rangerssuck wrote:
On Jan 22, 11:12 pm,
wrote:
On 2011-01-23, wrote:





I thought now would be a good time to relate a story about locks.

I've always had a passing interest in locks and lock picking, but it
was just that - a passing interest. Until a few years ago when I
picked up a rental video on lock picking. Holy crap, says I, It can't
really be that easy, can it? So, I bought a cheap set of lock picks,
and took a whack at it. It really was THAT easy.

The 15 year old kid from down the street happend to stop by, and I
showed him my new-found "skill." After I spent a couple of minutes
explaining what goes on with the pins inside a lock cylinder, he
proceeded to pick my front door lock.

A long time ago, a locksmith told me, "Locks are to keep honest people
honest. If a bad guy wants to get in, he's going to get in." After my
brief experience with picking various locks, I believe him.

Anyway, I thought y'all might like the story.

Rangers, do you think that there are better locks, costing, say, $100,
that are not so easy to pick?

i- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Well, the locksmith who told me about keeping honest people honest
worked at an industrial hardware store. I was there to pick up a large
order. While I was waiting, I asked the locksmith, "Are any of these
locks really any good?" He bet me $20 that he could open any of them
within 5 minutes - my choice of lock. So I chose the "hardest looking"
of them - I don't remember the brand, but it was expensive and looked
very well made.

He not only opened it (within two minutes), but had a key made in
under five minutes.

And remember, if the lock is too tough for the bad guy, there are
crowbars, sledge hammers, battering rams and ladders - a smoke alarm
went off in a neighbor's house. I watched the firemen put a ladder up
to a second-floor window, climb up& in, and come downstairs and
unlock the frond door.

If the burglar wants in, his getting in. Period. The best you can hope
for is that your neighbor's house is more attractive to him than yours
is.


I went on a service call one time to an antenna site that was about 40
miles from the shop. When I got there I realized that I did not have
the key for the gate. I had a spare lock and figured I could break the
existing lock and install the lock I had when I left. I hit the lock
with a hammer right in the middle between where the hasps went into the
lock.
In my amazement the thing poped open. It was a high quality lock but
then not that high quality. I tried that system on some other locks and
it worked on them too. Now days all you need is a battery operated tool
with a slitter wheel.


John