Haha, I can totally see this exact thing happening! Never mind considering that the "microwave" is strangely and inconveniently mounted in the clothes closet, or even better; under the darn bed... People... Fred
@@bryanp.1327 Terrified is an absolutely accurate and valid descriptor. We are surrounded by them Bryan. The Lemmings are everywhere. It changed my overall perception once I let that concept sink in. Fred
About 40 years ago an employee stupidly put the keys to our high end floor safe down the deposit chute! We tried every locksmith but all claimed it could not be opened, so would need to be excavated from the concrete floor...one chap gave me a phone number of someone he claimed could open it but on the strct understanding he was not to be questioned....he charged £300, he did a similar thing as LPL except he covered the blank with a very thin coat of putty, after 2 or 3 impressions he then slotted tiny lengths of metal into a hollow key shaft and tightened them with an hex key...et viola! Opened first go...and he handmade me a new key...I suspect his 'apprentiship' was with the sort of people your parents warned you about!
Great bedtime story. I’m a locksmith but I only contract under strict terms of anonymity and customers aren’t allowed to make direct eye contact or chew gum in my presence.
Something similar happened years ago when we had a drink machine with cups. A part-time employee opened the machine to load more cups and left the key ring with all the office keys inside the machine. The next day when they called the supplier they found out it would be an expensive service call to try the different keys. However, I had a very good memory and remembered the number stamped on the key. It was cheaper to buy a replacement key to open the machine and retrieve the key ring.
@@Make-Asylums-Great-Again if your inferring it's an exaggerated story I can assure you it is perfectly true, I found out some time later that he was indeed a professional safe breaker....he actually opened an old safe we had in the basement quite literally with a key he pulled out of his bag, took him 20 seconds from looking at it to opening it...unfortunately it only contained old paperwork.
"I took the door off to make shooting this video a little easier" My head canon is that he went to a hotel that had that kind of safe and just took the door off and left with it
"It seems this company tried to make their product more secure . . . and to a certain extent it does help." As frequent viewers will know, even such a modest statement in considered high praise from this man.
Levers are old, so there's no shortage of things they can do to make it more secure, or at least more annoying to crack open. For a secure lever lock, check the Fichet F3D. It's French, a door lock, expensive, so it's not really common as the locksport community prefers moderately priced padlocks.
@@cheyannei5983 There's quite a few Fichet picks on YT, not sure about the F3D. Many non-US and non-GB picking YT channels are hard to find but they do exist and they of course focus on locks in local use. I've dug up about ten more without much effort in the last 24 hours; just click the user-names in comments on channels you know to find them 😉
@@cheyannei5983 Back in the days when lever locks were state-of-the-art, the better lock companies (eg. Chubb) included anti-picking and even tamper-evident features in their high-end locks. These features would probably give LPL a major headache, if only he could find one to play with. Today, lever locks are still considered reasonable security for most non-critical purposes, but only because they require a different set of tools and skills to pick than a typical wafer or pin-tumbler core, not because real security features are included these days.
see the only problem is that those safes are bolted down so you would NOT be able to jiggle it, I've already flawed his only method making it unpickable. but of course he wont respond because he knows I'm right
The fact it took LPL that long to open a hotel safe is kind of remarkable. Usually those things are like, "just enter the default master code" or "put a piece of aluminum foil here".
If he'd just picked it, it would probably have been much faster. What he just did was much more terrifying - he CREATED a key. Assuming the hotel uses a single key for all the safes, he's now prepared to go into other rooms (see his video on bypassing hotel door locks) and open the safes instantly, no picking time required.
We put our passports and money on resort hotels in Mexico…. I’m never going back. Imagine if the manager is a gangsta who wants to make some money. They can steal your passport and hold you hostage unless you pay up. You have zero rights in Mexico.
I'd imagine it went more like this- "Hey so this is an odd request, but I'm a CZcamsr and I'll pay you like 500 bucks for one of your old floor safes." "I... okay fam, there's an extra in the office right here, go for i-" "-nonono, I just need the door." _rips the door off its hinges, walks away_
I had two "hotel safes" in a vacation rental. For years they seemed to work fine and the guests like the feature. ( the unit was rented in half so there could be strangers around). I dropped one when cleaning the unit and the door sprung open. I repeated my drop ( in case it was a fluke) and I found that a sharp rap on the left front would pop the door 75% of the time. Left them in but attached them to the closet to prevent dropping.
This is actually a fairly common attack. Note you don’t have to drop it. You can basically hit it with a hammer in the same spot and it will open too. The shock causes the spring mechanism to temporarily “open” the safe. These days they’re more likely to be vulnerable to magnet attacks though
A safe that isn't attached to something sturdy by a means not easily undone from the outside can easily be stolen and then broken open later. Always anchor your safe in some way. Still, if dropping a safe can open it, it's likely that striking it with a mallet in the right place can knock open the spring loaded locking mechanism too, so the safe still isn't very secure. Granted LPL has demonstrated that few security devices are truly secure. You have to ask yourself if the increased security is worth the cost. Your renters probably won't know the difference unless something is stolen.
It is called the 'Bump Method'. There is a CZcams video of a 12 year old kid bouncing one on a bed whilst turning the handle at the same time. In another video a guy slaps the top of the safe whilst turning the knob. Another uses a mallet, and there is a another with a rare earth puck magnet. The problem is the electromagnetic release, the steel bolt and the return spring. The is one video that shows all the methods 'How to open a Hotel Safe with no Tools'.
it'd be pricey. To buy the 3 set from china is $80. Then he'd have to fix each one to adjust their tolerances so that they work right. So between buying, weeks in waiting for the shipment, and then manual labor to adjust each one so he's selling a high quality item, the markup would be significant. And in reality, it would only have a very small market. Not many people know this exists, fewer know how to use them, and less still could reasonably afford it. So how many could they expect to sell? Believe me, I'd MUCH rather buy from him rather than sending my CC to china. But the increased costs would be frustrating.
