What is the key to successful manipulation in safe cracking?

Watching for contact points to change on the dial.

What aids in devising a successful safe opening strategy?

Identifying the make and model of the safe.

Inaccuracy in producing clicking sounds in real safes.

Safe cracking competitions utilize practice mounts instead of whole safes, emphasizing skill over real-world scenarios.
The portrayal of safe manipulation in movies like "Army of Thieves" and "Thieves" often includes unrealistic elements, according to professional safe cracker Dave McComey, highlighting the discrepancies between Hollywood fiction and real safe cracking techniques.

How many dials do bank vaults typically have?
Two dials and locks.
What is the key to successful manipulation in safe cracking?
Watching for contact points to change on the dial.
What aids in devising a successful safe opening strategy?
Identifying the make and model of the safe.
What is the preferred tool for drilling safes with precision?
Using a fixed rig drill.
What is the portrayal of safe cracking in Hollywood movies often criticized for?
Inaccuracy in producing clicking sounds in real safes.

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Dave McComey, a professional safe cracker since 1972, has authored 24 technical manuals and a memoir on safes.
The fastest time recorded in a professional manipulation contest is 3 minutes and 57 seconds.
Bank vaults typically have two dials and locks, contrary to the portrayal in "Army of Thieves."
Safe cracking competitions occur annually, using practice mounts instead of whole safes.
Manipulation involves watching for contact points to change on the dial, crucial for opening locks.
In "The Italian Job," the portrayal of underwater safe manipulation is deemed unrealistic by Dave McComey.
Identifying the make and model of a safe aids in devising a successful opening strategy.
Using a fixed rig drill ensures precision in drilling safes, preventing veering off course.
Hollywood's depiction of clicking dials in safes is inaccurate; real safes do not produce such sounds.
In "Thieves," the use of a pneumatic drill for safe cracking is uncommon; high-torque electric motors are preferred.

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The vault in the movie scene is portrayed as unrealistic, with the door alone weighing between 10 and 12 tons, making it impossible for two small sports cars to drag it around like a battering ram through downtown Rio de Janeiro. The safe crackers in the movie are depicted as loving safe cracking, but the portrayal of the high-tech handprint reader and the magic woo-woo used to open the vault is deemed preposterous and unrealistic.