Falle-Safe picks -- availability and price

[gumptrick]

I saw some discussion about these on the forum but the posts were mostly more than 10 years old so I figured I'd start a new one since those are long out of date:

1) Anyone know if it is possible to order individual Falle-safe picks or specific groups of picks or is the only way to get them to buy the whole set? I did come across a site which listed the adjustable tension wrenches available separately but that was the extent of what I found.

2) I've noticed a wide range of prices for the standard set. Best I've found so far is £170 from Safe Ventures in the UK. With current exchange rates that works out to $220. Anyone know of anything better?

[billdeserthills]

I have seen instructions for making your own Falle-Style tension wrench on this site
I think a hacksaw blade was used

I was gonna pointlessly check on Mark Bates & Assoc. site and Lockmasters,
but I never asked them to allow me on their sites, so I did that instead. Really though
I would be interested in a Falle-Style tension wrench myself, I'm just too cheap and lazy to
make one. Maybe when my house is done and I have my workshop & better tools

[ratlock]

I bought a set off ebay a couple of years back,(a couple of bits missing). I emailed safe ventures to see if they would sell individual bits to make up a set.......Still waiting for a reply.

[gumptrick]

I Emailed Safe Ventures yesterday and I heard back from them this morning. Their reply states they only stock the full set.

[billdeserthills]

Mark Bates & Assoc. let me on their site--Suckers
Anyhow all they sell is a complete set of Falle picks for $295, however
over the years they have sold partial sets and I recall one year they sold a 4-piece
tension wrench set for too much money

Might I ask why you think you want a pick set that no replacements are available for?

You must realize that if these Falle picks were so great, they would be selling in many more places

[gumptrick]

Mark Bates & Assoc. let me on their site--Suckers

Nice! Do you have to have professional credentials for that or will they allow sales to enthusiasts or others who are not professional locksmiths or MIL/LE?

over the years they have sold partial sets and I recall one year they sold a 4-piece tension wrench set for too much money

I'll have to message them and ask. I know they have the 4-pc adjustable tension wrench kit available separately, but I'm not particularly interested in that. Another tidbit I read in my research is that if you get the Falle kit from Safe Ventures in the UK that set includes 4 curtain picks for lever locks whereas the kit from MBA lacks these.

Might I ask why you think you want a pick set that no replacements are available for?
You must realize that if these Falle picks were so great, they would be selling in many more places

There are a few things I'd like out of the kit. The main things I want are the set of the curved "reach" picks with varying degrees of curvature, and also the set of the extra-extra-fine hooks. If I could I would love to buy just those two groups separately. I do like the tension wrenches a lot--I had a chance to try them out a couple months ago, but they are limited with regard to what locks they can fit so my interest in them is only so-so. They're great when they fit, but there are many locks they simply don't work on.

I don't have much interest in the rest of the set, but it never hurts to have more hooks around. Since they give you two sets of the standard hooks and reach tools I was thinking of leaving one full factory thickness and grinding down the duplicates to make them thinner just to have some more variety.

I know that Peterson makes their "reach" pick (which I own), and that Sparrows has two similar picks in their "Monstrum" selection, but I really like the idea of having the range of picks with varying degrees of curve rather than just one fixed design.

[GWiens2001]

Billdeserthills is a professional locksmith.

Gordon

[pickmonger]

There are a number of templates of the Falle picks available online.

Making your own or having someone make them for you may be a viable option.That way you only get the ones you want or can adjust them to best meet your needs.

Matt Blaze has high res photos of them with a ruler in each image if you want to make a template.

[gumptrick]

Billdeserthills is a professional locksmith.
Gordon

Thanks Gordon, but whether or not Bill has professional credentials is not the same question as whether or not those credentials were required by MBA for placing an order. From what I've read it's tricky to get ones hands on a Falle kit without professional credentials. Whereas most pick makers will gladly sell to the public Falle seems rather "restricted" in that regard. It's rather frustrating that one can simply log on a website and order from Peterson, Multipick, Sparrows, Southord, Mad Bob, etc, but one has to jump through hoops to get the Falle set. I suspect that might go a long way to answer Bill's question about why you don't see more pickers using these.

There are a number of templates of the Falle picks available online.

Making your own or having someone make them for you may be a viable option.That way you only get the ones you want or can adjust them to best meet your needs.

Matt Blaze has high res photos of them with a ruler in each image if you want to make a template.