@@brianb8003 I have just been presented with a safe that has a lock like this and been asked to open it. I need one of these keys. I have found the listing for the set of three keys, but I would like to know what he spent an hour doing to make it work properly before I purchase.
@@sw6188 I have the same problem with the same key. I don't know what to Search for the set of 3 that you mention. Could you please tell me the query or give a link or a description so I can locate the same set online as well. Thanks.
@@sw6188 My guess would be that the manufacturing tolerances need to be adjusted for the tool to work properly. It would indeed be nice if the LPL went a little more in depth on the subject. But perhaps he is investigating whether Sowoyoo is able (and willing for a price) to produce a special series of these tools for his online shop with satisfactory tolerances.
Funnily enough, I think this is among the locks which could be considered "a genuine attempt at security". Not just better than a masterlock, Far Better than a masterlock.
I stayed at a hotel last weekend that had a safe from this company. I was beginning to think that this thing couldn't be safe. But safer than leaving my stuff somewhere. So wanted to ask LPL anyway if he could do something about hotel safes. I didn't even have to ask what it looks like :D
If insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results, Then what is it called if you do different things over and over and expect the same result? 'o.O
I worked at a hotel as a front office representative for about 2 months and we had a master key to all safes for all 125 rooms. I kid you not the keyhole was located behind a fake branding. It was quite creepy. I swore I'll never use a hotel safe ever again.
Depends what you're after. Yes, LPL could pick each individual safe in the hotel much quicker than this, but having spent longer making a manager key that unlocks them all, your only constraint is the size of your swag bag.
Certainly more effort put in the security of this hotel safe vs. many others shown on this channel. Just the simple action of covering the backup lock with a metal plate using torx bits goes quite a way.
@@ShootBigBucks by the looks of it, you only need to remove one to slide the plate out of the way anyhow. But if it was indented, and not just a flat surface, they'd at least have to bend it out of the way.
@@paulthomas8262 since LPL had to search far and wide for this tool and spend an hour modifying it, rather than using readily available jigglers or a tubular impressioning tool is a big step up. Single pin picking should also work, but it's still a rare type of lock so fewer people will have the skills and tools to do it. As LPL has demonstrated, nearly any lock can be defeated with the right skills and tools. At a certain point, you just need to say "good enough".
Still better than many. But... With a little research, a little work, a little patience... You've got access to every safe in a hotel. Well worth the work and effort. Swipe a housekeeper master key, and you can sweep the hotel clean. A small team of thieves masquerading as housekeepers could make bank. But... Still better than most jokes that call themselves 'safes' in hotels.
Truthfully, you'd not want to swipe a key card. If you're planning that sort of exploit, getting someone on the inside who can also watch your back is best. Or so I've heard.
@@chuckoneill2023 Yes, but you also clone the key card, so you can go back a month later, when all the hullabaloo has died down, and your accomplice is not on duty, and do it all again.
The door card systems are far more advance these days. They alert if a master or cleaning card card is used repeatedly in a short time period without admin approval. Send an alert if a wrong card is used on a door and will lock out a card completely if used even once during a wrong time (each staff card is locked to shift times). There are additional controls that I won't list here in public.
@@bertblankenstein3738 First thought are the bowley locks, at least when he featured them, he had been unable to pick them at that point (with the possibility of that to change in the future)
We did stay at a hotel a couple of weeks ago where they had a similar safe in the room. It was screw-mounted to a board in the cupboard. Sadly, the board was not mounted and removable (including the whole safe) within seconds.
Removing the safe would only be of help in a very targeted attack. Can you imagine carrying every safe in a hotel off the premises to detonate open in a secluded place, on the off-chance that one of them has content that would make it worth their while?
Lots of credible news articles out there from different countries reporting that hotels typically have a single passcode for all the room safes - like 0000 or 1234 - so staff can help a forgetful guest. Often all of the front desk and security staffers all know that general code and sometimes the housekeepers do, too. The safes in those hotels serve basically as a productivity device for thieves who can find the best stuff quickly that way. LPL's video here serves to eliminate the possibility that hotels that upped their game from 0000 are doing very much at all to actually help guests keep possessions secure. Uniformly recommended in those articles? Take the valued stuff with you whenever you leave your room or check it into the hotel's safe at the front desk - and bring as little of that stuff as you can manage in the first place.
I can confidently tell you that is false at any credible property. If there is a code the GM and Lead Engineer (maybe the AGM but that's unlikely) are the only people that know it. Same with the master key.
LPL bringing his own safes with him on vacation. Staff: "You know the hotel offers a complementary safe, right?" LPL: "Oh, yes... I know. Where do you think I got this one?"
The red frame around the video made me believe for a few seconds that I may have seen it before. The red line at the bottom looks a little as the line that is showed when a video has been viewed. Edit: Lol, the frame is Green. My daltonism is getting worse.
Loved your video again like always. It’s so informative that from watching your videos I’ve manage to open my suitcase lock after years of failure. Thank u!
It's there a mechanical reason the opposite sides of the key are an inverted mirror of each other? Seems the simple solution to that type of impression tool would be to ensure the opposite side of the key is completely different.
I assume that it's similar to the disc lock. You might get away with shortening the other side, but completely different wouldn't work. However, even a small variation would ruin this method of bypassing the key.
The reason is that the metal levers are restraint-guided, so if the friction would be to high you still get a reliable function to keep the levers down.
The mechanism is only acted on by one side of the key. It's only the impressioning tool that does this, and it's meant to be used on more than one lock. Lastly, any gate in the keyway that allowed the key to pass, would work to impression to at least close to the key shape before getting the final setting from the lock itself.
