Customer Reviews
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Great starter kit. Locks work great. The only thing it's truly missing is some top of the keyway tension but I guess that all comes down to personal preference.
Reviewed by: Greg
on 3/6/2012
Do not be swayed by the cost. Even experienced locksmiths can use this for honing their skills of picking and repinning.
The kit comes with a Triple Mount for holding various keyed plugs. The mount comes with 2 wood screws and double-sided foam tape for optional mounting. I personally haven't found a need for mounting it yet, as the force from my tensioning hand holds it down...but I may. There are three plug holders. The one on the far right is for your typical kwikset/schlage type of plug, the middle holder is similar, but has material removed for viewing a cutaway plug, and the far left holder can hold standard or larger (BEST, etc) types of plugs. Each holder has a plastic threaded screw for tightening the plug inside of it. The assembly can pivot and rotate, which is very nice (not easily seen in photos).
The kit also comes with 2 sets of 3 keyed locks (6 total). There are two cutaway plugs (kwikset and schlage), and 4 additional plugs (2 kwiksets and 2 schlage). It appears that some are chosen for their uniformity in their keying (easy for picking) and the others have higher variation in their keying (intermediate).
The kit also comes with a Southern Ordnance lockpicking set (C1500 slim set). I know why LockPickShop chose this set, as it serves dual purpose (standard for kwikset, slimmer picks for schlage). Considering the cost, I would have rather received the 20pc Southern Ordnance set (MPXS-20), but for beginners, slim might be better for the narrower schlage keyway.
Additionally, you get a few pamphlets on the use and troubleshooting of the kit and the renowned MIT (but not necessarily best) text on lockpicking in PDF format on a CD. I usually let someone read the diagrams of locks and then let them begin practicing on their own to discover the rest.
Keep in mind, you can strip down any lock and remove the plug for picking and repinning/rekeying by holding it in this mount. I suggest for true novices that have some laying around: look up videos or read a text on stripping the plug hull from the knob/handle assembly, spray them with Breakfree CLP and, after you discover the keys turn the plug correctly, toss the keys.
Great little kit.
Reviewed by: David Slauson
on 1/21/2011
This is a great set for learning to pick locks. The cutaway locks are very helpful during both the initial learning phase and when performing later experiments with different picking techniques. It really helps to be able to see how pins react with different techniques. The practice locks contain both easier and harder-to-pick key patterns. My only wish was that it had included the SouthOrd C1510 pick set (which has somewhat nicer picks) rather than the C1500, but the C1500 set is certainly sufficient. After a few hours with this set I could reliably pick both Kwikset and Schlage 5-pin locks (and a few others I've tried as well). Recommended!
I recommend using wall anchors if you are going to wall mount your set. For those who are new to picking locks, the cutaway locks are essential for learning feel and depth of using your picks. I am very satisfied with the set and like the price.