I can only rake Schlages to the left. Why?

[noir]

Snap the clip off the cap of a sharpie and the cap will make a perfect follower

When I was trying household items the other day, the Sharpie cap worked but was just a little big. It made it a little tough to push through. I wound up finding a pen that was a slightly better fit. I'm hoping eventually I can find the perfect pen and buy a few packs.

[mtcrowe]

The age, usage, and brand of the lock has the most to play in the oddity of being easier to pick to the locked position. The reason why knobs and levers act this way is the same reason why deadbolts don't usually fall into this situation: usage.

Most people will lock their locks before exiting, meaning that the key is used mainly or exclusively to unlock the lock and not lock it. Over time the holes for the pins will start to bevel on the unlock side of the cylinder which gives less Resistance when you're using a tension wrench.

This is the main reason plug spinners are so popular.