Premium Lock Picks, Bypass Tools, and Training Gear
Covert Instruments builds high-quality lock picks, lock pick sets, bypass tools, and training gear for beginners, hobbyists, locksmiths, and serious everyday carry users. Whether you are looking for your first practice lock and beginner lock picking kit, a proven EDC platform like the Covert Companion, or specialized tools for bypass and entry work, our gear is designed to deliver real performance without the fluff.
From beginner-friendly sets to advanced tools and custom kits, Covert Instruments gives you dependable equipment, practical options, and the resources to build real skill.
Genesis™ Lock Pick Set
The best answer we've ever given to one question.
"What's the best pick set for a beginner?" We've been asked that thousands of times. The Genesis™ Lock Pick Set is our answer, and it's hands down the best introductory set on the market today.
We took the four most useful pick profiles, paired them with our highest-quality turning tools, and packed them into the most well-thought-out carrying case in the business. Whether it's on your desk or in the field, Genesis carries you from your first pin well into the intermediate and advanced level. No filler picks, nothing you'll outgrow on day two.
What's in the Genesis Lock Pick Set
- The Tradecraft Case, our flagship pick case
- A Short Hook (.025")
- A Medium Hook (.025")
- A Quad Wave Rake (.025")
- A Quint Wave Rake (.025")
- Three Precision 2-in-1 Turning Tools, labeled so you can read the thickness at a glance, double-sided for top and bottom-of-keyway tension
Pick stand shown in photos not included.
Access Logs & Dead Drops
- by Tony Virelli
The Man Who Picked the "Unpickable" Lock at the 1851 World's Fair
In 1851, at the world's fair in London, an American locksmith picked the lock Britain believed was unpickable, in 25 minutes. It caused an uproar, and it was the best thing that could have happened to locks.
Read moreabout The Man Who Picked the "Unpickable" Lock at the 1851 World's Fair
- by Tony Virelli
Open a Padlock With a Soda Can: the Shim Trick, Explained
No key, no picking, no drilling. Just a strip of aluminum slid down the side of the shackle. Here is how the soda can shim trick works, why it beats cheap padlocks, and what stops it.
Read moreabout Open a Padlock With a Soda Can: the Shim Trick, Explained
- by Tim Roberts & Brent White
Access Logs Footnote 001: Before I Knew It Was Social Engineering
Decades before I ever ran a covert entry engagement or heard the term social engineering, I was learning it off a VHS shelf. Axel Foley, Ferris Bueller, and Fletch were teaching the same lessons I'd lean on for an entire career, and they were doing it without a single piece of technology. Everyone's worried about AI now, but the target hasn't changed.
Read moreabout Access Logs Footnote 001: Before I Knew It Was Social Engineering