I've lost my key. Can you pass me that banana?

Globe and Mail ^ | 7/11/08 | Patrick White

[LibWhacker]

Lock-picking enthusiasts are cracking the 'uncrackable' in increasingly creative ways. And locksmiths aren't happy about it. Patrick White reports

You won't be kicked off a car lot for asking about horsepower or ousted from a bar for asking about booze. But apparently, you can be tossed from a locksmith shop for asking about locks.

[Liberty Valance]

[valkyry1]

Its nothing new I dont think

[AlaskaErik]

I dabbled in locksmithing while in college. My record was for opening a Kwikset deadbolt and key in knob lock was nine seconds. Not that they're a challenge, they're not.

[CarrotAndStick]

Try this, in that case:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xkkS2p7SuQ

[Berlin_Freeper]

Security is all about layers.

[arderkrag]

Security is all about layers caliber, or failing that, nude pics of Helen Thomas on every entrance to your house.

[backhoe]

Well, I was a pretty good lockpicker back in my day, but nothing beats about 3 cans of refrigerant and a hammer for lock bypassing...

[muir_redwoods]

""Security is all about layers caliber, or failing that, nude pics of Helen Thomas on every entrance to your house."

A couple of moody canines help the situation too

[Izzy Dunne]

Yeah, a Rottweiler with PMS does wonders for discouraging visitors...

[Izzy Dunne]

nude pics of Helen Thomas

Sorry, but there are SOME things that a camera JUST WON'T DO.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

My wife locked us out of a rental car in Ashville, NC (She has that knack...) parked at a pump in a gas station. While I called AAA and the rental company, the very next car that pulled in had two young men trailing a fishing boat. I apologized, explained the situation and told them they would have to use the other side of the pump.

Faster than you could change lanes, the driver reached under the seat, pulled out a set of “slim jims” and popped open the door. I called off our rescuers and was on my way.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

"Most crooks don't waste time with locks anyway," said Thomas Fraser, head of the Institutional Locksmiths Organization of Canada. "They use a hammer."

When the ignition lock in my car (1974) failed, I learned I could remove it without damaging anything in about 30 seconds and start my car with a screwdriver. Car thieves used dent pullers in those days to defeat more robust ignition locks.

The hammer is definitely mighter than the door, most times. Most standard entry doors will split in two with a single blow from a five pound sledge. You can kick near the lockset and simply break the door jamb with very little effort. Most buglars don't like the noise.

By the way, I won't go bragging about defeating a Kwikset. They're too cheap looking even to put on a bathroom door.

[Dick Vomer]

but nothing beats about 3 cans of refrigerant and a hammer for lock bypassing...

that is classic....

[backhoe]

[Billthedrill]

...nude pics of Helen Thomas on every entrance to your house.

Look, I wouldn't mind shooting burglars but not to put them out of their misery.