Please tell me this is JUNK

[pickmonger2]

I am being pressured to buy this for my 12 year old nephew as Christmas gift . He wants to learn how to open a safe and can not afford an actual safe lock.

https://www.amazon.ca/Locksmith-Maintenance-Combination-Transparent-Practice/dp/B074C5BSL5/ref=sr_1_sc_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1513542132&sr=1-11-spell&keywords=lockpicking+kit

I promised I would ask the group about it and if it was worth buying.

[MartinHewitt]

It is junk, but it still can be fun to open it. But be aware that you can find it for halve that price and that you have to build a mount for it which has a lever for feedback.

PS: I assume you can get a used 6730 with dial in the US (perhaps also Canada) for twice that money. To mount that a wooden board, a hole and some screws are enough and it will provide longer lasting entertainment as it has many, many possible combinations while the cheap lock has probably only three. But as I wrote the junk lock can be fun too and I am considering at the moment to order one to get a different manipulation experience.

[Cheesehead]

It is junk, but it still can be fun to open it. But be aware that you can find it for halve that price and that you have to build a mount for it which has a lever for feedback.

PS: I assume you can get a used 6730 with dial in the US (perhaps also Canada) for twice that money. To mount that a wooden board, a hole and some screws are enough and it will provide longer lasting entertainment as it has many, many possible combinations while the cheap lock has probably only three. But as I wrote the junk lock can be fun too and I am considering at the moment to order one to get a different manipulation experience.

Like this one: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sargent-Greenle ... 1459359996

[Spyder]

Where in Ontario are you? (pm if you like) there's a shop in Niagara, AccuLock, I was in there a bit over a year ago and got a couple of take offs of factory mounted wheel locks, S&G, that they had replaced with digitals, for about $40 each, Rod was the salesman, very friendly, and not "scared" of people looking to learn, one was going on to a safe I have and one was for practice, I told him everything right off the top. May be worth trying with your local lockie, OR there may be another local(ish) or two who's got a disused or unneeded lock they could let go of....

I've not had a lot of time to practice, but starting at 12 may just put him in to a future career, that's mostly filled by drill and replacers, could get him self in to a nice little spot if it turns out to be his thing.

Spyder.

[Oldfast]

2nd to the last picture; the back of the dial ring appears to be paper thin.
Are those holes drilled? Or did someone light a cigarette to close to it? lol

I'm a little confused by their description tho (aside from the broken up English).
"...the acrylic clear construction of these which demonstrates their purpose..."

"...acrylic clear construction..."? WHERE? Unless they're referring to
"...It came in a small plastic case that the lock sits in..."

At any rate, as Martin mentioned, it's not mounted and there's no interaction with a fence.
If you're gonna go thru THAT much work... I've little doubt you could put a little somethin'
together from your surplus (which I know you have! lol) that would be of better quality.

So could it be useful? Sure. Is it worth $20? Not in my opinion. My vote? NO

But then again, I just purchased an egg-peeler online that had
a gazillion horrible reviews on Amazon... so whadda I know?! Ha!

[Oldfast]

Come to think of it... the dial ring was probably drilled THEN coated with whatever.
What I'm seeing is probably just a thin coating that collected over the holes.

But my vote is STILL... NO