BiLock offers a Bump and Pick Proof Lock

To help prevent the unlawful entry access provided by lock picking and lock bumping, BiLock North America, Inc. has produced and released a 12 pin lock that claims on being unpickable and unbumpable.

To achieve this, the lock utilizes 12 pins, two side bars, and requires a specialized key that cannot be reproduced by common key reproduction methods. New and replacement keys will need to be created though an authorize BiLock distributor. This will ideally be where you bought the lock in the first place. There are millions of possible key codes and the lock cylinders are interchangeable. Interchangeability is a good feature to have if you need to leave a friend, neighbor, or family members a key to your place while you are on vacation.

No, I’m not advertising for BiLock, I just came across them in a search for “unpickable deadbolts”. I thought their products looked pretty useful. But this comes back to the other concern of a previous posting. You can have an expensive lock on the door, but most crooks are going to just try and break the door in. So if you are going to invest in some quality locks, make sure you have a heavy duty door and reinforced door frame.

Are the Lock Picking Videos Found Online Authentic?

There is a wide variety of videos online showing people picking open locks with one method or another. From bump keys, pick guns, paper clips, aluminum shims, and just good old fashioned lock picks. The focus of a lot of these videos is on speed picking. It seems with a tension wrench and a pick, a few quick rakes across the pins will open the lock. While there is no doubt that some people possess this skill, there are far too many video that make it look too easy.

Some of these video makers even get called out by the comments left by viewers, especially when the lock picker dismantled the lock before picking it. Claims of they left out pins and so on. And who knows, some probably do. You know, move magic. The stuff you don’t see when the camera is off. The speedsters also get called on picking locks that they normally wouldn’t have as easy access to in real life. Meaning picking a deadbolt on a door, can be harder than picking one you are holding in your hand. And similar claims for the lock pickers who just take the cylinder out of a lock and pick it.

Ultimately it is up the viewing community to believe the video or not, like the old saying goes: “Don’t believe everything you see on TV.”

Many Burglars Will Not Share Your Respect For Lock Picking

Movies and television still portray the traditional lock picking method to gain entry to a home. But again, this is some move magic. In reality, most thieveries will be done by people who do not have any lock picking abilities. Lock picking requires time and skill. And most thieves are in a rush to get in and out.

The methods used to get into your home can include:

1. Brute Force—The goal of brute force attempts is to break the door.
2. Break the lock—This can be done by prying off the lock, drilling out the lock, sawing the lock, and trying to break off the lock with a hammer.
3. Breaking the Glass—Front doors with glass panes may be decorative and pretty, but they leave your locks susceptible to attack. If a robber can simply break the glass and reach in to unlock the dead-bolt and door knob, they will. If you have a door with glass, it is advisable to get a dead-bolt that has a keyed lock on both ends. So even if they can unlock your door knob, the dead-bolt will stay locked.
4. The Door was just unlocked—If you do not lock your doors or you simply forget, that is an open invitation to home invaders.
5. Spare Keys—People tend to keep spare keys outside of their home for emergencies. But you honestly don’t know who is watching you and has seen where you hide this key. If you leave a key with neighbors, you need to make sure you really trust them. Crimes are often committed by the people you know.

More Devices You Cannot Pick

When you hear about picking door locks or deadbolts, you do not usually hear about the other deterrents that may be employed to stop unauthorized entry into a room, apartment, or a house. Probably because these devices are not locks in the traditional sense, but they can prevent the door from being opened.

The addition door devices being referred to:

1. The Chain Lock—This setup consist of a chain on a base that is screwed into your doorframe or nearest stud to your door. Then there is a receiver piece that is screwed into your door. On the end of the chain there is a little connector piece that slides into the chain receiver. This combination allows the partial opening of a door.
2. The Flip Lock—Does not allow the door to be opened. This is a hinged metal unit installed in you doorframe. When the door is closed, you can slide over the hinged metal wing and set it down into the base in its locking position. This adds resistance to the door and prevents it from being easily opened.
3. The Door Guard—In the same ideology as the chain lock. This unit is a metal rod and hoop that interlock together to allow the partial opening of a door.
4. The Barrel Bolt—A cylindrical metal bolt is used to slide into a metal housing. This is similar to the action sequence on a bolt-action rifle. On the cylinder is a knob that rest in a cutout section of the bolt casing. When it is slid into the lock position, the knob is set to rest in a separate cut out in the casing.

The highlight of these door lock devices is that they do not require keys. This removes the risk of lock pickers being able to open them with locksmith tools.

A Deterrent You Cannot Pick Open—“The Door Club”

Back in the nineties, “The Club” was all the rage for car theft deterrents. Not too far after that, the company decided to make an anti-theft device for the house. Their entry was “The Door Club” and to its advantage, it has no lock that could eventually be picked open with lock picks. The claim by the makers of “The Door Club” was that deadbolts and conventional locks were useless under a brute force attack on the door. Which in some cases is very true. And people, who just try to kick in the door, obviously cannot pick a lock. So to stop those who and cannot pick a lock, there is “The Door Club”.