@@0x8badf00d yes. But single "pin" picking involves skill, know how and feel (+more time if any of those are not LPL level) < Those aspects can be assumed that a side-hussle (opportunity) thief would not have. Hence the use of dedicated tools, like impressioning, that take most of the requirements out of the picture.
I love this channel. My mom taught me as a kid "locks keep honest people honest." Criminals will eventually find a way past any lock if properly motivated. What is impossible for one is child's play for another.
"LPL here, I'm going to show you how you are never safe, even in your own home." Thanks for your content, I picked by parents' bedrpoom door when I was 12. Why they had a lock on it is as good a guess by you as me. All I know is I found some lubricant, furry handcuffs and a thing that called itself a rabbit. What were we talking about?
I was in a small hotel in Paris, and for some reason the code I entered wouldn’t open the door of the safe. So 2 minutes of googling turned up the factory set master code, sure enough, the hotel never bothered to change it.
This happens also in stores and restaurants where they have $10 000 cash inside. The manager sets a code himself because he is too cheap to call a locksmith and cannot read the manual properly the factory master code still works...
I'd like to hear LPL's definition on what can be relied on. Since risk will always exist, what is acceptable risk? Which kinds of valuables should have what standard of security? What are the statistics regarding lock-picking crime?
The questions you asked are purely individual, I live in a rural area so most houses aren’t locked and the keys to vehicles are usually in them. How secure things must be at the base level is dependent on where you live if your even worried about them being stolen to begin with.
@@johnthomas-km2bf dogs are also good, can’t go wrong with an alarm system that knows the difference between a stranger and someone that is welcome. Gives you the time required to meet the threat at your choosing instead of being surprised in bed, granted where I live the bump in the night is more likely to be a bear in the trash then a person lol
Back in the old days we would find a blank that fit in the keyway or modify one to fit. In order to get impression marks we would use a match to soot the blade and do our thing. Those keys were much more a PITA to file than a regular pin tumbler or wafer key. I was a great impressioner as we needed that skill on foreign cars with no key codes. Never was a great lock picker though. If I couldn't pick something within 5 minutes the rotary pick came out and that was the end of it.
@@mrfrenzy. Yes I have Lishi's also. Wish I had them back then.The soot was only for lever locks just in case I wasn't clear. For pin and wafer locks I filed the blades to a knife edge for my marks.
With the way the actual key is it is almost as if the lock is designed with that type of impressioning tool in mind. The bits on the back of the key make no sense and just allow a locked impressioning tool to be removed from the lock.
If I got a room with this kind of safe, I'd fill the keyhole with jamming tool so you wouldn't be able to put ANY key in the lock. I have a permanent jam and a very tricky removable jam. Keeps people with your level of talent out of my stuff.
It's video 1462 and I've come to the realization that there are only two levels on lock security. Easily broken/exploited, and everything else. I feel like any lock that isn't destroyed in seconds or easily raked is as good as any other for the general public.
When you said "no one makes good impressioning tools" my first thought as a locksmith was you can buy warding files and pippin files online. With something like this you don't even need a blank. . . But after I saw the tool, I understood what you meant, like a tubular impressioning tool.
There was no custom tool here, just a tool from China that was poorly manufactured and so needed some extra machining. The LockPickingLawyer pointed out that the tools on the market are poor quality, not that one has to make one's own.
You've unlocked so many locks I guess you'll never be "Locked out" if you forget your keys... So: How about you show us what you would do if you were locked out and did not have access to your keys (obviously) tools (incl. credit card) or phone, you just have enough cash to buy 1 soda can from a store or vending machine Note: due to privacy issues and not wanting "visitors" you could use a few locks (that you don't use) found on apartment's/houses in US, EU etc To make it moe fun: let's see if you, Mark Rober and stuff made here (any other friends) can A. think up way to open a door with a lock you deem "Best lock under 100 dollar" and see who does best job (destructive method allowed or not your rules) and B. make a way to fix the error(s) you encountered to make it nearly in pickable (if this includes bombing the burglar with glitter if the lock is messed with so be it) 😈 I think it might be fun to watch, maybe even get a professional lockpicker/locksmith in on it (warning about any glitter bombs that might be triggered of course, don't want lawsuits) Anyway I always like your videos where it claims to be nearly unpickable and you open it in mere seconds
I know this would be mostly "security by obscurity", but it always bothers me that these plaques are screwed on - i.e. reversible, with no sign of entry. Why not bolt it on, or at least add a breaking point so the plaque is destroyed when removed. It still won't keep anyone determined away, but at least it'll be harder to hide and maybe inform you of a problem.
Idiot customers will ALWAYS forget their special combination and will require those plates being removed often, what truly surprises me is that the hotels don't simply replace the fake-cover with a rubber-plug, saves everyone time. As your your own security when using such an insecure hotel safe, mark the screw heads with nail varnish.
Here in Argentina and in some other countries from South America we are still widely using this kind of locks. The fun fact is that the restrictions on imported products makes almost imposible and very expensive to bring impressioning tools, so that's why it's not that insecure to use them like in Spain or other european countries.
The namebrand panel covering up the keyhole is pretty smart, though I guess anyone who'd carry an impression key also probably know that's where it is hidden
UPDATE: I bought a set of these flagpole keys. To start with, I had to mill out the opening slot where the key goes in, it was about 1/2 a millimetre too narrow to allow the key to enter. Then I spent about 5 hours yesterday jiggling and tensioning the key to no avail. My hand was aching after this marathon episode. I even had another go today, and still no luck. The pins on the key move easily, and I have tried with a little pressure adjustment and also no pressure adjustment. I think I am going to have to admit defeat and try to make a 2 in 1 tool to manually pick this lock. I'll have to give credit to LPL here - he makes this look way too easy. Either that or I have no idea what I am doing, and that's emminently possible.
I think this is probably one of the safer things I’ve seen on this channel, a key that took a lot longer then basically all the things you ever tried and an obscure tool that you have to modify yourself.
