5 ms·

I was really into this back in high school but never got proficient in it. The concept is simple to understand but actually executing it takes a LOT of practic

by herbig 13y ago

I was really into this back in high school but never got proficient in it. The concept is simple to understand but actually executing it takes a LOT of practice. Raking can open a lot of older locks pretty quickly, but that doesn't mean you're skilled. Also, just owning the tools is illegal in some states.

runjake 13y ago
> Raking can open a lot of older locks pretty quickly, but that doesn't mean you're skilled. I disagree. Raking has opened a lot (most I've tried) of locks in my experience. So, I'd say I'm pretty skilled at picking locks.
- corin_ 13y ago
  I've managed to open a lot of unlocked doors (most I've tried) but wouldn't consider myself "skilled" at it, since it's a pretty easy task. I think the definition of "skill" implies something that isn't easy, thus being able to do something isn't automatically proof of skill.
  - breischl 13y ago
    >>I've managed to open a lot of unlocked doors Me too! My success rate is over 90% for unlocked doors. Locked ones are harder. ;)
    - corin_ 13y ago
      Do you refer to yourself as skilled at opening unlocked doors? :)
      - samstave 13y ago
        http://i.imgur.com/Kcerv5S.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Kcerv5S.jpg
- rlt3 13y ago
  Was Michael Jordon considered good because he beat a lot of high school kids?
  - freehunter 13y ago
    If his goal was to beat high school kids and he did just that, then yes. If your goal is to pick locks and you successfully pick the locks you want to open, then you're good at picking locks. Can you be a good programmer without being the best programmer or even a world class programmer?
    - rlt3 13y ago
      Am I a great programmer if I can write a really good "Hello World" in C?
      - Someone 13y ago
        No, but you may be a great "Hello world in C" writer. People can be insanely fast at solving Rubik's 3x3x3, but that doesn't imply they are good at puzzles in general or even at a 4x4x4. [by the way, "Hello World" in C is a surprising amount of work. For example, version 2.9 is over 270 lines, and saw over 40 revisions for the main file (http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hello.git/log/src/hello.c) http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hello.git/log/src/hello.c)]
    - saraid216 13y ago
      When did skill become a function of subjective goals?
      - freehunter 13y ago
        When you factor in things such as "I'm a skilled programmer, but I don't know Ada." Are you still a skilled programmer? Sure, you're quite good at Ruby and Javascript. But you don't know Ada. Why not? Because your goal was never to learn every programming language. If you want to pick every lock available to you and you can do so quickly and successfully, you're a skilled lock picker. Buying harder locks just to show you can pick them is an academic feat, not necessarily a real-world skill. Skill is just aptitude in doing something successfully.
chongli 13y ago
Also, just owning the tools is illegal in some states. Which is just completely silly. Who is going to pick the lock on somebody's house to break in? The idea of the highly-skilled locksmith cat-burglar is complete fiction.
- markdown 13y ago
  > Who is going to pick the lock on somebody's house to break in? Wait, why wouldn't this be better than smashing a window to get in?
  - pavpanchekha 13y ago
    Because it takes forever. Front door locks are admittedly not so strong, but it could still take a good pick-lock several minutes, while a window could be broken through in seconds. As for being stealthier… Windows can be cut stealthily, and crouching by a door for five minutes looks rather suspicious by itself.
    - thirdsight 13y ago
      Actually when my friend was burgled, they stuck a Hi-Lift jack[1] on the frame horizontally and cranked it until the frame came off. The police reckoned the door was open in under 20 seconds and their place was emptied of valuable stuff in under 4 minutes. They got spooked and left the jack on the street but they managed to nick everything. [1] http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/index.html http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/index.html
    - caprad 13y ago
      A lot of doors are hidden from view by trees or fences. And then you have side and back doors. And the advantage to not make any noise or carrying around expensive tools (simple lock pick tools can be very cheap), make it not completely unreasonable. Still, banning tools is not the greatest idea.
legohead 13y ago
I decided to try it out since I have fidgety hands and I figured I could practice while I read articles and such. I was disappointed at how easy it ended up being. Every lock I purchased I could pick within a few seconds with a rake, or maybe 60 seconds with a hook, so I just gave it up. I splurged once and got one of the top brands meant for homes. It took more concentration and you couldn't just rake it, but I still got to where I could open it in under a minute. I'm talking about maybe 20 hours total spent on developing this skill. A complete novice, only understanding how to use the tools, can open any wally world bought padlock with a rake in seconds.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
analog31 13y ago
>>> Also, just owning the tools is illegal in some states. Yes, there is a provision in state laws against possession of "thieves tools."

