recomendations on newbie picks

[mikey1972]

what picks do you recommend as a starter type kit ie what picks do i need?
i aim to be starting on padlocks then go onto door locks.
i have a couple of squire locks to start on.

[illusion]

Southord slimlines... 9 piece set.

[dmux]

yes, i agree, or a southord 17pc set with the brass handle

[Bud Wiser]

All you need is a small hook, a couple of tension wrenches to get started! Next, small half diamond, S rake, and W rake and your good to go on a lot of locks. Take your pick which brand you like, there have been a lot of posts made for each popular brand. I say as long as you stick with any of these you can't go wrong. You don't need a lot of picks to test the waters though.

Peterson, Southern Specialties, HPC, SouthOrd, Majestic, or make your own.

Good luck!

[pH]

On the one hand, you want to start with something cheap because you'll probably bend/break your first few picks while you get used to the amount of force you need. But on the other hand, you're going to be spending a lot of time picking the same lock over and over again and a comfy handle would come in handy.

My recommendation is if the comfort sounds better, start off with 2 or 3 Peterson picks with comfy handles. If not, buy a few individual picks from the site's sponsor and use the discount code lp101. Or get one of the beginner sets.

Honestly all you'll need for a while is 2 or 3 picks and 2 or 3 tensioners.

[Phara0h]

Hello, newbie here-

I just up and bought the SouthOrd "Jackknife" pick set here: http://www.lockpicks.com/index.asp?Page ... &ProdID=20

It was the cheapest one on Lockpicks.com so I went for it. That was before I knew about this place, of course, or else I'd have asked your guys' expert opinions.. but now, after the fact, I'm still curious: Did I make a good purchase?

[Kaotik]

Hello, newbie here-

I just up and bought the SouthOrd "Jackknife" pick set here: http://www.lockpicks.com/index.asp?Page ... &ProdID=20

It was the cheapest one on Lockpicks.com so I went for it. That was before I knew about this place, of course, or else I'd have asked your guys' expert opinions.. but now, after the fact, I'm still curious: Did I make a good purchase?

It is a good purchase for future use. Right now as a beginner your best bet was to purchase a small reasonably priced set to get the feel of things that will be needed to pick locks successfully.

I also have the SO JackKnife and hardly use it, not because it is difficult to use (as I can pick any lock with this tool as good as any other regular pick), but for a beginner an investment in a couple of seperate picks such as a med. hook, half diamond, ball (for wafers), and a couple of different tension wrenches would have been better. In the long run you could have even saved some cash.

Not to deter you from using this tool, but try getting a couple of these standard picks to get better feedback and start your training off right. Just use it at a later date once you have become more familiar with is going on in the lock.

Good luck

[kodierer]

All you need is a small hook, a couple of tension wrenches to get started! Next, small half diamond, S rake, and W rake and your good to go on a lot of locks. Take your pick which brand you like, there have been a lot of posts made for each popular brand. I say as long as you stick with any of these you can't go wrong. You don't need a lot of picks to test the waters though.

Peterson, Southern Specialties, HPC, SouthOrd, Majestic, or make your own.

Good luck!

diddo