Just picked up a $3 "secure" lock from the dollar store. Let's see how long it takes me to get it open. I love how the diagram on the back shows six pins but I can tell by just looking at the key that it's four.
Not gonna lie, this lock is giving more difficulty than I expected. The shape of the key hole is making it difficult for me to get consistent torque, and everything in the lock feels mushy, making it hard to get a feel for what's going on inside.
So far, in my absolute newbie opinion, this $3 lock is outperforming my $10 Master lock. Who'd have guessed?
Broke down and tried the key, just to be sure I hadn't damaged the inside of the lock like I did my last dollar store lock. It works but feels mushy even opening it with the key. Despite my difficulties defeating it so far, it certainly doesn't feel like a quality lock.
The biggest problem I'm having with this new lock is that my tension bar keeps slipping like so:
When it does this, it doesn't leave enough room for the pick to move around freely. I've tried a using a wider tension bar, but while it doesn't slip, it also crowds out the pick just on its own.
This is what the key hole looks unobstructed:
Any suggestions on how I should proceed? CC: @🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)
I'm starting to think that the solution is a narrower tension bar. I just don't have one is all, and with the Canada Post strike, I'm gonna have some trouble getting one.
Just went back to picking my Master lock briefly for a change of pace (and to rebuild some confidence). A thing I hadn't noticed until just now is how small the keyway is on the new lock. I put my pick back in the old one and there's so much room for activities!
It doesn't look like that much of a difference but it really is. I think that "mushy" feeling I was feeling was the resistance from my pick scraping ever so slightly on the sides of the keyway.
@🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄) I think I understand what you're saying about the purple one, but I'm havng difficulty holding the lock, the tension bar, and the pick with only two hands. 🙃
@🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄) Oh, I will figure this out. I'm down the rabbit hole now. I'm considering possibly filing one of my lesser used tension bars down to try to get it to fit better.
I need to get more locks. I'm getting too familiar with the one I've been picking over and over. Oddly though, I'm finding that the pins don't always bind in exactly the same order. Is that normal? #locksport
I just successfully picked my first lock. It was actually a little scary how quickly I got it open. I can only imagine how quickly someone who knows what they're doing could do it. #locksport
@Paul Martin It was a Master 140.* I don't know the name of the technique, but it basically involves using as light a pressure as possible on the tension bar and just feeling around the pins with the pick. Sometimes it works straight away, other times I have to fiddle with it for a while. I'm not very consistent yet. Nevertheless, for one day of practice, I'm pretty satisfied with the result.
* This was recommended to me as a beginner-friendly lock.
@Paul Martin Yeah, my kit came with a couple rakes, but I've not successfully used them. I find I get a better feel for what's going on inside the lock with the single pin approach anyway though.
Been thinking about getting into #locksport for a while. I finally picked up a basic pick and a cheap lock from the dollar store (under the assumption that it would be relatively easy to pick). Strangely enough, when I insert the tension bar, the barrel spins without resistance or disengaging the lock.
I know I'm a total newb, but everything I've researched up to this point says this shouldn't be possible. What witchcraft is this?
Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •Not gonna lie, this lock is giving more difficulty than I expected. The shape of the key hole is making it difficult for me to get consistent torque, and everything in the lock feels mushy, making it hard to get a feel for what's going on inside.
So far, in my absolute newbie opinion, this $3 lock is outperforming my $10 Master lock. Who'd have guessed?
Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •The biggest problem I'm having with this new lock is that my tension bar keeps slipping like so:
When it does this, it doesn't leave enough room for the pick to move around freely. I've tried a using a wider tension bar, but while it doesn't slip, it also crowds out the pick just on its own.
This is what the key hole looks unobstructed:
Any suggestions on how I should proceed?
CC: @🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)
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Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •Jonathan Lamothe
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in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •lopta
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • • •Bitslingers-R-Us likes this.
Jonathan Lamothe
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Unknown parent • •Jonathan Lamothe
Unknown parent • •@🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄) Gah, I have a tension bar that's almost big enough to do the red option.
Almost. 🫠
Jonathan Lamothe
Unknown parent • •Jonathan Lamothe
Unknown parent • •