Using new picks, lacking the feedback I'm used to.

[Schuyler]

So,

My friends and I got together to have a few beers and do some picking last night. All was going ... well, kinda boringly, as they're not as interested as I am, but people were, certainly, picking at locks and drinking, which seems like a good time to me.

I was playing with picks from a friends SO set and lamented over the limited options in my own promotional set from HOPE '06 (though I do love these picks with all my heart, I had wanted to try some other tips out). He told me I could borrow his set.

I've been picking at work all day long, and on the way here, also. I'm finding myself able to open locks that had stymied me previously. Locks that I had a solid grasp of are just flying open in my hands. It's incredible.

This has all been from changing to a half-diamond pick, from my usual selection of hooks. Now, despite my successes using the new pick, I'm not getting the feedback I used to get from the hooks. Even when locks were stubborn, when I used a hook I had developed a very clear sense of what was happening inside. Now, with the half-diamond, things aren't so clear. What I'm doing is repeatable, I do have some feeling inside, and I'm certainly not raking, but some of that clarity has gone.

So, onto my question (sorry for all the build-up):

Is this typical? Will I develop a keen sense of what's happening when using a half-diamond, or any other pick that I take in hand, if I just keep at it long enough? Is my sudden success rate somehow indicative of a picking "style" on my part? Or are different picks just better for different locks? I haven't tried the half-diamond out in everything yet, so I may well find locks that I just can't pick with it, that I managed fine with the hooks.

I'm just confused, any thoughts on this would be well-recieved. Thanks!

[Shrub]

You simply get used to a certain style of tool, the best thing to do is try differant tips all the time and get good with them all,

You will always have your favorite though,

I find certain picks work better on certain locks but i still only have 4 or 5 most used tips,

[Schuyler]

Thanks, Shrub.

Sounds like it's finally time to purchase a fuller set. I have the feeling this hobby (and by extension, the information gained from this forum) are going to make a pauper of me.

[unbreakable]

Well, that all depends. HOw much did you drink exacately?






JK

[Kaotik]

The feeling you are getting in the half-diamond will only be slightly more dense than say with a short or medium hook, due to the contact area and the overal size of the tip being different on both picks.

The way I practice with my collection of locks is use every pick I have on every lock. This way it increases my sense of touch for the different picks I use. It will take some along time to adjust to this sense of feel but, with practice and determination, the success will provail.

As mentioned in another thread, this dense feel can also be compared when using regular vs. slimline picks.