Just watched this with my wife and said out loud "I should really order his Covert Companion set." She got a sheepish look on her face, left the room, came back and handed me a padded kraft envelope with our address on it, saying "I know it's not quite your birthday yet, but I don't want you to go out and order it on your own, so..." I'm a lucky man.
The turning tools expansion pack was added yesterday, and I discovered that our deadbolt cannot be raked open by a no-skills idiot, which makes me feel just a teensy tiny bit safer. Can't wait for the practice lock to come back in stock...
@@KevinT3141 Those clear plastic locks, if that's what you mean, aren't worth bothering with. You can blow those open with a fart. Better off with MasterLock #1, 3, or disc type imo. For starter locks, the little brass luggage locks with 3 pins are a good easy start
@@KF1 Thanks. There's a practice lock on the Covert Instruments site that isn't clear plastic, and comes with extra pins including spools and serrated pins. That's the one I've got my eye on.
Let me get this straight: You comment something that is unrelated to the fact that I have two HEAVENLY HANDSOME girlfriends? Considering that I am the unprettiest UA-camr ever, having two handsome girlfriends is really incredible. Yet you did not mention that at all. I am quite disappointed, dear stef
This has blown my mind. The fact that some locks are this easy to pick, and can be done with out to much focus means you can pick these types of locks with people around. And then comb picks are so simple so you could just make one or get one for cheap.
Of course you have to know exactly if the lock is susceptible to a comb attack and a if yes which comb exactly you need. In the end it will work let’s say with 2% of the padlocks you find.
@@conorstewart2214 the majority of criminals are not doing that amount of work when they scout. They'd rather go for something totally undefended than something with even the simplest of locks. After that, they would probably come tooled up with something very low skill to defeat a lock. They aren't walking round with bags full of pics and combs etc.
No coincidence I’m sure that the Covert Companion uses a KeySmart key holder. Using the comb pick looks exactly like someone using a set of keys. I can see this being a problem in a locker room or school type setup: all the vulnerable locks will look the same and someone would just walk from locker to locker when no-one is around.
Yeppers. This one is also a good demonstration of "inexcusable design flaw" when the lock was or is made in any recent decade. All they had to do was fill the pinholes more, or use longer driver pins, or use a separate core from the lock body.
This is exceptional. And looking at it, it's genuinely hard to imagine how this exploit still exists. As you just demonstrated, it only takes 2 minutes to fully and completely educate someone on how to avoid this issue, yet, 90 years later, it's still around. Incredible.
Not too hard to imagine, tbh - it's $$$. If it costs them more money to make the product that doesn't have that flaw, and they don't think anyone cares/notices that the flaw is still there, well... Easy to see how a big company will go.
@@mattgopack7395 It should technically cost them less or the same amount of money. All they have to do is not go as far with those chambers when they are machining or casting the lock body. It would have less material waste and less wear on their tooling, while having a more effective product that could sell better. This is just laziness and not caring. Not a cost issue.
I didn't know what comb picking was until your talk at that security conference, but this perfectly explains the mechanics behind it. Combing really is the skeleton key in all those stories.
It's amazing how much I feel like I can learn about locks, security, and design in a 2 minute video like this. Thank you for continuing this series; before I would have scoffed and said, oh, yeah, comb picking, that's obvious how it works, it just lifts the pins out of the way. But seeing it in action makes it all the more clear how and why it works and how one might prevent it.
I love that it answers the part of the question that is often ignored; WHY it works. Also I just love how, in a way, the lock is a puzzle, and picking it would be trying to find the answer. Comb pucks basically just say "lol" and push the entire puzzle aside
These new videos from you, showing how exactly lockpicking works, are simply BRILLIANT! Now everything becomes so clear and easy to understand... Thank you!
The lock picking lawyer is the realest guy on UA-cam he gives you nothing more and nothing less than what he says he will and what he does give you is exactly what he said he will every single time without fail
I used to think like that, but now I'm wondering if basic lockpicking isn't a basic emergency/quality of life skill. How many times have you been sent on errands to get stuff from the work supply closet, only to be hampered by no-one knowing where the key is? Despite being locked by a cheap, mass produced masterlock? Or forgetting the code for the dumpster lock, with massive gaps in the code wheel? If nothing else, it's a great way to impress your coworkers and inform them about lock security. I know what I want for Christmas! Granted, in a major emergency it's faster to break a window with a hefty rock, but life is full of minor emergencies.
I'm always amazed at how much information and experience i get from merely 2-3 minutes of your videos. If they're longer than 2-3 minutes them I'm actually interested in what's got you flabbergasted or challenging you. Good job sir. Thank you for all that you do.
One of the things I love most about you LPL, is that you never waste our time with a lot of excess fluff in your videos. There are a lot of videos on UA-cam that contain about two minutes of information and fifteen minutes worth of fluff. Thank you so much for having optimized you videos so you have more time to do what you do with Mrs. LPL and a can go do something else - hopefully more productive.
One of my favorite series. Please do more of the "Inside Perspective" videos. It really helps to see how things work, and therefore have a better idea of picking other locks.
