TENSION WRENCHES

Tension wrenches are often overlooked but they are a critical part of lock picking. Often when buying a set of lock picks people will focus on the picks but not the wrenches. Proper tension control and the amount of tension you apply to a lock is often more important than what you do with the pick. If you are heavy handed on tension it will not matter what you do with your pick… that lock is not opening.

What are tension wrenches for?

Keyways come in a VERY wide variety of shapes and sizes for this reason, tension wrenches must also come with a variety of different sizes and shapes. Generally tension wrenches fall into two categories: top of Keyway (TOK) or bottom of keyway (BOK). For almost everyone that starts lock picking we start with a wrench in the bottom of the key way and work our pick above it. As our skills progress and you move up to higher security locks you will find that the keyway can start to narrow. This tigher key way makes it difficult to fit both your tension wrench and pick in the bottom of the lock. For these tighter situations you now need to use top of keyway tension. Flat bars will hook the lock at the very top giving you full access to the bottom of the lock so you can freely maneuver your pick.

Do I need a tension Wrench?

No option here. When you want to open a lock you're going to need tension wrenches to apply a turning pressure on the lock's core. Without it you will not be able to park the pins you set on the sheerline while picking. All our sets already come with tension wrenches but just like our lock picks you have the ability to expand your tension wrench collection without getting doubles or useless tension wrenches you would never use.