#Tubular lock picking tools how to#
#Tubular lock picking tools driver#
#Tubular lock picking tools series#

It’s a must to learn how to pick a lock using this technique if you want to consider yourself a lock picker or an expert who knows the pins by ear (feedback). You'll commonly see the entertaining Lockpicklawyer on YouTube single pin picking - in fact, we get many questions about learn to lockpick from customers who've seen his and our video selections! Single Pin Picking (SPP) is a method where each pin is picked individually, and is known among lock pickers as proper lock picking. The two main techniques for how to pick a lock of this kind are:

You can refer to the above diagram to visualise the inner workings of a pin tumbler lock.Īs it is, the sets most people recognise as lock picks – long, flat pieces of steel with a variety of different lock picking tips – are designed mainly to pick pins in those cylinder locks.

#Tubular lock picking tools driver#

Like the famous Yale lock, the pin tumbler lock has driver pins and key pins which have to be aligned in the shear line for the plug to turn and the door to open. Euro cylinders, as shown above, are an example of a pin tumbler lock. The pin tumbler lock mechanism figures commonly in cylinder locks, also referred to as cylinder pin tumbler locks or pin-tumbler cylinder locks. What About Pin Tumbler Locks?Ī pin tumbler lock refers to a mechanism that uses pins of different lengths to keep it locked unless the right key is inserted. Since pin cylinders are the most popular locks, as we lock our front doors with them after all, there’s a wealth of tools and techniques we can use to pick them non-destructively without using the key. For lock pickers, we need to get the split in the pin pairs, or ‘stacks’ to line up along the shear line, get the plug to turn or rotate, and open the lock.Ī single pin cylinder whose pins (pairs that have a driver pin and a key pin each) meet at the shear line when the correct key is inserted Once this has happened, it allows the plug to turn and the lock is open. When the correct key is inserted, the split between the pairs of driver pins and key pins lines up along the edge of the plug where it meets the housing of the lock. The top, or ‘driver pin’, and the bottom, or ‘key pin’.

#Tubular lock picking tools series#

The plug is prevented from turning by a series of pins, which obstruct the plug.

There’s a central core or ‘plug’ that needs to rotate to open the lock.

Pin Cylinders are the most widely used locks in use today. His locks were so successful many people today refer to pin cylinder locks simply as ‘Yale’ locks, due to the success of that brand. However, they were popularised by Linus Yale Jr., who drew on the Egyptian design and patented his pin cylinder in 1851. The Pyramids of ancient Egypt had wooden locks that most resemble pin cylinder locks. The pin cylinder locking mechanism is probably the oldest of locking mechanisms. How to recognise them, how their configuration works (e.g., do they have pins, wafers, levers, or discs), and how to pick such locks to open them without the key.Ī Eurolock with a pin cylinder locking mechanism Let’s look at each of these locking mechanisms in detail. So, when I am asked “what picks do I need for a padlock?’ I need to know what type of padlock, meaning - what is the locking mechanism? You can get padlocks that use all five of these mechanisms. To understand the distinction more clearly, let’s consider padlocks. While there are many different types of specialist lock mechanisms, of the ones you’ll likely encounter in your everyday life, and moreover ones that can be picked with tools, there are five main types you can learn how to pick : In this guide we’re going to focus on the locking mechanism, the way the lock works inside, and more importantly, the picks you’ll need to pick a lock given its internal mechanism. For instance, the word ‘padlock’ refers to the housing of a lock mechanism, but padlocks can use many different locking mechanisms. Things can get a little bit complicated because we need to establish whether we’re talking about the locking mechanism, or the lock housing. One of these locks may well be your first lock to pick. While there are many locks, I think we should focus on the most popular, the type of locks you’re likely to encounter in the real world, and will probably recognise from having seen around. It’s the question I get asked the most “What lock pick do I need for this lock,” next to “How to pick a lock?” In this guide, I’m going to explain the necessary tools to pick a lock, so you understand precisely what lock picks work for which locks!įirst of all, let’s look at the different lock types before learning how to pick them. Here’s How to Pick a Lock and Pick the Set You Need