Hi LockPickingLawyer, Here in south america we have a lot of this kind of "lever locks" I'd love to see more about security of this types of devices. thanks and have a nice week
Darn, there I was cheering for the lock. But none to my surprise, LPL wins one more time! Awesome how you can make a video about a lock I will never have to open, interesting enough for me to watch it until the end,,,,
![[1450] Vintage Salsbury Lock From England](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-PHkBUYZcgk/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1450] Vintage Salsbury Lock From England](/img/tr.png)
![[1432] Inside Perspective: Picking Serrated Pins](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/muPJjTBuYHY/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1487] Unusual Feature in UltraLoq Smart Lock](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Os1oyIfhM-o/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1422] Did I Cheat On This Challenge? (Tamper-Sealed Abus)](/img/n.gif)
Try cleaning the carb, less sputtering and she'll start first try.
Try a little choke.
😆
You reminded me of what was known as 'heap maneuvers'. Pump the gas peddle twice and wiggle the gear shift to get it to start
🤣
haha thats good
Being a former hotel manager, I'm familiar with this safe. Or, as a former guest called it, "the microwave that doesn't work"
Haha, I can totally see this exact thing happening! Never mind considering that the "microwave" is strangely and inconveniently mounted in the clothes closet, or even better; under the darn bed... People... Fred
It terrifies me that we live in a world where people with that level of intelligence exist.
@@bryanp.1327 You can even become president of a nuclear powered nation with it.
Sounds like there would be market for combo Hotel Safe + Microwave.
@@bryanp.1327 Terrified is an absolutely accurate and valid descriptor. We are surrounded by them Bryan. The Lemmings are everywhere. It changed my overall perception once I let that concept sink in. Fred
About 40 years ago an employee stupidly put the keys to our high end floor safe down the deposit chute! We tried every locksmith but all claimed it could not be opened, so would need to be excavated from the concrete floor...one chap gave me a phone number of someone he claimed could open it but on the strct understanding he was not to be questioned....he charged £300, he did a similar thing as LPL except he covered the blank with a very thin coat of putty, after 2 or 3 impressions he then slotted tiny lengths of metal into a hollow key shaft and tightened them with an hex key...et viola! Opened first go...and he handmade me a new key...I suspect his 'apprentiship' was with the sort of people your parents warned you about!
Great bedtime story. I’m a locksmith but I only contract under strict terms of anonymity and customers aren’t allowed to make direct eye contact or chew gum in my presence.
Something similar happened years ago when we had a drink machine with cups. A part-time employee opened the machine to load more cups and left the key ring with all the office keys inside the machine. The next day when they called the supplier they found out it would be an expensive service call to try the different keys. However, I had a very good memory and remembered the number stamped on the key. It was cheaper to buy a replacement key to open the machine and retrieve the key ring.
@@Make-Asylums-Great-Again if your inferring it's an exaggerated story I can assure you it is perfectly true, I found out some time later that he was indeed a professional safe breaker....he actually opened an old safe we had in the basement quite literally with a key he pulled out of his bag, took him 20 seconds from looking at it to opening it...unfortunately it only contained old paperwork.
@@raymond19001 You should always have duplicates lodged with the bank.
@@philipinchina They should, but they don't. No need for quality assurance when you plan your own bankruptcy, i guess. 😆
"I took the door off to make shooting this video a little easier" My head canon is that he went to a hotel that had that kind of safe and just took the door off and left with it
And then put it back when he was done. It's not like the locked doors are going to stop him
@@WayneWerner no but putting a reverse lock in a 3 lock series might give him a slight surprise. (its unlocked when locked and locked when unlocked)
And he did it twice, just so that the hotel did not think it was a fluke^^
"What? no! my Jewels are still here! He took the Door! Of course i am serious. no i don't... hello?"
LMAO!!!
I didn't know how LPL kept his lever picking tools, but I think we just saw his equivalent of a junk drawer.
And to think he'd just pull it out in front of us, without even a warning.
Or he's a Virgo and does the whole "organized mess" thing.
@@Raynedog00 Ability to do unorthodox organizing is not tied to one's beliefs in woo.
You mean the healing box?
@@Raynedog00 get out of here with your new age bullshit it's heretical
"It seems this company tried to make their product more secure . . . and to a certain extent it does help."
As frequent viewers will know, even such a modest statement in considered high praise from this man.
Levers are old, so there's no shortage of things they can do to make it more secure, or at least more annoying to crack open.
For a secure lever lock, check the Fichet F3D. It's French, a door lock, expensive, so it's not really common as the locksport community prefers moderately priced padlocks.
@@cheyannei5983 There's quite a few Fichet picks on YT, not sure about the F3D. Many non-US and non-GB picking YT channels are hard to find but they do exist and they of course focus on locks in local use. I've dug up about ten more without much effort in the last 24 hours; just click the user-names in comments on channels you know to find them 😉
@@cheyannei5983 Back in the days when lever locks were state-of-the-art, the better lock companies (eg. Chubb) included anti-picking and even tamper-evident features in their high-end locks. These features would probably give LPL a major headache, if only he could find one to play with. Today, lever locks are still considered reasonable security for most non-critical purposes, but only because they require a different set of tools and skills to pick than a typical wafer or pin-tumbler core, not because real security features are included these days.
@@P_RO_ It's because the F3D is very secure. There's a couple picks on YT, but their technique depends on knowing the key bitting.
see the only problem is that those safes are bolted down so you would NOT be able to jiggle it, I've already flawed his only method making it unpickable. but of course he wont respond because he knows I'm right
The fact it took LPL that long to open a hotel safe is kind of remarkable. Usually those things are like, "just enter the default master code" or "put a piece of aluminum foil here".
This is the Lockpicking Lawyer, and today I have for you a hotel safe.
(lock opens itself in fear)
Well, that's all I have for you today...
Nah, those are the low quality home safes and gun boxes.
