Over the summer, I presented at WA-ACTE Summer Conference Presentations on Robotics and Lock Picking. It’s now Fall Conference time and I’ve decided to update my lock picking presentation. You can find the slides here but I outline some other details below including where to get picks, what bike lock I’d recommend, guides to getting started learning to pick locks, and links to 3D printable designs. If there’s anything I forgot, email me or ask me in the comments below.

Where to get picks

I have two places I like to get picks (at least the ones I don’t make). The first place I went to was Sparrows. They make good picks that are priced well. Recently, I’ve started getting picks from Covert Instruments. I had the Genesis Set and FNG at my presentation. FNG comes with the two most useful picks and the transparent lock I used as a demo. Picks from either Sparrows or Covert Instruments are going to be great. I would not order from Amazon since the quality is all over the place.

What bike lock I’d recommend

Over the years, I’ve used a bunch of different bike locks, including two that I’ve found on the street while riding (pick them up, decode the combination, reset the combo to something I’ll remember, use it for years). As I mentioned in the presentation, using an inexpensive padlock for an expensive bike is not a good idea. Students learn to pick most Master Locks very quickly. Like most security discussions, bike locks come down to compromises. Usually, the smaller, lighter locks with standard keys provide less protection. If you’re riding a junker bike to the store and only need to lock it up for five minutes, these are probably fine. For my more expensive bikes, I like U Locks for Kryptonite and Abus. They are relatively small and not too heavy, but strong enough and use disk detainer locks which are much harder to pick. For our family’s new electric bike, weight was less of an issue and we wanted something big enough to go through the frame and wheels, so we went with the Kryptonite Evolution. We got the 6′ version that weights just shy of 10 lbs and is not something I want to peddle around without electric assist.

Guides to getting started

There are a bunch of videos and illustrations online showing you how to pick locks. A quick YouTube search will pull up tons. I like written guides and the one I recommend most students start with is a classic, the MIT Guide to Lockpicking. It covers how locks work, how picking works, what materials to use to make picks, and what shapes work best for picks. Another good guide comes from the Art of Lockpicking site which also offers simple animations

Links to 3D printable designs

Several of the pieces I had were 3D printed. The designs are typically free to download, but sometimes they require an email address to set up an account. The demo lock came from Covert Instruments which offers several other printable pieces. I print on a Prusa MK4 and haven’t had any trouble with any of the designs Covert Instruments offers. Printables and Thingiverse both offer designs as well.

Again, if you have questions about picking (either as a hobby or in class) feel free to contact me. Good luck and happy picking.