Hey, welcome to the site and such. Everyone gets this lecture so it is not directed at you necessarily...
first off always follow these simple rules:
1) Search before you ask, this makes life better for everyone because there are less repeat threads and we're not answering the same "what is a bump key" type questions over and over.
2) DON'T PICK LOCKS YOU RELY ON!!! This means if the lock is attached to a door, cabinet, vehicle, chastity belt, casket, whatever... unless it is there for the SOLE PURPOSE of being picked, DO NOT PRACTICE WITH THAT LOCK. You CAN and WILL break it... and then your in trouble.
3) DONT PICK LOCKS YOU DONT OWN!!! The only thing worse then breaking the lock attached to your sister's chastity belt is breaking a lock you don't own. Unless you are a locksmith or have EXPLICIT permission to pick a lock, with the owner understanding the lock may be damaged, DO NOT PICK IT.
That being said check out these places for helpful information on getting started.
The MIT Guide to lock picking can be found:
HERE
the LSI Guide to lock Picking can be found:
HERE
and check out EVERY link found on this page, they are all great:
HERE
spring steel picks are high quality steel that is thin and a bit flexible so it wont bend in half on you or anything (with normal use). only problem is they could rust if you throw them in a cup of salt water or whatever. as far as if you should get the computer generated or the high tech pickset.... well... its not RAKING its JIGGLING. its not terribly hard to learn but you have to be really careful not to bend the picks as they tend to be really thin. if your just learning how to pick the best thing to do is pick up a variety of hooks and half diamonds... like southord, HPC, and peterson. also you should try your hand at making your own picks. if you want to make your own try tracking down the falle pick templates for some interesting and very functional picks.
in the end most on this forum prefer single pin picking over raking because its more reliable and takes a bit more skill. raking and jiggling can be a valuable skill but it can only take you so far.