If he'd just picked it, it would probably have been much faster. What he just did was much more terrifying - he CREATED a key. Assuming the hotel uses a single key for all the safes, he's now prepared to go into other rooms (see his video on bypassing hotel door locks) and open the safes instantly, no picking time required.
@@gatherer818 Hell, even if every room somehow had a different key, he'd still be in and out in 2 minutes.
And now you have a master key for every safe in the hotel.
L O L
We put our passports and money on resort hotels in Mexico…. I’m never going back. Imagine if the manager is a gangsta who wants to make some money. They can steal your passport and hold you hostage unless you pay up. You have zero rights in Mexico.
Already on my way to motel6 this is going to be lit
I think the LPL him self is the master key
You still have to get into the rooms...
A hotel somewhere is wondering where their safe door went. 😂
🤣🐈🐾🐈⬛🐾
He probably bought this one.
@@garyhost354 nah probably not
@@TimurSokol I don’t know man. Big universe question
I'd imagine it went more like this-
"Hey so this is an odd request, but I'm a CZcamsr and I'll pay you like 500 bucks for one of your old floor safes."
"I... okay fam, there's an extra in the office right here, go for i-"
"-nonono, I just need the door."
_rips the door off its hinges, walks away_
I had two "hotel safes" in a vacation rental. For years they seemed to work fine and the guests like the feature. ( the unit was rented in half so there could be strangers around). I dropped one when cleaning the unit and the door sprung open. I repeated my drop ( in case it was a fluke) and I found that a sharp rap on the left front would pop the door 75% of the time.
Left them in but attached them to the closet to prevent dropping.
That's just incredible! 🤷🏻♂️
This is actually a fairly common attack. Note you don’t have to drop it. You can basically hit it with a hammer in the same spot and it will open too. The shock causes the spring mechanism to temporarily “open” the safe. These days they’re more likely to be vulnerable to magnet attacks though
A safe that isn't attached to something sturdy by a means not easily undone from the outside can easily be stolen and then broken open later. Always anchor your safe in some way.
Still, if dropping a safe can open it, it's likely that striking it with a mallet in the right place can knock open the spring loaded locking mechanism too, so the safe still isn't very secure.
Granted LPL has demonstrated that few security devices are truly secure. You have to ask yourself if the increased security is worth the cost. Your renters probably won't know the difference unless something is stolen.
It is called the 'Bump Method'. There is a CZcams video of a 12 year old kid bouncing one on a bed whilst turning the handle at the same time. In another video a guy slaps the top of the safe whilst turning the knob. Another uses a mallet, and there is a another with a rare earth puck magnet. The problem is the electromagnetic release, the steel bolt and the return spring. The is one video that shows all the methods 'How to open a Hotel Safe with no Tools'.
@@Finnec123 You've presumably seen videos on this channel where he brings out his piss hammer. That's basically the same thing.
So you now have a key which will very likely open every safe in the hotel.
p.s. put the safe door back before you checkout.
Love the call back
Came here to make the same "...Took the door off for filming...you'd better put it *_back_* when you are done" joke.
Touché sir.
Touché.
I mean why use the physical key when there is a 99.9999% chance the default admin passcode still works.
OCD lock picking... i love it!!!
@@satorudo I know of a hotel, where the the default Code of "000000" still works
Never seen an "impressioning key" before! Covert Instruments should definitely make it and sell it!
it'd be pricey.
To buy the 3 set from china is $80.
Then he'd have to fix each one to adjust their tolerances so that they work right.
So between buying, weeks in waiting for the shipment, and then manual labor to adjust each one so he's selling a high quality item, the markup would be significant. And in reality, it would only have a very small market.
Not many people know this exists, fewer know how to use them, and less still could reasonably afford it. So how many could they expect to sell?
Believe me, I'd MUCH rather buy from him rather than sending my CC to china. But the increased costs would be frustrating.
@@brianb8003 I have just been presented with a safe that has a lock like this and been asked to open it. I need one of these keys. I have found the listing for the set of three keys, but I would like to know what he spent an hour doing to make it work properly before I purchase.
@@sw6188 I have the same problem with the same key. I don't know what to Search for the set of 3 that you mention. Could you please tell me the query or give a link or a description so I can locate the same set online as well. Thanks.
@@spideywhiplash after a little investigative work.
Sowoyoo variety flagpole key
@@sw6188 My guess would be that the manufacturing tolerances need to be adjusted for the tool to work properly. It would indeed be nice if the LPL went a little more in depth on the subject.
But perhaps he is investigating whether Sowoyoo is able (and willing for a price) to produce a special series of these tools for his online shop with satisfactory tolerances.
I think everyone has missed one important note, it’s more secure than a Master lock
Duct tape is more secure than a Master lock.
Funnily enough, I think this is among the locks which could be considered "a genuine attempt at security". Not just better than a masterlock, Far Better than a masterlock.
He also didn't tell us that the sky's blue, jeez, what do ya want?!?? ;-)
Wrapping something in clingfilm is more secure than a Masterlock, if you want to set the bar that low . . . .
My proto-grandma neighbor is more secure than Master Lock
The two screws lasted longer than some locks we've seen on this channel. :)
That impressioning key was very interesting! Now I want to learn more about it..
And this is why hotels put a big disclaimer on room safes saying "do not leave anything valuable inside"
I stayed at a hotel last weekend that had a safe from this company. I was beginning to think that this thing couldn't be safe. But safer than leaving my stuff somewhere. So wanted to ask LPL anyway if he could do something about hotel safes. I didn't even have to ask what it looks like :D
you could say he PICKED your mind.
To make it safer, jam something into the keyhole. Even wads of paper will do. Of course don't forget the combination or you will be locked out too!
@@shikamaru3456 hes getting too powerful
@@glasslinger Than you just go search online for the digital mastercode. There often is one, 6 to 8 digits long that never gets changed by hotels.