I've considered that, thanks for the suggestion. For the time being I am still researching purchasing a set. I have a well equipped metal shop so I could certainly make them myself but I don't have the time or the inclination to do so. I have worked with one custom pick maker--Scott with Rare Element--and I'm super happy with his work. But even for the subset of picks I'm really interested in I'd be looking at more money than just buying the set. Plus if I buy the set and decide there are picks I don't want then I'm sure I would have no trouble selling them.

[Jacob Morgan]

Thanks Gordon, but whether or not Bill has professional credentials is not the same question as whether or not those credentials were required by MBA for placing an order. From what I've read it's tricky to get ones hands on a Falle kit without professional credentials. Whereas most pick makers will gladly sell to the public Falle seems rather "restricted" in that regard. It's rather frustrating that one can simply log on a website and order from Peterson, Multipick, Sparrows, Southord, Mad Bob, etc, but one has to jump through hoops to get the Falle set. I suspect that might go a long way to answer Bill's question about why you don't see more pickers using these.

To order picks and bypass tools from MBA you have to register with them and according to MBA that involves MBA checking out who you are. Same with Lockmasters.

Falle does a lot more than lockpicks. He produces bypassing and decoding tools for just about everything. A very clever fellow. He must be very popular with the three letter agencies. To keep that popularity he likely restricts the sale of everything he makes.

[mattc]

Reading this makes me realise how lucky I was to find a set of Falle picks on eBay, message the seller to contact me before the auction was taken down, and come to a remarkably favourable deal (for me).

[billdeserthills]

Mark Bates & Assoc. let me on their site--Suckers

Nice! Do you have to have professional credentials for that or will they allow sales to enthusiasts or others who are not professional locksmiths or MIL/LE?

over the years they have sold partial sets and I recall one year they sold a 4-piece tension wrench set for too much money

I'll have to message them and ask. I know they have the 4-pc adjustable tension wrench kit available separately, but I'm not particularly interested in that. Another tidbit I read in my research is that if you get the Falle kit from Safe Ventures in the UK that set includes 4 curtain picks for lever locks whereas the kit from MBA lacks these.

Might I ask why you think you want a pick set that no replacements are available for?
You must realize that if these Falle picks were so great, they would be selling in many more places

There are a few things I'd like out of the kit. The main things I want are the set of the curved "reach" picks with varying degrees of curvature, and also the set of the extra-extra-fine hooks. If I could I would love to buy just those two groups separately. I do like the tension wrenches a lot--I had a chance to try them out a couple months ago, but they are limited with regard to what locks they can fit so my interest in them is only so-so. They're great when they fit, but there are many locks they simply don't work on.

I don't have much interest in the rest of the set, but it never hurts to have more hooks around. Since they give you two sets of the standard hooks and reach tools I was thinking of leaving one full factory thickness and grinding down the duplicates to make them thinner just to have some more variety.

I know that Peterson makes their "reach" pick (which I own), and that Sparrows has two similar picks in their "Monstrum" selection, but I really like the idea of having the range of picks with varying degrees of curve rather than just one fixed design.

Mark Bates does have a box for picking enthusiast I think, but they also have the highest price
you can try registering, http://mbausa.com/contact-us/

[GWiens2001]

Reading this makes me realise how lucky I was to find a set of Falle picks on eBay, message the seller to contact me before the auction was taken down, and come to a remarkably favourable deal (for me).

The good deal on Falle-Safe locks I found was on a great site... this one!

Gordon

[MBI]

Reading this makes me realise how lucky I was to find a set of Falle picks on eBay, message the seller to contact me before the auction was taken down, and come to a remarkably favourable deal (for me).

The good deal on Falle-Safe locks I found was on a great site... this one!

Gordon

This is where I got my Falle picks too. Easy AND free!
Just win an lp101 trivia contest when the admin is silly enough to put his Falle picks up as a prize when he thinks the contest terms he's come up with are so hard that no one could ever possibly win and he won't have to follow through with it. Worked for me.

[GWiens2001]

Reading this makes me realise how lucky I was to find a set of Falle picks on eBay, message the seller to contact me before the auction was taken down, and come to a remarkably favourable deal (for me).

The good deal on Falle-Safe locks I found was on a great site... this one!

Gordon

This is where I got my Falle picks too. Easy AND free!
Just win an lp101 trivia contest when the admin is silly enough to put his Falle picks up as a prize when he thinks the contest terms he's come up with are so hard that no one could ever possibly win and he won't have to follow through with it. Worked for me.

ROFLMAO!!!

Maybe I need to send him a bottle of alcohol along with a suggestion of a contest.

Gordon