Black Belt
black.png
Zen music plays when you enter the room. You wake up from dreams in which you are trying to figure out ways to pick the unpickable. You have mentored two or more pickers at the brown and red belt levels and you have published the specs to at least one custom tool of your own design.
To earn a black belt, world-class picking necessary but not sufficient. Mentoring others is necessary but not sufficient. You must deviate from your comfort zone and complete at least two epic quests of sufficient complexity and difficulty. Black Belt Pickers are extremely rare, and while this system was designed with a degree of levity, earning one is true honor and something to be very very proud of.
You must video picking and gutting accomplishments in one continuous take, If there is a sidebar it must also be displayed to show nothing has been tampered with. There are no exceptions to the gutting requirement for videos of black belt locks.
Requirements:
Demonstrate your ability to gut locks and get them back together again
Demonstrated history of helping advancing and advanced pickers
Have built a "Challenge Lock" and shared it with a fellow picker
Have made at least one specialized tool and published the specs
Mentor at least two advanced pickers through the process of getting into a difficult lock
Complete at least two of the "Epic Quest Options" listed below
SPP and gut two different locks on this list or similar
Abloy Protec2
ASSA dp4400 / Trioving dp / Ruko Garant+
ASSA Twin 6000 / Twin Exclusive
ASSA Twin Pro / Twin Maximum / Twin v10 / Twin Global
ASSA Twin Combi / ASSA Triton / ASSA Neptun 4900 / Trioving System 10 / Trioving Twin Control
Bowley
Chubb Detector
DOM ix Twinstar
EVVA 3KS / 3KS+ / 4KS (With false gates and <5 mastered sliders)
EVVA Dual
EVVA ICS
EVVA MCS gen 1 / Zeiss Ikon M
EVVA MCS gen 2
Fichet 450 / 484 (10 levers, with false gates)
Fichet F3D
Kaba 20 / MIWA JN
Kaba Star (if only 4 directions, equivalent to Kaba 20)
Kaba Quattro / Kaba Expert
Kaba Penta
Kromer Protector
Miwa PR
Miwa U9
Mottura Champions C43 / C44 / C48
NATO Mersey
Sargent Keso
UrbanAlps Stealth Key
Western Electric 29B
Western Electric 30C
Yuema 750 / Forte Enigma
Zeiss Ikon sk6 Sperrwelle Extra Code
Zeiss Ikon WSW
Epic Quest Options:
Develop and demonstrate an "Extra Skill" that is related to picking or physical security
Complete and document a "Master's Project" of sufficient difficulty and complexity
Select and pick two additional Black Belt level locks from the list
Examples of "Extra Skills":
Group 2 safe lock manipulation
Electronics projects that decode or bypass locks
Key impressioning
Advanced and refined Pick making
Machining cutaway locks
Exceptional knowledge of locks and keyways
Examples of "Master's Projects":
Make a lock from scratch
Formation and leadership of a TOOOL chapter or other community organization