It’s 2021 we need more vids like this where LPL just chills and has a real chance to explain. I like the 2-3min vids plenty but this is just what I needed thank you sir.
Yes now that he has covert instruments up and going we need more videos like this just bought some of his luck pics and I’m struggling through what would be some of the simplest locks for him would really love an end depth video on all the tools and the best way to use them in your opinion thanks
We need this exact type video for the new disc detainer lock. Anyone know if he or someone else has made a detailed breakdown for that? In all the videos I've seen, everything with the disc detainer pick is quickly glossed over.
Yeah definitely good advice, I've been struggling for a while with picking, but his tensioning method was a game changer for me. Now I can pick my 5 pin master locks within just a few seconds with constant success.
I became a lawyer somewhat late in life and one of the best things I learned in law school was to be very clear and concise in my communications. Most people use big, fancy words to make themselves seem more sophisticated, but the best communicators keep it simple. LPL is a master at this and it really makes his videos stand out.
Yes! That is what I love about his channel. No waste, no BS, every word valuable. Doesn't pat himself on the back, just lets the work speak for its self.
Every beginner should watch this video. It's jammed packed with great info and improved my skills 100%. It is the only video that I found that really helps you under stand tension and how to relate it into your picking. Thanks for explaining it in such detail. Wish I would of found this video when I first started hobby lock picking. Really a must see
I just shared this with my guys, 'cause I'm not great with words to explain just how important the turning tool is, and that it's more important than the pick... because this is literally the best explanation I've ever heard on it. All of the most important points explained very well if not perfectly.
Beginner here, holy shit this is answering almost all of my questions. Very excited to continue this hobby. Picked my front door today third attempt, failed every other attempt though, so I decided to watch some videos! Gonna be using top of the keyway tension now, and I learned about oversetting (which was probably my issue), and I need to buy more locks, because I don't wanna wreck a lock I use. I'm glad I bought so many things, but I want more tension wrenches, LPL's are smaller than mine I think, and they look a lot easier to use.
Here I am looking at this in 2024 as I'm beginning my journey into locksmithing and I have to say the heavier tension tip has absolutely saved me! Thank you for what you do and please keep helping us improve our craft ❤️
Videos like this should NOT be considered overly long because the "short" videos are the hook while longer videos (this one has over a million views!) will be rightly popular AFTER viewers are introduced to the subject. LPL could do a six hour marathon and many of us (self certainly included) would happily watch it if not necessarily in one shot. The LPL audience is firmly established.
You can tangibly hear LPL's second thought about stringing the words "thickest, stiffest tool I have" together; the tiny hesitation afterwards is solid gold. As always, great video!
Wow. I'm in my first week of learning to pick and have been having major consistency issues mastering my first basic 4-pin lock (no security pins). One day I'll pick it 5-6 times in a 45 min practice session, the next I'll struggle to get 2 successful picks. Sometimes I feel like I can tell when the pins set, and sometimes it's a total mystery . . . until this video. Just took your advice and was able to FEEL EVERYTHING, which resulted in 5 successful picks in the space of about 4 minutes. I'm just about ready to move onto bigger and badder locks after a 15 minute video. Thanks so much!
Me too, went from LPL and McNally's FNG kit clear lock to a masterlock and was able to pick it one hour and not able to the next. Increased my tension and the masterlock can pop open within a minute and i have a video of it popping in 20 secs. Its a master No 3 btw
@Zyghqwyv ofc it's masterlock 😂. Well done tho fr. I'm learning how to pick and I could get the clear practice lock open in about 5 seconds however sometimes longer. Hoping to buy better locks to try
@@rimusen6364might be late on this but have you seen the practice lock on covert instruments? It's settable and stuff. Comes with a bunch of security pins you can set it up with. Lil on the pricey side though.
Same! I can pick the little trainer lock super easily now because I use a ton of tension and just ease off if nothing is moving when I push. Way easier. Also finding top of the keyway tension making me have a lot more room to push.
I just paid so much attention to tension I'll mention my invention, it's a tension retention extension. My intention is not dissension but ascension to the pension dimension where my penchant for prevention of contention ends with detention or suspension. also locks.
Funny, I was practicing on some cheap padlocks (I'm pretty new to lockpicking) and was doing the exact same thing you said: Really heavy tension, releasing a bit when I found the right pin. I thought I was not doing it "properly", but since light tension didn't work, I thought "Fuck it, this works for me and it makes sense". Then I watched this video. Glad to hear I'm not the only one skeptical about the light tension golden rule!
