Sparrow lock pick sets?

[pdenton20]

I have a Peterson but I see these Sparrow pick sets and they are exponentially cheaper than most other lock pick sets I've ever seen. Is that because they are of cheaper quality? Anyone have experience with them?

[smokingman]

I have a Peterson but I see these Sparrow pick sets and they are exponentially cheaper than most other lock pick sets I've ever seen. Is that because they are of cheaper quality? Anyone have experience with them?

Same steel as peterson and southords finest,
and euro style , which I like best.

[deolslyfox]

I have Petersons, Sparrows and Majestic "sets". I have had "onesies" that I have gathered along the way from various brands such as Southord, HPC and others. Of course a bunch of "home-brews". I only have the Sparrows and Majestic sets left. I keep the Majestics because they are what I started with years ago. I keep the Sparrows as a "loaner set" for someone who want to see if this hobby is for them or not. I never use it otherwise.

IMHO, the quality of the Petersons is superior to any of the other brands that I own or have seen / tried. The only picks that approach the quality of Petersons are the home-brews.

If you want a good set of quality picks, you will never be unhappy with a Peterson product.

Here's a review of the last Peterson set that I purchased. I've added a couple of hooks to the mix and of course, custom tension wrenches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... X2J5AW9qCM

Here's the set at Petersons:
http://www.thinkpeterson.com/picksets.html#GSP Series Pick Sets

It currently retails for $250, but IMHO it is worth every penny.

One thing I will note, and I think its mentioned in the video .... You will still need to polish the picks. This is true of ANY set you buy, but even though these ARE "slicker" than other sets, they don't have that "surgical insturment" finish that you get from hand polishing, and that makes the pick "glide" thru the lock so much easier.

[Punt]

I started off with southord pick set and after about a month or so I bought a set of petersons with a few extra hooks. A couple years later, still have them, and still use them to this day. Very durable lock picks with a good feel to them. Not showing any severe wear and tear so far. But 2 weeks ago I decided to order a few Sparrow Hooks. They sure do give peterson a run for their money. The sparrows picks are so thin and fit into any keyway nicely. They feel solid and durable so far. I have picked a few locks that I was having trouble with for weeks in a matter of minutes. My only complaint about the sparrows is the handles. I have big hands, and sometimes my hand will cramp up because of how small the handles are. My hands don't really cramp up with the petersons. The peterson picks seem to be HUGE after using the Sparrows for a while.

But overall I use both. If the keyway seems narrow I'll stick with the Sparrows, but if I can get away with using a peterson pick I will. I think everyone should have a couple sparrow hooks.

[BSG_314159]

I bought the EOD set from Sparrow last week. ($69.00 )

My first set of picks was a combination of Peterson and Southord recommended for picking 5200 series locks. I loved the southord pick so much I bought the high yield M4000B set from Southord (more picks than one needs). That being said I love my Sparrow set. The picks have a good feel and the rakes are amazing: the reason i got the set.

Bottom line Sparrow makes some great picks for the price.

[Divinorum]

Sparrows picks definitely are not cheap quality. I have 2 sets. Started with a small set including practice locks and then upgraded to the monstrum XXL. If you shop around you should find that they are in the higher priced range compared to other makes ex. southord and HPC. The only brand that I have found to compete with my Sparrows is Peterson. That being said, I still love my sparrows picks and most of my go to picks are sparrows, not Peterson. To me the sparrows picks are easier to maneuver in the keyway as Punt said. Also the plastic dip handles give excellent feedback. Most of my Peterson picks have the rubber handles and I feel the feedback is toned down a bit. Personally, I couldn't say one brand is better than the other.

[nick08037]

I particularly like the combination of picks and abundant selection tension tools that are included in the Sparrow's "Wizwazzle Set".

[lsouth]

Between the Peterson, Southords, and Sparrows I've owned; Sparrow's are my personal favorite. Not sure why, but I feel more in control with them. Granted my go-to is usually a half diamond for most locks, so I don't have much to say about the more specialized spectrum of picks that they offer.

[Mitchell S]

I have got full sets from Sparrows and Petersen in the past month. Peterson is definitely higher quality. Get plastic handles for the best feedback.

[Punt]

Well, I've changed my mind. I'm sticking with sparrows picks. I posted earlier that the only downfall about sparrows are the slender handles. I dipped them in plasti dip, and now they are almost perfect. And it didn't take away any sensetivity either in my opinion.

[UnlockingBoredom]

I only started picking a month ago and used a Peterson the first time and it gave great feed back. I now have the Sparrow Wizwazzle set and its pretty good (maybe not as good as the Petersons) but still pretty good.