The best instruction ever. The last couple of inside perspective series helped me overcome the spool and also thought me the "feel". As a locksport enthusiast (because of this channel), i appreciate the video. Thanks LPL.
I love the cutaway series just like everyone else! Can you show what happens when a lock gets bricked from picking? I would love to see what that actually means through a cutaway.
There was a video whete he showed the driver pin having an extra disk, while being hollow itself. When not propperly lifted, the hollow without the disk would get stuck on the side of the core that had a small circular cutout. The extra disk prevented it from getring stuck. I am sure other there are other mechanisms as well, but he showed this one
@@powerclan1910 I think you are referring to the video where he shows to make a trap in a common household lock, right? I thought that was pretty interesting. But I was looking more along the lines of bricking a normal non-sabatoged lock, if that's a thing. I was going along the lines of you should never pick a lock you normally use and rely on as you can brick it. That is what I was looking for. But I am no means an expert.
@@levigraves7267 no i was referring to another video, but i don't know enough to be a trusty source (i know as much as jhon snow). From what i understood that advise is meant to warn against trap locks, as you don't always know if a lock has one
I had always wondered how the comb prongs didn't also go above the shear line and stop the core from turning, but it makes sense that they're simply too wide to fit. Thank you for this series!
It's more that you don't push them up as far, and as the key pins always have a pointed tip, if you do push the comb up into the body and jam the lock, the pins will be trapped and you can drop it and the lock will still turn.
Because of your channel, today I didn't have to wait outside for my parents to come home. Was my first time and took quite a lot of time to open. I never expect to use these knowledge but now I glad I have it. Thanks Mr. LPL
I like this explanation. It fleshes out the times I've seen you comb pick things in the past (I sort of grasped the principle before by simply watching what happens when you insert the comb but being able to see what a key and driver pin is gives full context to phrases like "equal length driver pins"). You're just shoving all the pins beyond the shear line entirely rather than lining up the key pins (in essence turning the comb itself into the key pins and rendering the actual key pins immaterial).
You never stop amazing me with your skills and knowledge. Loving these educational insider videos. It blows me away that some of these locks are just way too easy when you understand what's going on. To paraphrase, knowledge is half the battle! Thanks for sharing!
He did it twice, so we know it's not a fluke. Ironically, much of the LPL's high school biology coursework revolved around the identification and classification of various flatworms.
Not this time, no. It struck me weirdly when he didn’t say that in this video. Took me half a mine, but I understood that he didn’t say “so you know it’s not a fluke” in this video, because we could actually see inside the lock that there was no fluckes to be found (or seen?) already in the first time. 😆
Love this series of videos. I lifts the curtain on what you teach in your other videos. I have a Covert companion, so it puts each device it contains into context.
I'm really enjoying this perspective series. As a visual learner, it really helps me to get my head around these techniques. Keep up the excellent work LPL.
I've never picked a lock in my life but I must have watched at least 500 LPL video's by now and the new Inside Perspective series is just awesome. One of these days I'll have to try my hand, but it's fascinating to see the engineering, or lack thereof in some of these locks.
This video was amazing, but let's take a moment to appreciate how the Covert Instruments logo uses the letters C & I to form an opening door. Well done logo LPL 👏
Ahh... Thank you. I had seen you use comb picks before, but I thought they were used similarly to rakes. I didn't realize that comb picks exploited an entirely different weakness.
I’ve used a piece of windshield wiper to lift all of the pins at once, the same way this works. It just depends on the lock for the wiper blade to work since it wasn’t bent or modified in any way. Thanks again for another great video!!!
This series blows me away. It seems like it would be so easy to design a lock that’s at least, *difficult* to pick without the cost being too high. I love the “Inside Perspective” series, LPL!! Thank you!
It is a matter of really precise engineering - key pins driver pins and the holes they are in with the minimum amount of slack that they need to be able to move. But this level of engineering is expensive - you can't just use a drill, you have to drill it undersized and ream the hole to size, and the ream wears quickly and then creates undersize holes, and so has to be regularly replaced. Much quicker to make it with drills, leaving plenty of slack, which means a lock you can quickly open with a wave rake.
I appreciate this! I used to try to lockpick and had some cheap tools that worked great on the see-through training lock but not on real locks. Hence them gathering dust somewhere. These kind of videos are sooo useful.
APRIL FIRST is only two days away. I haven't been able to get into my wife's backdoor at all - just a tip would be enough. I wish this ball lock she gave me had a quick disconnect. 😞
I'm usually Kel reading the contract while watching your videos ("Mhmm, MmmHmm. I know some of these words"), but this series and the Lishi Tool have been fantastic at showing me what's going on!
I am really enjoying the cutaway series. Before I already got some understanding from your videos, but this makes everything so much clearer. Very educational.
Yes, but I also think it should be mentioned that this is very specific but very effective solution; manualnpicking would arrive at the same result, but take longer
See, once again the inside perspective series has proved how cool this is! I was always wondering if you could force all the pins above the shear line to open a lock and little did I know that that was what was happening when you used the comb pick! Thank you LPL for the infotainment!
Love the insight. It all well and good watching your skills at picking locks, you can envisage what's happening, we can't. Watching the physical interaction between your tools and the locks pulls it all together.
