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So I had a big job in Tucson today, 135 miles from home. I was rekeying one large building and one section was keyed completely separate with an Everest SFIC system. I came prepared with all possible control keys that we had records for but none of them worked. So I got to picking. I was able to pick to 'operate' over and over but could not seem to hit control. Every time I thought I finally had it to control the tension wrench would pop at the last millimeter and then it would pick past control.

Finally I got one of them to pull and took it out to the van, dumped, measured and made a control key. Back into the building armed with the newly made control key and something else happened. It turned to control and at the last millimeter it went over to operate! Then the core came out. Whoever pinned up these cores the last time made some serious mistakes. Every core would turn to control then you could continue to operate the lock.

Did they just use too small a difference between control and operation keys? Or the same bitting? It seems that they were very close, if not the same.

Gordon

To be honest I'm not sure. I was so frustrated by the time I was decoding the core the only thing I cared about was the control key.

icore tool..no one seems to use them, glad the job going well and its throwing you some curves mdc.

I have encountered this before. One particular BEST picked to both operating and control simultaneously. I could remove the core if I stopped at control, but then if I turned it further it would unlock the door. When lifting the pinstacks, it felt like pins or springs were missing. There were 2 or 3 pinstacks that felt "empty"... they had a very low-resistance feeling to it, like the springs were weak or missing. I was able to keep the core and it is on my desk right now... I've picked on it a bit. I may gut this to find out and post pictures.

Do that and I will keep the cores I pulled and do the same. It make take me a week or two as I just secured an apartment finally and it may take me another week to get internet. It would be interesting to compare.

That's great news Matt! Well... I hope it is.

Mike it is fantastic news. It will be Matt's picking palace lol. It is a great place for my son and myself and I will be able to make videos again. Also my boss is giving me a Mul-T-Lock deadbolt and keys at cost for the new place.

"Matt's Picking Palace"..... hahAAAA! Nice!

New vids?!... new Multi?!.... and your son likes the place?! Excellent indeed. Makes my evening.

I'm interested to see what you & Xeo find in regards to the operating/control lines acting almost as one.
I've a ways to go when it comes to pickin' BESTs, but understand the mechanics enough to be interested.

I have a few bits of info to add to this thread. I have talked about this before, but here are some other options for picking these locks. Now despite what some people think, these locks can be picked the wrong way, and most of the times in my experience, they will pick easier that way, just like how some Kwikset and Master Lock do. Just plug spin the right direction. I have done this alot and with good success. I have a tension wrench that has a bend that catches the plug when using bottom tension, and for some reason with just that wrench I can pick to control about 50% of the time. I am not a pro with these locks, but I have discovered these ways of getting them whipped.

I find it really hard to believe that you can't pick a BEST lock...

Well, I can pick em'.... but I'm not quite as consistant as I'd like to be when it
comes to hitting control or operating at will. In that respect, I have some work to do.

Ha , you , me and most pickers out there oldfast !