Smart Opens: Home AND Vehicle Edition
Received a request on what is in the Smart Opens series, here's my review of both editions.
Smart Opens - Home Edition
1. Warning and Disclaimer: Pretty much "don't be bad, this is for informational purposes only"
2. Opening: Self-evident
3. Sliding Glass: Use a suction-cup shower handle to over-lift the door and bypass the lock
4. Track Attack: Use a plumbing snake to flip a dowel rod out of the sliding-glass door track.
5. Garage Doors: Use a coat hanger for an improvised garage door bypass (pulls the emergency override lever/string)
6. Chain Locks: New twist to an old trick - use a Command Strip instead of a thumb tack for the security chain bypass
7. Push Button: use a highlighter and a black-light to determine the numbers used to punch in a combination (then figure out the order later)
8. Deadbolt Locks & Doors: Pretty unique, use of a flexible cutting board cut such that, using articulation, a deadbolt can be opened by going around the door
9. Magnetic Swipe Locks: Use of an Under-The-Door-Tool to open a hotel door with a lever handle
10. Bonus: using various items, Miguel Miranda details the creation of a DIY lockpick-gun (really nothing you couldn't figure out yourself...)
My thoughts:
Honestly, the deadbolt trick, the garage door trick, and the plumbing snake trick were the only things I hadn't seen before, but it was still worth it to see how everything was done and the presentation is very well done. You should know that many of these are model specific (deadbolt tool only works on deadbolts bolts with a T-shaped thumb-turn, sliding door trick only works with older stuff) I should like to see more of this video series. I am thinking about emailing Paladin Press about making more of these!
Smart Opens - Vehicle Edition
1. Warning and Disclaimer: See Home Edition
2. Opening and Introduction: Self Evident
3. Basic Tools: Outline of tools
4. Cuff: Put duct tape around a blood-pressure cuff and make an air wedge
5. Wireless Chime: Intercept the "lock signal" so that a car remains unlocked by using a wireless door chime
6. R/C Bumper: Use a disassembled R/C car to allow it to be placed inside the car and used to hit the unlock switch at a later point
7. Trunk 1: Use a plumbers snake to pull the trunk release through a drain hole in the trunk
8. Trunk 2: Use the deadbolt tool from Home Edition to pull the trunk release
9. Two Men: Use the shower handle from Home Edition to pull the door out and allow another user to pull the latch
10. String Method: Put a string on a door handle and hang it out the door to open it at a later point
11. String Theory: Tie a loop in a string and force it down the length and corner of a door to allow navigation of the loop over a door handle to open the car door
12. Hood: Use a wire to trip the release on a hood (if anyone can do a right up and explain how this works, please do so!)
13. Slim Jim: Self Evident
14. Basic Safety: How to tell if your car has been broken into
15. Bonus: How to make a Slim-Jim from a steel ruler
My thoughts:
Pretty neat but I won't use much of this as a locksmith. The trunk entries are cool and the video series was helpful for prevention of vehicle theft
Let me know if you have any questions! I can post pictures if there are requests for such.