I forgot to add links to the pick handles and scales that appear in the video: - Moki pick scales: www.printables.com/model/924093-marsons-moki-pick-scales - TOOOL/CI pick handles: www.printables.com/model/881573-marsons-lockpick-handles-for-citoool-and-sparrows
This is an excellent tutorial video. Highly recommend people watch, especially if you are new to lock picking or want to understand the relationship between the pick profiles and the keypins, what's the difference between them all and how do they interact. This video clears up the mystery. Thanks for doing this video, cheers
Thank you! I’ve watched this video several times yesterday and today, great detail and analysis. A lot of insight to get from this video. The details make all the difference in this hobby. I have maybe 4-5 abus C73 and C83s and i have got em all open. I also got myself some Sterlings and i’ve opened them too. I have a 1-star and a 3-star and i wouldnt say i pick them easily but i can pick them with some confidence because i feel what im doing and i have control while picking. I know which pin im on and sometimes its tricky to execute moves, around the warding and without oversetting but i know what i want to do and why. I’ve had a Yale 500 that i got before the Abus’s and Sterlings. I always thought its a 500+ but it looks like the one you show as a regular 500 in this video, so probably its a 500 then? I also bought a Yale KM1 after i picked the 3-star Sterling. The 500 have to be the lock/model ive spent most time on, not a single open. I was very happy when the Km1 got delivered and i noticed it doesnt have those holes in the warding as the 500 have. It seems very similar too abus/sterling, the keyway, the 3-star Sterling also has 6-pins. I probably have 20 hours on the KM1 and about 257 000 hours on the 500 or 500+, not a single open. I want my blue belt now!!! 😄😭😄😭. These YALEs has teached me a lot about what you talk about in this video. The importance of choosing the right profile, thickness and brand. I have a couple different brands but i mainly use multipick and about a week ago i got my first Moki’s. I have to say that the difference between brands is VERY big. If i pick with Moki 0,5 for a couple of hours and then shift to MP 0,5 i really have to reset myself. The difference in feel is gigantic and i cant just go on picking the same way. MP is so much stiffer and sturdier and the feedback is very different, and its very obvious that you will bend/break the pick if you force it too much. Im not prefering one over another. The feel is just very very different and something to be aware of. Ive thought about getting one more 500 and a km1 and maybe try to lube them or something. I dont know if i should spend more time on the two i have, if its helpful, i just feel stuck and dont know how to get over this hump. I could get some blue belt abus cylinders, E20 or E60, i could maybe get my blue belt that way and perhaps working on those give me the skill i lack now and teaches me something about the Yales. I really dont know. The first i will do is to follow your tips and advice in this video. I dont think i’ve tried to use a half diamond on these for example, im excited to try that. It gave me some new hope. I got several new things/approaches to try from this video. Im very thankful to you for your videos. Btw, i have watched your video ”tips for picking the 500+” many times 😄. A question. Shouldnt the 3-star Sterling be more difficult to pick than a 1-Star Yale? In theory it should atleast, right? Sterling is a cheaper brand than Yale i guess, but to get classified it has to meet the standard. Maybe the 3-star rating is more about features like snap/drill protection and that kind of security-features and doesnt have much to do with the lock itself? I need to read the star standard i guess. Oh, i should’ve mentioned this in the beginning. Neither of my two Yale locks has a crazy or difficult bitting. The 3rd/4th pin on both locks are low and they both have pretty high pins after but nothing extreme and i dont think thats my problem since im aware of it and has studied the keys very close to try to understand where i f things up. Excuse my english please, im from Sweden. I’ll try with the half diamond now actually. Maybe thats my key! Thank you very much Marson, you’re doing great videos. You’re very good at teaching and explaining, i appreciate what you do here. Thank you! /Jimmy
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you found it useful! I do a full comparison of the original Yale 500 and the 500+ here: ruclips.net/video/dh9Wyi9f9jY/видео.html Most brands use 301 stainless steel. Some still use 301 Full Hard, but many are now using 301 High Yield, which is much stronger. Multipick and Peterson use 420 stainless. It's between 301FH and 301HY in tensile strength, but some people like the feedback of 420 more. If you have the budget for it, it doesn't hurt to experiment with other locks. But if you want to learn a specific one, I do think it's good to focus on just that one for a bit. Progressive pinning is a great way to do that. It helps you isolate what you are feeling and how the pins interact. I don't think you will find the half-diamond drastically different. It can be useful but isn't a magic wand. If the locks are well-used, some cleaner and lube might help. If it's newish, I wouldn't use more than a tiny squirt. I believe the star ratings are more about resistance to physical attack than picking. A 3* has to be resistant to a snapping attack while a 1* doesn't. But there are other aspects as well. Before progressive pinnning, I'd spend a while feeling out each chamber with the lock fully pinned, moving the pick around inside and lifting pins without any tension. You should be able to navigate the lock easily without tension before attempting to add tension and trying to pick it, especially in a tricky keyway. It can take some time and practice, but I know you'll get it!
![[1574] Exciting New Offering From Covert Instruments (Echelon Pick Set)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XSuWSjjohk0/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1574] Exciting New Offering From Covert Instruments (Echelon Pick Set)](/img/tr.png)
I finally found your RUclips, I immediately subscribed after watching… great tutorial…
Thanks! Did the same.