Hide your stuff under the mattress
It is said that insanity is "Trying the same thing over and over again and expecting diffe ... Oh, wait! Got it!"
If insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results, Then what is it called if you do different things over and over and expect the same result? 'o.O
@@Magpie_Media Science.
Sounds like being a developer.
I worked at a hotel as a front office representative for about 2 months and we had a master key to all safes for all 125 rooms. I kid you not the keyhole was located behind a fake branding. It was quite creepy. I swore I'll never use a hotel safe ever again.
"I take the doors off safes to make picking them easier." ... (Confused burglar noises)
to be fair, that did take longer than most of the locks you typically open :-)
what do you expect, he basically used a key. he's arguably faster with a pick. ;D
Depends what you're after. Yes, LPL could pick each individual safe in the hotel much quicker than this, but having spent longer making a manager key that unlocks them all, your only constraint is the size of your swag bag.
But on the other hand, it looks like something a novice could replicate easily.
Except now he's got a permanent key. Other locks he has to repeat that action to continue opening them.
They say first impressions count the most...
Certainly more effort put in the security of this hotel safe vs. many others shown on this channel. Just the simple action of covering the backup lock with a metal plate using torx bits goes quite a way.
security through obscurity is not enough.
@@ShootBigBucks by the looks of it, you only need to remove one to slide the plate out of the way anyhow. But if it was indented, and not just a flat surface, they'd at least have to bend it out of the way.
@@paulthomas8262 since LPL had to search far and wide for this tool and spend an hour modifying it, rather than using readily available jigglers or a tubular impressioning tool is a big step up. Single pin picking should also work, but it's still a rare type of lock so fewer people will have the skills and tools to do it.
As LPL has demonstrated, nearly any lock can be defeated with the right skills and tools. At a certain point, you just need to say "good enough".
Not just regular torx, but security torx. However, a security bit set is part of my general purpose tool bag.
@@johnnemeth6913 Yeah, they overuse them anymore, which means many owning a reasonable tool set and doing appliance work will have them.
Still better than many. But... With a little research, a little work, a little patience... You've got access to every safe in a hotel. Well worth the work and effort. Swipe a housekeeper master key, and you can sweep the hotel clean. A small team of thieves masquerading as housekeepers could make bank.
But... Still better than most jokes that call themselves 'safes' in hotels.
Truthfully, you'd not want to swipe a key card. If you're planning that sort of exploit, getting someone on the inside who can also watch your back is best. Or so I've heard.
@@chuckoneill2023 Yes, but you also clone the key card, so you can go back a month later, when all the hullabaloo has died down, and your accomplice is not on duty, and do it all again.
@Jake Folk I think he was talking about cloning a "mastercard", ie a housekeeper's card
The door card systems are far more advance these days. They alert if a master or cleaning card card is used repeatedly in a short time period without admin approval. Send an alert if a wrong card is used on a door and will lock out a card completely if used even once during a wrong time (each staff card is locked to shift times). There are additional controls that I won't list here in public.
@@danielweston9188 that's good to know.
LPL: took off a safe door
Also LPL: let's open this door
It’s so cool how there are so many different kinds of locks. I didn’t think there was so much variety!
I love the way LPL always has a tool for every lock, either something he purchased online, made himself or designed in conjunction with Bosnian Bill 😆
There's a reason for that. Every time he doesn't have a tool for the job, he buys and/or designs a nwe one.
As far as I know, there are locks that LPL can't pick yet. We don't get to see those.
@@bertblankenstein3738 First thought are the bowley locks, at least when he featured them, he had been unable to pick them at that point (with the possibility of that to change in the future)
@@willofhope2561 yes the Bowley locks, and I think there are others like the Abloy Protec 2, and from Bosnian Bill's naughty bucket.
He once used a tool he made in conjunction with Mrs. LockpickingLawyer. He called it his „son“.
Wow!
I'm not a key, but call me impressed
clever
Yesssss
0:11 "Now, like most hotel safes, there's a bypass that's quicker than normal means of opening the lock"
We did stay at a hotel a couple of weeks ago where they had a similar safe in the room. It was screw-mounted to a board in the cupboard. Sadly, the board was not mounted and removable (including the whole safe) within seconds.
Removing the safe would only be of help in a very targeted attack. Can you imagine carrying every safe in a hotel off the premises to detonate open in a secluded place, on the off-chance that one of them has content that would make it worth their while?
Lots of credible news articles out there from different countries reporting that hotels typically have a single passcode for all the room safes - like 0000 or 1234 - so staff can help a forgetful guest. Often all of the front desk and security staffers all know that general code and sometimes the housekeepers do, too. The safes in those hotels serve basically as a productivity device for thieves who can find the best stuff quickly that way.
LPL's video here serves to eliminate the possibility that hotels that upped their game from 0000 are doing very much at all to actually help guests keep possessions secure.
Uniformly recommended in those articles? Take the valued stuff with you whenever you leave your room or check it into the hotel's safe at the front desk - and bring as little of that stuff as you can manage in the first place.
That's on safes that doesn't have a backup key.
I can confidently tell you that is false at any credible property. If there is a code the GM and Lead Engineer (maybe the AGM but that's unlikely) are the only people that know it. Same with the master key.
LPL bringing his own safes with him on vacation.
Staff: "You know the hotel offers a complementary safe, right?"
LPL: "Oh, yes... I know."
My Safe IS safe.!
More like "Yeah, but not one I'd use."
LPL bringing his own safes with him on vacation.
Staff: "You know the hotel offers a complementary safe, right?"
LPL: "Oh, yes... I know. Where do you think I got this one?"
This tool is definitely something I'd like to see an Inside Perspective video on.
i wonder if security system manufacturers hear "this is the lock picking lawyer." in their nightmares? lol
That's kind of an interesting lock.
LPL: Yes, I get that Impression.
