ASSA Twin 6000 Pick & Gut 

Hahaha... You can say that again. It's strange that the simple action of a core turning can push that much adrenaline into our brains, but it does :)

Thanks dude! You are a better man that I! I progressively pinned this thing in nearly every imaginable configuration before finally getting it open. Hopefully the tips and thoughts help. I was reading more of XEO's writing about these, and he mentioned that there is a good deal of variability in both how they are best picked and how difficult they are to pick. Given the huge difference between the new and old-style top pins, I can certainly believe it.

tumbl3r I've started watching your videos recently, I'm simply impressed. I'm a theologian/minister /veteran/prepper your calm rational demeanor adds volumes to your work. I used to pick back when I performed and did escapes, but nothing at all to your level. Thank you for your great videos.

Brian, Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you have been enjoying the videos I've made and I really appreciate you taking the time to say so :) Being able to pick locks under the pressure you experience during an escape performance is quite an impressive skill! Did you do handcuffs as well as locks?

Thanks Robert! This lock is by far my proudest accomplishment. I spent two months and got a repetitive stress injury to my elbow learning to pick this lock. Of all the locks in the world, I have the most respect for the ASSA Twin. Five pin Medeco Biaxials are a great way to get started with sidebars. Start off with two pins and keep working until you can pick all six. Also, let me know how it's going. I'd love to hear about your progress :)

+tumbl3r Hi cliff I had to watch this video again because I may have a lock like this one I think that Bill from the lock lab sent me and I wanted to watch you pick and gut it again so I may learn something. As far as my progress I have already 17 videos out. I did a video on both the challenge locks you sent me thank you for that. They are on there way to Steel Pinnings. I still have the one you gave me to make a challenge lock with. Is everything ok I haven't seen any new videos lately. Hope all is good.

Everything's fine man... I've just been on vacation for the past few weeks. I've been checking out your videos and they look great man! Your channel is really coming together!

+tumbl3r thank you if it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't have a channel. Glade to here from you again and everything is good. I hope you had a blast on your vacation it's good to here from you again and I look forward to more of your videos.

Thanks man! From what I understand there is a huge amount of variability to these locks. I'm excited to learn more about them, so let me know how it goes when you tackle yours.

Thanks man! It sure did feel good to get it picked on camera in its original configuration! I'm SO ready to move onto another project :)

