Would love to see a follow-up that covers some pinning options in order of difficulty. Knowing how to steadily increase difficulty is tough, but seems ideal for keeping motivated. Thanks for this either way!
This is a great idea. I can certainly do this “in general “, but the binding order will be different for each lock I would assume, and maybe with different pin arrangements, which would definitely affect difficulty when spools and serrated pins are involved. Thanks for the food for thought!
@@PickingPrincipals Yes, I just got one of these for Christmas, so "in general" is more than enough to give me stuff to work on for probably the next 6 months at least. Like does it make more sense to learn 6 pin picking or stick with 3 pins but introduce security pins earlier, or what. Obviously, just suggestions, but I'd greatly value your insight.
Thank you so much for making this video. I just got it in the mail. It doesn’t come with instructions and I can’t find a video by CI that’s says how to put it together and I don’t want to mess anything up by accident so I’m glad you made this video which has helped countless people by now who search for video likes I did to learn how.
Just got one of these and couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong cause I don’t have the feel for it yet. Turns out my first pin was long and I kept over setting like like you said. Thanks for this it’s really helpful for getting started.
Awesome. Make sure you go back to that arrangement as you progress though since a lot of locks have no lift or nearly no lift pins in the front for just that reason. Happy picking!
I have this practice lock. It was really nice to get started and learn the basics. I'd recommend getting the Sparrows reload kit to go with it to anyone wanting to get a little more out of it. The reload kit comes with a follower, more pins, springs, the pinning mats, and keys that you can pin the lock to.
That is a great recommendation. I have the Sparrows kit as well, but never bothered crossing over the materials. Do the keys from Sparrows fit in the CI lock?
Thinking of getting that once I've had some time with my CI Practice Lock now! Only thing is, I don't see any standard driver pins in that reload kit--do you know where I could get extras of those should I ever need them?
@@Thesnakeroxyes - the sparrows reload kit should come with 15 standard driver pins and also a bunch of standard key pins. I’ve also seen stuff for sale on Amazon, but it’s quite pricey.
I appreciate your videos so so much. You’re a very good teacher. You explain things by little incremental steps, all the details so we can understand. When I watched the lock picking lawyer he’s like all you have to do is this and this and this then when I try and do it I run into a million problems which is why I started looking elsewhere. His videos might be nice to look at and be like wow but he’s not the best teacher with his very sparse videos. It might cause him to get more views but watching your videos is for people who are serious about learning lock picking. Your videos are like lock picking collage. His videos are like watching TikTok. Thank you for giving to the community all the knowledge you have.
Thanks for the question. I’m not going to contradict black belts entirely as they are way more experienced and knowledgeable than I am in general with regards to locksport, and I can see what they may mean since you only get better at picking different locks by picking different locks - and you’ll never find this one in a door… However, it is one of the very first locks I bought and it simulates a bunch of other locks and is easy to pin and experiment with. It taught me about binding order, security pins, and helped me get better at pinning. It’s hands down a better lock than a bunch of ‘commercial’ locks I own and I think has helped me since I didn’t have a lot of access to a variety of locks and didn’t have the cash to spend on a bunch of different locks either. If it helps you to learn, and gives you some enjoyment, then it can’t be a waste, right? I’ve got a beautiful Master 575 that took me 39 seconds to open, can’t be re-pinned, and cost $45. Which lock is better for my education and a better overall value?
One last thing I guess - you can always turn any rim cylinder (or KiK or a variety of other locks, though they might not lend themselves to it as easily) into a practise lock if you have some tools and some additional pins. In fact, LockChuck did just that and I have his (very similar) lock on my channel just a few videos after this one. I hope it wasn’t too long of an answer. Thanks again.
@@PickingPrincipals Exactly. I bought the Genesis Set from CI and then looked on eBay for some lots of pad locks, they aren’t cheap! This seems way more practical for a total beginner IMO. Thanks for the video. I appreciated it.