Sounds like you've reached the intermediate level, as you are no longer dogmatically relying on advice you get, and have enough of a grasp on the basics to be able to figure out what works the best for you. Keep up the good work :)
I think part of the reason people advise light tension is because beginners tend to use too much tension. That said, reality is much more complicated than just “use light tension,” so it isn’t really good advice.
Its funny you say that, I had to pick a super simple lock that was attached to a cooler at work because I didn't have my key (the locking policy makes bo damn sense to me, who wants to steal lettuce and tomatoes) and i just happened to have started watching this guy a month or so ago. I never watched his how to but just the typical "this lock is shit" type video. Well tried to figure it out myself today making the tools out of Bobby pins and just going off what I've seen him do and say. Ill be damned if I didn't do a lot of the stuff he said was the right way but think I was an idiot for doing it.
Man I wish LPL had more time to do videos like this and this length. I know he too has a life and family but man we sure could triple our learning quickly. Either way, thank you LPL for ALL you give us.
I don't have any locks to pick nor do I have a lockpicking set... that being said, I sure do appreciate watching an expert explain his craft which is so dear to his heart.
I really must thank you for this video. I've been a locksmith for just over two years now, and you just advanced my skills more in fifteen minutes than the senior locksmith in my shop has the entire time I've been there. seriously, It's a night and day difference how much faster I am now.
Very informative and it makes me realize I'm gonna be needing better tension tools when I look at the picture of that cheap China lock picking set I ordered
Just in case you haven't come across some good tension tools in the past year you can find a nice selection on Sparrows website. They also have really really reasonable prices
For me it was mostly the wraith I'd suffer from my parents if I was caught hanging out with a chick during my teen years... the fear they instilled into me... it's bad.
Think the cc works so well because you speak clearly and at a constant speed. Love watching you and BosnianBill's video's, recently bought a lockpick set from China to try my hand and I'm already looking to make some heavier tension tools.
This is by far the most valuable lesson from you, and I play this bit over and over and over again. Please make more videos like this to help us understand how it works.
I’m literally watching your video on the toilet, and I’ve been trying to pick my first lock and when you said tension, it freaking opened. You’re the man
I'm pretty much new to picking, at least to the point of getting serious about it. I've been on the fringe of the community for quite a while, learning some, but for the most part it was just a way to keep my every increasing arthritic hands busy. Recently I began watching you, Bosnianbill and the Lock Noob... the three of you have put a spark of fun back into the hobby for me and I just can't seem to get enough of it. Tensioning has been my nemesis, and I agree with you, that mastering it is perhaps the largest hurdle in mastering picking. This video has given me more insight into what I'm doing than most all others combined. Thanks for the clear view and I look forward to moving into my next level of understanding. I know for a fact that picking has been a big ally in my fight against arthritis and the more I can stay motivated, the better. Your commitment to this hobby is truly appreciated and pretty darn admirable. Thank you my friend ...
Superb video! The thought you've put into this topic in addition to the organized, concise, and articulate manner in which you deliver the information is unparalleled! Thank you.
Well, you need a good balance. I certainly carry many, many tension tools in my case. Finding the perfect tension is as important as finding the right shape pick.
@@lockpickinglawyer it would be very interesting to take a lock and time yourself picking it with various different tension tools to see the degree to which it makes a difference in the difficulty.
LPL is one of the most technical and detailed on the ins and outs of lock mechanics and the picking process....well made informational videos show you the most in terms of important information, useful tips, precise explanation of what he's doing while picking, and even throws in the subtle details of each particular lock mechanism he is featuring. He really knows his stuff 🔒🗝️🔓🔑🔐
You are the first person I have come across to make me able to visualize what happens inside the lock. Counter rotations, spools, serrated pins. Your whole approach to tension and explaining what happens inside the pin, why you decrease and increase tension at different stages. I sat there looking at the wall, not the video and I could picture how the pins were moving. Thank you. You are an excellent teacher. No wonder I can binge watch your videos for hours.
I'm only picking about two years now and any hard lock I ever picked, I always gave up on light tension and gave it some muscle (I basically got pissed off lol) But yeah, that's my first 'go to' now anytime I tackle a new lock! Thanks for the advice!
Your thoughts on tension helped me pick my first lock, while still watching your video. I have given this a try many times but haven't really understood what i was doing wrong untill now. Thanks mate 👍
I watch your videos over and over. I have learned so much from your expertise… thank you for your hard work. You have done more to help this sport than anyone I know of. Cheers!
