Re: Unpickable locks

Nope. .

Medeco locks have been picked by very skilled people, but whether they can consistently pick them may be another matter.

For practical purposes they are unpickable.

The contention 'A'int a lock that can't be picked' is stark reality. Bramah and Chubb were bought up very short when their supposedly unpickable locks were picked, and they were excellent locks even by today's standard.

I picked a Medeco many, many years ago. At the time, I did not know it was a specialized lock and did it with standard picks. I must say that this was probably just dumb luck and had nothing to do with any specialized skills. I had just walked up to the lock, didn't even look for a brand name and unlocked the deadbolt. Later when I looked at the key, I realized what it was.

Dennis

picked. The tumblers are

to try and open the lock.

locked and you need it opened,

whether they

better word may be "pick resistant"

did not know

I must say

do with any

didn't even

when I looked

its amazing what can be accomplished when one doesn't know it can't :-)

g'day

Medeco sidebar locks can and have been picked. It is exceedingly difficult and time consuming. Each pin must be rotated correctly to line up with the side bar as well as the shearline. Additionally most incorporate spools and false side bar cuts the latter allowing the bar to retract slightly but not nearly enough to clear the cylinder. It is not even remotely practical to pick them. They are also protected at crucial points from drilling so the conventional drilling method does not work. There are special tools and techniques that allow them to be opened relatively quickly.

Yes they are. Levers with the serrated gates and stump are a big PITA to pick, although I don't believe this modification was present on the original Bramah lever, it came later.

Some have been known to leave the sidebar out when rekeying. Which makes it like any other pin tumbler, albeit one with good tolerances and perhaps spools.

in article snipped-for-privacy@news.paradise.net.nz, Peter at snipped-for-privacy@parazzdise.net.nz wrote on 10/11/03 2:53 AM:

What happened to Fichet?

Isn't that the truth! Some of my greatest successes have been doing things I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be able to do. Once I knew that, I could seldom do it again! <g>

Mike Thomas Lock & Key For an email list discussion of locksmith related marketing concepts join us at: http:// snipped-for-privacy@yahoogroups.com

Very clearly, the Force was with you.

To spoil your party a little, I think the early ones didn't have the false side cuts. It's also possible the lock was missing the sidebar.

Agreed. These features were added as the art of picking developed. This still does not distract from the excellence even by today's standards of the original Chubb and Bramah locks without these features.

The only Fichet lock I ever saw used a cruciform key that was the size of a can opener. Might have been very secure but lost a lot of points in the practicality dept.

in article iSdib.104774$ snipped-for-privacy@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net, Jim Gaynor at snipped-for-privacy@optonline.net wrote on 10/12/03 10:49 AM:

I always thought that key doubled as a great defensive weapon.

On the upside, it was a 20-pin cylinder.

On the downside, the keys were bulky and tended to tear holes in pockets. Using a leather key holder solved the second problem, but exacerbated the first.

It wasn't clear these were delivering significant gains over other less awkward high-security cylinders. They *might* have had advantages for heavy master-keying, but even that is unclear.

Should have said serrated lever and stump.

Agreed they are good locks.

in article 3f8b45f4 snipped-for-privacy@news1.prserv.net, Joe Kesselman (yclept Keshlam) at snipped-for-privacy@attglobal.net wrote on 10/12/03 4:00 PM:

They were great weapons.