Lock Picks added to EDC?

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wade

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Sep 22, 2005
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I am wondering what everyones thoughts are on adding a lock pick set to my EDC/urban PSK? Anyone know of a good pick set or have some suggestions? I just thought it could come in very handy in a emergency if I need to get in to something that is locked. Ideas or opinions?
Thanks
Wade
 
i have a nice 5 pc. set and in addition i bought a broken key extractor to add to it...i spent about 20$ on it with shiping....its not easy to lock pick with out lots of practice...i still dont always get the lock...so if you were to get one its only about 20 for all you will need unless you are going pro. so keep it simple and keep in mind that its not easy...and might be looked down by local law...
 
Yeah, I carry a lockpick in my Urban PSK....it's called a crow bar.

In an emergency survival situation, what would be the point of taking the extra time and effort to pick a lock?
 
In a true emergency, a lockpick would be my last resort. If I was trying to get into something in an emergency, I would simply break in. Even with extensive training, picking a lock is a slow, delicate process. Experienced locksmiths often must spend more than a few minutes working on a lock, and sometimes it takes 15 minutes or more to pick a difficult one. A hammer, a pry bar, an axe, or a brick would be a much more effective "entry tool" in an emergency.

Include a lockpick set in your PSK if you desire, but one really isn't necessary unless you're a criminal, or you are prone to locking yourself out of your house. If, however, you are an experienced locksmith, then by all means put one in the Kit.

If you are determined to own a pick set, I suggest making your own, as they are hard to come by in certain areas. Find some thin lengths of spring-steel and grind them to the various pick shapes. For some examples, use google image search to find "lock picks."

TheSurvivalist
 
Better check your local laws first. Remember your kit is with you all the time.
 
I agree with just breaking in. I just thought that a pick set would be easy to carry and most of the time that we use what we carry we are not in 'survival' situations. If I were in a survival situation I will have no problem breaking something. But most of the time that is not the case. Thanks for the input so far. Anyone know of a good but small pick set?
Wade
 
In 1989 when the Loma Prieta quake hit I was a firefighter for the City. The engine companies were short of hand tools so they forced entry into a hardware store and took what they needed. Of course a note was left in plain site. The owner of the store never would accept payment for what we took.
 
2dogs said:
In 1989 when the Loma Prieta quake hit I was a firefighter for the City. The engine companies were short of hand tools so they forced entry into a hardware store and took what they needed. Of course a note was left in plain site. The owner of the store never would accept payment for what we took.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a store to patronize!

I wouldn't waste time on lock picks in a kit either, I've played around with it and it's not easy.I have a dollar store lock I can pick everytime, but haven't gotten the Master lock to go yet. Most locksmiths I've seen read the codes and make a key way before they pick locks.
 
nate1714 said:
i have a nice 5 pc. set and in addition i bought a broken key extractor to add to it...i spent about 20$ on it with shiping....its not easy to lock pick with out lots of practice...i still dont always get the lock...so if you were to get one its only about 20 for all you will need unless you are going pro...
Click to expand...
I don't know about for EDC but I would like to buy a simple set too... anyone know a good source/seller?
 
Check out www.lockpick.com. I've never dealt with them,they're just the first ones who came up on Google. They describe a "bona fide locksmith" pretty broadly, check out their legal issues section for the definition. I don't know why the laws are so strict against sales of this stuff, I've been a cop for almost 17 years and only once ran into someone actually picking locks for "profit"-he enjoyed the challenge. He got most of his techniques from locksmith books in the public library!!
 
Buck I know a couple guys who have pick sets. They are the camo wearing loud mouth types who brag that they're gonna take over when TSHTF. Gun store commandoes. If you really feel the need to own a pick set keep it to yourself. The walls have ears.

We were isuued slim jim kits and I'll tell ya I loved opening car doors. My best time was about 2 seconds, just dumb luck. There were lots I couldn't open and had to call a locksmith on. Its different now with so many side air bags.

BTW I remember one call where a young woman was locked inside of a car parked in the middle of the highway. She had an MI, though we didn't know it at the time. I went to break out a side window with my flashlight (an aluminum SL-20). I hit that window with all my force a half dozen times with no effect. I finally broke it with a pickhead axe.
 
wade said:
I am wondering what everyones thoughts are on adding a lock pick set to my EDC/urban PSK? Anyone know of a good pick set or have some suggestions? I just thought it could come in very handy in a emergency if I need to get in to something that is locked. Ideas or opinions?Thanks Wade
Click to expand...



Yes if you like to get shot:D
Sorry but it is the most stupid thing to do:D
wade funny guy:D(*~∇~)ノ ヨロ ヽ(~∇~*) ヨロ (*~∇~)―〇☆(#'.・)
 
It's not as easy or as fast as you see on TV. In most areas they are illegal unless you're a licensed locksmith. Crowbar is easier and faster in a SHTF situation.
 
I think it has some merit, not so much for breaking into someone else's place, but for gaining entry when keys are lost on your own property. I have a bunch of locks, and periodically something gets mislayed, a pick comes in handy. I don't know how illegal it is. Pretty much every piece of gear of a tool like nature is going to get called a burglary tool if you are caught with it in a break-in. The last time I had to get into a building, my shop, without a key, I used an allen key for a tension wrench, and a paper clip to rake the lock, it popped open depressingly easily, but to open it I had to use the end of a screw driver. If I was going to carry some tools, I would make them out of adapted objects, not carry around a joe cool 40 piece kit in a wallet. I like the one that look like a lockback knife, but they are almost certainly going to get you banged up in jail.

It's a pretty easy thing to do if the lock isn't too wonderful. It isn't as fast as they show on TV, but 5-10 minutes is a lot faster than what you have to do if you crowbar open the door.
 
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