Thank you for making this video. I ran into problem tension and immediately realized that not all tensioning tools are the same. This fills in the blanks.
I just bought my first lockpick set after watching a bunch of your videos, then found this one. I'm really glad I found this information before I ever tried to pick my first lock! I'll be developing good habits and paying attention to tension right from the get-go. Still useful in 2021, thank you very much!
Wow, just wow. Your educational videos are several orders of magnitude more effective at improving my skill than any other RU-vidr. Thank you very much for these!
This is really a forgotten subject, but very valid and true when it comes to picking. The feedback from the tension tool is vital in understandng what you are up against and as a noob, I felt puzzled that very few pickers had anything to say about the tension and how they use it. I guess it is like you suggest, that they just don't realize what they are doing tensionwise in a picking session. Excellent video as always! Thanks.
@@OlavARod I am. It was just a lie so I could get into heaven after I died. As it turns out the bible was wrong about gays going to hell and God is actually LGBT friendly.
Freddie Mercury - yeah i understand. It makes sense when you say it :) (BTW to all the gay people out there: i think it’s okay to be gay and I think that you should continue.)
Extraordinary video! Looking forward to trying more tension with a less springy wrench! Conselor, this one was eye opening! Very important video in my lock picking journey! Thank you. So glad I found this video!
Absolutely brilliant! I have been fascinated for years subscribed and watching your videos, but never knew "how" you get your feedback and progress the pick, "nothing on one, little click out of two" etc... This solves a piece of that puzzle for me, giving me more appreciation and understanding. It never occurred to me to look for instructional videos, I just appreciated your content as you picked. I felt it daunting to "Just start" into lock picking as a hobby, and I have wanted to for quite some time, but getting started without understanding would be useless. This is great! I feel so much more comfortable now ordering a Covert Companion. Time to binge more of your videos :D
My personal experience so far has been that light tension is best if you're trying to rake open a lock, but heavy tension is best if you're single-pin picking. Don't know if you'll read this, LPL, but I'd definitely like some more content like this from you in the future!
Ive been following your instruction for just over a year and it is you approach to teaching so methodically and putting the need to know and the nice to know info in the right places. On a scale of 1 to 10 you have brought me to a level greater than five yet not quite 6. I am certain my attention to tension now will bedecisive in rating my skill level at 6 or 7. Thank you and God Bless All
You are great! Always been wanting to learn how to do this as a hobby since I was a kid, just all the mechanics in a little lock is amazing! Thank you LPL!
I would like to tell you, since i 1st started watching your video, you've inspired me to try and learn how to lock pick. I've bought my first set you've recently made a review on and opened my first two locks (no piece of cake). Thank you for your informative videos and thanks to you, i don't have to drill through cylinders at work to let people who forget there keys to their room.
I'm a beginner at picking locks. And I haven't seen anyone else cover this topic in any of the lock picking tutorials I have watched. So this video was very helpful and I definitely suggest that other beginners take the time to watch it. Thank you LPL! 🙏
The advice given in this video is game-changing! I was struggling with one lock for 2 days but as soon as I applied heavier tension I was able to open it at first try!
This video definitely stands the test of time. I'm a newer picker and have been struggling a bit with overset and getting a feel for the pins with the CI lock pinned to a key I have (standard pins). Been using 30 thou, bottom of the keyway. I've picked it a few times, but it seems hit and miss, like I can't determine binding order. As soon as I switched to 50 thou, top of the keyway, I picked it in under 30. Feels so much better. Thanks @LockPickingLawyer !
Harry,This is an awesome video. I have been using this as well as video #182. I'm mixing padlocks and mortise locks in random order and making good improvement. Very encouraging! Thanks!! Rob
This is a very important subject that is not addressed by other picker videos. Especially notable is the top of the key way tension point, something that is avoided by most new comers to lock picking. I believe it is avoided as the very idea of inserting a rigid tool at the very point of the picking is contrary to the idea of seeing the keyway. I for many months would use those flexible tension tools to allow a clear view. However your comments are enlightening as regards the top of the keyway as being the best place and the rigidity of the tension tool being important. Very nice video, very informative and well presented, thanks.