I find it really funny, that even the side of the locking latch that locks the part of the shackle that is permanently attached to the lock is (bottom one in video) is angled when it doesn't need to be. You can clearly see that the manufacturer emphasizes ease of manufacturing over lock's security, because this feature makes it so that the person assembling the lock doesn't need to unlock the lock to insert the shackle, but this opens up the opportunity for shimming. It doesn't really matter, since combing is much faster in this case, while being the result of the same approach to security. I am no expert in this field, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong ;)
In low-security applications, it can be a great convenience for the end user to not need the key to lock it. Also, doing this probably makes the assembly line person 3X faster.
@@TheQuark6789 the side of the shackle I'm talking about doesn't leave the padlock body and thus not having an angled locking wedge there wouldn't prevent closing without a key - the part of the shackle that stays in the lock body would keep it in unlocked position until you lock it.
@@Daddo22 Hmm, I don't follow. As long as there are spring-loaded locking lugs, wouldn't it be vulnerable to shimming (unless the tolerances are extremely tight so one can't fit)? I suppose you could design a mechanism without springs to auto-lock it, but I've never seen that (at least on LPL's channel).
@@TheQuark6789 The idea is, that if the angled surface wasn't angled and instead (from the side view) the rectangular profile of the locking latch would sit exactly in the rectangular cutout in the shackle (with some tolerance, of course). This would mean, that (from the view from the top of the lock - looking the direction that you'd be inserting the shim) if the shackle diameter is slightly bigger than width of the latch, there would be no longer any surface on which your shim could push that would push the latch the direction it needs to unlock the lock. Currently from this PoV you'd see a part (triangle-like shape) the angled surface of the latch on both sides of the shackle. I have pretty strong ability to visualize 3D objects, but if you don't that's OK, just imagine a square and a circle of the same diameter as the square's size exactly on top of it, then cut both in half perpendicular to one of the sides of the square. Save one half and for the other cut the remainder of the square in half in the same direction again and discard the part that is more covered by the circle. The first one represents non-angled latch and the 2nd angled one and the remainder of the square is in each case the part of the latch the shim would try to engage with and the cutout on the 2nd represents the gap you'd have from the sloping on the top of the latch. Now imagine a cutout of the shim (or your finger ;-)) going around the circumference of the circle and you see, that in 1st case, there is no way for shim to push the latch out from underneath the shackle (no way to apply force in needed direction), unlike in 2nd case, where the cutouts give you a perfect opportunity.
I'm a huge locksport enthusiast and have at least 500 hours of picking time at this point. Though my skill level has reached a point where the inside perspective series doesn't add to my knowledge base, it's an incredible point of reference when I'm trying to explain what i'm doing inside a lock. I really appreciate that someone with your level of skill and excellent presentation made this series - my friends no longer look at me like i'm speaking a different language when I talk about locksport!
Bruh, I had always wondered how comb picks worked, to know how, even with my extremely limited engineering knowledge, I know it has to be really easy to fix.
Question: What exactly is the reason for the comb shape? It seems like a flat piece of metal should do the same thing. Is there something in the lock that forces you to use something with a protrusion for each pin?
In most locks, each pin is in its own channel, you need the comb to go into each channel to lift them all far enough to get both pins on top of the shear line.
I understand my confusion now. I was still thinking in terms of only having to push the key pin past the shear line as in single pin picking. The whole point of this method is you're pushing the driver pin in as well, which requires pushing them farther than a key can reach.
I really love this inside perspective series. It's one thing to comprehend what you're saying and imagining it, but it's significantly more impactful seeing it happen.
I have a stupid question. Why does it have to be a comb? Wouldn't a straight tool also be able to push all the pins up? Or do they need to be pushed a bit further than a straight tool would be able to?
If you look closely when the pins are pushed up, you need to take account the "hard" / "not moving" metal part in between them. A single line wouldn't lift them up high enough.
There are little "walls" between each pin stack preventing this, otherwise every blank key that can fit inside would open them. I suggest watching one of LPLs "gutting" videos to get a good top down view of a whole lock.
The pins have to be pushed to the shear line, which is not flush with the key hole, but further away from the center of the core. So your last assumption is correct: the pins have to be pushed further into the pin holes than a straight tool could.
Great video! I want to ask you something that was bothering me from your last "inside the lock" videos. Is there a way to understand which type of pins are inside a lock, without gutting the lock or studying the model? Is there some empirical way to gain this knowledge? Maybe during the picking? I hope you'll see and answer my question, have a nice day
Each type of security pin will give you different feedback through the pick and/or the tension tool. LPL has videos explaining the different security pins and the feedback they give you. That and hours upon hours of practice. You can get "practice" locks (not the clear ones) that you can change the pins in to be able to feel how they respond. They are worth the money if really want to explore the hobby
👍 , , , i absolutely love this LPL , i have learned more about locks , how they work , and i am getting better at my practice locks i bought on Amazon , ever since you did these videos so we can see what is happening inside when we pick , , , keep the videos coming 👍
"They don't make them like they used to" Well, Masterlock is a prime example where they do in fact make them like they used to... 100 years ago... without fixing any vulnerabilities. Must be an easy job to work as a lock designer for them, just copy old stuff during morning coffee and then take the rest of the day off.