by herbig 13y ago

runjake 13y ago

> Raking can open a lot of older locks pretty quickly, but that doesn't mean you're skilled. I disagree. Raking has opened a lot (most I've tried) of locks in my experience. So, I'd say I'm pretty skilled at picking locks.

corin_ 13y ago
I've managed to open a lot of unlocked doors (most I've tried) but wouldn't consider myself "skilled" at it, since it's a pretty easy task. I think the definition of "skill" implies something that isn't easy, thus being able to do something isn't automatically proof of skill.
- breischl 13y ago
  >>I've managed to open a lot of unlocked doors Me too! My success rate is over 90% for unlocked doors. Locked ones are harder. ;)
  - corin_ 13y ago
    Do you refer to yourself as skilled at opening unlocked doors? :)
    - samstave 13y ago
      http://i.imgur.com/Kcerv5S.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Kcerv5S.jpg
rlt3 13y ago
Was Michael Jordon considered good because he beat a lot of high school kids?
- freehunter 13y ago
  If his goal was to beat high school kids and he did just that, then yes. If your goal is to pick locks and you successfully pick the locks you want to open, then you're good at picking locks. Can you be a good programmer without being the best programmer or even a world class programmer?
  - rlt3 13y ago
    Am I a great programmer if I can write a really good "Hello World" in C?
    - Someone 13y ago
      No, but you may be a great "Hello world in C" writer. People can be insanely fast at solving Rubik's 3x3x3, but that doesn't imply they are good at puzzles in general or even at a 4x4x4. [by the way, "Hello World" in C is a surprising amount of work. For example, version 2.9 is over 270 lines, and saw over 40 revisions for the main file (http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hello.git/log/src/hello.c) http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hello.git/log/src/hello.c)]
  - saraid216 13y ago
    When did skill become a function of subjective goals?
    - freehunter 13y ago
      When you factor in things such as "I'm a skilled programmer, but I don't know Ada." Are you still a skilled programmer? Sure, you're quite good at Ruby and Javascript. But you don't know Ada. Why not? Because your goal was never to learn every programming language. If you want to pick every lock available to you and you can do so quickly and successfully, you're a skilled lock picker. Buying harder locks just to show you can pick them is an academic feat, not necessarily a real-world skill. Skill is just aptitude in doing something successfully.

chongli 13y ago

Also, just owning the tools is illegal in some states. Which is just completely silly. Who is going to pick the lock on somebody's house to break in? The idea of the highly-skilled locksmith cat-burglar is complete fiction.

markdown 13y ago
> Who is going to pick the lock on somebody's house to break in? Wait, why wouldn't this be better than smashing a window to get in?
- pavpanchekha 13y ago
  Because it takes forever. Front door locks are admittedly not so strong, but it could still take a good pick-lock several minutes, while a window could be broken through in seconds. As for being stealthier… Windows can be cut stealthily, and crouching by a door for five minutes looks rather suspicious by itself.
  - thirdsight 13y ago
    Actually when my friend was burgled, they stuck a Hi-Lift jack[1] on the frame horizontally and cranked it until the frame came off. The police reckoned the door was open in under 20 seconds and their place was emptied of valuable stuff in under 4 minutes. They got spooked and left the jack on the street but they managed to nick everything. [1] http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/index.html http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/index.html
  - caprad 13y ago
    A lot of doors are hidden from view by trees or fences. And then you have side and back doors. And the advantage to not make any noise or carrying around expensive tools (simple lock pick tools can be very cheap), make it not completely unreasonable. Still, banning tools is not the greatest idea.

legohead 13y ago

I decided to try it out since I have fidgety hands and I figured I could practice while I read articles and such. I was disappointed at how easy it ended up being. Every lock I purchased I could pick within a few seconds with a rake, or maybe 60 seconds with a hook, so I just gave it up. I splurged once and got one of the top brands meant for homes. It took more concentration and you couldn't just rake it, but I still got to where I could open it in under a minute. I'm talking about maybe 20 hours total spent on developing this skill. A complete novice, only understanding how to use the tools, can open any wally world bought padlock with a rake in seconds.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

analog31 13y ago

>>> Also, just owning the tools is illegal in some states. Yes, there is a provision in state laws against possession of "thieves tools."