The Covert Companion Pro is a pocket multitool that carries 27 lock-opening tools in a body 85mm long. Picks, turning tools, combs, jigglers, bypass drivers and a decoder, all on carriers, all in one all-metal frame with a deep-carry clip. It costs 150 USD from Covert Instruments.
The video
The LockPickingLawyer reviewed it in August 2025. His verdict, in his words, is that it is the best everyday carry lock-opening solution in the world, and it replaced the original Covert Companion that had been in his pocket for years.
What he covers
The assembly problem is gone. To get the original Covert Companion to this level of function you bought it plus every expansion pack, and the parts arrived in bags for you to build yourself. The Pro ships fully assembled. He says plainly that CI could not offer that at a sane price when the original launched.
The carry hardware is swappable. A deep-carry pocket hook on top, widely requested. Swap it for an eyelet for a keychain or lanyard, or fit a blank if you want neither.
The notched decoder is designed to be replaced. At 0.006" it is a consumable, so rather than riveting it in they hold it with a spring-loaded ball detent. You lift it out with a fingernail.
He opens 3 locks with it, which is the part that makes the review worth watching rather than reading:
| Lock | Method |
|---|---|
| Guard Security combination padlock | Notched decoder slipped between the body and a code wheel |
| Federal 200A, full of security pins | Short hook plus the 0.050" turner, short top-of-keyway tension |
| Guard Security armored shutter lock | Quint rake plus the 0.040" turner, bottom of keyway, twice to prove it |
The counterfeit warning. This is the practical takeaway. He holds up a fake CI Grav Pick, a plastic copy of an all-steel product, and warns that cheap foreign knockoffs of CI gear are circulating. Buyers get either a useless product or a stolen card number. Only covertinstruments.com.
What is in it
27 tools. The list reads long because it is.
| Group | Contents |
|---|---|
| FU Pick (0.020") | Short hook, medium hook, deep hook, gentle reach, quad rake, quint rake |
| F-ME Pick (0.020") | Reaper #1 to #6, including the McTickler and Skinny Pete |
| 3-in-1 turners | 0.050", 0.040", 0.032", 0.025" |
| Warded picks | Double long, double short, single long, single short |
| Quad combs | 4-pin, 5-pin, 6-pin at 0.025", plus 6-pin thin at 0.015" |
| Jigglers | Double sided, single sided, single hump |
| Utility | Traveler's hook, knife tool, notched decoder (0.006"), utility flat (0.010"), padlock bypass driver, dimple rake |
| Hardware | Deep-carry pocket clip, keychain loop |
The F-ME Pick is a free add-on, and only when you buy direct. That is CI making the counterfeit problem into a reason to use their own store.
Each 3-in-1 turner gives you short top-of-keyway, long top-of-keyway, or bottom-of-keyway tension from a single piece, which is why 4 of them cover so much ground.
The FU pick
The centrepiece, and the reason the tool works as a pick set rather than a novelty.
6 profiles fold out on a stainless carrier, and the selected one locks at 180 degrees on a spring-loaded mechanism. LPL's point is that once deployed it feels like a normal pick in the hand, close to the size of a standalone one. A folding pick that flexes at the pivot would be useless; this is the engineering that decides whether the whole concept works.
Specs
| Price | 150 USD |
| Tool count | 27 |
| Dimensions | 3.34" x 1.1" x 0.71" (85 x 28 x 18mm) |
| Construction | All metal, precision-machined, back-out resistant screws |
| Scales | Titanium on the current listing. LPL's launch unit was anodised aluminium |
| Other parts | Stainless steel |
| Compatibility | Fits legacy SSF expansion packs |
| Consumables | First Aid Kit sold separately for replacement parts |
| Returns | 25% restocking fee |
The scales are the one spec to check before ordering. The video describes the body and scales as anodised aluminium; the product page now says titanium handle scales. Either the spec changed after launch or the listing is describing a later revision.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 27 tools in a pocket clip. The form factor is the product, and nothing else gets close in this footprint.
- Fully assembled. No bags of parts, no self-build.
- The FU pick locks out solid, so it handles like a real pick.
- Everything is on a carrier or lifter, so deployment is one motion rather than fishing with a fingernail.
- Consumables are designed to be replaced, which is rare and says the designers actually carry one.
- The endorsement is about as strong as it gets in this category.
Cons
- 150 USD, plus shipping and import charges outside the US.
- 25% restocking fee on returns is steep.
- Jack of all trades. Every profile is a compromise against a dedicated pick set, and the thin consumables will bend.
- Counterfeits are everywhere, so buying anywhere but direct is a real risk.
- No EU distributor, so European buyers carry the customs friction.
Who it's for
Someone who already picks locks and wants one object in their pocket instead of a roll. It is not a learning set: a beginner is better served by a dedicated practice kit and a cutaway lock, where the tools are cheaper and the feedback is clearer.
It also suits the practical case: locksmiths, property managers, anyone who periodically has to open something they own and cannot find the key for.
Carry is the other half of it. Closed it is unobtrusive, about the size of a small folding knife, and the clip keeps it low in the pocket.
Buying, and the legal side in Germany
Buy direct. Repeating LPL's warning because it is the single most actionable thing in the video: counterfeit CI gear is widespread, and the only legitimate source is covertinstruments.com.
Shipping. Orders placed before noon ET usually ship the same business day. Covert Instruments ships internationally but not to every country, and availability shows at checkout. Their policy is explicit that shipping charges exclude duties, VAT, tariffs and brokerage, so a German order means 19% import VAT plus a courier handling fee on top of 150 USD. Budget nearer 190 to 210 EUR landed.
Legality in Germany. Possession and use of lock picks is legal in Germany. There is no law against owning them, and the test is intent: using them on a lock you do not own or have permission to open is the offence, not carrying the tools. Germany has an active sport-lockpicking scene around this, including the SSDeV, the German sport-lockpicking association, and picking turns up regularly at geocaching events.
That said, the law varies sharply across Europe, and Covert Instruments puts the responsibility on you: it is your job to know your local rules before ordering. Multipick's EU overview is a reasonable starting point, and Multipick is itself a German maker if you would rather buy inside the EU and skip customs entirely.
The community norm is simpler than the law: pick only what you own or have explicit permission to open.
My take
The engineering argument is genuinely interesting regardless of whether you want one. Folding 27 tools into 85mm without any of them becoming unusable is a real constraint problem, and the 2 details that show they solved it properly are the FU pick locking at 180 degrees and the decoder being removable by fingernail. Both are the kind of decision you only make after carrying the previous version for years and being annoyed by it.
150 USD is fair for what it is. It lands closer to 200 EUR in Germany, which is the number that actually decides it, and there is no EU stock to avoid that.
Worth knowing about either way. If the interest is the sport rather than the carry, a cheap practice set and a cutaway lock teaches more per euro, and the SSDeV route is the sensible way in.
Further reading
- Lockpicking across the EU, country by country
- Covert Instruments FAQ, including the international shipping terms
- TOOOL on lockpicking, the Dutch open organisation of lockpickers