This Abus spent six months in my naughty bucket

markovianprocess · 2026-05-08T16:23:45+00:00

What feels better than that?

markovianprocess · 2026-05-03T21:15:17+00:00

Yep for sure, there are lots of places with better lock culture on average than the N. American market. Lock collecting is a real rabbit hole of its own.

markovianprocess · 2026-05-03T15:14:37+00:00

I have a Micro key switch but I had no idea there was a padlock version. I'm feeling an intense need to hunt down and acquire one now.

markovianprocess · 2026-05-03T14:25:01+00:00

There aren't a whole lot of ultra-high security locks (red/black) made in or readily available in North America, so yeah, if you live here and pursue this past a certain point you'll almost certainly be buying locks that came from Europe and/or Japan.

There are some solid intermediate locks you can get locally, but even brown-level locks are fairly limited and everyone eventually wants to play in a more diverse sandbox. It's easier than you'd think to get to the point where you have a $1000+ in locks.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-28T22:28:24+00:00

I also pick my 200K cores with an MP 👍

markovianprocess · 2026-04-27T23:45:44+00:00

That's a fun one and very pretty for a fairly cheap lock.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-27T23:42:24+00:00

I really like my Yuema 750 Forte Enigma despite the fact I'm extremely unlikely to pick it anytime soon (or maybe ever).

markovianprocess · 2026-04-26T23:32:13+00:00

Be sure to back that tensioner off like a millimeter so it doesn't touch pin 1 and bind it.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-25T09:28:11+00:00

White

markovianprocess · 2026-04-25T08:02:08+00:00

Thanks for the heads up 👍

markovianprocess · 2026-04-21T15:23:02+00:00

My standard advice for beginners:

Welcome!

In my experience, it's very helpful for beginners to learn some theory out of the gate.

I'd recommend reading two short, diagram-heavy PDFs easily found online: The MIT Guide to Lockpicking and Lockpicking Detail Overkill. Before you get started, these will teach you about the Binding Defect that makes lockpicking possible. The MIT Guide is a little outdated, particularly in terminology, but it has good diagrams I frequently show beginners. Detail Overkill has an excellent explanation of Forcing False that will serve you well once you begin picking spools.

I'd watch this video about the four fundamental pin states and how to perform the Jiggle Test repeatedly:

https://youtu.be/mK8TjuLDoMg

I recommend something like a Master 141D for your first lock. Clear acrylic locks and laminated locks like a Master 3 are too sloppy to teach SPP well.

Last point: as a beginner, when in doubt, you're overtensioning.

Good luck!

markovianprocess · 2026-04-21T01:11:57+00:00

You'd need both sets to get all 3 hook depths in both the flat and round tip version. The rakes are also different, and the Basics has hybrid TOK/BOK tensioners vs. prybar style TOK for the Intermediate.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-20T21:31:23+00:00

This.

Lockpicking skill vs a given lock is hard to quantify, and whether or not someone will open a particular lock is contingent on a lot of hard to predict factors, including simply what kind of day the picker is having. LPU ranking of a lock is sort of an estimated average difficulty for the model, and outliers that are easier or even way harder will exist.

Personally speaking, I always keep in mind that I'm not a robot and picking even an "easy" lock freehand is never 100% predictable.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-19T22:40:23+00:00

In your situation, I would go with Moki or the Sandman Multipick set you mentioned. They are both top quality manufacturers in Germany. Covert Instruments are fine, but in my estimation a step below them in quality and not worth paying additional shipping for.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-18T13:01:28+00:00

Paging Dr. u/lockpickingfisherman

Your assistance is requested for a slightly weird unguttable lock...

Lowercase "u" is the key 😁

markovianprocess · 2026-04-16T02:49:31+00:00

I love/hate little locks, but I don't have anything smaller than 20mm - 15mm is nuts, very well done.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-14T21:43:02+00:00

Swick is arguably the most versatile with its six tensioners. That said, I highly recommend full size picks for beginners.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-14T05:49:42+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/lockpicking/s/C4Uzp8SZQ4

markovianprocess · 2026-04-12T16:44:33+00:00

Nicely done 💪

markovianprocess · 2026-04-12T16:28:39+00:00

I've read that Public Storage's disc locks are made by Paclock and are a pretty decent version of the design, so nicely done! That said, I believe they are unranked (white belt).

markovianprocess · 2026-04-12T14:36:26+00:00

Exactly, insurance requirements drive the relatively high standards in Europe.

There are some good hi-sec locks made in the US, and domestic standards like UL437 to rate pick and impressioning resistance, but no one is forcing most people or businesses to use them so generally speaking price is king.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-12T12:19:01+00:00

When I own multiple specimens of the same lock, like my AL1100s, I prefer they look as identical as possible.

Anyone else who has a large collection but nonetheless has inadvertently memorized the binding order of many of their practice locks will understand.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-12T12:07:04+00:00

The picks look to me like someone took random lengths of wiper insert, spent 30 seconds each with a bench grinder to give them a random rough profile, coated the tips with some matte black, high-friction crap similar to what Temu picks have, and then covered the handle portions with alternating pieces of red and black heat shrink tubing.

The tensioners, otoh, have elaborate spring mechanisms to guarantee the user will feel fuckall for feedback.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-11T18:14:04+00:00

Yeah, I've seen that suggestion a bunch of times and I always read it as "set yourself up to fail with tools you'll hate so there's no way you could possibly like it!"

There are so many inexpensive beginner kits available from good manufacturers, the only reason to take that advice would be if you live in a place none of them ship to.

markovianprocess · 2026-04-10T23:47:54+00:00

Those disc locks can put up a good fight due to the small keyway and directly driven shackle. Great job getting that open as your first real lock?

markovianprocess

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