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Circular tension tools

Having read the FAQ's you are still unfulfilled and seek more enlightenment, so post your general lock picking questions here.
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Do not post safe related questions in this sub forum! Post them in This Old Safe

The sub forum you are currently in is for asking Beginner Hobby Lock Picking questions only.

Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 0:09

Just curious about people's thoughts on the circular tension tools offered over at lockpickshop.com.

For instance http://www.lockpickshop.com/TNT-15.html and it's spring loaded kin.

Anyone ever play with these? It seems that they would be awkward to me. But at the same time at least interesting.

-EM
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby Solomon » 18 Oct 2009 8:44

I bought one of these a while ago to see what it was like. If you're in the US it'll be fine, but for euro locks they need some serious modification to fit into the keyways. I tried it in a couple of locks and realised the only one it actually fit snugly into was an old practice lock with an SC1 keyway. I had to taper the prongs in towards each other and file one of them flatter, and even then I had trouble getting it into certain keyways. It fit fairly well by the time I finished with it, but because there was no real feedback and it was a bit fiddly to work with, I gave it away. It would have sat collecting dust otherwise... nothing beats a good old fashioned tension wrench. :mrgreen:

If you're gonna buy one of these for any kind of serious use, don't get the basic one. The more expensive ones have a little spring mechanism to push the prongs in towards each other, so you can adjust them to fit different keyways. I imagine you'd still need to make them thinner for euro locks, but I can't say for sure as I haven't actually held one in my hand. If you're working with big open keyways like weiser and kwikset, and you don't mind the diminished feedback, go ahead and treat yourself. If you want it as a serious tool, get the HPC version or one of its clones. They don't call this thing "basic" for nothing. ;)
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby Eyes_Only » 18 Oct 2009 9:42

I bought it a while back but didn't like the feel of it or the feedback I got from it while picking. I never use it anymore.
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 21:39

Thanks for confirming my suspicions... I just linked that one as an example of the entire style.

-EM
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby LocksmithArmy » 18 Oct 2009 21:48

some have springs inside,, yo would think most feeling would be lost in that

the ones that dont use a springy thin metal for the tenssor so its probably the same effect. less feedback

i like the idea though

if you could make one with one piece of metal it may not be so bad
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 22:02

yeah, and with a long lever sticking out of the side! LOL!!! Just kidding...

Although I do need to borrow a buddy of mine's spot welder to join a couple reg tensors to make some Y ones.
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby LocksmithArmy » 18 Oct 2009 22:09

I used epoxy
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 22:27

Hmmn... JB weld.... hmmn... OK! I'm sold.
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 22:28

I think that making some Y ones might help me get around my top tension ineptitude.
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby LocksmithArmy » 18 Oct 2009 22:36

it took me 4ever to get used to top tension... my top wrenches are made out of bobby pins. they are thinner than regular tensors and less wide too...

the part that goes in the lock is less tha 1/4 inch anc it is an 90 degree bend... then it goes about 1.5 inches the bends 35 degrees or so away from the lock and goes about another 1.5 in

these are eyeball measurments but it is my favorite tensor for top tension
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 22:40

not using anything that thin for top tension, but similar dimensions... I added some teeth to a couple the I try for top tension over the weekendper some suggestions in a thread I'd started asking about top tension.. We'll see how that helps too. My problem is that it always seems to fall out, mostly when I try to vary tension, although I do knock it out with my pick occasionally too.

Well, look at that I hijacked my own thread... LOL!!! (really actually laughing out loud no less!)
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby LocksmithArmy » 18 Oct 2009 22:50

lol

I find if I use something bigger it does slip... but these tiny ones have yet to fall our... ive made 3... 1 in each set i carry and 1 spare

if you find something else that wont slip let me know cause im trying to perfect top tension
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 22:58

Yeah, it's a tricky wicket ain't it?

If I'm successful with the teeth I added when I have a chance to test them, I'll prob post back in my original thread. We'll I'll prob post my results either way really. It's good to share experience. If that doesn't work, I might get a set of the peterson betoothed wrenches from lockpickshop.com. I was ogling them the other night.

I got some dough in from one of my stock photo sites, so I have some discressionary cash that I don't have to account to SWMBO for.
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElbowMacaroni » 18 Oct 2009 22:59

HOLY CRAP! Thanks for making me think of the stock photo stuff... I gotta shoot some locks and maybe some macro shots of me picking.
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Re: Circular tension tools

Postby ElAbogado » 29 Oct 2009 23:47

ElbowMacaroni wrote:Just curious about people's thoughts on the circular tension tools offered over at lockpickshop.com.

For instance http://www.lockpickshop.com/TNT-15.html and it's spring loaded kin.

Anyone ever play with these? It seems that they would be awkward to me. But at the same time at least interesting.

-EM


I have a set of those that I bought a few years back and it sits on the shelf collecting dust. I much prefer a good assortment of regular tension wrenches to those.
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