The three hook picks in this kit are sufficient to manipulate the vast majority of pin tumbler locks found in the US. 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. Once you've picked a cylinder, you should know in exactly what order the pins pick. Eventually, you'll be able to comfortably pick the locks with five and six pins installed. In practice, of course, locks aren't perfect: the pin holes in the plug are slightly out of alignment with respect to the shell and the pins and pin holes are each of a slightly different diameter. There is a tradeoff, of course, since a longer handle may be difficult to maneuver around obstacles. That's it -- now you know almost everything there is to know about lock picking. 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.

Lifting pins is one of the basic actions of lock picking, and it's worth taking the time now to become good at it. Good tools are important, to be sure, but once a few basic tools are available the student of lock picking is usually better off investing in new locks on which to practice rather than in new picking tools. The selection of the torque tool is just as important as that of the pick, but, again, commercial pick kits often fail to include a sufficient range of sizes and designs to allow good control and feel across the range of common locks. The proper pick and torque tool selection depend on the shape of the keyway, the features of the lock, the picking technique, and the individual preferences of the user. The basic recommended pick set for this course includes four picks and four torque tools. 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. Unfortunately, these designs are less than ideal, and many of the "standard" picks are too large to fit and move comfortably in common lock keyways.

While there are literally thousands of different keyways in commercial use in the United States and thousands more abroad, these four give a fairly representative sample of the different kinds of wardings (and pin manipulation problems) you are likely to encounter in common (non-high-security) locks. There are exceptions, however. There are locks with two, five, and six pins in each keyway, but the keying codes aren't labeled on them. Much of lock picking skill depends on testing pins stacks for the purpose of finding which to push up next and assuring that no pins are overset. Much of this is simply a matter of individual preference, but certain choices here can also have an impact on performance. This style of tool is especially useful for holding open automotive locks that have spring-loaded dust covers. Another style of torque tool has two "prongs" that fit in the top and bottom of the keyway, with a cutout between them for the pick. 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.

Learn to apply the minimum amount of torque needed to turn the plug. It's possible that the plug will turn as soon as you set the first pin; if this happens, it's because you inadvertently lifted the other pin with the shaft of your pick while you were working on the first one. The top pin of that pin stack will be trapped above the shear line, the bottom pin will fall freely, and now a new pin stack (the next most misaligned one) prevents further rotation. Picks probe and lift the individual pin tumblers through the keyway, while torque tools control the degree and force of plug rotation. The basic principles of operation are essentially the same as those of the standard pin tumbler lock, except that the tumblers are exposed at the front of the cylinder and a round ("tubular") key is used. Left: The correct key lifts the pin stacks to align the cuts at the shear line.

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