|
CUT-AWAY
PRACTICE LOCKS
and their value
A locksmith without
a fairly well honed lock picking skill is like a surgeon with a crippled
hand. Lock picking is probably the locksmith's most important skill,
and to some people it doesn't come easily.
For a very long time the only way to acquire lock picking skill was to
take a course (available, for the most part, only at specialized locksmith
schools), spend a year or two as an apprentice, or somehow acquire a couple
of lock picks and teach yourself. It's amazing how many locksmiths
have taken the latter road.
Until recently, locksmiths and students of locksmithing, as well as hobbyists
(lock picking enjoys popularity as a hobby in many countries, though not
so much in the U.S.A. due to strict government control in some states) had
to depend on practicing with existing locks. Typically one would go
through his or her own home trying to pick every keyed lock available and
then turn to family and friends hoping to get more practice elsewhere.
In recent years the plight of the beginner locksmith has been happily addressed
with the availability of PRACTICE LOCKS and PRACTICE KITS. Web sites
like Lock Picker's Mall (www.LockPickersMall.com) has led the way in making
such items available and affordable.
While the 'standard' variety of Practice Lock is the mainstay with most
locksmith students, the cut-away variety has an important place in the learning
process, especially with beginners who will profit from them in ways other
than as simply a practice tool. The ability to 'see inside' a functioning
lock cylinder is priceless. It instantly teaches a dozen concepts
with respect to how a pin tumbler lock works. It allows the beginner
to watch his own progress as he or she works with manual picks . . . and
insights into why lock picking is possible are quickly forged.
Cut Away Locks are available in a number of configurations. The most
affordable is the key-in-knob cut-away cyliner, and it is also the most
useful because it is the type of cylinder the locksmith will be picking
most frequently. These cylinders are found in almost all deadbolts
and keyed knobs and levers -- both residential and commercial.
The Cut Away Lock Store endorses and recommends the products designed and
sold by www.LockPickersMall.com.
|
|
|
