Upgrading pick set - The Comfortable and useful choice?

[dnullify]

Hi all!
I'm a novice-hobby lock picker, and have today decided to register to this forum of which i have frequently lurked.
I've been picking for a while now, and own a 5 piece super cheap southord pick set which contains:
-short hook
-half diamond
-snake rake
-single bend (plain) wrench
-ball pick

my problem with these are that they're the cheap, un-laminated slim picks which are ridiculously uncomfortable to use. my solution so far has been to wrap a long strip of duct tape around the the handle, which is now - after several months - is leaving a particularly irritating residue on my hands... That, and the plain tension wrench leaves an impression on my finger.

Having read the sticky on what to buy, i still have a question.
What would be a comfortable, durable, and useful pick set?

I'm currently looking at the lockpicktools.com Laminated Plain Handle, or Laminated Ripple Handle 10-piece set,
Though i am concerned whether it contains the right picks for my usage/skill level.

Otherwise I would create my own LPH set, in which i would probably choose:
-Short hook
-Small diamond
-hybrid offset diamond
-snake rake
-Euro wave jiggler

I have only so far used a short hook, diamond, and snake rake, so i wouldn't know what other picks are useful... i'm only guessing by appearance. what rakes are useful?

Anyway, i am currently unable to make a decision, and would really appreciate any advice.
thanks!

[ElAbogado]

Hi all!
I'm a novice-hobby lock picker, and have today decided to register to this forum of which i have frequently lurked.
I've been picking for a while now, and own a 5 piece super cheap southord pick

... and the plain tension wrench leaves an impression on my finger.

Having read the sticky on what to buy, i still have a question.
What would be a comfortable, durable, and useful pick set?

If your tension wrench is leaving an impression on your finger, then you are using way too much tension.

As for comfortable picks, nothing beats the Rytan plastic handle picks.

El Abogado

[Josh K]

I prefer the feel of the solid metal handles. I don't find them uncomfortable at all. You might want to look into a couple of the Peterson picks, you can order them individually.

[dnullify]

Hi all!
I'm a novice-hobby lock picker, and have today decided to register to this forum of which i have frequently lurked.
I've been picking for a while now, and own a 5 piece super cheap southord pick

... and the plain tension wrench leaves an impression on my finger.

Having read the sticky on what to buy, i still have a question.
What would be a comfortable, durable, and useful pick set?

If your tension wrench is leaving an impression on your finger, then you are using way too much tension.

As for comfortable picks, nothing beats the Rytan plastic handle picks.

El Abogado

i can pick my practice ez-rekey lock with that wrench with little difficulty, but for whatever reason my master lock requires more tension. with long periods of time of repetitive picking.

I prefer the feel of the solid metal handles. I don't find them uncomfortable at all. You might want to look into a couple of the Peterson picks, you can order them individually.

I like the feel of solid metal picks too, however the way i hold them it's difficult to maintain a specific (90 degree) angle because of the width of the metal. which is why i'm looking at laminated/re-enforced handles... just for a little something more to hold on to.

I'll look into peterson though.

It looks like i may abandon the lockpicktools.com picks, because shipping is really expensive.
$12.74 shipping on the $23 10 piece LPH set... seems a bit steep.

I was looking at the HPC Novice PIP-13 kit, but according to a youtube video review, only 3 of the 7 picks have thicker laminated handles, the rest being thin sheet metal. At $30 for essentially 3 picks and 2 wrenches that i'll use doesn't seem like a wise choice either...

so i'm 0 for 2

[dnullify]

Well, the the peterson, even individually are a bit too expensive for me...

now i'm out of options... which bites.

any other suggestions?
has any previous buyer of Lockpicktools.com know what the aprox. shipping for a kit would be? it says the difference would be refunded...

[ToolyMcgee]

Really? The peterson spring steel picks are less than 5 bucks apiece, and those rubber molded handles are mighty comfortable. Even the plastic is nice. The picks themselves can require a little adjustment depending on the keyways you work with, but peterson builds them for max strength so it's to be expected.

If making/modifying picks doesn't interest you, then you could always just mold clay handles on the brand you like for extra comfort. There is an excellent tutorial on clay handled picks by Legion303

He homebrews his own picks of course, but you can mold the clay around your brand of blank, or I've even done it to picks with aluminum and steel handle scales for even more thickness and comfort. I have never been a fan of the bare steel handles myself, except for thier portability.

[dnullify]

well, I figure 5 peterson springs are $21.25 + shipping, without a tension wrench or case...

and really, i actually prefer metal handles for feedback, i only wish that my current ones were a bit more to hold on to.