I understand how difficult it can be to find a good product, and I would imagine this kind of thing only complicates matters. I'm sorry that my video has confused the issue, and I appreciate your reading out. Let me start by saying that I am NOT a locksmith, and while I think I have a pretty good handle on the overall security of the systems out there, I have been very impressed with +Wayne Winton and his videos about selecting the best locks for your home. He is a locksmith and does a great job evaluating locks against the most common attack vectors. I will leave links to some of his videos down below. If you chose to read no further, please understand that almost every single lock I pick on my channel is FAR superior to what I actually have on my home. With the exception of the Kiwkset SmartKey, I would install any of them and rest easy knowing my home is safe. But, since's you've started down the rabbit hole, let me see if I can take you a bit deeper, and hopefully clear the waters, which I would imagine are quite murky at this point. First let's look at the four categories of locks. The can basically be broken down into the following categories: - Residential - Commercial - High Security - Ultra High Security The majority of the locks I pick on my channel are either in the "High Security" or "Ultra High Security" categories. The ASSA Twin 6000 in this video falls solidly into the "Ultra High Security" category. The locks you are going to find at the hardware store or a place like Home Depot are universally in the "Residential" category. Beyond that, it will generally be a locksmith that is working with you to install the system. Below I will list some of the most common locks, and which category they fall into for your reference. Now let's look at the common attack vectors. The ways a criminal is likely to attack a lock. I will list them roughly from most likely to least likely: - Smashing - Cutting - Drilling - Bypassing - Picking Notice how picking comes in dead last. In fact, European locks are ranked largely due to their resistance to smashing, cutting or drilling, while picking resistance is considered far less important. The simple fact is that picking locks is an art form. which is very very difficult to learn. Even the most basic picking is well beyond the capacity of most criminals. When you start to get into the "High Security" and "Ultra High Security" locks there are really only a handful of us in the world who can do it. It takes us countless hours of work, success is always uncertain, and we are working under the most optimal conditions. We have a comfortable chair, the locks is clamped up in an optimal angle, we have a cup of coffee, and our favorite music is playing. It's a very very different situation from crouching in the dark trying to break into someone's home. Also keep in mind that the RU-vid videos you are watching are only the final few minutes of a very long and difficult journey. For example, I have a video where I picked a Schlage Primus (Ultra High Security) in about eight minutes. I have a nearly identical lock on my desk now that I have been trying to get into for several hours. I know of no one who finds these locks easy to pick. Again, success is always uncertain, even under the most comfortable and optimal conditions. So hopefully I have convinced you to not worry so much about picking. Does that mean you should invest in common "Residential" grade locks that are easy to pick? No, but it does mean that pick resistance should probably not be your primary concern. The criminal will always take the easiest path in. I can put a $300 EVVA MCS on my wooden front door, and the common criminal is gong to smash it just as easily as if I had a $5 residential Quickset on it. Again, we need to look at the entire system. Be thinking about the strength of your doors and how protected your windows are. If you have exposed large windows, consider using security film on them. If you can honestly evaluate your doors and windows as secure, then it might be time to start moving up the food chain in terms of locks. Again, Wayne does a wonderful job testing various locks agains cutting, drilling and bypassing. Have a look at the videos below. Since you commented on this particular video, I am going to go out on a limb and assume that The ASSA Twin 6000 is the lock you had selected. If that is the case, you have selected probably the finest overall locking system in the world. I have seen none that I like better. There is drill protection everywhere, it is well made, and extremely sturdy. The ASSA Twin series of locks are my absolute favorites. I would not only trust my home to them, but any top secret government facility as well. While I have picked them on RU-vid, I have only done so with hours of time invested, along with a repetitive stress injury to my elbow. Honestly, they are beautiful locking systems and are probably overkill for any residential setting. But, if you want the best, this lock is probably it. Personally, I cannot honestly say that the other attack vectors in my home are secure enough to justify the pice of these locks. Although I have considered getting them just for the "connoisseur" factor. So again, please remember that there is something of an illusion to RU-vid lock picking. We do pick the locks, and we are very careful to show that we are not cheating, but you never see all that we invest up-front to get there. Believe me, those of us that are picking anything above "Commercial" locks have invested countless hours learning the craft. If it helps put things into perspective, virtually no professional locksmiths are able to pick anything above "Commercial" grade locks. It's just us crazy folks in the locksport hobby. I will also say that I personally do not pick locks to diminish them. On the contrary. If I pick it, it is usually because I find it interesting in some way. Generally that means it is a VERY good lock. I hope this has helped. Again I am sorry that my videos have caused confusion. I am always happy to help and here if you have more questions. Please check out Wayne's channel as well. Below are the resources I promised you: Wayne's video on selecting residential deadbolts: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aIPxdy2hRX8.html Wayne's video on high security locks: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jL7ItOgrvnM.html Wayne's video of drilling some high security locks: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3cYHl3npMW0.html Common examples of Residential locks: Schlage, Kwikset or generic locks found at the hardware store Common examples of Commercial grade locks: Schlage Everest, BEST, Sargent Common examples of High Security locks: Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, ASSA 700 Common examples of Ultra High Security locks: ASSA Twin (any), Schlage Primus, Schlage Everest Primus, Mul-T-Lock MT5+, BiLock, EVVA 3KS, EVVA MCS

Wow. This is superbly useful and interesting synopsis of lock security and lock picking. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

Picks are a very personal thing, but you're right that most sets come with many picks you will never use. Keep in mind that many people like to rake locks open. I don't even own a rake, but many people like them. For me personally, the essentials are: Short Hook, Medium Hook, Gem and Hook #7 in 0.018 and 0.025, along with Pry Bars in 0.040 and 0.050 and a small assortment of bottom-of-keyway tensioners. All my picks are Peterson Government Steel. Again, pick selection is a very personal thing. Also, keep in mind that many sets are discounted from the individual prices. If you can find a set that contains the essentials, and a few picks you're not interested in, it might still be a good buy because you would pay more for fewer individual picks and not get a nice case. The Peterson 14 piece GSP set is a very very good selection of picks, and has a really nice calfskin case. The only problem is that the picks come in 0.015 and 0.025. 0.015 is paper thin, and over kill for the vast majority of keyways. I have asked Ken to offer the set in 0.018 and 0.025. He said he would consider it, but to my knowledge has not done so yet. I make it a point not to do product review videos because I don't want to get into all that nonsense with manufacturers. Everything you see me use I have purchased for myself and am using because I think it is the best available. I hope this helps you select some picks. Welcome to the very enjoyable world of opening locks without their keys. Stop by keypicking.com or reddit.com/r/lockpicking and say hello. Both are great communities.