What makes you think they employ designers? They have a few graphic artists, who create 'MaXXXimum Security 100X' graphics for the offshore manufacturers to wrap around their stock products.
Is there any sort of tell as to when a comb pick could be used, or is it just a matter of try it and see if it works before moving on to the other types of picking?
Thank you for the visualization to what is happening. I have been trying to understand the mechanics of what was physically happening inside the lock with little to show for my "theater of the mind". The cutaways are a HUGE help in my understanding. I enjoy your videos very much since I am fascinated with how things works (well, I am an Engineer...) and the cutaways help me understand the meaning of key pins and drive pins etc.
Simply put, if the spring bottoms out before the key pin can be pushed up past the shear line, the comb cannot work. On the lock shown, the spring, driver pin and key pin can all fit in the hole with room to clear the shear line.
I had diesel stolen from my farm fuel tank .I called the RCMP while the moron thief was in action stealing.I wanted the cop to catch him red handed but they missed him by two minute’s because he spooked and left.But now I know how he picked that lock so effortlessly while I watched from the house thank ‘s for video great stuff !
![[1428] Inside Perspective: Picking Spool Pins](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cqd9DPrgi3g/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1428] Inside Perspective: Picking Spool Pins](/img/tr.png)
![[1289] This Lock Is Indisputably “Pickproof”](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qqL7wTu5IEk/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1181] A TRAP For Pickers! The Clever Hines Key System Picked](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3g0-pxXD794/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1436] Inside Perspective on Picking Disc Detainer Locks](/img/n.gif)
Just watched this with my wife and said out loud "I should really order his Covert Companion set." She got a sheepish look on her face, left the room, came back and handed me a padded kraft envelope with our address on it, saying "I know it's not quite your birthday yet, but I don't want you to go out and order it on your own, so..."
I'm a lucky man.
Wife that supports your hobbies. Nice.
That's awesome
The turning tools expansion pack was added yesterday, and I discovered that our deadbolt cannot be raked open by a no-skills idiot, which makes me feel just a teensy tiny bit safer. Can't wait for the practice lock to come back in stock...
@@KevinT3141 Those clear plastic locks, if that's what you mean, aren't worth bothering with. You can blow those open with a fart. Better off with MasterLock #1, 3, or disc type imo.
For starter locks, the little brass luggage locks with 3 pins are a good easy start
@@KF1 Thanks. There's a practice lock on the Covert Instruments site that isn't clear plastic, and comes with extra pins including spools and serrated pins. That's the one I've got my eye on.
This is the cleanest and most reproducible demonstration on how to exploit a lock by comb picking.
Well done and perfectly demonstrated!
Let me get this straight: You comment something that is unrelated to the fact that I have two HEAVENLY HANDSOME girlfriends? Considering that I am the unprettiest UA-camr ever, having two handsome girlfriends is really incredible. Yet you did not mention that at all. I am quite disappointed, dear stef
I don't know, he only picked it once. It could have been a fluke
Starting the sentence with the "this is the cleanest and most..." gave me Hansen vibes, for sure!
@@CADClicker Either you didn't watch the whole video because you have the attention span of a gnat or you can't count higher than one
@@theiaraineits a joke
This has blown my mind. The fact that some locks are this easy to pick, and can be done with out to much focus means you can pick these types of locks with people around. And then comb picks are so simple so you could just make one or get one for cheap.
Of course you have to know exactly if the lock is susceptible to a comb attack and a if yes which comb exactly you need.
In the end it will work let’s say with 2% of the padlocks you find.
@@HingerlAlois Most criminals scout it out anyway, to see if its worth it, so not too much different to check what type of lock is on it.
@@conorstewart2214 the majority of criminals are not doing that amount of work when they scout. They'd rather go for something totally undefended than something with even the simplest of locks. After that, they would probably come tooled up with something very low skill to defeat a lock. They aren't walking round with bags full of pics and combs etc.
@@7H3541N7 well the covert companion proves you dont need a bag full lol. anyone could walk around with that in their pocket
No coincidence I’m sure that the Covert Companion uses a KeySmart key holder. Using the comb pick looks exactly like someone using a set of keys.
I can see this being a problem in a locker room or school type setup: all the vulnerable locks will look the same and someone would just walk from locker to locker when no-one is around.
"Inside Perspective" series definitely shows why those previous lock pickings were "not a fluke"
Yeppers. This one is also a good demonstration of "inexcusable design flaw" when the lock was or is made in any recent decade. All they had to do was fill the pinholes more, or use longer driver pins, or use a separate core from the lock body.
I find it especially interesting that the lock appears to have spool pins, but then is defeated by such a basic issue.
This is exceptional. And looking at it, it's genuinely hard to imagine how this exploit still exists. As you just demonstrated, it only takes 2 minutes to fully and completely educate someone on how to avoid this issue, yet, 90 years later, it's still around. Incredible.
Not too hard to imagine, tbh - it's $$$. If it costs them more money to make the product that doesn't have that flaw, and they don't think anyone cares/notices that the flaw is still there, well...
Easy to see how a big company will go.