Excellent video my man! I've literally never thought about the "springy" torsion tools, but you're absolutely right. I've noticed a massive difference between picking with the usual torsion tools and the flat five. Every picker new or old should watch this video, and why on earth are these springy torsion tools still in existence?! It's like a giant light bulb just went off in my head. I know this is a much older video of yours and I wish I would of watched this when I first started spp'n. I can honestly say this is no doubt one of the most important videos on YT when it comes to picking! No wonder you just won 1st place at the Toool Con.
I must say that I recognize there were some sad stress in your life on the day you created this video. Sad stress is one of my primary motivators. I also realized right now that, in the case of an apocalypse, many things would be locked, and that is the way you picked the lock to my heart.
You’re amazing. Your teaching methods not only clearly elucidates your points thus getting through to the learner, it also cultivates interest in anyone who just happened to be dropping by your channel. Please add more general tutorials like these. A master who can impart knowledge the way you do is rare. Thank you for your passion and for sharing
The locksmith lawyer is just making up shit! And you idiots believe everything he says like he's an expert! I'm a locksmith and I'll tell you picking locks can be very easy if it's a cheap lock like a Kwikset or very hard. It all depends on how the pins are aligned next to each other. Short pins next to tall pins is going to be very hard to pick. And tensioning is something you just pick up with time and doing a lot of lock picking. His idea of tension just doesn't fly because he doesn't know what he's talking about! Especially when he says he is using the tensioner tool at the top of the cylinder keyway. How in the world is he going to pick the number one chamber when he's got the tension tool is up right against the number one chamber pin!
This is one of the most informational and useful videos I've ever seen on picking. It helped me SO much when I was starting out years ago. I hope you do eventually make videos on advanced tension techniques.
Just started lockpicking yesterday and I was having a difficult time reaching the first pin and the 5th pin and I couldn't figure out why they were such a struggle for me. Well, I was placing my tension wrench at the bottom of the key way and it was simply in my way making it difficult for me to reach them. Just starting out that seemed like the logical place to go for me, glad I stumbled on this video to help me realize how silly I was being.
Thanks for this very informative video-- Tension has been the major weak point in my learning process. You're right, there are scarcely any videos covering this very important topic
Thanks -- I hope this is helpful. It really is shocking that so few people have spoken on the topic -- it's so important and far more complex than picking.
truly some of the best advise I've ever received for picking locks. I've been using those wiper styles that were tensioned like a spring for a while, and I always thought I was just kind of shit at lock picking. Got a new wrench tensioned stiffly and it made a world of difference. was able to easily pick a lock that I previously was only able to rake open thanks to the much improved feedback.
thank you, and you've totally opened my eyes to a world of picking beyond what I knew possible and what I ever thought of being able to achieve myself.
As a first time lock picker your advice was the most valuable vis: I was cat sitting for familly when wind blew an upstairs bedroom window closed ! The ladder was long enough to shut the window, but short to allow entry. Why the bedoom door was locked with no keys outside I'll never know! To "cut a long story square ! " I spent an hour on you tube. Then with two pairs of pliers and with heat from a gass-hob I made the two necessary tools from two "boby" pins = ladies hair clips. I took a close look at your tensioners and made look-a-like to those on the extreem right , just adding some flat epoxy handles. At the round door knob I applied strong tension to a deeply instert tool, and set to work feeling for pins ! Within ten minitues I got the first bit of revolution and the with a bit of a scrapining sound the barrel fully rotated ! Many thanks to you and others on RU-vid.
This was really helpful, when i first started picking, I used light tension, and had a lot of trouble finding binds, but then i started using the higher tension with a bit of backoff, it worked soo much better!
Thank you...very informative and actually interesting the way you explain things. Most instruction from classes isn’t clear, where your to the point. Much appreciated!
Using what I learned from this video helped me discern the difference between a pin that's binding and one that's set and instantly made me a better picker. I blew through all the locks I bought for practicing with ease. Simply the exact advice I needed.
Another great video! I was using the thinnest/weakest tension tool thinking it'd provide more feedback, can't wait to try this technique and hopefully improve my luck. Thank you LPL
Great video!!! I’ve recently transitioned from a lock picking hobbyist to an actual locksmith, and with thousands of different locks to pick now at my disposal, I’m realizing more and more every day how spot on your take on tension is. Thanks!
Two points. First of all, your voice is very soothing and can allow for meditation and focus. I would not apologize for having a 15 min video. Second, and this is an observation of a complete beginner of lockpicking as someone who used to use BUMP Keys a little bit more often than actual picks, I find that your description of tension is very accurate. It is a dynamic concept. I have better success rates when I come to a binded pin if I release the tension a little bit to push the pin in and then add that tension back. Literally pick to open my very first lock just now while watching this video. Thank you!