The red frame around the video made me believe for a few seconds that I may have seen it before. The red line at the bottom looks a little as the line that is showed when a video has been viewed.
Edit: Lol, the frame is Green. My daltonism is getting worse.
Loved your video again like always.
It’s so informative that from watching your videos I’ve manage to open my suitcase lock after years of failure. Thank u!
I had this same issue with my old case but solved it with a crowbar and elbow grease, no LPL to advise me so I did it the caveman way😁😜
This safes often have master code for the lock, which hotels rarely overwrite. So it is easy (usually 000000) to open them.
It's there a mechanical reason the opposite sides of the key are an inverted mirror of each other? Seems the simple solution to that type of impression tool would be to ensure the opposite side of the key is completely different.
I assume that it's similar to the disc lock. You might get away with shortening the other side, but completely different wouldn't work. However, even a small variation would ruin this method of bypassing the key.
Or mirrored even
The reason is that the metal levers are restraint-guided, so if the friction would be to high you still get a reliable function to keep the levers down.
The mechanism is only acted on by one side of the key. It's only the impressioning tool that does this, and it's meant to be used on more than one lock. Lastly, any gate in the keyway that allowed the key to pass, would work to impression to at least close to the key shape before getting the final setting from the lock itself.
@@bmxerkrantz The opposite side of the *original* key is also the same, though
Most likely all the truth in any place will out. Thanks be to God. AJ speaks it.
Thanks for the video, always enjoy watching!
I would have like to have seen the "modifying process" in order to make it work "reasonably well"
most likely filing the edges of the pins ( and maybe the slot) so they can move smoother. Any friction and they won't slide.
Took LPL with a special tool a minute or two to open it. Looks pretty secure to me!
two steps better than the average master lock.
A specialty (by obscurity) tool < That needed to be Modified out of the box, by LPL
Well, yeah. A rare specialized tool, wielded by an expert, was required here. So pretty good, but hotel safes aren't to be trusted, anyway.
He didn't try single lever picking which is also an option for opening it. I'm guessing that just involves using a fancy stick.
@@0x8badf00d yes. But single "pin" picking involves skill, know how and feel (+more time if any of those are not LPL level) < Those aspects can be assumed that a side-hussle (opportunity) thief would not have. Hence the use of dedicated tools, like impressioning, that take most of the requirements out of the picture.
I love this channel. My mom taught me as a kid "locks keep honest people honest." Criminals will eventually find a way past any lock if properly motivated. What is impossible for one is child's play for another.
Super cool. Thanks for a fun Saturday morning video. It's appreciated.
I would love to see one of your cutout videos showing how the impression tool adapts to the lock signature.
"LPL here, I'm going to show you how you are never safe, even in your own home."
Thanks for your content, I picked by parents' bedrpoom door when I was 12. Why they had a lock on it is as good a guess by you as me. All I know is I found some lubricant, furry handcuffs and a thing that called itself a rabbit. What were we talking about?
That's why they had a lock on their door. Didn't want you walking in on them while they were doing their thing.
That is so cool and at least it shows they put a bit of thought into it.....cheers.
I was in a small hotel in Paris, and for some reason the code I entered wouldn’t open the door of the safe. So 2 minutes of googling turned up the factory set master code, sure enough, the hotel never bothered to change it.
This happens also in stores and restaurants where they have $10 000 cash inside. The manager sets a code himself because he is too cheap to call a locksmith and cannot read the manual properly the factory master code still works...
By an amazing coincidence your safe has exactly the same combination as my home safe.
Personally, I need to have all my numbers in a single row, otherwise I can't remember them.
Hey, while you are at it, could you tell us your address and the hours when nobody's home and maybe leave the key under the mat as well?
I'd like to hear LPL's definition on what can be relied on.
Since risk will always exist, what is acceptable risk? Which kinds of valuables should have what standard of security? What are the statistics regarding lock-picking crime?
For a hotel room safe? TL-15. :-)
Guns. Guns are how he keeps things safe.
The lock is probably good enough anytime the lock is harder to get rid of than the door you're locking
The questions you asked are purely individual, I live in a rural area so most houses aren’t locked and the keys to vehicles are usually in them. How secure things must be at the base level is dependent on where you live if your even worried about them being stolen to begin with.
@@johnthomas-km2bf dogs are also good, can’t go wrong with an alarm system that knows the difference between a stranger and someone that is welcome. Gives you the time required to meet the threat at your choosing instead of being surprised in bed, granted where I live the bump in the night is more likely to be a bear in the trash then a person lol
Have never used an in room safe at any hotel I’ve ever stayed at and, with this information, I never will!!!
Back in the old days we would find a blank that fit in the keyway or modify one to fit. In order to get impression marks we would use a match to soot the blade and do our thing. Those keys were much more a PITA to file than a regular pin tumbler or wafer key. I was a great impressioner as we needed that skill on foreign cars with no key codes. Never was a great lock picker though. If I couldn't pick something within 5 minutes the rotary pick came out and that was the end of it.
The car locks have become so ridiculously easy to open now with lishi tools, real impressioning with soot and file is becoming a lost art.
@@mrfrenzy. Yes I have Lishi's also. Wish I had them back then.The soot was only for lever locks just in case I wasn't clear. For pin and wafer locks I filed the blades to a knife edge for my marks.
Will an improved version of the tool be coming to Covert Instruments any time soon? :-)
I want to know that as well. I have one of these safes I need to open.
With the way the actual key is it is almost as if the lock is designed with that type of impressioning tool in mind. The bits on the back of the key make no sense and just allow a locked impressioning tool to be removed from the lock.
If I got a room with this kind of safe, I'd fill the keyhole with jamming tool so you wouldn't be able to put ANY key in the lock. I have a permanent jam and a very tricky removable jam. Keeps people with your level of talent out of my stuff.
With his level of talent he can remove jamming tools.
