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I just moved into my apartment in Taiwan and there are some locks here I have never seen before! Including the one on my front door.

I have attached pictures of the lock and the key for reference.

What is this type of lock called?

What kind of tool is used to apply tension for picking?

-- I know the slot in the key grabs a piece of metal in the back of the lock for tension ( you can see it in the center of the lock in the photo), but I have no clue how to reach the metal piece with any of my tension tools~

I saw a BosnianBIll video with a similar kind of lock and he made a custom tension tool to push against one of the pins for tension. I tried to do that, but the pin just keeps being pushed down. I wonder if there is another way?

Any knowledge/help is appreciated!

Thank you!

Flat spring steel, about two and a half times thicker than the gap in the key that drives the plug in the back of the keyway. Bend it to more than 90 degrees, so it matches slightly less steep than the angle on the key tip. File a groove in the center of the folded part that matches the slot in the key. On the other end, fold the end into a loop for you to apply torsion.

Those locks are sometimes seen on 'The Club' steering wheel locks here in the United States.

Good luck, and don't pick the lock if it is in use - buy one just for picking. Your landlord is unlikely to look kindly on a broken lock.

Gordon

Wow... that is one cool lock! I'd need more details to really be sure, but perhaps whatever interacts with the groove on the top of the key could be the place to apply tension?

Precisely! The tensioner described applies tension to the plug driver at the end of the plug, same as the key does. The thickness is so it still has some strength to apply the light tension needed without bending.

Gordon

Now, would this be classified as a dimple lock? First time I've seen anything like it...

What you need is an 'Occam's Razor'. I think they sell them on Amazon.

Seriously, the simplest solution is usually the best one. Duplicate the part of the key that you need and omit the rest that you don't. Remember that lock picking is just fooling the lock into thinking that the key has been inserted

I'd grab some brass rod about the size of the key and file or dremel it until it looked like the key's point. Once that is done, remove material so that you can manipulate the pins. The other solution is probably more expedient, but in your shoes I'd be grabbing a brass rod.

1) Bending steel finely like that without treating it is going to be prone to breaking. Not a big deal, but it's what you leave behind in the lock that you need to think about. With brass since you're duplicating the key to an extent it would be fine

2) because it's made like the key it will work like one.

3) The quasi-key torsion trench will fit better and would nestle in the dimple at the back holding it in place better

4) Not having used the key, this is totally hypothetical. But what if you need pressure on the back of the keyway, not just torque. I can't tell if that dimple is just to seat the key or if it has another purpose.

5a) My brass method would just look cooler, and be worthy of highly polishing. I know it's esthetics and form should follow function, but sparkly shiny is better.

5b) It would stand out in your pick kit, whereas the bent steel is going to look like an ordinary tension wrench.

6) I can't speak for others but making the tools can be as fun as using them. If I can't say I fabricated it, then it's just bent to shape.

I would call it a dimple lock. The form is different than what you usually see, but it looks like the same principle.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

I actually saw a padlock here with a similar design! (attached some photos)

I think I might try to take one of the keys from the padlock and file it down since it is the same shape and has a similar slot for grabbing the lock.

I was able to pick open the Padlock, which was fun. I was able to do it because the padlock is shallow enough for me to stick a tension tool in there and catch the metal notch at the back. At first I was messing around with some hooks trying to pick the pins, but there was not much room to move around. Eventually I grabbed my double ball rake and used the flat side to rake from back to front and it opened!