Lock Cowboy20-Piece Lockpicking Set with Transparent Padlock and Detailed Instructions - Professional Lock Picking Kit for Beginners, Experts - Portable Mens Gadgets for Security and Training

I recently purchased a lock picking set, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it for anyone considering adding this unique tool to their collection. As someone who is fascinated with locks and security mechanisms, I've been eager to try my hand at lock picking, and this set did not disappoint.The set I bought comes in a compact and durable case, which makes it easy to store and transport. Upon opening the case, I was pleased to find a diverse selection of lock picks and tension wrenches. It included several hook picks, diamond picks, and rake picks, which provide a good range for different types of locks. The tools are made from high-quality stainless steel, ensuring they are robust and long-lasting. Each pick has a comfortable grip, allowing for precision and control while manipulating the pins.One of the standout features of this set is the instructional manual that accompanied it. The guide is incredibly detailed, walking beginners through the fundamentals of lock picking, including the principles of how locks work, the tools needed, and step-by-step techniques for picking various types of locks. Even as a novice, I found the explanations clear and helpful. The illustrations included in the manual are particularly useful in visualizing the process, making it much easier for someone without prior experience to understand.I decided to start practicing on a couple of practice locks, which were included in my order. These locks are designed to help beginners learn the ropes without the fear of damaging real locks. Over the course of a few weeks, I dedicated time to honing my skills, and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I progressed. The combination of the right tools and a solid understanding of the techniques allowed me to successfully pick simple locks, and eventually, more complex ones as well.Another benefit of this lock picking set is the portability. The compact case fits easily into a backpack, allowing me to practice wherever I go. It’s a great conversation starter too, and I've found that it piques the interest of friends and family.However, I would like to emphasize the importance of ethical lock picking. It’s crucial to remember that these tools should only be used on locks that you own or have explicit permission to pick. Engaging in lock picking for illegal purposes is not only unethical but can lead to severe consequences. This set has inspired me to explore the world of locks in a legal and responsible way, focusing on locksmithing as a skill and possibly a hobby.Overall, my experience with this lock picking set has been overwhelmingly positive. It has provided me with the necessary tools and knowledge to explore an interesting and challenging hobby. The quality of the products and the instructional materials have made the learning curve manageable and enjoyable. I would highly recommend this set to anyone interested in learning the art of lock picking, whether for professional development or personal interest. Just remember to use your skills wisely!

Perfect for starting the lock pick journey. Not the best quality however it is very good and the price point is spot on.For a starter you don't want the best of the best so this is ideal and it got me started.The trainer lock is far too easy, but this is normal. It does however give a great view into what you're doing and is great from that point of view.I'm very happy with this kit and would recommend to anyone looking to try

Review date: 21st November 2018============INTRODUCTION============I have been watching lock picking videos on YouTube over the past few months and thought it looked interested so I went to Amazon to pick up a set. I've never tried lockpicking before, so I am an amateur in practice. I found this set and thought it would be a good starting point as there was an acrylic see through lock so that I could "see" what I feel during lock picking. This set cost £13.97 at time of writing and includes the following items:- 12 assorted lock picks (0.023" thickness)- 2 tension bars (0.023" thickness)- 1 auto tension bar- Credit card sized box including 4 lock picks (0.025" thickness) and 1 tension bar (0.032" thickness)- 1 acrylic padlock with two keys- 1 faux leather pouch- Leaflet============ITEMS============There are an assortment of picks included, but these can generally be summarised into three categories: tension bars, rakes and hooks.Most of the picks are nicely finished, but you can see that there are some rough edges on some of the picks. Unfortunately, the roughest edge is on one of the simple hooks I used the most and it does rough your fingers up if you use it for more than ten minutes. I'd recommend using a high grit sandpaper to smooth the edges over.The acrylic padlock can be opened using the supplied keys and you can see the driver pins moving over the shear line when the key is inserted. This gives you an idea of where the pins should sit during lock picking.The credit card sleeve fits the four smaller lock picks and the 0.032" tension bar. The package thickness is about 3-4 credit cards thick. The picks included, although shorter in length, are 0.025" thick, which is thicker than the full length picks by 0.002". I'll explain why this is important later on.Two ebooks are given via URL on the reverse side of the leaflet, and I must say these are excellent. They will give you a good fundamental idea on the concept of locks and how to pick them (either using the rake pick and method or SPP method).============LOCK PICKING============Based on my picking of the acrylic lock and some other locks I had laying around, I had a much higher success rate using the SPP method over the raking method. Therefore, my review is going to focus around using this method. See one of the attached pictures for "favourite items", which are essentially the items I had most success with. They are:- 0.032" tension bar- 0.023" city rake- 0.023" hooksSee one of the pictures attached where I compared the two thickness tension bars (0.032" versus 0.023"). You can see that the thicker bar fills the gap better, which allows for better grip when rotating the bar. The thinner bar wobbles too much and came out of the keyway too many times. In addition, it was very awkward to hold the 0.023" bar whereas the 0.032" bar was much easier to hold in the lock. The thinner bar also deformed quite easily so required constant bending back into shape.The two 0.023" hooks worked much better than the 0.025" hooks as the longer handles made it much easier to manipulate when you're deeper into the keyway and because they're thinner, it gives you more room to navigate.The practice lock given is easy to work with, having a wide keyway and responsive pins. I would use this lock purely as a proof of concept and nothing more, since other locks do not feel the same.What about the picks I didn't use? I did try all the picks to some extent and whether it's my method or not, I just didn't find them useful at all. The bogota's are meant to be slid over the pins multiple times to slide them into position, but I just couldn't get any pins to set. The city rake proved to be more successful and I could feel pins set using this tool. The snowman was near useless as you cannot feel the pins accurately and it cannot push pins all the way up if they are deep. I did not get to use the key extractor. The wide hook (if that's what it's called) felt too wide and would often jam or set multiple pins at the same time. The half diamonds were OK, you can accurately feel the pins but due to their size you cannot set each pin individually, and you will struggle to get the right angle on the deeper 5th/6th pins. I had no use of the auto-tension bar with this kit, I think this is designed for car doors??============SUMMARY============In conclusion, I'd highly rate this product if you're looking to have a bit of fun, learn something new, or have a friend who is an avid spy-fan. If you're looking to get into locksports (like me), then I'd recommend taking a pass on this kit and put a little bit of extra cash into a better quality lockpick set (e.g. Sparrow, Peterson). Some of the picks are rough and may require some finishing to make them smooth and there's only 4 tools, in my opinion, that are actually worth using. That makes this set a little bit expensive just for these items, hence the recommendation to go for a higher quality kit.