And it isnt even that hard to prevent. Its just simple math.
@@mattgopack7395 you can stop it with almost no cost.
@@CR-iz1od The key point being 'almost' there ;)
@@mattgopack7395 It should technically cost them less or the same amount of money. All they have to do is not go as far with those chambers when they are machining or casting the lock body. It would have less material waste and less wear on their tooling, while having a more effective product that could sell better. This is just laziness and not caring. Not a cost issue.
I didn't know what comb picking was until your talk at that security conference, but this perfectly explains the mechanics behind it. Combing really is the skeleton key in all those stories.
This series is great. Additionally, I hope that LPL produces another awesome video for what has become an April 1st tradition.
Yea! I hope he picks a front door this time. ;-)
@@bsvenss2 I didn't realise that was a joke until I heard him say so months (years?) later.
maybe the joke will be finding a good masterlock? ;)
You're right! I hadn't realized that date was upon us
Yes... i was about to ask him to remove hos comment as it would put people on notice!
Incredible to actually see it working! I love the "Inside Perspective" series, can't wait for a video on a disc detainer core!!
Actually bosnian bill did a disc detainer cuyaeay -1863 i think. Edit, no... 1683
@@nooboftheyear7170 impressive... I have trouble remembering which funny channel made which funny video
I think there’s one out now!
Props to the machinist that sculpted that cut-away. 😍
I'm thinking they just used a cnc with the core removed
They are mass produced in China and cost 3 dollars each.
It's amazing how much I feel like I can learn about locks, security, and design in a 2 minute video like this. Thank you for continuing this series; before I would have scoffed and said, oh, yeah, comb picking, that's obvious how it works, it just lifts the pins out of the way. But seeing it in action makes it all the more clear how and why it works and how one might prevent it.
I love that it answers the part of the question that is often ignored; WHY it works.
Also I just love how, in a way, the lock is a puzzle, and picking it would be trying to find the answer. Comb pucks basically just say "lol" and push the entire puzzle aside
These new videos from you, showing how exactly lockpicking works, are simply BRILLIANT! Now everything becomes so clear and easy to understand... Thank you!
Masterlock, making the same, easy to pick lock for the last 100 years!
I think that’s an Abus
@@john.o well what's the difference?
@@ells5656 Well if I am correct.. the difference would be that it’s not a masterlock 🙃
Ny. 6Cov 6 ok c6o m com6 ov 6o. Fo6 mcoo. 9
Pretty sure the choice of brand name, "masterlock" is no coincidence.
The lock picking lawyer is the realest guy on UA-cam he gives you nothing more and nothing less than what he says he will and what he does give you is exactly what he said he will every single time without fail
And it's never a fluke.
I mean, I feel a bit misled when he said he'd show us his 18-inch long Johnson 😂
"ONLY when the key is inserted..."
LPL needs to watch some LPL vids..
Love this series, very insightful without ruining the format.
The Comb Pick: When you need to open a Masterlock at 8PM but look stylish by 8PM and 10 seconds.
not if it has an M1 keyway
That was an excellent explanation. I probably will never pick a lock but I find your videos fascinating - Thank you
I used to think like that, but now I'm wondering if basic lockpicking isn't a basic emergency/quality of life skill. How many times have you been sent on errands to get stuff from the work supply closet, only to be hampered by no-one knowing where the key is? Despite being locked by a cheap, mass produced masterlock? Or forgetting the code for the dumpster lock, with massive gaps in the code wheel?
If nothing else, it's a great way to impress your coworkers and inform them about lock security. I know what I want for Christmas!
Granted, in a major emergency it's faster to break a window with a hefty rock, but life is full of minor emergencies.
@@r3dp9 When something goes missing, you'll be the first suspect. It's not a skill that you want to brag about at the office.
I'm always amazed at how much information and experience i get from merely 2-3 minutes of your videos. If they're longer than 2-3 minutes them I'm actually interested in what's got you flabbergasted or challenging you. Good job sir. Thank you for all that you do.
Cutaway series is by far my favorite of the LPL videos. Keep them coming.
One of the things I love most about you LPL, is that you never waste our time with a lot of excess fluff in your videos. There are a lot of videos on UA-cam that contain about two minutes of information and fifteen minutes worth of fluff. Thank you so much for having optimized you videos so you have more time to do what you do with Mrs. LPL and a can go do something else - hopefully more productive.
One of my favorite series. Please do more of the "Inside Perspective" videos. It really helps to see how things work, and therefore have a better idea of picking other locks.
The best instruction ever. The last couple of inside perspective series helped me overcome the spool and also thought me the "feel". As a locksport enthusiast (because of this channel), i appreciate the video. Thanks LPL.
Waiting on the edge of my seat for this years april fools!
Please keep this series going, it's not only demonstrative but entertaining as well 👍
I really like this series, so much information in a 2 minute video.
Thank you for this demonstration and the explanations for us non-pickers.
I love the cutaway series just like everyone else! Can you show what happens when a lock gets bricked from picking? I would love to see what that actually means through a cutaway.
I recall he just did one recently. Take a look through his videos and you should find it.
