January 10, 2026
Description
It’s expensive enough, having to buy a specialized lockpick for each keyway. It’s especially expensive to have to buy separate 5- and 6-pin versions for each keyway. So just buy the 6-pin version, and use this spacer when picking a 5-pin lock.
Deviant Ollam designed something similar, a tiny one that’s meant to press tightly onto the pick. I find this loose-fitting coin type more convenient. It's easy to grasp, easy to mount or remove, easy to find, and not too easily lost. And it's fun that it looks like a Nintendo coin, turning my Lishi picks into Yoshi picks.
Lock Cylinder | Keyway | Pick |
|---|---|---|
Kwikset classic (non-SmartKey) & assorted KW1-style cylinders | Kwikset | Lishi KW5 |
Schlage 5-pin (SC1, SC7, SC8) & assorted Schlage-style cylinders | Schlage C thru G * | Lishi SC4 (C keyway) or Lishi SC20 (all 5 keyways) |
Weiser classic (non-SmartKey) | Weiser (similar to Kwikset) | Lishi KW5, with some variance in chamber spacing and depths |
Others, likely | Pin-tumbler keyways of dimensions similar to Kwikset or Schlage | Long variant of some Lishi-style pick, e.g. by AKK or Dangerfield |
* About the 5 Schlage keyways:
C is by far the most common.
E is the only other one that’s remotely common.
I see it occasionally in commercial locks, never in residential.
Picks for a specific keyway, such as the Lishi SC4, are likely more durable than multi-keyway picks.
I love my Lishi SC20 pick because it fits both the C and E keyways.
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — Share Alike
10
Jérémy Reeder
