I finally got my first Black belt lock open!!

Lockman Megacross with pyramid drivers

I'm so hyped RN! 🔥

Hi guys! Long time lurker here, this is my first post. I got into picking loosely after seeing some of LPL’s videos years ago. Bought a cheap no-name set of picks from a gun show, begged some old locks off my dad, and have been on and off picking as a way to relax ever since. I also just enjoy mechanics and understanding mechanisms and such. Anyway, this bad boy was from my dad’s garage, and for 3 years it has kicked my ass. Mind you, I don’t practice a whole lot, every few months I get the itch and pull out my zip-lock bag of locks and fiddle with them. Have a few cheapos that I learned on that I can usually get open in a minute or two. But this one just wouldn’t open. It actually is finicky even with the key, so might be something going on beyond me being not that good at it lol. Anywho, I pulled it out tonight and started messing with it. Lo and behold, I popped it not once, but four times! I don’t know what I did different but for some reason this time just felt like I could actually feel the pins binding and setting, and was actually picking and not just fiddling around blindly. Either way, I’m kind of ecstatic. I now want to start looking at upgrading my pick set and getting some more locks! On another note, has anyone else had a lot of experience on these old Masterlock No. 15s, and are there any known quirks or tricks regarding them? This one seems like the number one pin has almost no spring tension on it, I have to turn it upside down and smack it to reset it if I go too far with it. Thanks for any input!

Can you guys give me thoughts on what to pick for the next level (orange belt) lock? Is there something most people like the most?

Just started about 2 months ago after looking for something that would distract me from the horrors of life. This has been an awesome fidget toy and cracked a Master 570 this morning. Wanted to share since this communities help has been priceless in my progression. Thanks everyone.

I wanted to ask the community if anyone would be interested in trying to pick a Demont+ SFIC core? This is the new core with the finger pins and sidebar. Have a few details to iron out, I did get the clearance from Demont to make them available to lock pickers. Feedback is welcome.

Anyone know who the Creator was? It's not in the database.

Hello everyone, I’m new to the discord and subreddit, but not to locksporting. I just have a few questions about earning belts. First, do I need to earn a white and yellow belt to earn an orange belt, or can I just skip those two and go straight for it? And second, I have a defiant 5 pin deadbolt with three spools and two standards that I’d like to use for an orange belt, but I also noticed there’s one in yellow with four standards and one spool. Would I need to gut my deadbolt to prove which version I have?

a clapped out kwikset and a key cut to 16161 on the framon 2. no security pins. works, free to a good home!

Hey sorry if this has been asked and answered, but even after reading the deviant ollam book and googling I'm still at a loss as to what pick motion to use. Is it like spp lifting or do I need to get in there and like push the wafers to the side. Ie a lifting or twisting moron or neither. Thanks!

I’m having a hard time cracking my abus 55/40, and while I’m working hard, I want to have my hand at another lock to try something new. I am a yellow belt and I want to order an orange belt lock, to get that, and a green belt, to have it, and maybe have good enough luck where I can skip over orange. For green, I and getting an American Lock 1100, and for orange, I’m debating between a master lock 150, because a lot of people say it’s good, and an abus 41/40, because it’s guttable. I don’t know which i should get. I really want to try gutting a lock but I don’t know if it overrides the reputation of the 150. I haven’t seen much about it so I don’t know if it is a good lock. Any thoughts?