Raking vs SPP

[HeavyHanded]

Is raking a skill-less technique? I can rake open a master lock 140, but can't SPP it, I even have trouble SPP'ing a no. 3 still...

[raimundo]

raking is a skill of you are really good at it, that would come from lots of practice,

I note your name is heavyhanded, my technique on raking is light and loose so it probably wouldn't work well for you, you likely are pressing to hard when you think you have lightened up. part of that is probably some misconceptions about how it all works and how much force is light enough. Its just gonna take a lot more practice til you figure out how to get out of your own way.

[HeavyHanded]

Yeah lol, I'm working on it... Constantly going lighter though, I've had a revelation and as far as raking, the lighter I go the easier it is. But it just seems to me that when I compare the two, raking is so much easier than SPP'ing. I probably need to sit down and try to SPP for a few solid hours, maybe I'll have a revelation again.

[chaos4zap]

Becoming good at SPP'n will give you an appreciation for what's truly going on inside the lock and that insight will, in turn, also help you be more effective with the raking. This is in addition to the somewhat obvious point that there will simply be some locks that refuse to rake open and you will have no choice but to dance with each pin one-on-one. These days (when practicing), if I rake at all, it's almost always in conjunction with SPP'n to speed up the process. I will often rake locks with security pins until I get a false-set, then go in with the pick to finish it off.

[chaos4zap]

One other point, some lock will pick much easier while applying tension to the top of the key-way (TOK) with, say...a Petterson pry-bar. When using TOK tension, raking usually ranges from difficult to impossible because the rake will often dislodge the tension tool and force you to start from the beginning. If your just starting out, I would focus on the SPP'n. I speak from experience when I say that is isn't a bad idea to keep a rake nearby when first starting. If you get overly frustrated with SPP'n a particular lock, it can sometime relieve the frustration if you take the rake to it and just get the darn thing open once or twice, then return to the SPP'n until you got the lock conquered in every possible manner.