Harbor Freight "High Security" lock

[twenglish 1]

I purchased this lock at harbor freight and after picking it open i few times, i noticed that it was rekeyable so i proceded to remove the lock core and dissasembled it, unfortunatly the springs all were damaged from being caught on the plug as it was removed, after looking at the pins i noticed it had what appeared to be a poor attempt at spool driver pins, they just look like melted globs that happen to be a little bigger diameter on the ends. Are these a different type of pin i am not familure with? or are they just a cheap chinese variant of your standard spool pins?

[JamesOzment1]

Looks almost like elastic formation from too high of tension.but not good either way.

[twenglish 1]

i only picked it a few times, and the "beat up" appearence is consistant on all pins

[flywheel]

Looks like you are using way too much tension.

[twenglish 1]

I am sure i am, i still have alot to learn on lockpicking and i am just starting off, but dont think too much tension was the case here, or the keypins would have the same appearance, wouldn't they?

[Deadlock]

Looks like an American round bodied padlock. Maybe this is the mysterious ''potato lock.''

[flywheel]

I am sure i am, i still have alot to learn on lockpicking and i am just starting off, but dont think too much tension was the case here, or the keypins would have the same appearance, wouldn't they?

I was just kidding. Brass may be soft but it's not that soft. I doubt tension alone would do that to the drivers. Probably just a quality control issue.

[twenglish 1]

i had a feeling, sarcasm is not easily picked up on over typing haha, also i must add when picking i did not notice any sort of counter rotation at all, so if spool pins were what they were going for with their elongated globs of brass, i dont think it had any effect

[GWiens2001]

It is not too much tension or poor quality control. HF locks typically have Delrin (plastic) shells. If the spools had normal, sharp edges, they would chew up the sides of the shell and the lock would fail very quickly.

So they use the 'melted' spool pins. They have smooth angles, so they don't damage the plastic shell. They have almost a greasy feel when you set them.

Took one of their master-clone laminated locks apart a while back, and the quality control had no problems at all. Since there was no quality control, how can it be faulty???

Gordon

[Altashot]

Almost look like brazing rod with the ends melted?!
QC issues or not, those are weird pins.

M.

[twenglish 1]

This lock had both a brass plug and shell, the look core looks very similar to the American lock cores, did you master clone have the same "melted" pins?

[Oldfast]

Oh wow, lol. Crazy ass 'melted' looking things indeed! Interesting anyway.

[GWiens2001]

Yes, same melted spool pins.



Gordon

[twenglish 1]

I also love how the body of the lock has a very thin chrome plating, with "hardened" cast in the side and yet I can scratch it with a knife to reveal it is really brass

[GWiens2001]

I also love how the body of the lock has a very thin chrome plating, with "hardened" cast in the side and yet I can scratch it with a knife to reveal it is really brass

Must be hardened brass. Or hardened nickel coating over the brass. Possibly they are referring to the tooling stamp itself - the one that says "hardened".

Gordon