There was a video whete he showed the driver pin having an extra disk, while being hollow itself. When not propperly lifted, the hollow without the disk would get stuck on the side of the core that had a small circular cutout. The extra disk prevented it from getring stuck.
I am sure other there are other mechanisms as well, but he showed this one
@@powerclan1910 I think you are referring to the video where he shows to make a trap in a common household lock, right? I thought that was pretty interesting. But I was looking more along the lines of bricking a normal non-sabatoged lock, if that's a thing. I was going along the lines of you should never pick a lock you normally use and rely on as you can brick it. That is what I was looking for. But I am no means an expert.
@@levigraves7267 no i was referring to another video, but i don't know enough to be a trusty source (i know as much as jhon snow). From what i understood that advise is meant to warn against trap locks, as you don't always know if a lock has one
These inside views are extremely helpful, thank you.
I am loving the insider perspective series. Please do continue making them, I'd love to see "the Pick That BosnianBill and I Made" in action as well.
A picture is worth 10,000 words,. This video is worth far more. Excellent presentation. Thanks for sharing this!
I had always wondered how the comb prongs didn't also go above the shear line and stop the core from turning, but it makes sense that they're simply too wide to fit. Thank you for this series!
It's more that you don't push them up as far, and as the key pins always have a pointed tip, if you do push the comb up into the body and jam the lock, the pins will be trapped and you can drop it and the lock will still turn.
Because of your channel, today I didn't have to wait outside for my parents to come home. Was my first time and took quite a lot of time to open. I never expect to use these knowledge but now I glad I have it. Thanks Mr. LPL
I love this whole "inside perspective" series, it's really enlightening.
I like this explanation. It fleshes out the times I've seen you comb pick things in the past (I sort of grasped the principle before by simply watching what happens when you insert the comb but being able to see what a key and driver pin is gives full context to phrases like "equal length driver pins"). You're just shoving all the pins beyond the shear line entirely rather than lining up the key pins (in essence turning the comb itself into the key pins and rendering the actual key pins immaterial).
I'm really enjoying this inside-the-lock series. I was fascinated before, but now it's like a light bulb has gone off and I understand!
You never stop amazing me with your skills and knowledge. Loving these educational insider videos. It blows me away that some of these locks are just way too easy when you understand what's going on. To paraphrase, knowledge is half the battle! Thanks for sharing!
He did it twice, so we know it's not a fluke. Ironically, much of the LPL's high school biology coursework revolved around the identification and classification of various flatworms.
Ha
Not this time, no. It struck me weirdly when he didn’t say that in this video. Took me half a mine, but I understood that he didn’t say “so you know it’s not a fluke” in this video, because we could actually see inside the lock that there was no fluckes to be found (or seen?) already in the first time. 😆
Inside Perspective has been a fantastic series so far, thanks for doing this!
Loving the inside perspective series. They're so helpful.
Excellent demonstration! 🔐🔐🔐🔐🔐
Love this series of videos. I lifts the curtain on what you teach in your other videos. I have a Covert companion, so it puts each device it contains into context.
I'm really enjoying this perspective series. As a visual learner, it really helps me to get my head around these techniques. Keep up the excellent work LPL.
Was worried LPL is away. Nicely done, Sir!
Stay safe!
I've never picked a lock in my life but I must have watched at least 500 LPL video's by now and the new Inside Perspective series is just awesome.
One of these days I'll have to try my hand, but it's fascinating to see the engineering, or lack thereof in some of these locks.
This video was amazing, but let's take a moment to appreciate how the Covert Instruments logo uses the letters C & I to form an opening door. Well done logo LPL 👏
Good pick up, would not have noticed.
I did not at all realize that this is how the comb exploit works. Never would have realized without such a simple and concise explanation
This series is so educational especially when combined with the years of videos put out orior to it
I honestly did not expect that to work because it would be such an obvious design flaw, yet here we are.
Ahh... Thank you. I had seen you use comb picks before, but I thought they were used similarly to rakes. I didn't realize that comb picks exploited an entirely different weakness.
I just want you to know how much I appreciate these videos.
I'm absolutely loving this "Inside Perspective" serie.
I’ve used a piece of windshield wiper to lift all of the pins at once, the same way this works. It just depends on the lock for the wiper blade to work since it wasn’t bent or modified in any way. Thanks again for another great video!!!
This series blows me away. It seems like it would be so easy to design a lock that’s at least, *difficult* to pick without the cost being too high. I love the “Inside Perspective” series, LPL!! Thank you!
It is a matter of really precise engineering - key pins driver pins and the holes they are in with the minimum amount of slack that they need to be able to move. But this level of engineering is expensive - you can't just use a drill, you have to drill it undersized and ream the hole to size, and the ream wears quickly and then creates undersize holes, and so has to be regularly replaced.
Much quicker to make it with drills, leaving plenty of slack, which means a lock you can quickly open with a wave rake.
Another awesome inside perspective video. So incredibly helpful to see and understand how the lock and the picking actually works.
I'll keep saying it.....this series is amazing!!
I appreciate this! I used to try to lockpick and had some cheap tools that worked great on the see-through training lock but not on real locks. Hence them gathering dust somewhere. These kind of videos are sooo useful.