Those old gin-bottle spools are terrible! I honestly don't think I could have picked this one without using the counter rotational force of the sidebar springs to pick out of false. Once those edges are stuck under the lip in the countermilling, there REALLY want to stay there. I read about a technique recently on keypicking.com written by Patrick Star that describes a method of using two tension wrenches so that positive control of the core can be maintained in both directions. This might help you pick out of false on a lock with no sidebar. Might be worth a read... keypicking.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=11910

Cheers, good info, joining group.

Theyre allright if you sand down the sharp edges

Oh yes, I completely understand your frustration! These locks are maddening! Just when you almost have it picked, everything comes falling down. It just makes you throw your picks down and walk away! The only advice I can give is to try picking things in a slightly different order. That's what I had to do with this lock. It was weeks before I found a combination that worked.

Hey man, thanks for your comment :) Always feel free to ping me if you're looking for something from the states. I certainly know the pain of trying to buy locks internationally. The only way I've been able to get DOM and ASSA stuff out of Europe is to rely on the kindness of my friends living over there. I'm always willing to help. So let's see. The difference between the Pro and the v10? I'v used this paper (toool.nl/images/d/dc/Assa-twin-part1.pdf) to learn just about everything I know about ASSA locks. The sidebars are identical but the pins are slightly different. Basically the same construction though, and from a picking perspective I cannot tell the difference. Granted my sample size is small, but they really do seem the same. I believe the only real difference is the vertical dimensions of the sidebar pins which allows for different keying combinations on the sidebar. I've honestly never compared them side-by-side though, so there could be some other subtle differences. I don't know of any other ASSA Twin that uses the same sidebar pins as the 6000, and I have never seen the deep, gin-bottle spools in any other ASSA core either. From what I understand, they are older pins that ASSA has discontinued using. I'm not sure why though, because the combination of those spools and the matched countermilling is an absolute nightmare to pick through. By comparison, the newer barrel spools are a walk in the park. The Combi system is probably my favorite and uses an almost identical sidebar / sidebar pin system as the Schlage Primus. I understand they were designed by the same person and licensed to both companies. The only differences I can tell in those two systems are in the some of the sidebar pins. Sometimes (mine has this) there will be vertical striations in the sidebar pins that interface with a small "tooth" on the sidebar itself. This makes them behave like serrated pins, only they click when you rotate them. I have never seen this used in a Primus, so I assume it is an ASSA specific thing. They are, of course very different to pick, but I can't really say one is more difficult than the other. Sometimes that clicking feedback is nice. The perfectly smooth ones are so silent and unresponsive that it's hard to tell I'm doing what I think I'm doing :) I don't know if I would call this a "Twin" but the newer ASSA DP is quite an amazing lock. Each sidebar pin is split vertically down the middle, allowing two sidebar pins in one chamber. Each half has a small Primus style "handle" on the bottom allowing it to interface with a pick or a key. Usually each half has a different set height, and they are not sprung, meaning you almost need to get it right on the first try or reset. Obviously the sidebar and pins are vastly different in this system, and unique as far as I can tell. They come in two styles, the 2400 and the 4400. The former has two pairs of sidebar pins while the latter has five. So four and ten pins respectively. I picked the 2400 on cam, but to my knowledge the 4400 remains unpicked. I do know there is a guy working on it though. Anyhow, I hope this helps. Again, always feel free to reach out if you need something from the states. I'm happy to help.

Thanks for taking the time to explain the differences and similarities between the various Assa locks :) Ever since I got my first assa Im hooked, easily my favorite lock :D Cant wait to give the Twin 6000 a try, but I think It might be a while before I can get it on video. I recently picked the D12 but I could only get it picked with 5 pins, felt bad uploading a incomplete pick but the 6th pin is a higher cut one and I believe these locks are dependent on bitting weather or not you can pick them, at least from what I've experienced. Have you Picked a restricted D12 ? the 1300 series ? Also, thanks to you I have gotten my Medeco LFIC (with no control key) out of its housing, check out the video I think you might be surprised how I did it :P And since then Ive gotten the M3 picked aswell, 5 pin but I still feel great about it :D I will be doing a video on that next. Thanks again for your time buddy!

Thanks Jeff! This project has been quite a rollercoaster!

Jiggle test

Thanks for watching man! Your point about master wafers would be true if any of them were set to represent the first sheer line, but in this case they were all setup to be the second. The gin bottle spools all got trapped in countermilling under tension before any of the master wafers even entered the picture. Chamber three would have been the only place where a dual sheer line would have had any chance of helping me out, since there was no countermilling there.

Thanks for watching. I have since upgraded my lighting, so you should see a vast improvement in my more recent videos. More difficult locks too :)