How I Taught Myself to Pick Locks
And what I would do differently.
First, a warning and a disclaimer. I am not advocating criminal activity. If you decide to try picking locks, you must only pick locks that you own or have permission to open, and you should never pick a lock in service. I practice locksport, which involves picking out-of-service locks that I own. I am not a professional locksmith, and I do not provide locksmithing services. None of the products or services mentioned have paid for promotion.
I started watching lockpicking videos on YouTube for sheer entertainment during COVID lockdown in 2020. My main source was the Lockpicking Lawyer, but there are a bunch of top-notch locksport channels, so you can choose who you like. Bosnian Bill has retired, but he still has tons of videos up, and he’s picked many different kinds of locks. Lock Noob is still going strong. Others can give you demonstrations and advice for picking specific locks.
As I did with piano, I remember thinking as I watched, “I could probably do that.” I hinted to my wife that I was interested in a cheap set of picks available from a large online retailer, and they arrived in time for the holidays.
I bought a practice lock from Covert Instruments, which was my first mistake. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a fine product. It’s a versatile training…