APRIL FIRST is only two days away. I haven't been able to get into my wife's backdoor at all - just a tip would be enough. I wish this ball lock she gave me had a quick disconnect. 😞
I suggest asking her to marry you one more time, to prove that it’s not a fluke.
LPL Video 1071 (you should be able to extrapolate from there)
LOVE this cut-away series!! Thank you!!
Great Series! Its really interesting to see the inside while its being attacked
I can’t get enough of these videos, it’s shown me what I was doing wrong when single pin picking!
Just here waiting on the April 1st video to drop
I just bought a covert dompanion, seeing thenuse case for another of it's tools is really cool, thanks.
I never understood how the comb pick worked, but this makes a lot of sense. Thank you.
Please don't leave us for that long again LPL! I was getting worried! 😆 Glad you're back good sir!
I'm usually Kel reading the contract while watching your videos ("Mhmm, MmmHmm. I know some of these words"), but this series and the Lishi Tool have been fantastic at showing me what's going on!
I am really enjoying the cutaway series. Before I already got some understanding from your videos, but this makes everything so much clearer. Very educational.
It looks to me that a significant portion of lockpicking is about recognition of lock types, and understanding simple exploits
It's called experience.
Yes, but I also think it should be mentioned that this is very specific but very effective solution; manualnpicking would arrive at the same result, but take longer
I love these cut away videos. It's really helping me in learning about lock picking.
See, once again the inside perspective series has proved how cool this is! I was always wondering if you could force all the pins above the shear line to open a lock and little did I know that that was what was happening when you used the comb pick! Thank you LPL for the infotainment!
Love the insight.
It all well and good watching your skills at picking locks, you can envisage what's happening, we can't.
Watching the physical interaction between your tools and the locks pulls it all together.
I find it really funny, that even the side of the locking latch that locks the part of the shackle that is permanently attached to the lock is (bottom one in video) is angled when it doesn't need to be. You can clearly see that the manufacturer emphasizes ease of manufacturing over lock's security, because this feature makes it so that the person assembling the lock doesn't need to unlock the lock to insert the shackle, but this opens up the opportunity for shimming. It doesn't really matter, since combing is much faster in this case, while being the result of the same approach to security.
I am no expert in this field, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong ;)
In low-security applications, it can be a great convenience for the end user to not need the key to lock it.
Also, doing this probably makes the assembly line person 3X faster.
@@TheQuark6789 the side of the shackle I'm talking about doesn't leave the padlock body and thus not having an angled locking wedge there wouldn't prevent closing without a key - the part of the shackle that stays in the lock body would keep it in unlocked position until you lock it.
@@Daddo22 Hmm, I don't follow. As long as there are spring-loaded locking lugs, wouldn't it be vulnerable to shimming (unless the tolerances are extremely tight so one can't fit)? I suppose you could design a mechanism without springs to auto-lock it, but I've never seen that (at least on LPL's channel).
@@TheQuark6789 The idea is, that if the angled surface wasn't angled and instead (from the side view) the rectangular profile of the locking latch would sit exactly in the rectangular cutout in the shackle (with some tolerance, of course). This would mean, that (from the view from the top of the lock - looking the direction that you'd be inserting the shim) if the shackle diameter is slightly bigger than width of the latch, there would be no longer any surface on which your shim could push that would push the latch the direction it needs to unlock the lock. Currently from this PoV you'd see a part (triangle-like shape) the angled surface of the latch on both sides of the shackle.
I have pretty strong ability to visualize 3D objects, but if you don't that's OK, just imagine a square and a circle of the same diameter as the square's size exactly on top of it, then cut both in half perpendicular to one of the sides of the square. Save one half and for the other cut the remainder of the square in half in the same direction again and discard the part that is more covered by the circle. The first one represents non-angled latch and the 2nd angled one and the remainder of the square is in each case the part of the latch the shim would try to engage with and the cutout on the 2nd represents the gap you'd have from the sloping on the top of the latch. Now imagine a cutout of the shim (or your finger ;-)) going around the circumference of the circle and you see, that in 1st case, there is no way for shim to push the latch out from underneath the shackle (no way to apply force in needed direction), unlike in 2nd case, where the cutouts give you a perfect opportunity.
Thank you so much, these videos have been amazing in understanding what you do, and the inner workings of the locks!
Usually this can only be exploited on locks with a case of what lpl calls: “Chinese sloppy lock”
I'm a huge locksport enthusiast and have at least 500 hours of picking time at this point. Though my skill level has reached a point where the inside perspective series doesn't add to my knowledge base, it's an incredible point of reference when I'm trying to explain what i'm doing inside a lock.
I really appreciate that someone with your level of skill and excellent presentation made this series - my friends no longer look at me like i'm speaking a different language when I talk about locksport!
Bruh, I had always wondered how comb picks worked, to know how, even with my extremely limited engineering knowledge, I know it has to be really easy to fix.
this series is just incredible. Thank you for the work behind making the insides visible for us!
Lock manufacturers: “We said the lock was hard to pick, we made no claims about combs!”
I am really loving these cutaway vids, Mr LPL Sir. Please, keep them coming.
I'd like to see you pick locks with household tools, like paperclips.
