Customer Reviews

Secrets Of Lock Picking

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book is the very bare bones basics of common lock type overviews and theories on how to open them. After purchasing it I found other websites out there that had published this book on the net. Book can be read in an hour or so, save your money or search it on the web.

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.

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

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.

You'd only know what the author was talking about if you've done the work before or already know locksmith terminology.

Excellent book. Easy to understand and accurate. This book will teach you not only how to work with improvised lock picks but also includes instructions and diagrams to build your own. There's no confusing jargon, and the accompanying illustrations are phenominal in their ability to illustrate the point and back the written instructions perfectly. This is a great referance for the aspiring locksmith. Want to get into lock picking but don't know how? BUY THIS BOOK!

Good book very short but it still gives entry to a beginer into the subject. Author covers picking pin tumbler lock with a safety pin and improvised tension wrench. Also cover other locks of a more sophisticated and less applicable nature of the common lockpick thief. So labor on my brilliant misguided brethren and a reminder if you pick locks and break into houses like mine may I say in advance God have mercy upon your soul.