omgxraycat wrote:I live in the US, but I noticed a lot of people buy the slimline picks. Will I find any locks in the US that require them? Should I buy a set?
Well, if you are picking Kwikset and other common (in the US) deadbolt locks you will be fine with a normal set for the time being. Certainly there are other types of locks, even in the US market, that have a tighter or more warded keyway, and these will probably require slimline picks.
European locks tend to have a much more restricted keyway, so for picking these locks a slimline set would be the way to go by default.
Use the pickset you get for a while. If you find you have trouble maneuvering the pick in the keyway you might consider a set of slimlines. (Actually, slimlines are usually 0,50mm thick if I recall correcty - what is the size on the regular sets? Anyone have an idea or a micrometer ready?)
Once you get your picks, it is usually a good idea to take a good metal file and some sanding paper (320-600-800) and deburr the edges. The tang in profile will look like [] when they come from factory. If there are burrs in it it might be a problem to move the pick properly, so get them all nice and smooth. It pays out. Ideally you will want to "round" off the edges so the profile looks a bit like (), but make sure you don't take off too much material.
Also, from what I've gathered, the pick you use is based a lot on preference. So why would there be 20+ picks in a set? I understand what the physical differences are of my picks, but I don't know what instances to use them in. I read a post on this forum describing what they look like, but they don't describe what they're used for. I know you use the hook or half diamond for single pin picking and the snake for raking, but why would I need all of those other shapes? Do I need different tension wrenches?
Regarding the picks - good question. You will find that you will develop a preference to a certain pick type, that might be a half diamond or a hook or something like this. Most people have a few different hooks they use (wider or tighter radius, longer tip etc) for different situations, such as extreme high/low combos. Why one would need the expensive 50+ picksets is beyond me as well. But it depends on the personality of the picker.
Regarding tension wrenches - I have more tension wrenches to use than picks. Make yourself a good assortment from wiper blades. Diferrent locks require different sizes of wrenches due to the keyway warding etc. Sometimes it is better to put it in the open en of the keyway (wider part), sometimes doing so will effectively prevent successful picking. Tension wrench usage, size, pressure and position should be varied often. It seems to me that getting this right might even be the harder part of the training.
HTH.
Thanks for your time...sorry for the long post![/quote]
Due to financial limitations the light at the end of tunnel has been turned off until further notice.
