One of the quickest ways of progressing in any craft is knowing exactly what steps to take and in which order to take them. With lock picking, this can be as simple as knowing which lock picking practice locks to focus on first.
With every new practice lock you pick, you'll walk away with some new knowledge—a lesson taught through the tears and struggle of picking.
The purpose of this little guide is to give you a progression of best practice locks to help you quickly learn lock picking. Locks that will not only give you the greatest lessons but do so in an order that will prepare you for the next practice lock on this list.
From absolute beginner to tackling spools and serrated security pins—all in 9 locks!
However, to get the most out of this lock progression, I recommended you pick up at least two or three of each lock because every lock is different. You can pick 10 of the same lock model and have an easy time with some, a hard time with others, and perhaps even find that one or two are seemingly impossible to open.
This is because every lock is different. Each has a different bitting, a different binding order, and different tolerances that will affect how it is picked. Some may agree with your level of skill or method of picking—some may not.
So when trying to master a specific style of lock and learn what they have to teach, it's best to grab a few of them.
With that said, let's get on with our list!
Best Practice Locks
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1. Master Lock 141D
- 4 pin core - 4 standard pins
- Open keyway
- Very light spring-loaded core
- Tight tolerances & crisp feedback
- Inexpensive
One of the greatest challenges many new lock pickers face is learning how to sense and interpret the feedback a lock gives while picking. Because of this, the ideal lock for a beginner will provide consistent and clear feedback.
Now, this can be a challenge when it comes to cheaper standard pin locks.
Sometimes they can be made so poorly that there is too much slop in the core and as a result, trying to pick these locks is almost like sticking your pick into a bowl of mashed potatoes. It feels mushy, and the feedback is very dull, making it very hard to learn or accomplish anything.
This dilemma is what brings us to our first practice lock, the Master Lock 141D.
While it may look like something you would find securing a little girl’s diary, it is hands down one of the best locks you can have as a beginner.
The Master Lock 141 has a black plastic cover, four standard pins, a wide-open keyway, and a lightly spring-loaded core. It also has decent tolerances compared to other cheap standard pin locks of its type.
So if you are looking for an excellent practice lock for lock picking that will teach you the fundamentals, binding order, and tension control, look no further than the Master Lock 141D.
2. Master Lock #7
- 4 pin core - 4 standard pins
- Open but tiny keyway
- Very light spring-loaded core
Now that you understand how the picking process works, it's time to hone those skills with a Master Lock #7.
This lock is very similar to the Master Lock #3. It has four standard pins, poor tolerances, an open keyway, and a light spring-loaded core.
However, its keyway is smaller, much smaller.
This small keyway will not only refine your skills but teach you the art of finesse—which is an important cornerstone to lock picking.
You will learn how to squeeze and maneuver your picks in very tight spaces and be forced to learned how to leverage the most out of your picks.
3. Master Lock 140
- 4 pin core - 1 standard pin, 3 shallow spool pins
- Open keyway
- Light spring-loaded core
Now it's time to bump up the difficulty a bit to a lock that has slightly higher tolerances... oh, and a few security pins—YIKES!
Security pins may seem scary at first, but they are nothing to worry about, and as you'll learn, they can actually make the lock much easier and more fun to pick.
There is nothing like counter-rotation in the morning to make you feel alive!
The Master Lock 140 is an excellent introduction to spool pins as, like the #3 and #7, it has a very open keyway, light spring tension on the core, and terrible tolerances.
These practice locks have a four-pin core and typically include one standard pin and three shallow spool pins (the shallower the spools, the easier the pick.) However, there have been cases in which there are sometimes fewer spools, but in most cases, there are three.
This lock can sometimes throw new pickers for a spin, but regardless it will teach you a critical lesson in how to tension spool pins and help you better understand the feedback locks provide.
4. Brinks 40mm Brass Padlock
- 4 pin core - 1 standard pin, 3 spool pins
- Open keyway
- Spring-loaded core
The Brinks 40mm brass padlock is a great lock that can play a pivotal part in transforming any beginner's skills.
Like the Master Lock 140, this lock has a four-pin core with three spool pins and one standard pin. Yet, it is a much higher quality lock with tighter tolerances and much deeper cut spools.
The feedback you'll receive from these deeper cut spools is significantly amplified compared to the Master Lock 140, whose spools are shallow and allow for very little counter-rotation. The deeper cut spools will provide you with a nice amount of counter-rotation that is almost impossible to miss.
These locks are an absolute must for learning spools and will help you genuinely understand false sets and counter-rotation!
5. ABUS 55/40
- 4 pin core - 1 standard pin, 3 spool pins
- Open but tiny keyway
- Spring-loaded core
Now it's time to combine everything that you have learned so far into a new and more challenging lock – behold the ABUS 55/40.
