Lock Bypass Methods

Over 140,000 print copies of this book have been sold since the original release published in 1998. This is the best real-world instruction book on opening locks that is available. While lock picking is covered, the primary focus of the book is lock bypass, the art of taking advantage of design flaws, parts tolerances, and simple mechanics to defeat locks without turning the cylinder. When people are genuinely locked out, their resources are typically on the other side of the door. This work covers tools that can be made with scavenged materials. A variety of techniques ensure success despite limited supplies available to work with and the particular challenges of the locks encountered. Problem solving and troubleshooting methods are covered in enough depth to give the careful reader the same perspective and flow of feedback based decision making skills a commercial locksmith uses when performing professional lockout services.


No destructive methods, techniques requiring the use of force, power tools, or means of entry utilized for criminal trespass are included in this work. The techniques presented here typically take more time than criminal entry techniques because they preserve property, and over many years these methods have shown an extremely low potential for abuse. Anyone interested in becoming skilled in opening locked doors, without keys or damage, will find this book valuable. There is zero bad information presented, all of the instruction is sound, and it works in the real world. Almost all other locksmithing books available to the public focus on a single subject: picking lock cylinders using lock picks. These use essentially the same diagrams, explanation of lock cylinders, and practice recommendations that other lock picking books have been using for the last half century. While lock picking is a useful skill, it is not a sure thing, and professional locksmiths fail to pick locks when on commercial calls a significant portion of the time. Bypass techniques, on the other hand, tend to be straightforward, much more reliable, and can be carried out within a known time frame. This book is a unique and valuable aid to those interested in opening locks, because it opens up a number of avenues of entry to defeat them.