Doubt
The security screws do add a miniature bit of security
Curious what type of modifications you had to do, to get the Impressioning tool to work (and what was wrong with it initially)
It's video 1462 and I've come to the realization that there are only two levels on lock security. Easily broken/exploited, and everything else. I feel like any lock that isn't destroyed in seconds or easily raked is as good as any other for the general public.
The right tool will always make the job quick and easy.
When you said "no one makes good impressioning tools" my first thought as a locksmith was you can buy warding files and pippin files online. With something like this you don't even need a blank. . .
But after I saw the tool, I understood what you meant, like a tubular impressioning tool.
To be fair, I would never lock anything crucial or valuable into a safe where I know strangers have a key to.
Hey LPL; since you've started this channel, have any companies approached you about lock consultation?
search YT for - Keynote - LockPickingLawyer - he gives a lecture about it...
yes and they ended up in building a skateboard ...
I certainly learned something new today.
LPL always makes a good impression.
I figure any lock that LPL has to make a custom tool for is pretty damn good.
There was no custom tool here, just a tool from China that was poorly manufactured and so needed some extra machining. The LockPickingLawyer pointed out that the tools on the market are poor quality, not that one has to make one's own.
@@JdeBP So the tools on the market won't work unless you know how to fix them and have the means to do so, which makes the lock more effective.
Do you usually do all your videos in one take? How many times does it take for you to get a good video
Great demonstration. Cheers
Excellent video, LPL!
You've unlocked so many locks I guess you'll never be "Locked out" if you forget your keys...
So: How about you show us what you would do if you were locked out and did not have access to your keys (obviously) tools (incl. credit card) or phone, you just have enough cash to buy 1 soda can from a store or vending machine
Note: due to privacy issues and not wanting "visitors" you could use a few locks (that you don't use) found on apartment's/houses in US, EU etc
To make it moe fun: let's see if you, Mark Rober and stuff made here (any other friends) can
A. think up way to open a door with a lock you deem "Best lock under 100 dollar" and see who does best job (destructive method allowed or not your rules) and B. make a way to fix the error(s) you encountered to make it nearly in pickable (if this includes bombing the burglar with glitter if the lock is messed with so be it) 😈
I think it might be fun to watch, maybe even get a professional lockpicker/locksmith in on it (warning about any glitter bombs that might be triggered of course, don't want lawsuits)
Anyway I always like your videos where it claims to be nearly unpickable and you open it in mere seconds
I know this would be mostly "security by obscurity", but it always bothers me that these plaques are screwed on - i.e. reversible, with no sign of entry. Why not bolt it on, or at least add a breaking point so the plaque is destroyed when removed.
It still won't keep anyone determined away, but at least it'll be harder to hide and maybe inform you of a problem.
Idiot customers will ALWAYS forget their special combination and will require those plates being removed often, what truly surprises me is that the hotels don't simply replace the fake-cover with a rubber-plug, saves everyone time. As your your own security when using such an insecure hotel safe, mark the screw heads with nail varnish.
Security torx driver - lovely !!
Im impressed it held up this long. Usually a stern stare from LPL will open anything.
I wonder how did he even get that
That's just ridiculous but I love it..... I applaud you good sir. 👏👏😊
I once saw one of these with a medeco keyway. Pretty impressed
Nice video.
People should get a decent impression of your tool.
Lever locks are pretty common in the UK, or at least they were up until about 20 years ago, and there's certainly still a lot of them in use.
Out of context, the jiggling makes it looks like he is frustrated.. defeated by a hotel safe of all things,
The noises it makes also kinda sounds like some sort of weird gunfire followed by reloading every so often
It helps to make a good impression.
that whole looks very impressionable
Here in Argentina and in some other countries from South America we are still widely using this kind of locks. The fun fact is that the restrictions on imported products makes almost imposible and very expensive to bring impressioning tools, so that's why it's not that insecure to use them like in Spain or other european countries.
Thank you 🙏
The namebrand panel covering up the keyhole is pretty smart, though I guess anyone who'd carry an impression key also probably know that's where it is hidden
I just picked one of these locks using two really small hex screwdrivers, pushed the pins up and pulled the looking mechanism back till it opened
UPDATE: I bought a set of these flagpole keys. To start with, I had to mill out the opening slot where the key goes in, it was about 1/2 a millimetre too narrow to allow the key to enter.
Then I spent about 5 hours yesterday jiggling and tensioning the key to no avail. My hand was aching after this marathon episode. I even had another go today, and still no luck. The pins on the key move easily, and I have tried with a little pressure adjustment and also no pressure adjustment. I think I am going to have to admit defeat and try to make a 2 in 1 tool to manually pick this lock.
I'll have to give credit to LPL here - he makes this look way too easy. Either that or I have no idea what I am doing, and that's emminently possible.
Great video! I never knew that such a tool existed!
Cool to see a new tool
Lever Locks are one of the most common locks for old houses/buildings here in Spain
Taking the door off the safe is really smart. That way nobody will be able to pick the lock unless they know where you put the door
Dammed with faint praise means a massive thumbs up on this channel
I think this is probably one of the safer things I’ve seen on this channel, a key that took a lot longer then basically all the things you ever tried and an obscure tool that you have to modify yourself.
Wow, nice work!
Impressioning is an often overlooked yet very useful method. It's not overlooked by the LPL however.
I've used hotel safes many times. I never will again though, after watching LPLs videos!
Thanks to your video I could open mine!
Hi LockPickingLawyer, Here in south america we have a lot of this kind of "lever locks" I'd love to see more about security of this types of devices. thanks and have a nice week
woah that is crazy. such a cool video
Darn, there I was cheering for the lock. But none to my surprise, LPL wins one more time! Awesome how you can make a video about a lock I will never have to open, interesting enough for me to watch it until the end,,,,
Lever locks are my 2nd favorite kind of lock
incredible tool,