Half diamond or Snake?

[NeroZero]

I got my pickset yesterday*wooohoooo* so i wonder.. is the half diamond or the snake beast to rake with? going to rake my first lock and the try to SPP

[Romstar]

The snake is made for raking. The half diamond is best for single pin, but it works real nice when you have that in and out urge.

Romstar

[illusion]

I have seen the half diamond work some miracle-raking in my time (that's right, the year and a bit I've been picking )

[parapilot]

I read on a sig a while back, "never underestimate the power of a half diamond" It works well and if i loose my temper SPP i give it a bashing with the half diamond

So half diamond is very effective, as is the snake rake. Depends on the lock try both, but don't sit these raking to poor lock to pieces until it opens and say you can pick locks, cos it was properly luck. Learn to use a hook, although slow and frustrating at first you will be able to open a much wider range of locks as you become better.

DB's exercise with your new picks is recommend, i still do it if i get an difficult lock.

[raimundo]

sand the sharp edges and any roughness on those new picks with fine grit sand paper, you will do less filing and more picking with them sanded.

[Krypos]

DB's exercise with your new picks is recommend, i still do it if i get an difficult lock.

as do i! i do it as often as i wish/have to. even though i have many posts and have obtained quite a bit of knowledge rather quickly form this site, i am not some sort of god like shrub, illusion, db, or any other mod/admin, and even some others that have been around the block.

so i do it often, sometimes just to mess with the pinning, other times just to make it easier, other times, for no real reason.

but i dont think it much matters, as i am able to pick some interesting things nowadays. whatever though, its my hobby, and if i want to do it i can, so for anyone else having trouble with a lock, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO REMOVE PINS TO PRACTICE!

just remember, when posting results, you should note that the Medeco, biaxial high security lock you just picked, only had 2 pins or however many it had....

well, im off to work in about 5-10 minutes...ahh...hard labor....

[Bud Wiser]

The snake is better for raking, but the half diamond comes in handy for all of the above!

With it you can SPPush, SPPick (like a dentist), and a little raking.

I like it some times on spool pins that are hard to set. I SPP but when the spool pin locks up the cylinder I ease off on the tension a hair and try sliding the diamond forward. Some times thats just enough to set the next pin. This is good for tight keyways where the difference in pin heights are not that great, where the difference are great, it is less useful.

I read some where of the absolute minimum pick set called the CIA Kit (or set). It consists of a half diamond and a tension.

John Falle who makes the famous Falle Safe pick set doesn't believe in diamond picks at all. No diamonds in his pick set. Instead he focuses on various hooks and rakes. Believing that hooks can accomplish almost any thing.

I generally use mostly a small hook or variations from it. Rakes, the S and Jag. Petersons extended reach (a variation of a Fallen Safe) is also very good.

I've only been doing this for a couple of months, but have been reading as much as I can, here and Googling it! Guess I'm hooked