Many locks are made of the same basic parts: pins (usually 12) and springs. The upper six pins are the same size, and the bottom six pins come in varying sizes to match up with the grooves on your particular key.
As you can see in the picture below, Schlage uses 4 security pins (called “Spool pins), while Kwikset uses only 2. Having 2 more security pins in a cylinder can make it significantly harder to pick, which can definitely be felt when trying to pick a Schlage lock.
From looking at the key the valleys of the cuts will tell you how many pins the locks has. I just google imaged those, I no nothing of that site. You can also place a pick in a lock, lift up on all pins, and draw the pick slowly towards you. Count the number of pins you hear resetting.
The Master Lock 9140EURD has the following specifications: 40mm aluminium padlock - 21mm hardened steel shackle, 6mm diameter - 4-pins.
...the lock itself is so weak that a 10 year old kid can slam a screwdriver in it and force the cylinder to turn and unlock and be in your house in a matter of seconds... Any thief with a "bump" key will open this 200+ dollar lock in 5 seconds... Kwikset locks can be easily unlocked with a blank and a screwdriver.
It really depends which Kwikset we're talking about. The older Kwikset locks were terrifically insecure and easily picked with standard picking tools. The newer ones, the "Smartkey" versions claim to be bump-proof and pick proof. But, Mr Locksmith has a nice solution here to breaking the smartKey...
The most common security pins you'll run across are “spools” given that name because they resemble a thread spool. There's a variation of the spool called a “mushroom” because its shaped like a mushroom.
Replacement door hinge pins are not universal. Each manufacturer makes their hinge pins in a different size that will only fit the hinge that it was made for.
Can I replace my 5 pin euro lock with a 6 pin? Yes and they can be any make too. 5 pin locks are found on a lot of the older euro cylinders but these are now made as 6 pin. The extra pin means the key is slightly longer and that's all it is.
Most non-interchangeable core locks of commercial quality are 6 pin where as interchangeable core is available 6 pin or 7 pin. A 7 pin system gives more master key capabilities and is harder to pick.
Our lock is a common style with 5 pins that have 10 possible cut depths. To get the number of possible combinations we take 5^(10). The answer is 9,765,625. There are some combos that are unusable, such as all cut to level 1 or 10.
NuSet Kwikset master keyed single cylinder deadbolt. Master key can open all locks in the system although each lockset has its own unique key. This deadbolt is typically used on a front or back exterior door and is operated with a key from the exterior of the home and a thumb turn from the interior.
Because Schlage locks are made of stronger materials, are superior in their mechanism, and provide far greater security than Kwikset locks, it should be mentioned that they are more expensive compared to Kwikset.
Best High-Security Door Lock
CR's take: The Medeco Maxum 11TR503-19 is the strongest deadbolt across all of our lock categories. It's top-notch for drilling, withstands kick-ins very well, and is designed in a way that makes it quite difficult to pick.
In practice, locksmiths that need to know how to pick locks likely will know how. But it is not as useful a skill as one would think in locksmithing. Time is money, so the only picking that is done is that which is profitable and worth it.
Tubular lock picks come in several different configurations to work on the various configurations of of tubular locks. The most common configuration is the 7 pin centered arrangement. Other common configurations are the 7 pin left offset, 7 pin right offset, and 8 pin centered.
Most Master Locks are very easy to pick and are considered one of the easiest beginner locks when practicing lock picking. They have four standard pins and a wide-open keyway that can be quickly bypassed in many ways, including picking them with improvised tools such as paperclips, bobby pins, or even a chicken bone.