The most important tools are?

[Panoply]

I am just beginning to learn lockpicking. What types of picks and tension tools are the most essential? For every sized keyed lock? As for combination locks, are shims the only way to go? Have I just watched too many movies with guys with stethoscopes? I'm having a great time practicing, and have opened a few locks with just everyday items. I'd like to advance this hobby, but want to conserve money. Any advice guys? Remember I am a beginner!

Also, but not at all essential: What is this 'Poll' business asked about at the end of this form?

[raimundo]

very few picks are essential, most of the large sets are full of duplicates or minor size changes,

You need a half diamond that has a pick tip higher than the thickness of the pick shaft, most commercial ones are thick shafted which reduces agility in the keyway and the pick tip does not rise very much from that shaft.

a small to almost medium hook is essential, should be sanded to round off the sharp 90 degree edges, which cause it to hang up on warding. any hook that raises more than the height of two pennies stacked, is too high.

If your in europe, you will need one or two dimple lock type picks, also very simple to make, but you need a dimple lock to work out the sizes and such.

and a rake like the bogota willl always be handy. Im often accused by people who have more opinion than experience, of overhyping my own design, but look on youtube for bogota lockpick and you will see some people who are demonstrating rather than intellectualizing without experience.

[GeneT]

I think you could make a good start with a short hook and a variety of tension wrenches. Raimundo's advice is excellent, but you don't need all that just to get started.

GsT

[dls]

The most important tool in the box is experience its is usually kept between your ears
Your eyes are not always necessary but your ears can be a great help.

If starting from scratch id go with a half diamond and a medium hook with two tension wrenches one with the blade aligned with the handle and one with it aligned at 90 degrees to the handle. the only other thing thats essential is files and fine sandpaper once you master the basics youll probably prefer to go down the diy route its quicker than mail order cheaper and way more satisfying

[Panoply]

My ears? Do you mean listening to the voice of experience or......?

[dls]

with time you will learn to see inside the lock with your ears like xray vision a click can be worth so much when you are feeling around in the dark.

[dmux]

The most important tools are the ones that work for you. I could tell you what works for me, but it might not work for you. Lock picking is not rocket surgery, it's not fixing a car. It is exploring and trial and error. It's like asking a chief, what is the best knife for cutting.

[Legion303]

It's like asking a chief, what is the best knife for cutting.

I like that.

Also Raimundo's advice, which I believe I've already said is like gold nuggets.

-steve

[dls]

A badly made rough pick will open some locks in the hand of an experienced picker so just go out and make a couple then try it on some simple junk locks once you get one open you will quickly progress the more you practice

[MrMandelbrot]

Raimundo nailed it right on the head. The best advice I was offered is to buy a small pickset with the tools Ramundo described, and save the rest of your money for practice locks. It's addicting, and once you open your hardest lock you'll be yearning for more.

[LocksmithArmy]

i think your all wrong..
FINGERS are the most important... ive only seen 2 people pick without using fingers... out of the hundreds of thousands that pick, 2 can do it without fingers... yet many have done it without a various profile of pick

totally kidding by the way, raimundos advice is a gem as always.
I pretty much rock a short hook and a gem pick, which is a hook with a diamond on top... but when learning i started using the half diamond pretty heavily among a few others i liked. its all about what you prefer, to me i can use about any spp tool and then it comes down to the tensor, i like a few different thicknesses of tensor so the fit right in the lock, 1 universal tensor is not a good plan. (although most picksets only come with one tensor)

[camelgd]

HPC lpx-12 and a TR-3, or TR-4 tension wrench..... and a lot of good gray matter between your ears!!
Camelgd

[amlwchlocksmiths]

http://walkerlocksmiths.co.uk/toolscylinderpicksets.htm

13 tools cover all,for £18 + vat

very much like the basic set from hpc.
but very cheap

[tspitzno]

I'm pretty new at lock picking, but I've learned a few things.
It's a hobby for me, so if I start feeling frustrated, I get up and do something else for awhile. A hobby is by definition, something that you enjoy.
Anyway, regarding tools, I started out with a Southord 20 piece set. If you're going with this sort of set, go to Southord Outlet and go to clearance items for a nice discount. These picks have a very slight discoloration where the metal handles were spot welded onto the picks, which is really not a problem at all. For the price, it is a decent, pretty effective set (you can get replacement picks under 2 US dollars). These picks are stamped out of lower end stainless steel, but for the price, you can see which kinds of picks you like.
This is a decent starter set, but has some duplicates and the picks with no handles are not very comfortable (I've been researching shrink tubing as a handle).
After awhile, I discovered Peterson picks and ordered a few, including a Peterson reach (highly recommended) and a quad rake and a wave rake and a long ripple (all very nice - I would ripple or rake first then, use the reach to find what pins weren't set after a few rakes/scrubs and set them first with the reach then ripple or rake them again with fair success). Do yourself a favor and get the ones with the rubber handles, they're excellent. All Peterson picks are laser cut, tumbled, and custom tempered. I got some of the cheapest spring steel (3.25 U.S. dollars with the rubber handles) and I'm delighted with them. My practice locks started opening a lot more easily when using these tools.
I also purchased a lifter pick (look under "Government Steel Specialty Picks".
This pick hugely improved my single pin picking. These picks aren't the least bit rounded off and you (you can usually just kind of glide the pick around in the lock - this one - no) with this one you can actually kind of grab the pin and wiggle it around (this is often surprisingly effective), Also, this pick forces you to be aware of exactly where the pick tip is in the lock.
If I had it to do over again, I'd get the Peterson tools and some of their torsion tools, which are excellent (actually pretty much anything by Peterson tends to be excellent, in my limited experience).
I'm still very definitely in the learning stages, but I hope this is helpful.

[bembel]

All you really need is a Hook, a Half-Diamond and a Snake. And some tensioners.
Later, your pickset will grow with your experience.