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How To Open Locks With Improvised Tools: Practical, Non-Destructive Ways Of Getting Back Into Just About Everything When You Lose Your Keys (formerly published as Lock Bypass Methods)
 
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How To Open Locks With Improvised Tools: Practical, Non-Destructive Ways Of Getting Back Into Just About Everything When You Lose Your Keys (formerly published as Lock Bypass Methods) [Paperback]

Hans Conkel (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Price: $20.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

October 28, 2001
Practical, real-world solutions to lockouts. Learn to open doorknobs, deadbolts, car doors, padlocks, handcuffs, et cetera. This book sold out as "Lock Bypass Methods," and has proven to be the best manual on keyless entry available. Since your resources are usually on the other side of the door when you're locked out, it shows how to improvise tools from garbage and common, everday items. Multiple entrance options are provided in case of stubborn doors or limited materials. Thousands of people have successfully opened doors using techniques they learned in "Lock Bypass Methods." This expanded edition has more illustrations and new techniques.

This book will not waste your time trying to explain how to pick sidebar locks, or activate magnetic-stripe readers without a key card. It DOES explain how to open doors protected by these locks, simply and without damage, through bypass techniques. A latch holds something shut, and a lock is a gateway to that latch. This book teaches ways to climb over the fence and ignore the gate. You will learn how to pick locks, a skill that works 60-70% of the time. More importantly, you will learn methods to trip actuators, move linkage rods, take advantage of mechanical design flaws, exploit tolerances in a lock's setting, and other practical means of entry.

The book's focus is on problem solving, not presenting methods that are too difficult to accomplish. Many other books in this field suffer from too much theory and too little delivery. If it doesn't work, it isn't in here. This book is designed to give the reader skills that open locks without keys or damage. It is not a whitewashed or glossed-over set of instructions that leave a reader feeling as if failure is his fault and he just hasn't developed some special esoteric talent. Difficulties encountered in opening methods are identified, explained, and solutions are given to cope with them. The book is clearly written and illustrated, and covers problem solving, how locks work, picking, bypassing, and tool making. If you are interested in opening locks without keys, you should have this book.


Frequently Bought Together

How To Open Locks With Improvised Tools: Practical, Non-Destructive Ways Of Getting Back Into Just About Everything When You Lose Your Keys (formerly published as Lock Bypass Methods) + Practical Lock Picking: A Physical Penetration Tester's Training Guide + Visual Guide to Lock Picking (Third Edition)
Price For All Three: $67.66

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  • In Stock.
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  • Practical Lock Picking: A Physical Penetration Tester's Training Guide $22.71

    In Stock.
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  • Visual Guide to Lock Picking (Third Edition) $24.95

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hans Conkel has been involved in locksmithing since 1994. His primary interests in the field are covert entry techniques and the investigation of criminal entry. Currently, he is writing "The Forensic Study of Forced Entry," which he hopes to finish in late 2002. Outside of locksmithing, he has two ongoing fiction projects and one mathematics project.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 130 pages
  • Publisher: Level Four Pubns; 2nd edition (October 28, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0966608712
  • ISBN-13: 978-0966608717
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Informative book February 25, 2004
By B. - RW
Amazon Verified Purchase
Even though it is quite a small book, it's one that is highly recommended. Some of the items are obvious, while others are helpful and make you think about your surroundings or for just utilizing cheap alternatives to professional tools that might not be in your bag of tricks. For example, the author says to use a cut out of a clear 2liter bottle for a plug remover to hold the pins & springs, while seeing what is going on through the clear plastic. Neat idea and not obvious to all.

I'm just a novice at picking, but learning quite rapidly. There are exercises to improve your skills.

The only thing bad I can say about the book is the first chapter. Long winded, but basically states the following: 1) picking what you aren't supposed to is illegal and will get you into trouble, 2) don't be egotistical and show off to your friends thinking you can pick anything, and 3) practice practice practice, that's the only way you'll be proficient in lock bypassing & picking.

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44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Far from easy .... December 8, 2004
Amazon Verified Purchase
I had been trying to open an old S&L moneybox for some time - the lock mechanism is "simple" per this book. Curiosity can be frustrating. I didn't want to spend any money on tools for a one off project (I ended up doing this and bought another book). The intellectual satisfaction was worth it. I'm interested in antiques so may get some payback for learning in the future. (I can now also open simple padlocks, and furniture locks, with an improvised tool in fairly quick time.)

The information on getting into a locked car is easy to follow; I knew some of this before buying the book but the process will be easier in future. The stuff on handcuffs also appears straightforward - if you use them for business or pleasure - I don't - this could be worth reading.

This is a practical book but hard work and requires practice. Worth reading if you have a real interest in locks and will practice. Not for beginers; I bought this book first then came back to it.
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54 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Let's face it. Sometimes you dont have an entire van full of specialized locksmithing tools handy. But that doesn't change the fact that you need to get in right now. That's where "How To Open Locks With Improvised Tools" comes in to your rescue.

This small book is jam packed with knowledge conveyed in plain English. From making your own tools our of readily available items to picking or bypassing the most stubborn locks, Conkel's book has it all... right down to the last detail.

There are plenty of books and videos out there that tell you how to open or bypass locks with specialized tools. Anybody can do that. But the true experts can not only use their specialized tools well and with great precision, but they also can accomplish the same task without them.

That's what separates this book from all of it's peers. The others are merely bloated instruction manuals for the use of lockpicks, whereas "How To Open Locks With Improvised Tools" is the bible of an entire trade... neatly condensed into little more than 125 pages.

Very highly recommend.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
this book is great..i learned so much about mastering locks
i learned alot about locks and how to master and rekey locks.i learned how to make one key open 100 locks.using different key for each lock.worth every penney fo this book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. HARMON
basic knowledge
I thought i would pick up a skill by getting these dvds but theyre very basic knowledge of lock picking, and you need to pactice on locks to get the hang of it.
Published on November 21, 2009 by Steven B. Mills
Basic Insight into Lockpicking
The book is ok if you are looking for a ways to enter into places without having the right tools. The section for handcuffs is interesting. Read more
Published on May 18, 2009 by John Ness
Interesting!, possible!, probable?
The topics on this book are good but most of the scenarios presented are so specific that doesn't help you in everyday situations. Read more
Published on May 4, 2009 by L. Conrado Barajas Pedraza
Somewhat interesting, Amateur Drawings
Pretty basic book, most of this stuff could be easily figured out if you were truly in a bind.

Biggest take away is there is usually some way to get around the lock or... Read more
Published on October 8, 2008 by Tyler McPheeters
Don't waste your money
Very elementary information on lock picking. Drawings are not detailed nor professional. I wasted twenty dollars on this book.
Published on September 3, 2008 by arblacksmith
Good +
Well written. A good cover-all book. Some of the improvised tools shown will require items not readily found on your workbench. Good explanations of lock function. Read more
Published on December 28, 2007 by Mike
something you need to know about this book
hi i bought this book expecting a lot but when i was reading this book i found that it had more than i thought. Read more
Published on November 1, 2007 by Michael Egan
Good ideas
Helped me understand various lock systems better. I appreciated the innovative ideas the author presented, many of which actually may have a hope of working in the real world. Read more
Published on March 8, 2007 by Kenneth Chan
Just about there.
personally im only interested in picking locks and this book does help abit, but it focuses more on bypassing security systems and teaches you how. Read more
Published on September 19, 2004 by OKL
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