Hollywood has been showing people bypassing locks with a credit card for years but never quite like this. The ITS Titanium Entry Card can be used to open far more locks than a regular credit card ever could.
Overview
The ITS Titanium Entry Card is a credit card sized set of lock bypassing tools. It is made from titanium and perfectly replicates the dimensions (including thickness .032”) of a normal plastic credit card. The compact dimensions, lack of magnetic signature, and credit card-like form combination are designed to make this tool set easy to carry and very discreet.
ITS Tactical designed the card to hold 2 complete sets of tools consisting of a tension wrench, a Bogota triple hump tool, and Bogota single hump tool. The versatility and compact size of Bogota tools makes the addition of a second set possible. Many credit card lock bypass kits provide several picks in various shapes that quickly take up space on the card. That is unnecessary with Bogota tools since the single hump can also serve as a very effective single-pin pick.
Observations from Use
The lock bypass components are easy enough to remove from the card that I could do it with cold hands but they are also quite secure. The tools will not come out without purposeful manipulation.
The inclusion of a form fitting storage sleeve made from Tyvek is a nice touch. It can be used to help protect your actual credit cards from the wear that accompanies being carried next to a titanium card. It also gives the Titanium Entry Card set a less metallic and lower profile appearance at first glance.
I wanted to find out a few things in my testing. First and foremost, can the tools actually be used to bypass locks? Second, I wanted to see of the tools were still useful after being removed from the card and used. Finally, I wanted to see if there was any way to return the tools to the card after use. So, with the mission in mind, I set about bypassing locks. I picked and raked my way through dead bolts, padlocks, desk drawer wafer locks, and more.
These picks really do work. The Bogota tool design is proven and I have written about them at length in the past. With a little practice they can be used to successfully bypass locks by even beginners. Bogota tools can even allow some locks to fall to blind luck but as with anything, success and speed can be greatly improved with practice.
While these tools do work, the emergency nature of their intended use does show itself when you slide them into the keyway for the first time. These tools are designed to work in a pinch. They are not designed for lock sport. Most Bogota tools exhibit a high level of polish which allows them to move in and out of tight keyways more easily. That polish helps make the manic shaking/jiggling motion that is used for raking easier. However, it is impossible to apply this polish to the tools while they are still in the card so you will notice that the tools are a bit stiff in the keyway. This is especially true in a tight keyway. The good news is that they smooth out considerably with just a few passes in and out of the keyway. It seems that those first couple of movements inside the keyway smooth out a lot of jagged edges and then the tool just gets better with use.
The tension wrench is also very rudimentary which is completely understandable given the form factor. You will need a very, very light touch in most cases due to the short length and stiffness of the wrench. There is just no other way to render a tension wrench from a credit card sized piece of titanium.
The tools lack much of a handle to hold unto which is common across all credit card lock bypass sets. The size of a credit card just doesn’t allow much room for larger popsicle stick type handles. However, the small handles do have a lightness about them that does translate a fair amount of feel and touch for those delicate picking jobs. Again, these are last ditch tools.
I found that the tools are definitely useful after they are removed from the card. You should be able to get multiple uses out of the tools after they are popped out of the card unless you have a very heavy hand (which doesn’t serve you well in bypassing locks). You may even want to do some light polishing and drop the loose tools into your wallet with a wrap of tape on them, some heat shrink tubing, or a gutted length of para-cord shell to hold them together. They will lack some of the refinement of a full on Bogota Entry Tool Set but they are certainly useful.
There is also a simple solution to returning them to the card if you wish to do so. You can simple put them back into place and place a piece of masking tape over the card to hold the individual tools in their slots.
Wrap Up
The main draw here is the form factor. This is the first titanium credit card pick set. It is easy to carry, discreet, and it works. This isn’t the type of tool a lock smith is going to add to his pick roll but it is definitely the type of tool that can get you out of a bind. Basically, it is well designed and effective for its intended purpose.
Check out the ITS Titanium Entry Card at ITSTactical.com.
