to rake or not to rake

[Guesss]

So through learning to pick i have never learned to Rake or scrub... Does anyone think this is bad. Every time i pick a lock i pick it pin by pin. does anyone think that i am hindering myself by not knowing how to rake? I am curious as to everyones thoughts on this..

[stick]

It's always useful to have another method to use, if the lock must be opened, and single pin picking isn't working. I'm only a hobbyist, though, so I only rake when I get pissed at my lock.

[Exodus5000]

Learning to rake is a fundamental part of lock picking. Take a few hours to learn how, it should come quickly.

[digital_blue]

My attitude toward technique is the same as my attitude toward tools... the more the merrier. Why not include all types of picking technique in your repetiore? Often times I end up employing a combination of the two techniques. I may rake a couple times to set the first few pins, then single-pin the remaining.

db

[Kaellman]

Never been into raking thath much. It depends on what you wanna do with the lock/locks. Just need to open it, rake first. Want to get the feel, pick it one by one.

[Sabin37]

I also agree that you should take the time to learn. If you want to open a lock quickly, raking will do the trick. You may think that raking isn't a fair way to pick a lock, but in my opinion it's always better to have different things to rely on. As digital_blue said, there are times when you can combine raking and pin-by-pin picking. The more ways you know of to get a lock open, the better you are at lock picking. Do you agree?

[vector40]

I honestly think that avoiding raking is just as stupid as ignoring pin-by-pin picking. It's part of the game, folks; whether you're doing it for fun or doing it for money, you can't just pick and choose. If it's solely recreational and you find that you really take no pleasure in scrubbing/raking, fine, don't do it. But you won't know that until you know how it's done.

[Geek142]

Hey

I get confused sometimes, I think i am single pin picking but i also think i am jiggling it. I get confused but i try my hardest to Single pin pick because thats the main technique that i want to use. But like digital_blue said sometime you can mix different Styles together like, Rake & Jiggle , Jiggle and SPP (Single pin pick) or rake and SPP.

Geek

[Vek]

I would say that, if nothing else, it only takes a few hours to learn, so you might as well. You never know when it might come in handy. And as Stick said, you can always use it to open up a lock you're pissed at.

[Guesss]

Vector...

Chill alittle buddy

I am just doing it as a hobby and i have raked before and do kindof know how it is done i am just not proficient at it. I am in no hurry to pop a lock nor do i wantto take forever. Granted i know i should know the skill and will learn it. I was just curious for my own sake and i guess for any newercomers (not really a word) out there

Thanx everybody for your input and just so you know i will learn the technique better. probabily not till the semester ends... I AM GRADUATING.. as long as i pass my classes ha ha

thanx again all for your input and any other thoughts are encouraged

[Vek]

Other thoughts?

Study, so you pass your classes.

[raimundo]

Guess, I know you have a bogota rake made by me, Take a cylinder apart and leave the bottom pins in the plug, put the bogota rake in the plug and move it in-out up-down, and watch the pins come to the shear line, look for a sweet spot where you can hold this rake where at least three pins and sometimes four or more will actually held right on the shear line simultaneously. Then dump the pins out and change them to different positions. and do it again, After you have played with this for a while, put the lock back together, and using light intermittent tension, rake the pins lightly with the rake. Raking is not pin setting, heavy handed tension is not the way to rake. Light intermittent tension will work. You should do this just because you have a bogota rake, and you should know what your tool can do.

[vector40]

*pats Guesss*

Not ranting at you, just hollerin' my thoughts at the moon...

[Dodgy_Dodgerson]

Personally, I do not prefer to rake, as hobbyist that found this website after I was practicing, I first learned how to rake a lock before pin by pin. Everyone here says that the opposite is better and it is! I have a hard time picking locks, but can rake them open relatively quickly, which is very frustrating to have to a much more basic step knowing another method is faster, but less satisfying, thus I am opposed to raking, well at least relying on it.... but that is just my two cents.

[digital_blue]

I think you have to be quite the purist to think that raking is not really picking. I agree that single-pin picking is a needed skill. No argument there. But come on! We're picking locks. If you use a pick and a tension wrench, you are picking a lock. I don't care what shape the pick is or what motion you make with your hands. Picking is picking. As far as I'm concerned, even using a snap pick or pick gun is picking. I just think that those devices suck the life out of picking. Anything that makes picking less fun is probably not worth bothering with. But you can't seriously tell me that if it isn't pin-by-pin picking it isn't picking. As for those that say that raking is too easy and makes picking less challenging, I suggest you get yourself some better (or in some cases just different) locks. Not all locks will succumb to a couple rakes. Sometimes single-pinning it is the only way to go. But you won't know that when you start with a new lock. I consider the challenge of what we do to be to pick the lock in as little time as possible. I get a new lock, I pull out the tools, and what ensues is a game whereby I figure out how to get the lock open (non-destructively of course) in as little time as possible. If a new lock takes me 2 minutes, I feel quite good about my skills. If a new lock takes me 10 minutes, I feel good about the fact that I got quite a challenge. If I just can't get a lock for whatever reason, I feel good about the fact that I have a challenge that will last for more than 10 minutes. Either way, I feel good about it. I don't really care whether I rake, scrub, feel, decode, bump, impression, or rip. In many cases, I'll try a number of those techniques over time. It's all fun. It's all part of the same hobby.

I think overall most people here are in agreement that knowing how to rake is worthwhile. It just occurred to me that some people here are of the opinion that raking somehow cheapens the experience. I think that's hogwash.

Of course, that's just my opinion too...

db