“The Door Club” had some setup work to be done before it could be used. It was required to have a floor plate installed into the floor. It was not just quickly drilled in, but properly drilled deep in the concrete and anchored in. With the floor plate in place, one would simply slide the resistance bar into the holes in the floor plate. Advertisements claimed that the resistance produced by the bar could withstand over two tons of force. The set of course included a metal kick plate to install onto your door to help prevent any damage to it from using “The Door Club”. It also came with a handy rack to that installed on the door to hold the resistance bar while it was not being used.

How To Pick Open a Door Lock With A Credit Card

What has become one of the standard cliché scenes in movies and television shows is the picking of a door lock with a credit card. Whenever our hero needed to gain entry to an off limits area, he would whip out a card and wiggle it a bit in the door and poof it magically popped open. Though used in a fictional setting, the practice does have some merit in reality. As with real lock picking, it may not be done as fast as it is in movies, but it can be done.

The logic behind this lock picking method is as follows.

Step 1- Take any plastic card you may have. This can be the aforementioned credit card or a similar substitute like a gift card, library card, or even a shopping rewards type of card.

Step 2- Take the card and insert it between the door and the doorframe where the door lock latches. Your goal is to slowly push down the latch by maneuvering the card. If done right you can slowly work the lock down. Applying a little pressure on the door with your body weight can also help the process. This process can only possibly work on spring loaded locks. You cannot use it on a deadbolt or other heavy-duty locks. Some of these spring loaded locks have an extra security tab to prevent you from opening the lock. The direction of the latch will also affect how hard the task will be. If the slanted side of the latch is towards you, it will be easier than if it is away you. The door trim around the frame may also pose as a blocker to the door lock.

And as always, only practice lock picking on locks you own. Any attempt to open locks you don’t have permission for is illegal, even if you do not have any criminal intent.

A Method Of Picking A Desk Drawer Lock

For as long as I’ve had my desk, it has had the original lock that I never had a key for. Recently I came across a suitable replacement lock and then changed the lock in my desk drawer, the question of how easily could this lock be picked came into my mind. From researching the question, the main method seems to be similar to the regular lock picking methods.

The suggested tools consist of a pair of paperclips or a paper clip and a screwdriver. One of the paper clips will be straightened and will be used as the lock pick. The second paperclip or the screwdriver will be used as a tension wrench. Begin by trying to feel for the pins with your lock pick. The lock will probably be simple enough that you could rake the pins. If not, you will just have to pick each pin. While you are trying to lift the pins, you can slowly turn the tension wrench to keep pressure on the lock cylinder. As you slow keep turning the lock it will fully turn to the unlocked position after you set the pins. It is said that you can relock the lock by using the reverse of the unlocking method.

It should be common sense, but to make things clear. This information is only provided for the lock picking hobbyist. The techniques mentioned in this Blog are only intended to be used for locks that you personally own and not for any illegal purposes.

Picking a lock with some common items.

Our video today features a demonstration of lock picking done with a bent Bobby pin pick and a pen clip tension wrench. Videos using common items to pick a lock have always been amongst my favorites. There is a charm to it, like watching old eighties movies and “MacGyver” episodes. There is also a nice little explanation on how the lock works, which is nice since many of the videos you see just have guys going for speed trials. They just pop open the lock and are done.

As most of you know, lock picks are considered burglary tools in many states. And unless you are a licensed locksmith, you might get yourself into trouble if a member of the local law enforcement finds them on you. Hopefully you are picking locks for the fun and challenge of it and not for criminal intent. The criminal intent is what gets you trouble and gives lock picking a bad name. If you are caught committing a crime while in the possession of lock picks, the severity of your punishment will increase in many states. Your misdemeanor can easily jump up to a felony.

An excerpt from the California Penal Code:

CA – California California Penal Code – Section 466-469. Burglarious And Larcenous Instruments And Deadly Weapons. 466. Every person having upon him or her in his or her possession a picklock, crow, keybit, crowbar, screwdriver, vise grip pliers, water-pump pliers, slidehammer, slim jim, tension bar, lock pick gun, tubular lock pick, floor-safe door puller, master key, ceramic or porcelain spark plug chips or pieces, or other instrument or tool with intent feloniously to break or enter into any building, railroad car, aircraft, or vessel, trailer coach, or vehicle as defined in the Vehicle Code, or who shall knowingly make or alter, or shall attempt to make or alter, any key or other instrument named above so that the same will fit or open the lock of a building, railroad car, aircraft, vessel, trailer coach, or vehicle as defined in the Vehicle Code, without being requested to do so by some person having the right to open the same, or who shall make, alter, or repair any instrument or thing, knowing or having reason to believe that it is intended to be used in committing a misdemeanor or felony, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any of the structures mentioned in Section 459 shall be deemed to be a building within the meaning of this section.

Lock Picking Software Tool for Safe Cracking

I came across this video of a guy using some safe cracking software to tell him which number he was on with each wheel of the safe’s combination lock. It is an interesting video watch, but the guy using the software tool doesn’t give you a whole lot of information about it. He just briefly mentions what it is doing towards the end of the video. Looking for this type of software online has resulted in nothing but this video. But I’m sure that is for good reason. So enjoy the video.

Here is the video: