hook or diamond

[Hachronn]

I'm still a beginner, and I do have a practice lock where the half diamond seems to fit best; however, for the most part I open my practice locks with a hook. My reason is simple. If experienced lock pickers prefer the hook, it's probably not because it's the more difficult tool to use.

I had to pick a door lock. F-ing simple lock. COMPLETELY destroyed my self-esteem as I couldn't pick it. When I was ready to give up, I remembered and picked it the other way around. Took me 10 secs to open. Then used my plug spinner to unlock all the turns and open the door.

I have a $9 defiant key in knob lock that is killing me right now. I'm beginning to get a feel for it, but like the lock you're referred to it seems trivial clockwise, and a complet PITA to pick counter clockwise. I'll probably assemble a plug spinner this evening, but it's still rough on the ego to get beat by $9 worth of hardware.

[fgarci03]

but it's still rough on the ego to get beat by $9 worth of hardware.but it's still rough on the ego to get beat by $9 worth of hardware.

Get used to it... I can consistently pick my american padlocks with serrated pins, but I'm owned by a cheap 4 pin I used to have most of the times.
Some really really cheap locks are actually harder to pick

And CW/CCW is very different on many locks. Because of the bitting... That's why some locks are virtually impossible one way, but spectacularly easy the other way around.

[ARF-GEF]

Some really really cheap locks are actually harder to pick

Yaah the very first lock I tried to pick in my life was the cheapest chinese I could find. It was one of thsoe with the cast pins....
And man that shit is much harder to pick than a well made lock with a few spooles in it..
It totally destroyed my confidence. I thought this was some kind of magic, and I couldn't understand who come I can't pick the worst cheapest lock out there.
Lucky I tried picking another one