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  • This is the lock picking lawyer, and what I have for you today is a huge hidden shackle padlock that was produced in Soviet Russia just a few weeks before the collapse of the Union.

  • I know exactly when this lock was made because I was lucky enough to receive it in its original packaging, which has the date stamped on it.

  • Now this has to be the most paranoid lock design I've ever seen.

  • But before I explain the features that make it so unusual, I want to speak briefly to the circumstances that gave rise to the design.

  • You see, the Soviet Union had an extraordinarily well developed black market for normal consumer goods, and the source of many of these black market goods were stayed on factories, warehouses, stores and everywhere in between.

  • This was only possible, of course, due to widespread corruption.

  • People with access to the goods would either take them themselves or look the other way when others did.

  • One small way in which that could be countered was through the use of locks like this, which required to different keys held by two different people to open.

  • In fact, the overwhelming majority of dual custody padlocks in my collection are Soviet in origin.

  • No other countries used them in such great numbers.

  • But a dual custody lock just means that the black market tears would need to pay off two key holders rather than one.

  • This lock adds another level of security.

  • It was designed to accept a number paper seal in this compartment.

  • Here.

  • I'm just going to use a normal piece of notebook paper.

  • Once it's closed and locked into place, this compartment can't be opened.

  • And to open the lock, you would need to pierce that paper seal with the key, thus destroying it.

  • In theory, this would allow for administrative record of every open because a new seal would be required.

  • But regardless of the paranoid design elements and the absurdly beefy construction, it doesn't seem like a great deal of effort went into making this pick resistant.

  • So let's go ahead and test that out right now.

  • We'll start with the key way, marked number one.

  • I'll use bottom of the key way tension with this wiper insert and a standard hook in 25 thousands.

  • Nothing on one to his binding tightly gotta click at it, too three is binding.

  • Click out of three Little Click out of four, and I think that's it again.

  • Nothing on one to click out of three for his binding again Tightly.

  • Okay, click out of four.

  • Back to the beginning.

  • It feels like we have tapered pins here.

  • We're getting multiple clicks out of each pin.

  • So maybe single pin picking wasn't the smartest way to approach this.

  • Probably raking.

  • It would have been better.

  • We'll try that on core number two.

  • Let's increase the tension just up just a little bit.

  • It looks like we just got it open.

  • Okay, let's, uh, start on core.

  • Number two puts intention in there, and I'm going to use a rake.

  • Try this wave, rake.

  • Wow, that was very fast.

  • So not very pick resistant, but still a very interesting lock because of what it tells us about the culture that produced it.

  • In any case, that's all I have for you today.

  • If you do have any questions or comments about this, please put them below.

  • If you like this video and would like to see more like it, please subscribe.

  • And, as always, have a nice day.

  • Thank you.

This is the lock picking lawyer, and what I have for you today is a huge hidden shackle padlock that was produced in Soviet Russia just a few weeks before the collapse of the Union.

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