Secrets Of Lock Picking (Paperback)

~ Steven Hampton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Master locksmith Steven Hampton reveals here the tricks and tools for bypassing keyed and combination locks from pin tumbler locks, mushroom and spool pin tumbler locks, wafer tumbler locks, warded locks and disk tumbler locks to tubular cylinder locks, magnetic locks, door locks, padlocks and automobile locks. Find the key to "seeing" into every lock and discovering its simplicity.

About the Author

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (April 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873644239
• ISBN-13: 978-0873644235
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #152,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just starting out? Get this book., May 13, 2000

By	Alan T. Peto (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for a beginner, September 21, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

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.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to learn how to pick locks? Go get it!, June 29, 2000

By A Customer

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.