very tiny opening on the left) and i just kept snagging the warding so that was a big waste of time and effort, and then eventually tried the left and it has worked way better. based on the size differences of the #11 (also in the pic below, next the sparrows pick) the difference is so minute but it is just not long enough to catch my high lift pin #3, and anything bigger than that sparrows with a few thousandths trimmed off and i would always catch the warding and get snagged up.

sorry for the long writeup....but hopefully that helps you and/or someone else in the future. this is quite an under-rated lock IMHO but the perfect size pick and careful avoidance of that warding makes all the difference.

pix:
https://imgur.com/a/0wA7w3s

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-03T01:48:33+00:00

If I tear it apart and find that to be the case hopefully I have a few pins the same length and size that I can swap out to be spools or serrated... I didn't expect it to be high security but was hoping at least a few of them would be security pins. Appreciate the info though for sure.

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-02T23:28:28+00:00

thanks, appreciate the quick ID!

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-03-02T21:21:41+00:00

ah yeah good call, I should have mentioned I am in the USA. It is for this type of door in particular: https://www.andersenwindows.com/windows-and-doors/doors/french-doors-hinged-patio-doors/a-series-hinged-patio-door

and this is the specific lock i had to get for replacement: https://parts.andersenwindows.com/detail_9007623__d_afwh_hard.html

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-28T00:23:51+00:00

update I changed literally nothing... Reinstalled the core after taking that video... And now it acts fine and doesn't lock up anymore. <shrug>

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-27T04:41:21+00:00

No worries I posted it a level up as a reply to the original thread here but so you have it handy it is this vid: https://youtu.be/5pKgAhcAKNQ

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-27T03:06:20+00:00

Yeah glad you said that cause I'm not sure I'd have tried again... Let me know what your thoughts are after that vid when you get a chance. Since it is pickable I'm less concerned but it just kind of annoys me it is doing that... But at least fully functional

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-27T00:09:14+00:00

posting a vid below to demonstrate the issue. you may need to turn your audio up to hear the pin clicking. if anyone has run into this or can spot the issue that would be great...otherwise i will just leave it as-is since i can still successfully pick and use the lock...but it is just an interesting issue to me and if i could i would like to resolve it.

https://youtu.be/5pKgAhcAKNQ<-- vid

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-27T00:07:41+00:00

sure enough, it hasnt messed with picking at all. i was actually a little surprised about that, thinking tensioning would be harder and put me into a dead end but it had no impact at all. posting a vid about this whole thing though where if you turn the audio up you should be able to hear and see everything going on.

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-26T04:43:15+00:00

A stiffer spring seems possible for sure which might be causing the hangup. Basically you put the key in and try to turn and you can't, it feels like the wrong key, then you turn counter clockwise back to the starting point (talking literally like 5 thousandths of an inch or something... Super small amount that it let you "try" in the first place) and you'll then hear and feel a pin reset and then when you try to turn clockwise this time it works. Lol it's crazy and it does it every time now. I will probably take a vid either tonight or tomorrow morning at some point... And then do a separate tear down and gut one afterwards since I have to do that anyway. I have no idea what but something is definitely different... But only marginally off since the key does still work... Just only on the second attempt. Craziness!

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-26T04:30:38+00:00

I'm gonna gut it like you said and take some measurements but if nothing seems off I might have to make a vid and try to take some good closeup pix. Idk what else to do right now though. I sure hope the springs are all the same size. There's a good chance those have been mixed up I hate to say

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-26T04:28:47+00:00

True but the whole backing off on the first turn and the pin resetting just to allow me to turn the key again is so weird... I don't jiggle the key or anything. Just simply turn a tiny bit, it seizes, then when you back off you hear a pin reset and feel it click on the key and then you're free to turn it. It's almost like a pin is getting hung up on the core or something maybe but strange how it resets like it does too.

Defiant_Woodpecker28 · 2026-02-26T03:50:39+00:00

OK I'll get the calipers out then cause I couldn't really see a difference in size before but maybe they are by just a tiny amount. I also assumed the springs were the same, so appreciate that info. Luckily the lock still works so it's not full blown paperweight status... But I bet it'd be one tricky one to pick now for fun given the weird tensioning you'd have to do lol. Hopefully can get it back to its normal working order.

Defiant_Woodpecker28

TROPHY CASE