Pen Pickset - D-212

[Bud Wiser]

If you can't return it, buy a real pick set!

[omirix]

I received my D-212 in the mail today; It's amazingly similar to a pen.

The pins are a little bit fragile, and you have to be careful, but overall it seems pretty sturdy. The included torque wrench is the 'pen' clip, which screws out to reveal the assortment of picks hidden in the shell of the pen.

By twisting off the 'toe' of the pen, where you would normally write, allows you to stick in one of the picks and screw it in securely. There's some flexing of the picks, but not enough you are afraid to use them.

There is some writing on the side, but nothing identifying it's true use. The pen grip is purple, which is a little bit strange, and I'm going to attempt to find another grip that can better suit it without attracting attention.

Thanks again for all of the replies.

-omirix

[Kaotik]

Yes, that's pretty much how it works. Give it a go on a variety of locks and tell us how you like it.

Purple?! Not bad, I guess it could have been pink or something worse, maybe pea green.

I'm starting to feel happy they sent me the blue one.

[omirix]

I wonder if I could call them up and receive a replacement grip... I looked at a few pens, but couldn't find one that fits perfect.

Maybe I could airbrush the one I have right now.

[Kaotik]

You could indeed, I would recommend using a urethane base coat/clear coat application with it to insure a long and durable life. Any airbrush paint like water based Createx, Aero color, Aqua Flow will not last that long, though the Createx Auto Air would work but still needs to clear coated.

I am an airbrush artist aswell, been airbrushing way before I started painting auto's professionally, about 15 years or so. Fun stuff, and never get tired of doing it, hey kinda like lock picking.

[jasontimmer]

just my two cents worth- keeping your picks concealed is not the way to avoid suspicion, people are far more suspicious if you are secretive and hide things like that than if you are open about it. once you get skilled at lockpicking, try to open locks with picks made on the spot, like random pieces of wire, scredrivers as tension wrenches, etc. then you won't worry about not having picks when you need them.

[Nekura]

I recently purchased a D-212, the "pen" lock pick set from http://lockpicks.com.

My box isn't here yet, but I'm wondering: did I make the right choice for my first set of picks?

My main idea behind the pen set was to be a little bit discreet. But, will this slow my learning down?

The set looks fine. I think the pen idea is cool. I really don't think there is anything ethically wrong with owning these James Bond type tools. There just for fun.

[Romstar]

Its not an "ethics" issue. Its the appearance.

As my lawyer is so fond of saying, "It is often not the impropriety, so much as it is the appearance of an impropriety".

This is to say that even though you are going about your nice ethical, 'I would never do something like that' business, someone could look at it and see something different.

You appear to be doing something unethical; and appearance is often all it takes.

I remember someone once told me that it takes a long time to build trust, and only a moment to destroy it. Maybe that says something about people, I don't know. What I do know is that people very often jump to the wrong conclusions about something and after that the damage is done.

I do know that I have gotten to a point in my life where I know certain things about who I am, what I am and how I am and that I don't appolgize for being those things. I also accept that the world works a certain way and there is little I can do to change it. It may hurt sometimes, but I have accepted it. I simply don't have the energy to go about defending myself when someone chooses a mistaken assumption rather than asking an honest question.

If you are prepared to do the same, and accept that some people may not understand what you are doing, or why you do it the way you choose to do it, then that is fine. Otherwise, skip the ethics and consider what those "other" people may think if you value the way people think about you.

Romstar