Automatic locks on your car door or inside your home can lead to many unfortunate locking accidents. Accidentally shut the car door with your keys inside, or close an automatic locking front door, and you are trapped on the other side, unable to get back in. Lock picking tools let you open a lock yourself, eliminating the need for a locksmith.
Many locksmiths use Slim Jim kits to open locked car doors, and the general public can buy them for home use. A Slim Jim is a long, flat piece of metal with a small hook on the end. To use the Slim Jim you simply press the device through the top of the window on the car door and slide the device down to the lock. Use the hook to pull the lock upwards, unlocking the door. There are several variations on the Slim Jim such as longer devices, double ended devices and the Euro-Strip, which works on European cars such as the BMW and Mercedes.
Bump keys are also called "999s," the maximum depth for a key. The user inserts the bump key into the keyhole and applies pressure with a hammer until the bump key raises the pins inside the lock, unlocking the door. According to lockpickshop.com, bump keys work on pin tumbler-type locks and dimple locks. For dimple-style locks, you can purchase a dimple gun. Dimple guns come with several sizes of bump keys and make the lock picking process easier. For pin tumbler locks, you can also purchase a special hammer made specifically for bump keys.
The BigEasy lock picking tool works similar to a Slim Jim. The BigEasy is a thin piece of plastic that you can slide from the top of the window to reach the lock inside a car and pull the lock upwards. The BigEasy Loop attaches to the BigEasy lock picking tool. It is a small plastic loop that allows you to grab onto the car door handle and open the door from the inside, allowing you to unlock car doors with push button locks.