Some people might be good at lock picking but they make horrible teachers and aren’t very good with people. I joined FB lock licking groups and some of the people in there are just horrible. They talk crap in plastic learning locks when they helped me so much and taught me how to rake when I only had a few bucks in my bank account. Not everyone can buy cut away and training locks. Also a lot of people will have opinions on things they’ve never even used. The majority of the community is really nice and supportive though.
Thank you. My CI video consistently gets the most views, comments, and questions - and it felt really good to do a “how to” video to maybe teach somebody something.
Others have made the same comment. Bizarre quality control issue perhaps, or maybe they came with different amounts of pins depending on what year they were purchased? Either way, still a good number and worth purchasing. Thanks for the comment - take care!
![[1200] Covert Companion: Assembly & Usage](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z5M-DDsv2qs/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1366] Assembling the Covert Companion Turning Tool Expansion Pack!](/img/n.gif)
Wish i had found you when i was starting, you are a great teacher!
Would love to see a follow-up that covers some pinning options in order of difficulty. Knowing how to steadily increase difficulty is tough, but seems ideal for keeping motivated. Thanks for this either way!
This is a great idea. I can certainly do this “in general “, but the binding order will be different for each lock I would assume, and maybe with different pin arrangements, which would definitely affect difficulty when spools and serrated pins are involved. Thanks for the food for thought!
@@PickingPrincipals Yes, I just got one of these for Christmas, so "in general" is more than enough to give me stuff to work on for probably the next 6 months at least. Like does it make more sense to learn 6 pin picking or stick with 3 pins but introduce security pins earlier, or what. Obviously, just suggestions, but I'd greatly value your insight.
Thank you so much for making this video. I just got it in the mail. It doesn’t come with instructions and I can’t find a video by CI that’s says how to put it together and I don’t want to mess anything up by accident so I’m glad you made this video which has helped countless people by now who search for video likes I did to learn how.
My pleasure! Thank you for the kind words. I’m very glad you found it useful. Have fun!!
Just got one of these and couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong cause I don’t have the feel for it yet. Turns out my first pin was long and I kept over setting like like you said. Thanks for this it’s really helpful for getting started.
Awesome. Make sure you go back to that arrangement as you progress though since a lot of locks have no lift or nearly no lift pins in the front for just that reason. Happy picking!
I have this practice lock. It was really nice to get started and learn the basics. I'd recommend getting the Sparrows reload kit to go with it to anyone wanting to get a little more out of it. The reload kit comes with a follower, more pins, springs, the pinning mats, and keys that you can pin the lock to.
That is a great recommendation. I have the Sparrows kit as well, but never bothered crossing over the materials. Do the keys from Sparrows fit in the CI lock?
@@PickingPrincipals they do. It's a standard Schlage C keyway, so any SC1 (5 pin) and SC4 (6 pin) key should work with the lock.
Fantastic. Thanks for the great tip!
Thinking of getting that once I've had some time with my CI Practice Lock now! Only thing is, I don't see any standard driver pins in that reload kit--do you know where I could get extras of those should I ever need them?
@@Thesnakeroxyes - the sparrows reload kit should come with 15 standard driver pins and also a bunch of standard key pins.
I’ve also seen stuff for sale on Amazon, but it’s quite pricey.
You can also open it with the dimple pick
I’ve never tried that on this lock. Thanks for the tip!
I appreciate your videos so so much. You’re a very good teacher. You explain things by little incremental steps, all the details so we can understand. When I watched the lock picking lawyer he’s like all you have to do is this and this and this then when I try and do it I run into a million problems which is why I started looking elsewhere. His videos might be nice to look at and be like wow but he’s not the best teacher with his very sparse videos. It might cause him to get more views but watching your videos is for people who are serious about learning lock picking. Your videos are like lock picking collage. His videos are like watching TikTok. Thank you for giving to the community all the knowledge you have.
Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words!i really appreciate it.
Looks useful. I would like to test this lock with all the different elements. Good idea.
Thanks Tipa!