Covert Instruments probably does not sell paperclips or "bobbypins"
@@robertleifeld225 not... yet? Could be a "cheap beginner kit"
He opened a gun lock with a Lego action figure. He opened another gun lock with a twig.
Still the best damn series you've made (and that's saying something), thanks for keeping up with it, I'm enjoying every bit.
Question: What exactly is the reason for the comb shape? It seems like a flat piece of metal should do the same thing. Is there something in the lock that forces you to use something with a protrusion for each pin?
In most locks, each pin is in its own channel, you need the comb to go into each channel to lift them all far enough to get both pins on top of the shear line.
I understand my confusion now. I was still thinking in terms of only having to push the key pin past the shear line as in single pin picking. The whole point of this method is you're pushing the driver pin in as well, which requires pushing them farther than a key can reach.
I really love this inside perspective series. It's one thing to comprehend what you're saying and imagining it, but it's significantly more impactful seeing it happen.
I have a stupid question. Why does it have to be a comb? Wouldn't a straight tool also be able to push all the pins up? Or do they need to be pushed a bit further than a straight tool would be able to?
If you look closely when the pins are pushed up, you need to take account the "hard" / "not moving" metal part in between them.
A single line wouldn't lift them up high enough.
There are little "walls" between each pin stack preventing this, otherwise every blank key that can fit inside would open them.
I suggest watching one of LPLs "gutting" videos to get a good top down view of a whole lock.
The pins have to be pushed to the shear line, which is not flush with the key hole, but further away from the center of the core. So your last assumption is correct: the pins have to be pushed further into the pin holes than a straight tool could.
Oh my goodness! That’s an unforgivable design flaw !
Thanks for showing exactly how the comb pick works.
Looks like the only difficult part is figuring out how many pins are in the lock so you can use the correct comb.
Very good observation, why didn't LPL discuss this? Too obvious? 😀
This inside the lock series the best lock picking series on the net!! Thank you for this!!!
Great video! I want to ask you something that was bothering me from your last "inside the lock" videos.
Is there a way to understand which type of pins are inside a lock, without gutting the lock or studying the model? Is there some empirical way to gain this knowledge? Maybe during the picking?
I hope you'll see and answer my question, have a nice day
Sometimes LPL does say he thinks there's a security pin there or something like that, so I suppose they do feel different
Each type of security pin will give you different feedback through the pick and/or the tension tool. LPL has videos explaining the different security pins and the feedback they give you. That and hours upon hours of practice. You can get "practice" locks (not the clear ones) that you can change the pins in to be able to feel how they respond. They are worth the money if really want to explore the hobby
👍 , , , i absolutely love this LPL , i have learned more about locks , how they work , and i am getting better at my practice locks i bought on Amazon , ever since you did these videos so we can see what is happening inside when we pick , , , keep the videos coming 👍
"They don't make them like they used to"
Well, Masterlock is a prime example where they do in fact make them like they used to... 100 years ago... without fixing any vulnerabilities. Must be an easy job to work as a lock designer for them, just copy old stuff during morning coffee and then take the rest of the day off.
He kinda throws Abus under the bus too, though. They better get their shit together if they don't want to be used in the same sentence as Master Lock!
What makes you think they employ designers? They have a few graphic artists, who create 'MaXXXimum Security 100X' graphics for the offshore manufacturers to wrap around their stock products.
I am loving this series. It gives you the inside look of what he is talking about.
Is there any sort of tell as to when a comb pick could be used, or is it just a matter of try it and see if it works before moving on to the other types of picking?
If it's a Masterlock - try low skill attacks
Thank you for the visualization to what is happening. I have been trying to understand the mechanics of what was physically happening inside the lock with little to show for my "theater of the mind". The cutaways are a HUGE help in my understanding. I enjoy your videos very much since I am fascinated with how things works (well, I am an Engineer...) and the cutaways help me understand the meaning of key pins and drive pins etc.
Who else is excited for the april fools video
Im loving these episodes where you can see what's happening inside the lock. Excellent channel! Long time fan
I would love to see the inside view of this NOT working on locks properly designed to prevent this sort of attack!
The pins just don't go as far into the body, that's all.
Shorter springs and holes for said springs so there is always a bit of pin in the way
It will just hit the top before the pin are high enough I guess
Simply put, if the spring bottoms out before the key pin can be pushed up past the shear line, the comb cannot work. On the lock shown, the spring, driver pin and key pin can all fit in the hole with room to clear the shear line.
Simple: put a cylinder into the spring so that it can't be crushed to the point that both other cylinders leave the drum.
@@edi9892 Why not just make the holes shallower?
unreal how such a design flaw is just unfixed after so many years, great demonstration again LPL.
I am getting interested in locks.
I had diesel stolen from my farm fuel tank .I called the RCMP while the moron thief was in action stealing.I wanted the cop to catch him red handed but they missed him by two minute’s because he spooked and left.But now I know how he picked that lock so effortlessly while I watched from the house thank ‘s for video great stuff !
I need more spare cash because I want everything LPL sells
I can't properly use any of it... but I still want it all
if only shipping to the Netherlands wasn't $60+ :(
Thanks, that was fascinating and informative. A very clear demonstration of how locks work.