Newbie's got his first set...

[CatCube]

My tools finally came in! Actually, they came in on Saturday, but I had to go to the Post Office to sign for them, and it was closed before I could get there. (Stupid Postal Service with their banker's hours...) I got the MPXS-14 set from Lockpickshop.com. I was really pleased with the speed of LPS, and someone even took the time to pen a "Thank you, Joel" on the receipt, which I thought was a nice touch. I'm definitely going to do business with them again.

The first thing that I was surprised by was their size. I'm glad i bought my first set, instead of making them, since I really didn't have a concept of just how small the things are from seeing the pictures on the forums, even with a proper scale in the photo.

The second thing that surprised me was the ease of use, compared to an improvised tool. I'd been using a pair of safety pins bent into a tension wrench and an approximation of a small hook. I had only about 15 minutes to play with the new tools before I had to go into school for a class and my research--which is where I'm posting from--but the 2-pin practice deadbolt I'd been picking before opened very easily, and the 2-pin Mountain Security knob that I'd trouble with before took much less time. Both of these are pinned very easily, with the same size pin in 4&5, but I'll probaby be able to upgrade tonight after practicing.

I'm sitting at the computer in my office, practically going through withdrawls. I can't wait until I finish my experiments for the day so I can get home. I'd have brought them here, but I'm in a common office, and I'd rather not answer any uncomfortable questions, or to have Public Safety try to pin every unsolved theft in the past five years on me.

Just from the short time playing with them this morning, I feel comfortable making this recommendation to fellow newbies screwing around with improvised picks: get some real tools. Just buy a tension wrench and a pick (I'll leave the recommendation of which pick that should be to others who are more competent than myself), which will only cost about four bucks. Or make a few. It is much easier with the real thing, and my hands hurt less after using them.

[frostbyte]

I am anxiously awaiting my custom made set.
Romstar


Just for giggles I made a short video (330 K) of my pathetic "half diamond" working succesfully on the rear entrance deadbolt of my apt. (Removed from the door of course)

[Camarda]

Hi, what a coincidence that I also got my picks in the mail today, they are also the 14 piece from lockpickshop.com. They are pretty thin arent they? So far ive opened a couple locks with the small hook and half diamond. Havent tried out the rakes yet, I think ill single pick for a while. They did the same thing to me though, they wrote in pen Thanks Neil.

Which picks do you like out of the set?

[CatCube]

Which picks do you like out of the set?

I'm fond of the half-hook and the (I think) small half-diamond.

At least, that's what I think it is. I've got 3 picks with triangular ends. (besides the rakes) I'm pretty sure that the one with a right triangle on the end is the key extractor, and I'm guessing the other two are half-diamonds. The list of picks that I found in other topics on the board only listed 13 picks in the MPXS-14 set.

I managed to pick the #3 padlock in about 10-15 seconds a couple of times. I'll never trust these things again.

[Romstar]

[quote="frostbyte"]I am anxiously awaiting my custom made set.
Romstar


Yep, they are almost done and on the way. I've just been terrribly busy.
I even sat down with the sewing machine.
Ya know, punching a snap into leather is harder than I remember it to be.

Should be Wednesday at the latest when you get them.

Romstar

[CitySpider]

At least, that's what I think it is. I've got 3 picks with triangular ends. (besides the rakes) I'm pretty sure that the one with a right triangle on the end is the key extractor, and I'm guessing the other two are half-diamonds.

Put your finger between the handle and the tip of the pick, and run it off the end of the pick, toward the tip. You'll immediately know what's a key extractor and what isn't.

[Camarda]

Yup the one with the really sharp angle is the key extracter, and theres a half diamond and a half diamond/rake(its kinda hard to hold). Ive picked a 5 pin deadbolt and a masterlock 3. I know what you mean about this lock.

[CatCube]

Yup the one with the really sharp angle is the key extracter, and theres a half diamond and a half diamond/rake

Is the half diamond/rake the one with the tang offset from the center of the handle? (the pick end is larger than the other half diamond) I figure I can display my ignorance in a thread with "newbie" in the subject, instead of making myself look dumb later.

I can pick the Masterlock #3 fairly reliably, but I got lucky the first few times this morning. Now when I really try to feel what's going on inside the lock, I am not doing it as quickly or as successfully. (I'm slowly learning what stuff feels like, though.) I'm pretty sure that I'm oversetting the pins in a big way. I still have trouble with what set and binding pins feel like, so I use a lot of force on the pick. I tried the snake rake a little earlier and had some success, but I really didn't enjoy it--what's the point of picking for fun if you can just pop a lock open by shoving a rake in and out.

I've got three pins in my doorknob lock, and that thing's a b***h. I can do my two pin deadbolt pretty well, though.

[Camarda]

Is the half diamond/rake the one with the tang offset from the center of the handle?

Umm not quite sure what the question is, but the half diamond/rake has a diamond on one end and a rake on its other end.

[Romstar]

At least, that's what I think it is. I've got 3 picks with triangular ends. (besides the rakes) I'm pretty sure that the one with a right triangle on the end is the key extractor, and I'm guessing the other two are half-diamonds.

Put your finger between the handle and the tip of the pick, and run it off the end of the pick, toward the tip. You'll immediately know what's a key extractor and what isn't.

Spider, that just plain wasn't nice.

[CatCube]

Umm not quite sure what the question is, but the half diamond/rake has a diamond on one end and a rake on its other end.

I don't have a double-ended pick. Just two different picks with a half-diamond tip. One has the tang right in the center of the handle, with a smaller half-diamond, and one has the tang at the edge of the handle with a larger half-diamond tip. I'll try to remember to throw them on a scanner at school tomorrow or something for comparison.

[Camarda]

Yeah im kinda curious to see what they look like. Just dont get caught with the picks at school

[CatCube]

Ahh, I'm a graduate student. No one will think too much about what I'm doing with the scanner, unless I'm stupid enough to wave the picks in front of someone who knows what they are.

[CatCube]

Here are the two picks. I think they're both just half diamonds, one large and one small, but the rake answer by Camarda has me a little confused.



BTW, I will be pulling this image down a little while after my questions are answered. I don't want to eat enough bandwidth that someone goes looking at what's so popular.

[Romstar]

They are indeed both half diamonds.

As the profile of the tip becomes larger, many pick makers will move the shaft from the middle of the pick to the "bottom" edge. This allows more material for the larger tip.

This is more commonly seen on lifter type picks, rather than diamonds. It depends entirely on the profile of the pick's tip. Many snakes/rakes will have the shaft at the center because the shape of a snake requires material from both the top and the bottom. The same can be said of ball, and double ball type picks.

If memory serves however, that particular set should have come with a very slender, non-handled pick that has a diamond on one end, and a snake type tip on the other.

Romstar