Pin tumbler lock picking consists of raising the cuts on each pin stack to the shear line, one by one, until the plug turns freely. The basic skills of pin tumbler lock picking include selecting the proper tools, manipulating pins through the keyway, applying torque, and recognizing the state of each pin. The three hook picks in this kit are sufficient to manipulate the vast majority of pin tumbler locks found in the US. You will need a small set of cylinders in various keyways, a board or vice to hold them in while you practice, and a small re-pinning kit (extra pins and springs and a "follower" tool). In particular note that because the pins are slightly out of alignment, as the plug is turned gently, only the pin stack that is most out of alignment actually prevents further rotation. If pushed up, it eventually sets and the plug turns slightly (and the pin stack's state changes to set/not-binding). Both the pick and the torque tool also amplify and transmit feedback about the state of the lock back to their user.

As you progress, you should know the state of the lock at all times: which pins are set, which aren't, which one is binding. In general, the torque tool should be as thick as possible while still fitting in the keyway, and of a width sufficient to provide good control but without interfering with the picking tool's access to the pins. If the torque tool is too thin, it will tend to be "springy" and will absorb much of the fine movement and control needed to successfully pick better quality locks. Longer handles are as a rule better in torque tools; the farther from the plug the torque can be applied, the easier it is to detect and control fine movement. The electronic control mechanism may be vulnerable to new attacks, e.g., through the introduction of RF or power faults or via "Tempest" monitoring. If the shear line is within this gap as torque is applied, it may set. This may be a consequence of more stringent European insurance standards for physical security.

Many experienced locksmiths and expert lock pickers prefer "home made" tools to the commercial selections, especially for picking unusual and high security locks. It's hard to learn these skills all at once on off-the-shelf commercial locks, but that's what many people who try to learn lock picking end up doing (before giving up in frustration). Some people call this an angle shot. The traditional torque tool is made from stiff, flat spring steel, bent at a 90 degree angle to provide a small blade that fits in the keyway and a long handle to which torque is applied. In the lab you'll find a collection of small (12 inch by 18 inch) lock boards, each containing six specially pinned locks with a given keyway. However, your efforts un-pinning and re-pinning locks will be time well spent -- you will progress much faster than you would if you tried to start out picking fully pinned cylinders.

The shape of the tip is the most obvious difference between picking tools, with hooks, half-diamond, ball, double ball, wave, sawtooth and other styles available. The proper pick and torque tool selection depend on the shape of the keyway, the features of the lock, the picking technique, what is billiards and the individual preferences of the user. An oscillating motion with the torque is often helpful here. To find places to buy BD, click here. It can become very tempting to "cheat" a bit here and move ahead the moment you get a difficult lock open the first time, but that will only make the rest of the course that much harder. The LAB picks can comfortably maneuver around even very tight keyways, and are among my personal favorites. For most of the picking methods discussed here, in which tumblers are manipulated one by one, a "hook"-style pick is generally used. Picks probe and lift the individual pin tumblers through the keyway, while torque tools control the degree and force of plug rotation. They allow very precise control over torque, especially when employing advanced picking techniques that involve a slight reversing of the rotation of the keyway. The Peterson "Reach" deep curve pick works well for this keyway, pivoting from the bottom of the keyway at the front.