Secrets Of Lock Picking

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Summary: Secrets of Lock Picking
Review: Do not buy this book, for two reasons. 1- Every word of it is available on the Internet. It is little more than a pamphlet anyway so easy to download and print. 2- It is deceptive, in that the cover illustration is of a pick gun (the reason I bought the book) and there is only a single paragraph about pick guns with no instruction for use. The author even admits he has never used on. Why is it on the cover? The book is a fraud.

Rating:
Summary: Want to learn how to pick locks? Go get it!
Review: I bought this book back in 1989 when still in high school and wanting to become an apprentice locksmith. I learned THAT DAY how to pick a lock and successfully acomplished that task. The feeling of acomplishment was incredible and led me on the path to the locksmith trade.

You gotta love this book simply because you are not taught how to use the 'tools of the trade' but how to improvise...this was a blessing. You may one day not have your 'pick' set with you and that's exactly what happened to me in the Navy. I locked my keys in my coffin rack locker and had no way to get in. Frustrated I remembered the book and how you can use a safety pin as a makeshift pick. I broke the clip off my government issued pen and bent a paper clip into a hook pick. I went to my 'heavy duty' 'pickproof' master lock on my locker and after being rusty for a few years got it open!

Shortly afterwards the Navy helped me become a U.S. Navy locksmith (and the ships locksmith) where I gained the 9583 NEC (Locksmith). I continue to use the skills learned in this book to this day. It is invaluable even for a seasoned pro.

Steven Hampton creates some great books and you should also pick up his advanced lock picking book as well.

Definetly a "Must have" in my opinion if you are in any way interested in locks, locksmithing or becoming a locksmith.

Rating:
Summary: Fraud!!!
Review: I have 20 years experience as a Locksmith. Hampton has absolutely no clue about picking locks, and his book is a fairy tale. The man does not even know the names of the parts of the locks! He gives instructions for making lockpicks,that will take you hours to make, that can be bought for less than $2.00. If he was a real locksmith, why doesn't he buy them from a locksmith supply house? Why is he so concerned about secretive lockpicking? Locksmiths don't have any reason to be secretive-The customer is standing next to them while they pick the lock.
The guy is a slick operator who is out to sell books to gullible people;if you pick any lock at all after reading this book, you have been EXTREMELY lucky.

Rating:
Summary: Fraud!!!
Review: I have not been able to pick any locks with this book, yet. However, I still give this book 4 stars for the vast array of information it contains.

In this book, you will learn how a lock works. You will learn the faults of many popular locks, such as the common locks installed on doors of most modern-style houses. You will learn that the technique of picking locks with just one piece of wire, a technique that is commonly employed by spies and secret agents in movies, is actually a myth. Many people believe that some thieves and burgulars purchase a great number of locks from hardware stores so that they will have access to the front doors of everybody's house. Learn why a burgular would have a better chance at winning the lottery than finding two keys in this world that are exactly alike.

Overall, this is a great book in terms of educating you about the composition and implementation of locks.

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Summary: A Little Book... A Lotta Secrets
Review: Steve Hampton writes with a nice and easy conversational style and leads the reader through the basic tools and locks. And along the way he offers his advice on this or that. For example, Hampton's favorite tool is the diamond pick. He also likes to make tools from everyday items. On page 18 he shows how to pick a five-pin tumbler lock with a modified screw driver and a safety pin. My favorite tools are the Magic Keys which Hampton shows on pages 34 and 35. I sometimes astonish my friends with how fast I can open their warded locks without a key. This little book has a lot of secrets, but if you read it, they won't be secrets anymore

Rating:
Summary: Great book for a beginner
Review: This book is a little smaller than I would have liked but it covers the material fairly well. It is a great introduction to lock picking. It will definitly have you roaming the house looking for things to pick. It covers 99% of the locks you see on a day to day basis. I read it in about an hour and a half. I will read it several more times.

Rating:
Summary: very simple very small
Review: This is a quick read, and tells you everything you need to know about picking locks. After having this book for a few days I learend to open the door to my own apartment without a key. the book is very short but worth the small price.

Rating:
Summary: Want to learn how to pick locks? Go get it!
Review: This was my second book about "alternative entering metods" (the first one was "Lock Bypass Methods"), but this is my Bible for sure! I'm not a long time lockpicker (I began March '99), but I guarantee, this piece will give you serious knowledge! It presents almost every kind of lock you will find, shows how they work and teach you how to pick them. Don't be disappointed if you fail to open your first ones, be persistent and you will succed. The illustration are as clear as crystal, so is the text. Steven Hampton gives you confidence by telling his experiences as a locksmith, making the book more informal, rather than just a "technical" guide. It is quite a thin book, but full of information, althought it seemed to me that it could be expanded. For further information on hi-tech locks, try "Advanced Lockpicking Secrets" by the same author.