Not every lock is opened at the pins. Padlock shims slip past the shackle latch, comb picks push every pin stack fully into the housing, and other bypass tools exploit design shortcuts. Learning them is part of locksport — and the best way to understand why a cheap padlock is not really a lock.
Guide
Padlock Shims & Bypass Tools
A bypass opens a lock without manipulating the locking mechanism the way the key does. The classic is the padlock shim: a thin curved piece of metal that slides down the shackle and pushes the spring-loaded latch aside. It takes two seconds on a cheap padlock and does not work on a padlock with ball-bearing locking — which is why quality padlocks use ball bearings.
Sets in several diameters to match shackle sizes. Practice on budget padlocks from our padlocks for picking page.
A pick with tall teeth that lifts every pin stack completely out of the plug. Works when the pin chambers are drilled deep enough — a design flaw found in many cheap locks.
Thin shims used with a key blank to pass wafers or to check whether a cylinder is shimmable.
Pre-cut blanks for wafer locks — see also wafer locks.
Because they teach what makes a lock good. After shimming a padlock you will never again buy one without ball-bearing locking; after combing a cheap cylinder you understand why security pins and anti-comb designs exist. Locksport is as much about evaluating locks as opening them, and bypasses are the fastest evaluation there is.
These tools are sold for practice on locks you own. That hobby use is legal in nearly all of Europe, but bypass tools — especially when carried in public — attract more scrutiny than picks. Read our legality page before ordering, and keep them at home with your practice locks. If you are new to the hobby, start with how to pick a lock and a clear practice lock; bypasses make more sense once you know how the pins work.