Excellent video on tensioning. Great advice for a beginner like myself, and probably food for thought for more experienced pickers as well! Happy New Year, Sir!
With a spool pin, it's kinda like driving a stick shift when your coming out of first gear. You wanna give it enough tension that you don't over set the pin, nor let other pins drop. It's finding the right balance all the way through till it sets. It's like when you have a deep false set, that's where you really need to balance letting off the tension as well as putting the right amount of pressure on the pick. I have one lock in particular that gets a really deep false set. The final pin in that particular lock that needs to be set is a spool pin. I use top of the key way on that lock cause it's set really deep. It also needs a lot of tension just to turn the damn thing. This lock is definitely a balancing act. At least a third of the time I'll have to loosen up the tension so much that the damn tensioner falls out. But if there was only one pin I could pick to pick, it would be spools. They're the most fun, At least for me.
Here I am working on picking this lock while trying to figure out if what you say about stick shifting cars is a metaphor or an analogy... I clearly need more hobbies. :)
I started lock picking yesterday thanks to you and your videos. I found if I over tension the barrel, the correct pins would overly bind. I would then let the pressure off very very slightly whilst picking the pins. I've successfully picked 3 locks already. Ive found the best style already suited to me. Thank you!
I have never picked a lock and didn't really intended to try. Until I watched your videos. Your videos (Especially this one) and the explanations you give are fascinating. I learned so much about how a lock works and about their flaws. I also find the engineering that goes into these fascinating. Thanks for making such great content and sparking an interest in a subject I may not even have thought of before.
great explanations I've been trying to work with heavier tension you clarified some things I think I'm doing wrong can't wait to put your advice to work
Great video, nice and succinct, i learned more about tension in this one vid than ive learned in the 2 months ive been picking, thank you, im learning alot of what i know from u n BB, LN than anyone else but i gotta say i think u r by the far the best n most informative, once again thank u & keep up the vids!!!
"it's about the thickest and stiffest tool that I have" lol notice he said "about", which ultimately means it is not the thickest and stiffest tool that he has.
Great video thanks. Nice to know that you make use of the wrench in the bottom of the keyway to lever the pick against, as that's something I've found myself doing, and I wondered if this was good technique. Potential problems I've found with top of the keyway tension are that the wrench can make it harder to access the first pin, and if the wrench is touching the pin it might bind it or reduce feedback. The latter problem is of course avoided by not pushing the wrench in too far, but then some keyways don't have a lot of depth before the first pin.
I learned a lot today. Thank you for taking the time to explain this I realize now a few things I've been doing wrong. I can't wait to get out to the garage and first make a few new tensioners then to get in some more practice . Thanks LPL Keith
this was exactly my expirience when i started picking. i used way to light tension, got some "advanced locks" open but the cheap ones were still "unpickable" for me lol. i wonder why.
I feel like I should be paying you for this professional grade lesson you gave me. I’ve watched multiple times and there are tons of tips in here that would otherwise take years of experience to discover on my own, thank you so much for this LPL!
"my way of picking may not be the best" Dude I started picking 3 days ago and can now comfortably deal with spool pins by just watching and listening to you and your videos. I'm now trying to learn how to deal with false gates. You are an Absolute Monster. Thank You.
I know everyone talks about Bosnianbill but his "How to beat Spool Pins" is perfect for people who want some more in depth teachings on tension. =] Great video by the way. :D
i agree. i use a fairly heavy tension as it gives me great feedback. when i first started, i over tensioned like most do, but then went way too light and was getting frustrated. my biggest problem i am finding is that i tend to underset some pins. then the others seem springy and i think i have overset something so i start over. is frustrating too. great video though. love it.
another question, sorry. so i watched it and actually did know that once you said it, but wouldn't an underset pin 'look' the same when doing that check? btw, yours and bosnianbills videos have taken my picking hobby from wanting to throw locks to actually spp'ing them pretty regularly. i even picked my ultimate adversary with 5 serrated pins when i couldn't even pick my master 3 a month ago. thanks.
This was amazing advice. I've been having trouble with my abus 55/40. As soon as I started using tighter tension, my tension tool wasn't falling out anymore and it helped me find the non-binding pins way easier.
![[188] My Approach to Lock Picking Tension](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
