Today I am going to evaluate one of the "cheapest" lockpicks set on the market (by "cheapest," I mean "less expensive," not necessarly bad quality)
The lockpick set is shown here:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16416First, the price: let's face it, the price is insanely low. $32.49 shipped internationally AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. The checkout process is easy, they accept paypal, it's quick and easy and safe. Before I continue, let me tell this:
these are the best quality/price locks I ever tried and also the best quality/price lockpicks you will ever find. Ever.The biggest positive point of this set is the insanely low price. It comes at only $1.00 per pick and the quality of the pick is very good, not excellent (southord are, for example, made from one piece) but good enough for average pickers)
This set features all kind of usual lockpicks plus some unusual and some I personally never saw. The locks are of "good quality" and I have yet to break or bend one.
GOOD POINTS:
1)VERY low price, ESPECIALLY for non-US customers.
2)VERY large selection of usual and inusual picks
3)The tension and torsion wrench are the exact same you'd get from a Southord set.
4)Quality is very good.
5)Quick, easy, free shipping, no questions asked.
BAD POINTS:
1)The biggest bad point: the cover on the handle. Green, ugly, not-professional looking and won't give you good feedback you get from a metal handle.
2)It looks cheap. The pictures tell it all. While the product is solid and won't break, it definitely has this "chinese cheap" look.
3)NOT A SINGLE PIECE! I cannot believe that. The picks are "glued" to the handle so this hurt the feedback you'd get. It's highly unlikely you could pick high security locks with these ones.
4)Lots of unnecessary locks, such as advanced automobile picks. YES, a locksmith needs these locks, but it's doubtful a locksmith would get these locks from there.
5)HORRIBLE for a beginner since you are getting used to lockpicking with a plastic handled and NOT CONVENIENT to a pro who will of course prefer trusted brands.
VERDICT:
MERCHANT: Highly recommended. Good prices and excellent service.
ITEM: Get HPC Deluxe set instead. $10 more expensive but generally much better than this set.
If you have extra money, worth the price, but please be aware each picks in this set is inferior to one from a HPC deluxe set. Therefore if you have a lot of picks already - pass.
