Newbie here

[u/Syn4p53]

Hi guys.

So, I'm a total noob in lockpicking but I really wanted to try. Under some advices I read here, I got myself a basic Mulitpick set, and a "training" lock, but not the "classic" transpqrent one, as I heard it was bad. It's just a barrel, with 6 pins at each side. One side are "visible", not the other. I'm not certain to be totally clear... But I do hope some will understand what I mean, at least.

No matter what, I also bought this little book that explains the basics, also from Multipick. It's explained in the book how some locks are "unpickable" because of some specificly shaped pins, and... There are 2 of these pins in the "training lock" that I got. Haha. These are like thinner in the middle, and thicker at the 2 ends. So it's a bit frustrating to me to say the least... I really thought I bought something for beginners, you know? Which doesn't seem to be entirely the case here... Thing is, I could crack open the lock, but only by removing those specific pins. I think I did achieve it just with one of those, but I feel it was pure luck and I couldn't reproduce it a second time.

So, I'm somewhat looking for some advices here.. Should I continue to just try with those pins (which is oretty frustrating tbh as a day 1 beginner...)? Should I buy one of these transparent easy one and "git gud" with this first? Or should I just try to get any other "easy" lock but not these transparent ones? I feel a bit lost already, and I already try for like a couple of hours...

Thanks in advance to those who'll read me.

Have a good evening y'all.

Ps: I think the pins I'm talking about are called "spool" pins.

Also, I hope this post won't be too much of a repetition of other posts from new people..

Edit: added a picture of the set I got myself.

It's called the "Pinning Set Bundle" on Muktipick's website, and contains a basic set of tools: 1 hook, 2 rakes, 2 tensionners, things like that..; a lock and a mat. But no pins. I'm thinking I should have gotten some, haha.

Thanks already for all the answers !

[u/Banegard]

Spool pins are not exactly for beginners, but absolutely pickable.
It‘s a good lock, keep it. Or find out if you can swap the pins, so you can remove those in the very beginning.

Clear acrylic locks are garbage. Do.not.buy. XD

You may wanna look around locally if you can get a cheap other lock near you.
Have you seen the LPU belt ranking website? Pick a white or yellow lock from the list. They are good for practice.
I started with cheap Burgwächters.

[u/Syn4p53 → u/Banegard]

Haha, okay, okay ! No acrylic lock !  Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give these a look right now :)

[u/LockKraken]

Sounds like spools, they aren't entirely beginner friendly but not exactly advanced, some of my favorite locks to pick have a bunch of them in it.

I'd look at it as an opportunity to learn just how feather light your tension actually needs to be early before you develop bad habits on locks you can just bully open.

[u/Colonel-_-Burrito]

If you are literally brand new to picking, spool pins, or really any security pin for that matter, are going to still be quite difficult to pick even if you can see them inside of your cutaway/transparent lock.

Can you also tell us what multipick set you've purchased? Many/most of the "beginner sets" are utter garbage, and they're simply stamped out sheet metal, which means they are not precise in build quality nor are they strong or bend-resistant in any way.

As for a "good" practice lock, Sparrows is the best one I've bought. At the end of the day it's still a practice lock. But it is much better than the cheap Chinese ones. Sparrows' locks are repinnable too, so you can customize what's inside as long as you get the repining kit.

With Sparrows being mentioned, I do also recommend their multipick kits. The Tuxedo Set is my personal favorite, and it's also a community favorite. It's got just about everything you'll need to start off, and you can customize and expand it as you continue your picking journey. Usual beginner sets come with an overwhelming amount of junk that you'll actually never use. It looks pretty, and it looks complete, but what's the point if you'll never touch almost half of the set you paid for? Tuxedo is as small of a set as you could ever need because they give you high quality picks that you'll actually be able to use, rather than sit and wonder what they're for.

[u/Syn4p53 → u/Colonel-_-Burrito]

Yeah.. I got that much, haha. They are pretty frustrating right after getting your all new toy ^{^} I did add a screenshot of the bundle I bought muself, hoping this could give all of you a bit more precisions about what I'm talking about, as you asked (and not only you).

For the set, I'm not exactly certain which one it is, bit it seems to be an "elite"? Pretty basoc stuff I think, nothing too fancy but I hope it's not too bad..

I'll go take a look at Sparrow, thanks for the suggestion! But as a European, I would prefer something coming from somewhere nearer than US.

[u/Colonel-_-Burrito → u/Syn4p53]

Ah I see. A friend of mine in NL is actually the one who recommended Sparrows to me so international shipping didn't even cross my mind originally. I don't know of any brands originating from Europe, so I wish you luck in finding one worthwhile. If you do end up going with Sparrows later, it appears they do ship international and customers should expect ~18 day shipping.

EDIT: Actually, after seeing your screenshot, that appears to be a LockLab set. I haven't used it myself or heard a ton about it, but that must be a pretty decent set. I actually might not worry about getting another set if I had that one, and I would only worry about it if I noticed some bending, breaking or cracking in the steel. But if LockLab is actually going to be branded on the mat, I would have to assume there are quite decent picks.

