Are There Really Unpickable Locks?

Every few months a product launches with “unpickable” in the marketing copy. Locksport forums dissect it within weeks and usually find the weakness. So is the entire concept of an unpickable lock a myth? The honest answer, from someone who opens locks for a living: almost. But “almost” matters — and understanding pick resistance helps you make smarter security decisions for your home.

The Honest Answer

No lock is truly unpickable by an expert with the right tools and unlimited time. That’s the starting point. Lock picking, in the broadest sense, is the art of manipulating a lock mechanism without the original key — and with enough skill, time, and the right tools, any mechanical lock can be defeated.

But “pickable” and “practically vulnerable” are different things. A lock that takes a world-class locksport expert four hours to pick is, for all practical purposes, secure against any realistic residential threat. A lock that an intermediate hobbyist opens in 30 seconds with a pick set from Amazon is a different story.

The question isn’t really “can this lock be picked?” It’s “is picking a realistic threat to me, and if so, which lock makes picking impractical enough to deter it?”

Standard Pin Tumbler — The Vulnerable Baseline

The standard pin tumbler lock — your everyday Kwikset, Yale, basic Schlage — is the most common lock design in America. It’s also the most widely picked. Here’s why:

Standard pin tumbler locks use simple cylindrical pins that either sit at the shear line (correct position) or don’t. A skilled picker can feel each pin “set” as rotational tension is applied, manipulate them one at a time using a pick and tension wrench, and open the lock in seconds to minutes depending on their skill level.

An intermediate locksport hobbyist — someone who’s practiced for a few months — can typically open a standard Kwikset in under a minute. A skilled picker does it in under 30 seconds. Bump attacks (which are related but different) can be even faster. See our post on bump key threats for that angle.

Spool Pins — A Meaningful Step Up

Security pins — particularly spool pins — are the most common pick resistance upgrade in mid-tier locks. A spool pin is shaped like two stacked cylinders with a narrowed waist, like an hourglass. When a picker applies tension and attempts to set the pin, the spool’s narrow waist catches on the shear line, creating a “false set” — the cylinder turns slightly but not fully.

An inexperienced picker feels the false set, assumes the pin is set, and gets confused when the lock won’t open. A skilled picker recognizes the false set, releases some tension, and works through it — but it takes significantly longer. A standard pin tumbler lock with spool pins can take an intermediate picker 5–15 minutes instead of 30 seconds.

Schlage B-series deadbolts use mushroom pins (a variant with similar effect). This is one reason they’re recommended over Kwikset for exterior doors — not a huge leap in security, but a meaningful one.

Security Pins + Sidebar Mechanism

This is where Medeco enters the picture. Medeco locks don’t just use security pins — they add a second authentication requirement through a sidebar mechanism. Here’s the combination:

• Medeco key cuts are angled, not flat. Each cut requires the corresponding pin to not only rise to the correct height but also rotate to a specific angle.
• Small “rotating elements” (pins within pins, essentially) must be rotated to the correct position by the key’s angled cuts before they can pass through the sidebar channel.
• The sidebar is a secondary bar inside the lock that physically blocks rotation unless all rotating elements are aligned. Even if you pick all the pins to the correct height, the sidebar won’t retract unless each element is also rotated correctly.

Bumping doesn’t rotate pins — it only moves them vertically. So bumping fails on Medeco. And picking requires setting both the height and rotation of each pin simultaneously, which is dramatically harder than standard single-axis picking. Real-world result: even experienced locksport enthusiasts with Medeco-specific picks spend 20+ minutes on these locks. Most don’t open them at all.

Disc Detainer Locks — An Entirely Different Game

Abloy’s disc detainer locks (the Abloy Protec and Protec2 are the flagship models) work on an entirely different principle. Instead of pins, they use a stack of rotating discs. The key rotates each disc to a specific angle, and only when all discs are at correct angles does the lock open.

Why this matters for pick resistance:

• There are no pins to push. Standard pick tools are useless against this design.
• Picking requires a specialized disc detainer pick and rotational manipulation of each disc individually.
• The discs have false gates — grooves that trick the picker into thinking a disc is set when it isn’t.
• The manufacturing tolerances are extremely tight, making manipulation feel nearly identical across positions.

Abloy Protec locks are manufactured in Finland to very high quality standards. Locksport experts — people who pick locks competitively for sport — consider the Abloy Protec2 to be the hardest commonly available lock to pick. Many have never successfully opened one.

What Burglars Actually Do

Here’s where we have to be honest about real-world threat assessment. FBI data and local police reports consistently show that residential break-ins in Philadelphia overwhelmingly involve:

• Door kick-ins (most common): One or two kicks to the door near the lock, causing the door frame or strike plate to fail. The lock cylinder itself is untouched — the wood around it fails instead.
• Window entry: Broken glass or manipulated window latches are faster and less noisy than most people think.
• Unlocked doors and windows: A surprisingly common entry point, especially in summer.
• Pry attacks: Using a crowbar between door and frame to pop the latch or deadbolt through.
• Lock bumping: More common than picking, less skill required.
• Lock picking: Rare. Requires skill, time, and leaves the picker standing visibly at your door.

This doesn’t mean pick resistance is irrelevant — it means the order of priority should reflect the actual threat landscape. A Grade 1 deadbolt paired with a reinforced strike plate (3-inch screws into the door stud) addresses the most common attack vector. Pick resistance is a secondary concern for most Philadelphia homes.

Practical Recommendation for Philadelphia Homes

Based on realistic threat assessment:

1. Priority 1 — Grade 1 deadbolt: Schlage B60N or equivalent. Solid construction, mushroom pins, passes ANSI Grade 1 testing. Covers most scenarios.
2. Priority 2 — Reinforced strike plate: Replace your standard 3-screw plate with a 4–6 screw reinforced plate with 3-inch screws reaching the stud. This is a $15–$30 hardware upgrade that prevents most kick-ins.
3. Priority 3 — Door reinforcement kit: If your door frame is older or showing wear, a full door armor kit adds significant protection.
4. Priority 4 — Pick-resistant upgrade: If you’re in a high-traffic area or have specific security concerns, Medeco or Mul-T-Lock on the front door. Worth the extra investment in the right circumstances.

A licensed locksmith can assess your specific situation — door construction, neighborhood, existing hardware — and give you a practical recommendation. That beats buying the most expensive lock based on pick resistance alone and ignoring the frame it’s attached to.