I might bite the bullet with shipping on the lockpicktools.com LPH 10 piece and ask to swap the ball pick for a euro wave jiggler, which seems to be a good pick. a 10 piece for $36....

[ToolyMcgee]

well, I figure 5 peterson springs are $21.25 + shipping, without a tension wrench or case...

and really, i actually prefer metal handles for feedback, i only wish that my current ones were a bit more to hold on to.

I might bite the bullet with shipping on the lockpicktools.com LPH 10 piece and ask to swap the ball pick for a euro wave jiggler, which seems to be a good pick. a 10 piece for $36....

Oh, you are using the bare blanks! Don't confuse quantity with quality, I mean how many of those 10 are you going to use? I know the case is an issue, but peterson has the shirt pocket sets for 20 bucks now and they come with 2 government steel tensioners and a snap over case. 3 picks, two tensioners and a case for 20, and you could pick up another 1 or two to fill out the case for less than $36.

Not that I'm trying to sell you either way, because I would stick with just modifying the ones you like.

[nataz]

if you don't want to make clay handles (and I know that I don't) try using shrink tube or plasti dip on bare metal handles.

[Eyes_Only]

Next to my Peterson picks I really really like the ones made by Majestic like these, http://www.lockpicks.com/13piecespringsteelpickset.aspx . To me they're very comfortable to hold and use.

HPC also has something similar except their handles are a bit more rounded off and smoother so those might cause less irritation on your hands. I don't see that offering much of a difference from Majestic but just thought I'd share that.

Or if money is tight I highly recommend what nataz just mentioned and fashion a very simple yet still very effective and comfy handle by using shrink tubing that you can get at most electronic parts store. Much cleaner than electric tape and from my experience and leaves on icky residue to contend with. Plus if you can find a larger shrink tubing kit with different sizes you can put two layers of it on and make a more thicker sturdier handle.

[Legion303]

well, I figure 5 peterson springs are $21.25 + shipping, without a tension wrench or case...

Or you can get a set of Peterson half-diamond, short hook and some other rake (the Wave is a nice jiggler) for around $20 shipped, including a plastic holding tube. Wrenches are very easy to make out of wiper blade inserts and 2 pairs of vice grips. I've only used the plastic handles, which feel OK even to my large hands. People with smaller hands have reported that they're quite comfortable.

-steve

[Eyes_Only]

I've tried the plastic, rubber and dipped handles and I didn't notice any difference.

[loki-aka]

Consider the HPC tools- stainless with laminated handles. If you like a softer grip, you can cover the handles with one or two layers of adhesive coated heat shrink tubing- adhesive is pre-applied by tubing mfg and heat activated.

[le.nutzman]

I don't think it's going to make a difference which set you end up with, you're going to pay for it both in cost and in shipping.

I do think what's important is how far you're willing to take your new found hobby. If it's something that you're only going to do on a short term basis, I wouldn't spend over $20, period. But if it's something you enjoy and want to do it and enjoy doing it when you do it, spend the $100-$110 for any one of the aforementioned sets, really do it.

The reason why is two-fold:

First, you're getting a quality set of picks regardless of who you buy from and everyone here has their favs. My personal arsenal includes picks from SO, HPC, Peterson and several custom made picks from LN21 (STILL very Shiny!!!!!) You're not going to be made an instantly better hobby picker overnight with the new gear, but there is a significant difference in your abilities when "using the right tool for the right job." Having quality picks that are comfortable to hold make all the difference in the world sometimes.

Second, the quality in the pick sets you can pick up for the money, seriously, can't be beat. Sure you can pick up a set of 40 from the chinese market, and that's what you're going to get, $40 of bent metal. Picks from Petersen and SO are nice, I found that HPC's picks were a bit on the thicker side but still usable, and then having custom set, well when you ask for specifics, you're going to pay a price but not once have I ever felt it wasn't worth the price I paid. Though SO picks are mass produced, they come with a very nice finish on them and it's the finish of the picks that helps people starting out be more successful as they tend to glide, slide and perform smoother. Something that performs smoothly leaves less time worrying about not being able to feel the pins and more time worrying about how high and what order to lift them in which directly reflects how much time you have to hold the picks which impacts on how comfortable or uncomfortable they are.

Tension.........

EXTREMELY LIGHT = the weight of your finger BARELY resting on the tenstion wrench
LIGHT = The weight of your finger relaxed and resting on the tension wrench
MEDIUM = the weight of your finger relaxed, resting AND slightly pressing on the tension wrench
HEAVY = tension wrench bending, indentations from the tension wrench in/on your finger, hand cramping

[dnullify]

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.