These cool little locks have a four-pin core and a very small but open keyway, much like that of the Master Lock #7. However, these locks contain three nicely cut spool pins and one standard pin. They also—like most ABUS locks—have excellent tolerances and typically a nice challenging bitting.
These little guys are freaking awesome. If you are having a lousy picking session or haven't picked in a few days, warming up with one of these little guys will usually set you straight. They truly force you to learn how to maneuver your pick.
6. Master Lock 570
- 5 pin core - 1 standard pin, 4 spool pins
- Open but tighter keyway
- Dead Core
Alright pickers, now it's time to upgrade to five pins!
The Master Lock 570 is a higher quality lock with much better tolerances than the previous Master Locks on this list. As stated, it has five pins, four of which are spools and one standard. These spool pins are not as shallow cut as the Master Lock 140, making it slightly more challenging in that aspect.
This lock's keyway is very open and shaped just like the Master Lock #3, except in reverse.
The keyway is also slightly smaller, and the key pins sit a little further down in the plug, giving you less room to work with—which is why you practiced on the ABUS 55/40, right?
These locks will also introduce you to a feature called a dead core. This means that the core is not spring-loaded and that there will be no spring acting against you while tensioning.
Dead cores are tricky little devils when combined with spool pins because they require you to really focus on tension control.
Unlike spring-loaded cores where you can simply release tension to set a spool, dead cores don't give this luxury. Sometimes you'll find that you manually have to pull back on the tension to let the spool slide to a set.
Dead cores also don't absorb vibrations like spring-loaded cores do. This means that you will receive more feedback from these locks.
7. ABUS 64TI/50
- 5 pin core - 1 standard pin, 4 spool pins
- Open Yale style keyway, slight warding
- Spring-loaded core
Now it's time to have some fun.
The ABUS 64TI/50 is an amazing lock with a five-pin core and typically contains one standard pin and four quality spool pins.
These locks are excellent training locks because they have very high tolerances and provide a lot less feedback than most locks.
This forces you to really focus on the feedback the lock is giving you and will teach you a thing or two about patience.
Additionally, these locks have a Yale-style keyway with a mild amount of warding to add a little extra pain to the process. Warding can not only get in the way of your pick but can also muffle the feedback as it absorbs some of the vibrations from the pick!
8. ABUS 80TI/50
- 6 pin core - 1 standard pin, 5 spool pins
- Open keyway, very slight warding
- Spring-loaded core
So what could possibly be next? How about six pins?
The ABUS 80TI/50 is one of my personal favorites, and I don't think I could possibly own enough of them—I have 14 of these little training locks.
Just like their little brother the 64TI, they are absolutely amazing training locks with excellent tolerances that make you really focus on what you are feeling with your tools.
These locks have a six-pin core with one standard pin and five spool pins.
They also have a pretty open keyway with a minimal amount of warding for good measure.
The Titalium series of ABUS are excellent practice locks, and I can't suggest them enough.
9. American Lock 1100
- 6 pin core - a mixture of spools and serrated pins
- Restricted keyway
- Dead core until picked, then spring-loaded
- Tight tolerances
Alright pickers, it's finally time to move on to something worthy of the title Lock Slayer. It's time for a true challenge – a test that will surely break your confidence, bring tears to your eyes, and perhaps even instill regret from ever picking up this hobby in the first place!
It's time for the American 1100 and her nasty gang of serrated pins!
Did I hype that enough?
Fear not, these locks aren't as terrible as they seem, and once you understand how to pick them, they are heaps of fun and are amazing practice locks!
The American Lock 1100 is a classic favorite among many pickers and has a six-pin core that contains a mixture of serrated and spool driver pins.
They also have serrated key pins that snag at the shear line if you accidentally overset them, which is a common problem for those just starting out with serrated pins. If anything, these locks will teach you finesse while lifting pins.
American locks will also force you to use top of the keyway tension as the core is designed to bind if tensioned from the bottom.
To Conclude
Remember that every practice lock is a lesson, and to truly get good at any craft is to receive as many lessons as possible. Avoid picking the same lock over and over and instead venture off to other locks as best you can.
If any of these locks absolutely stump you with defeat, fret not! Put them away in a dark corner for a couple of days or weeks and practice with other locks. You'll often find that locks that you couldn't pick one day will fall open the next day with a little more practice!
Additionally, do you best to stay away from cutaway practice locks and clear locks; these are not good practice locks for lockpicking and can actually do more harm than good.
Don't forget to check out our other guides at our Academy and our shop for all your lock picking tool needs!
I hope that this guide on the best locks to learn lock picking will serve you well, and if you have any comments or questions, don't hesitate to throw me a message on our contact page, and I'll always do my best to help!
Happy picking!
