Euro picks are slimmer to accommodate the tighter keyways found on many Euro locks. As for picking versus raking, it's a quetion of technique. Single-pin picking involves individually lifting each pin with care and finesse. Raking is kinda like what a monkey would do if he picked locks.
No, I'm really only kidding about the monkey thing, but it's usually considered to be a little more brutish (I just know I'm gonna start a debate here). My real answer is to learn to do both. Have a read through the MIT Guide to Lockpicking. It explains both techniques. You can find a link to it on
www.locksport.com (plug plug) on the left nav panel.
Hope this helps!
db
