idea for some new demo tools

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

There will be a variety of tools available for sale up in the Lockpick Village skybox. $40 or $20 and various flavors of pricing in that neighborhood. We will have tools suited to novices and also to experienced folks, fun items, and other specialized equipment. I will even have a very small number tubular pick tools, available for sale at a price that even beats basically every other retailer out there.

[valanx]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

I ordered my first set, and I don't remember how much I paid. Not much though. After a while, I made some modifications to a few picks. Recently I just started making some out of hacksaw blades. If you have access to a bench grinder and some hand files, making picks doesn't take long at all. You also get to mess around with designs to find ones that work for your style a little more.

[Abby_Normal]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

How much should a noob expect to lay out to get started?

I've never done any lockpicking at all, and I'm really excited to have the chance to pick up a new skill.

[astcell]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

Who told you that you grew up? ;-)

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

i was thinking about trying to find a type of light steel that might be strong enough if we made them about the same thickness as a credit card. ive seen that a lot of cheap tools are made out of hand filed hacksaw blades. if we could find the same steel in sheets, they are about the same thickness and would work perfectly. now obviously they wouldnt be used for the more advanced types of locks but these would be great for simple locks.
and i believe that the $5 would more than cover the cost for the material once there sold but what about the upfront costs? any ideas as to that?

covering the cost of material is one thing... but it doesn't come close to calculating the costs of machining, tools, and time.

that's the biggest issue i've had to confront in my life as i've grown up... just because i can do just about anything, doesn't mean it's always cost effective for me to do so. i could sit at a grinder and polisher and fabricate plenty of toolsets. i suspect i could make a full 8-piece set in about an hour. alternately, i could just work for an hour at my regular job (heh, being a productive member of society in the process) and earn enough to purchase like three or four sets maybe.

i'm not trying to discourage anyone from fabricating their own tools, particularly for public educational use. it's a great way to learn about picking and often results in pieces that perform better than a lot of "stock" designs. i've customized a number of the items in my kit. still... on a mass scale things get a lot more difficult.

[haden]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

i was thinking about trying to find a type of light steel that might be strong enough if we made them about the same thickness as a credit card. ive seen that a lot of cheap tools are made out of hand filed hacksaw blades. if we could find the same steel in sheets, they are about the same thickness and would work perfectly. now obviously they wouldnt be used for the more advanced types of locks but these would be great for simple locks.
and i believe that the $5 would more than cover the cost for the material once there sold but what about the upfront costs? any ideas as to that?

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

the deal with the "business card" lockpicks sort of comes down to a few key points...

1. they are pretty great from a "coolness" factor. when someone new meets me and i am introduced to them as a lockpick guy, almost half the time they find a way to ask me "hey, have you ever seen kevin mitnick's business cards?" in less than five minutes. the business card picks are very recognizable, memorable, and neat.

2. they are sort of single-use. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that these picks are low quality and prone to break or bend when you try to use them... i'm just saying that there's no easy way to put them back into their convenient little package after you pop them apart. hence, people like the card but don't ever want to use the tools on the card.

3. they are only semi-useful as picks. while a person with some picking skill can use these tools (if they fashion a handle out of a bic pen or something) they aren't really outstanding. they are useful if you're really in a bind somewhere... but for the most part they work about as well as other improvised tools that you can make with found materials.

so do i think people would want to be able to buy these if they were available? perhaps (i'd say you charge more like $5 per card to make it worth your while to order them, transport them, etc)

however, i think that most of the people who buy the card would tuck it in their wallet and then say, "thanks... i'll hang on to these! uhm... so, do you have the regular toolkits? because i'd like to play with some stuff right here, too"

[haden]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

ok didnt know i was bringing up some thing old but i still think its a good idea.i stumbled on a page with this pic and this was the first thing that came to mind so i decided to come back to the forums early. i plan on being at con this year so im going to lend a hand with the village this year. Once i start more of my required classes next year ill be getting more involved with other events but for now ill stick with the physical hacking.

[TheCotMan]

Re: idea for some new demo tools

im wondering it thier might be a way to get someone to make a bunch of these to handout. not as buisness cards but short time use demo tools that could be sold for $.50 to a buck to cover the costs of production and help raise funds for the next years village.


i think id be a great idea and the perfect demo tool: and nobody has to have thier own tools lying about to be stolen or damaged by the throngs.

This was covered in a Defcon14 contest/event planning thread but that thread is now closed. (Archived old content.) Since there are no open threads on this topic that I can recall, this most recently started thread is now the current open discussion thread on this topic.

One issue discussed before was about TSA and getting them back home. They could be placed in checked luggage.

[haden]

im wondering it thier might be a way to get someone to make a bunch of these to handout. not as buisness cards but short time use demo tools that could be sold for $.50 to a buck to cover the costs of production and help raise funds for the next years village.


i think id be a great idea and the perfect demo tool: and nobody has to have thier own tools lying about to be stolen or damaged by the throngs.