What it is

SouthOrd E500XT Electric Lock Pick

Who uses it

Locksmiths, detectives, military personnel

YouTube is full of videos demonstrating how to pick a lock with everything from a paper clip to a wiper blade. But most of these rudimentary techniques work on only a limited number of pin-tumbler locks. If you want to be sure you can compromise all of them, you need SouthOrd's $170 electric pick set. Pin-tumblers use five or more pins to prevent the lock's central cylinder from turning; E500XT slams those pins up and out of the way. To use the 10-inch-long device, place the picking needle and tension tool — basically an L-shaped stainless steel bar — inside the keyway. Pulse the 8,000-rpm motor to deliver powerful vibrations that knock the pins clear, allowing the tension tool to turn the lock mechanism. The whole process takes about 20 seconds. Just don't think the SouthOrd pick is an easy ticket to a career as a cat burglar: It sounds like gears grinding on an '86 Yugo.