which type of handle is best???!!!????

[kid]

i have seen that there are lockpicks which are solid stainless steel, welded, and rivited, and some with polymer handles. which type is the best? is one stronger than the other? should i be getting a certain kind??? please help meee!
thanks!

[Chucklz]

Handles are definately a matter of personal comfort. I have owned handleless, riveted handles, rivetless metal handles, plastic handles, rubber handles, and a dental style handle set (that I am currently constructing). The handlless picks are definately not easy on the hands, but are cheap. Probably the rivetless metal handles from southord are a reasonable starting point.

[Grudge]

I guess I am a minimalist, but I like firm handles so I can better feel what is going on with the pick. However I made the mistake of trying to save $5 and ordered the Southord Euro 1500 instead of the 1510. The 1500 set comes half with stainless steel 'handles' and the other half are 'standard' picks. The Southord 'standard' pick's handle is the same width as the pick itself (which you could imagine is not very thick). That really gets old fast and is (literally) a pain to work with more than a few minutes. The 'handle' picks are three times that thickness and are much more comfortable.

You can get plastic slipon handles ($3) for the standard Southord picks from lockpicks.com (which I went back and did), or you can wrap the pick end with electrical tape.

[Chucklz]

Definately a strong vote here for some kind of handle. Picking (heh) what kind of handle material/ company etc to start out with is very very hard, becuase it is really such a matter of personal preference.

[Wesson357]

I find my unhandled picks from the southord mpxs20 set are really rather uncomfortable. I much prefer the ones with the handles.

[linc]

are the picks with metal handles (in C2010) same as the riveted handles? What is the different btw, welded handles, riveted handles stainless steel handles and etc?

[jay_1372]

the ones you feel comfortable with .... thats why i make my own

[CitySpider]

And I, just to represent the other end of the spectrum, don't particularly care. Southord unhandled picks are perfectly fine with me.

[Kwikset]

I like the Rytan plastic handles. I thought I wouldnt, but I like them much better then the SouthOrd MPX handles.

[PYRO1234321]

here is an idea that works well. use a rubberized undercoating (aerosol, automotive supply - don't buy cheap) on simple plain picks that need handles/extra grip like the basic S.O.'s and home-made. test to see if the undercoating dries tack-free/odour free first.... after you get a can of this stuff, you will put it on everything....

[Steaksandwich21]

once again, its all down to personel preference. if you dont take long picking a lock then it doesnt really matter which handle you have. alternatively, like playing guitar, you have to practice until it hurts to let your hands harden. i know it doesnt sound very nice but its essential.
either way, go for one so that you can feel whats going on inside the lock as that's what's really important.
steve

[drv]

I can really recommend the screw-in brass handle, as sold
with some SouthOrd sets. Don't know if it's also sold seperately?

I never had a better fit to my hand !

You only need one handle and exchange the picks.

You can see what it looks like in this image :

[sj]

I have the Southord MPXS-14 from a few years ago, and it has rivetless metal handles. They are not too bad, but for scrubbing it does get a bit sore, so I have put some duct-tape on the front of the handle on the rakes. You lose a bit of feeling, but not that much and it doesn't matter a lot for scrubbing. On a few of the picks, the handle is not perfectly aligned with the pick, so you end up with only one bit of metal in contact with your hands, which doesn't help comfort wise.

On the other hand, I just got a set of LAB picks without handles, and they are surprisingly comfortable, moreso than the Southord picks. I guess this is because the stamping/cutting is better on the LAB set. I read elsewhere on the forum that it helps if you sandpaper down the Southord handles, which should make them more comfortable. The LAB set also comes with rubber handles, but I don't find I need them, and Matt Blaze's site says that they dull the feeling significantly.