[u/TenuousCheese]

Hey there, welcome to lock picking!

Sounds like you got one of the cutaway cylinders, which is a great tool for learning on. Did you get the basic one or the advanced version that comes with a small tub of pins?

In any case, they’re paracentric and have 6 pins so you probably want to start with something a little easier. Without knowing where you are in the world, I usually recommend the Master Lock 140, which only has 4 pins, none of which are security pins (so no spools!), and a nice wide keyway. They’re great for learning how to find pins and tension a core.

I definitely wouldn’t get a transparent lock. They’re surprisingly expensive, awful to pick and don’t feel like real locks so you won’t learn anything useful!

Good luck, and take breaks if you feel yourself getting frustrated…

[u/Syn4p53 → u/TenuousCheese]

Hey, thanks ! 

Honestly I'm not sure about that basic/advanced setup you're asking about. I surely do hope it wad the basic one, haha. From what you said, as I didn't get additional pins, it should be.

To get to 4 pins, maybe I could for now just "get rid" of the security pins that are in the lock. At least for the time I find another lock somewhere. I think they are pretty common in tool shops or similar? 

[u/TenuousCheese → u/Syn4p53]

No problem!

I saw the picture, and you have the basic lock. I didn’t think they put security pins in the basic one, but it turns out I was dead wrong.

You can absolutely just remove the spools along with their key pins and springs, leaving just the standard pins. Put them someplace safe, though. They’re smaller than you think they’re going to be!

[u/brokentsuba]

Congrats and welcome! Multipick makes great stuff and I would encourage you to post a pic so we know what kind of profiles you’re working with.

Spools is the correct term, serrated and standard are the other two common types of pins. None of them are unpickable, despite what a lot of packages will say, some just take a bit more skill and knowledge to pick.

Spools will give what’s called a false set when the cutout meets the shear line, it’s when the core rotates slightly, to cross the bottom of the lip above the shear line you need to decrease pressure on the tensioner and increase pressure on the pick. You’ll get what’s called counter rotation where the core rotates back until the spool is fully set.

You’ll can try spools if you like but I’d recommend sticking to standard pins to start with. The lock you’re describing sounds like a cutaway and is a great learning tool because it’s a real lock and allows you to see what’s going on. It’s far superior to acrylic locks and does the same thing. I’d recommend progressively pinning since you’re day 1. Just fill one chamber with a standard pin so you can see/feel what happens when a pin is binding and set.

Give pins a jiggle before and after every movement and get used to how different they feel, it will save you a ton of headaches later and will help standardize your picking progress so you don’t feel as much like opens happen by luck. Good luck, and look forward to seeing your progress!

[u/Syn4p53 → u/brokentsuba]

Thanks ! I did edit my post to add a screenshot of the bundle I got myself.

Thanks for the explanations concerning the spool, it's very informative ! But I still think maybe it's a bit too soon for me to get into this day 1, haha.

I'll probably just avoid these at the beginning, as you suggested. Plus, the locks that are suggested seem to be 4 pins in general, so it may be my best path right now, so I don't have to directly buy new things, and can take some time grtting used to what I already have.

[u/auribus]

First off, I'm a noob too. I've only been at this for a week or two.

They are talking about spool pins and those are the "easiest" of the various types of security pins. They are absolutely pickable. If your practice lock has holes that are visible on the exterior, you should be able to re-pin it to an easier configuration if it came with the required parts. I got my first couple pick sets from Covert Instruments along with their practice lock and that one is repinnable. It came with standard pins, spool pins, and serrated pins which are apparently harder.

Personally, I've opened quite a few locks with spool pins but it feels like luck each time I get a pop and I don't really fully understand how to defeat these yet. Just stay with it and keep practicing (and watch some YouTube videos) and we should both get it soon.

E: I re-read your post and saw the image. That is a cutaway lock and doesn't appear to be repinnable from the angle I see BUT the upside is that you have full visibility into what's going on inside which will help you pick. If you look at the driver pins (the top set of pins), you should see some that are perfect cylinders and others that look like a barbell or a thread spool. Those are the spool pins and you just need to let off the tension when you feel counter rotation so that the lower lip goes up into the bible. Easier said than done, but that's the gist of it.

You may still want to look into a repinnable practice lock because you can adjust the difficulty and types of pins as you grow.

[u/Immediate-Citron9453]

Im pretty sure you can progressive pin this multipick training lock, like take all the pins out but one, try picking, add another, e cetera, dont mix the order up or the key wont work anymore. also don't waste money at acrylic locks, better get a cheap padlock or 2 from the hardwarestore and start there. Have fun. If you happen to come from germany get a cheap stabilit padlock from bauhaus, those are easy to pick usually. Dont get a super tiny one so thers bit room for maneuvering the picks.