Upgrading pick set - The Comfortable and useful choice?

[le.nutzman]

Well, peterson sounds nice, except the handles aren't what i'm after, i don't think...
I don't particularly favor dipped handles, and the plastic/rubber ones look sort of chunky. I haven't tried them, so i'm left judging by appearance and general guesses.

I like the reassuring heft of a metal handle.

When you say spend $100 or so on a set, what are you paying for? The longevity of the pick? the strength? the finish/feel or general quality?

I can't say i'm going into it permanently, though i have pushed past the 6 month interest cycle, so it seems this would probably be a long term interest...

I emailed Southern Specialties, and Michelle was kind enough to offer me USPS shipping which comes out cheaper. That pushes buying a 10 Piece Laminated Plain Handle set back on the market, where i would swap the ball pick for a euro wiggler.
totaling out at $31

I'm not particularly hard on my tools at all. i learned a while back that more success is achieved with a gentle touch than forcing the picks.

The way I see it, is if i break a pick here or there i can replace it for $4-6 including shipping... however if i buy a peterson kit for $50-80, then loose interest in - say - a couple years, then i've wasted.

I dunno.. What are Southern Specialties kits standing as far as quality among you picking veterans? i know they're very common on Youtube and such.
Would i do horribly by buying a SO set?

I forgot to mention, I own a SS composite handle Jack Knife set, which is decent for raking. i was playing around last night and noticed that i like the feel of the SS short hook 15x more than my SO short hook, even though they share almost identical profiles... actual picking was better with the SO, but inserting the shorthook was easier with the finish on the SS than the SO... hard to explain.


As for Tension, i normally don't have a problem with my KIK Schlage ez-rekey as far as impressions in my finger, for "sessions" shorter than 30 minutes. However, when i'm picking my Master No. 3, the tension necessary to feel picking success often leads to impressions... though i don't know if it's just me, as i am normally at the in-between medium and light, and have never really proceeded beyond. I can't imagine what pressure it'd take to bend this wrench... it's super strong.

It just seems that the twist-flex wrenches would be easier to control and more comfortable...

but yeah... current status: leaning towards SS 10 piece kit for short-medium term use. not my one and only life pick set.

Now that's an answer I can respect and appreciate.

Ken's Set from Peterson is about $85 and comes with a total of 10 different picks which includes 3 specialty DCA picks which are about $40 by themselves as a set plus the flat 5 tension wrenches which is about another $30 by themselves as a set. Yeah I'd say that's a pretty dang decent deal. What are you paying for, quality, a name/reputation, and a guarantee. But you're going to get that anywhere. It just depends on where you want to get it from.

I've personally dealt with Ken while I was deployed in Iraq back in 2006/2007, never had a problem, sent me a free pick too just because. They answered my calls when i'd call and always treated me right. A local friend of mine (Shatter on here) ordered a set and kept getting the WRONG set sent, and they told him to keep them as a sign of their wanting to get it right and treat him right. That's the Peterson backing.

I've dealt with SO as well and never had any problems with them either, but have never been on nearly the personal level that I am with Peterson. It's all about personal choice, but whoever you go to, you're going to get what you pay for, keep that in mind.

Picks are like anything else, they have a resell value and depending on the brand/make, you're going to get your money out of them if you ever decide to persue other interests. I'd gladly sell off all my picks EXCEPT the custom set I bought from LN21 as they are absolutely exceptional and more of a keepsake of craftsmanship than actual tools.

Again, just make sure you're getting your money's worth and you'll either really like the picks or you'll really dislike them.

[zeke79]

Oh bend the wrenches will. Just wait, if you ever start to do this for $$$ you'll eventually find the PITA brinks round padlock on a storage shed with the keyway (smartly) facing the edge of the building. After sitting outside on a storage shed for a year it will completely wreck a SO standard tension wrench. I usually pick until I am sure it is at shear, hold the lock and wrench in one hand and use a small flathead screwdriver bent into a tension wrench to finish turning the cylinder. Anymore, for my time and a $7 lock if the customer or storage facility owner agrees I'll use one of four universal padlock opening tools. Either a 12", 18", 24", or if needed a 36".

[Eyes_Only]

I really like my Peterson's flat Pry Bar wrenches that come in two different thickness. The thicker one is perfect for regular locks like Kwikset and Schlage locks while the thinner one is great for padlocks with a slightly smaller keyway.

These two are pretty darn strong so even if you tend to be heavy handed sometimes it won't bend or break. They're designed for applying tension at the top of the keyway so that leaves you with more room for your pick to move around in the lock. But you could still place them at the bottom if you'd prefer it or the lock requires you to. And they have serrations at each working end of it to grip into the plug reducing possible slippage.

I have a variety of wrenches but these two are my personal favorites.

[ElbowMacaroni]

One suggestion for the bare SO picks you currently have is to wrap them with one layer of bare copper wire 18 ga. or 16 ga. it makes a HUGE difference in comfort and control and you retain feedback. I did this with the ones I use from my SO set, and well I sanded the heck out of them too to make them move around in the lock better too. But, if you do something like that you might find that you're happy with what you already have.

Just my $0.02

[jos weyers]

if you want comfort while picking, get a set of bogota's.