Once the clear lock is easy, you need real padlocks to pick — no windows, no shortcuts. These are ordinary brass and steel padlocks we have picked ourselves and sorted by difficulty, so you can buy the right challenge instead of guessing at the hardware store.
Guide
Padlocks for Lock Picking
Practice locks teach mechanics; real padlocks teach patience and feel at real tolerances. A brass padlock costs a few euros, fits in a pocket, and needs no mounting. The locksport community's belt ranking is built almost entirely on padlocks for this reason.
Budget brass padlocks with 3–4 pins. Rake open in seconds; single pin pick in a minute. Perfect right after a transparent padlock.
Mid-range brass padlocks. Raking starts to fail; single pin picking is required. Yellow belt territory.
Padlocks with spool or serrated drivers. Expect false sets. Orange to green belt. See also security-pin practice locks.
Disc detainer padlocks (bike-lock style) and dimple padlocks for when pin tumblers are no longer a challenge.
Many brass padlocks can be opened up and re-pinned. A repinning kit turns one padlock into a whole progression: add a spool, then two, then a serrated pin. It is the cheapest way to keep climbing the belts.
You are buying these padlocks to pick them — that is exactly the hobby use that is legal across nearly all of Europe (legality by country). Never picked a lock? Start with the beginner tutorial and a clear lock, then come back here.