Lots of detailed info. Love the close-ups. Thanks for sharing. 😎🖖
Thanks! This is the most effort I've put into a video yet, so I'm glad you liked it.
I forgot to add links to the pick handles and scales that appear in the video:
- Moki pick scales: www.printables.com/model/924093-marsons-moki-pick-scales
- TOOOL/CI pick handles: www.printables.com/model/881573-marsons-lockpick-handles-for-citoool-and-sparrows
I really enjoyed this video Marson. It coalesced a lot of my own thoughts about this topic. Thanks for doing it!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
This is an excellent tutorial video. Highly recommend people watch, especially if you are new to lock picking or want to understand the relationship between the pick profiles and the keypins, what's the difference between them all and how do they interact. This video clears up the mystery. Thanks for doing this video, cheers
Thanks, PW!
Thank you! I’ve watched this video several times yesterday and today, great detail and analysis. A lot of insight to get from this video. The details make all the difference in this hobby.
I have maybe 4-5 abus C73 and C83s and i have got em all open. I also got myself some Sterlings and i’ve opened them too. I have a 1-star and a 3-star and i wouldnt say i pick them easily but i can pick them with some confidence because i feel what im doing and i have control while picking. I know which pin im on and sometimes its tricky to execute moves, around the warding and without oversetting but i know what i want to do and why.
I’ve had a Yale 500 that i got before the Abus’s and Sterlings. I always thought its a 500+ but it looks like the one you show as a regular 500 in this video, so probably its a 500 then?
I also bought a Yale KM1 after i picked the 3-star Sterling.
The 500 have to be the lock/model ive spent most time on, not a single open. I was very happy when the Km1 got delivered and i noticed it doesnt have those holes in the warding as the 500 have. It seems very similar too abus/sterling, the keyway, the 3-star Sterling also has 6-pins.
I probably have 20 hours on the KM1 and about 257 000 hours on the 500 or 500+, not a single open. I want my blue belt now!!! 😄😭😄😭.
These YALEs has teached me a lot about what you talk about in this video. The importance of choosing the right profile, thickness and brand.
I have a couple different brands but i mainly use multipick and about a week ago i got my first Moki’s. I have to say that the difference between brands is VERY big. If i pick with Moki 0,5 for a couple of hours and then shift to MP 0,5 i really have to reset myself. The difference in feel is gigantic and i cant just go on picking the same way. MP is so much stiffer and sturdier and the feedback is very different, and its very obvious that you will bend/break the pick if you force it too much.
Im not prefering one over another. The feel is just very very different and something to be aware of.
Ive thought about getting one more 500 and a km1 and maybe try to lube them or something. I dont know if i should spend more time on the two i have, if its helpful, i just feel stuck and dont know how to get over this hump. I could get some blue belt abus cylinders, E20 or E60, i could maybe get my blue belt that way and perhaps working on those give me the skill i lack now and teaches me something about the Yales. I really dont know.
The first i will do is to follow your tips and advice in this video. I dont think i’ve tried to use a half diamond on these for example, im excited to try that. It gave me some new hope. I got several new things/approaches to try from this video. Im very thankful to you for your videos. Btw, i have watched your video ”tips for picking the 500+” many times 😄.
A question. Shouldnt the 3-star Sterling be more difficult to pick than a 1-Star Yale? In theory it should atleast, right?
Sterling is a cheaper brand than Yale i guess, but to get classified it has to meet the standard. Maybe the 3-star rating is more about features like snap/drill protection and that kind of security-features and doesnt have much to do with the lock itself? I need to read the star standard i guess.
Oh, i should’ve mentioned this in the beginning. Neither of my two Yale locks has a crazy or difficult bitting. The 3rd/4th pin on both locks are low and they both have pretty high pins after but nothing extreme and i dont think thats my problem since im aware of it and has studied the keys very close to try to understand where i f things up. Excuse my english please, im from Sweden.
I’ll try with the half diamond now actually. Maybe thats my key! Thank you very much Marson, you’re doing great videos. You’re very good at teaching and explaining, i appreciate what you do here. Thank you!
/Jimmy
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you found it useful!
I do a full comparison of the original Yale 500 and the 500+ here: ruclips.net/video/dh9Wyi9f9jY/видео.html
Most brands use 301 stainless steel. Some still use 301 Full Hard, but many are now using 301 High Yield, which is much stronger. Multipick and Peterson use 420 stainless. It's between 301FH and 301HY in tensile strength, but some people like the feedback of 420 more.
If you have the budget for it, it doesn't hurt to experiment with other locks. But if you want to learn a specific one, I do think it's good to focus on just that one for a bit. Progressive pinning is a great way to do that. It helps you isolate what you are feeling and how the pins interact. I don't think you will find the half-diamond drastically different. It can be useful but isn't a magic wand. If the locks are well-used, some cleaner and lube might help. If it's newish, I wouldn't use more than a tiny squirt.
I believe the star ratings are more about resistance to physical attack than picking. A 3* has to be resistant to a snapping attack while a 1* doesn't. But there are other aspects as well.
Before progressive pinnning, I'd spend a while feeling out each chamber with the lock fully pinned, moving the pick around inside and lifting pins without any tension. You should be able to navigate the lock easily without tension before attempting to add tension and trying to pick it, especially in a tricky keyway. It can take some time and practice, but I know you'll get it!