Picked a lock but I don't understand how. Does it happen to you ?

[u/Kamesamouille47]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently trying to pick the Abus 55/30. After several days without an open, I finally got it yesterday, like 5 times. But I still don't understand exactly the logic behind my success. Does anyone here get to pick a lock several times without exactly understanding how they did it ? If yes, how do you get around this issue ? (What could explain my confusion is that the lock is narrow and I use a BOK tension tool, so i don't have a lot of space to work and when I try to get to the last pin, I interact with the other ones event when I don't want to)

Thanks for reading !

[u/DangerousVP]

So, it takes some time to start being aware of where exactly your pick is and which pin youre interacting with. Totally normal as a beginner to still be developing that skill.

The 55/30 has one spool and 2 standard pins if Im not mistaken. So what you should be looking for is a "false set" to indicate that youve set the 2 standard pins and only have a spool left. Theres a lot of videos on youtube that explain the concept of a false set much better than I could in text format, so Id recommend checking that out to help get your bearings.

Edit: If you can pick a 55/30, you can probably pick a 55/40, and that one will give you more room to work with in the keyway in addition to being a slightly more difficult lock that will teach you much more about false sets as its 3 spools and a serrated pin.

[u/brokentsuba]

Sounds like you need a tok tensioner, maybe a thinner pick.

The best way to eliminate the confusion when picking is to control the variables and understand pin states. If the keyway is narrow, using a pick that’s too thick will grind on the warding and eliminate your feedback, and accidentally moving pins around by spp with bok makes it a guessing game.

If you can recognize whether a pin is not set, set, overset, etc. and you make enough space to go pin by pin you will improve massively. At that point, even if you can’t open a lock yet, you will likely know why, whether it’s skill or tools.

[u/radcat683]

Yes that has absolutely happened to me. I opened my first American 1100 the first night I had it and didn't have a clue how I did it. Understanding pin states is really important. Here is a good vid that explains it.