@@PickingPrincipals
🙂🔓
see a lot of "black belt" lock pickers saying this lock is pointless (reddit), sounds like gatekeeping to me, curious to your opinion.
Thanks for the question. I’m not going to contradict black belts entirely as they are way more experienced and knowledgeable than I am in general with regards to locksport, and I can see what they may mean since you only get better at picking different locks by picking different locks - and you’ll never find this one in a door… However, it is one of the very first locks I bought and it simulates a bunch of other locks and is easy to pin and experiment with. It taught me about binding order, security pins, and helped me get better at pinning. It’s hands down a better lock than a bunch of ‘commercial’ locks I own and I think has helped me since I didn’t have a lot of access to a variety of locks and didn’t have the cash to spend on a bunch of different locks either.
If it helps you to learn, and gives you some enjoyment, then it can’t be a waste, right? I’ve got a beautiful Master 575 that took me 39 seconds to open, can’t be re-pinned, and cost $45. Which lock is better for my education and a better overall value?
One last thing I guess - you can always turn any rim cylinder (or KiK or a variety of other locks, though they might not lend themselves to it as easily) into a practise lock if you have some tools and some additional pins. In fact, LockChuck did just that and I have his (very similar) lock on my channel just a few videos after this one.
I hope it wasn’t too long of an answer.
Thanks again.
@@PickingPrincipals Exactly. I bought the Genesis Set from CI and then looked on eBay for some lots of pad locks, they aren’t cheap! This seems way more practical for a total beginner IMO. Thanks for the video. I appreciated it.
@@000blocks000thanks! One push lock on eBay I was following for $3.25 just sold for $30+, and shipping was over $20! It’s tough to find good deals.
Some people might be good at lock picking but they make horrible teachers and aren’t very good with people. I joined FB lock licking groups and some of the people in there are just horrible. They talk crap in plastic learning locks when they helped me so much and taught me how to rake when I only had a few bucks in my bank account. Not everyone can buy cut away and training locks. Also a lot of people will have opinions on things they’ve never even used. The majority of the community is really nice and supportive though.
I just wish it came with different spring tensions.
That’s a good request that would increase the variation and make this even more useful. Great idea!
Just got the notification. Thank you, excited to watch this!
If it isn’t helpful - let me know what you would like to see
THANKS….VERY HELPFUL.
Awesome. I’m glad you found it useful. Have fun!
Thank you so much for the help! one of the first videos that came up and actually answered my question! Looking forward to future videos!
Awesome! I’m really glad that you found it useful. Good luck picking!
Jolly good tutorial my friend 👍
Thanks - I had a lot of fun with this one.
Well done doing this tutorial. This looks like a nice locks to practice with, cheers
Thank you. My CI video consistently gets the most views, comments, and questions - and it felt really good to do a “how to” video to maybe teach somebody something.
@@PickingPrincipals Sharing knowledge is a big part of the locksport community, that's what makes this community so supportive and encouraging, cheers
Mine came with 27 key pins instead of the 30 you mentioned. Did they make some changes to what you get when you order one of these?
DuaneGreene also said he got 9 sets instead of 10 with his. I don’t think I added anything to mine so maybe it has changed. I can’t say for certain
Mine came with 27 total key pins but you and others said it comes with 30 total.
Others have made the same comment. Bizarre quality control issue perhaps, or maybe they came with different amounts of pins depending on what year they were purchased? Either way, still a good number and worth purchasing. Thanks for the comment - take care!
mine came with 9 sizes of key pins. wonder why you got 10?
That is odd. I had my calipers out to measure but then didn’t bother since there were sets of three it looked like
Anyone ever tell you that you sound a lot like Spike, from Cowboy Bebop? Its erie how much. 😅 But that's awesome. 😉
No - nobody has. The live action reboot or the anime from back in the day? I want to check it out and see if I agree 😂
@@PickingPrincipals The anime. The original. Voiced by Steve Blum. Its really close. Truly. 😅
Furst