TENSION TOOLS

You'll hear it said time and time again, "lock picking is 99% tension!", and while that's probably a slight exaggeration, you can't avoid the fact that unless you know how to use a tension tool, you probably won't pick any locks. The tension wrench is the first item to go into the lock, and you use it to apply a light amount of pressure. Doing so creates a very tiny ledge - along what we in the trade call 'The Shearline' - meaning whether you're picking, raking, bumping, whatever, the pins have somewhere to 'sit' while the other pins are being worked. Get all 5 pins to sit on the shearline and the lock opens. Tension is VERY important, and so are your tension tools.

Whether you're picking lever locks, pin-cylinders, wafer locks or others, unless you have a dedicated tool, the chances are you'll require a tension tool. We have an excellent range of many types, and I would advice you ensure you have a variety at your disposal. Variety is the key to lock picking, and with a pun like that you know I must be right!

Other names for tension tools include Torque wrench and Tension Wrench. So if you want to know how to use a torque wrench, how to use a tension tool or how to use a tension wrench, you're in the right place to get started.

Doing this allows you to rake, pick, jiggle, pick gun, whatever tool you're using, in such a way that when the pins rise up over the shearline, You can get tension tools in a variety of differnet shapes, and sizes, solid, fexible, circular, prybar, you can even make them yourself from windscreen wiper blades, as most locksmiths do, the circular tension tools are more commonly used togeather with pickguns as they allow movement through the centre of the tool, whilst keeping tension on the lock barrel.

Here at Locksmith Training Merseyside we will show you the correct  use of all the tension tools on the market and will show you how to make your own out of various items.