MODERN HIGH-SECURITY LOCKS
How To Open Them
by Steven Hampton

Master locksmith Steven Hampton, author of the best-selling Secrets of Lock Picking, takes the art of picking locks one step further with Modern High-Security Locks. Here, he collects some of today's most popular pick-resistant locks and sets out to see which ones hold up to their claims. However complex a lock gets, it must be durable, dependable and user-friendly. It has to be tough enough to endure physical attack, but it can't be machined too tight or it will jam up with just a breath of dust. It must be simple and easy to lock and unlock with its key, or the customer will not pay the higher price for it. It is this delicate balance between security and utility that allows the locksmith to open this new generation of locks. Hampton shows locksmiths how each lock is picked and how long it will take. He details the tools of the trade and includes patterns and instructions for making your own picks and tension wrenches. He even includes ancient Tibetan Buddhist tantric visualization exercises to help locksmiths learn to "see" the inner workings of the lock within the mind's eye. Veteran locksmiths or those new to the trade will find Hampton's latest book an invaluable sourcebook. For academic study only.

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.