Falle picks?

[zeke79]

Lockjaw, I too feel that the adjustable tools feel gimicky. That may just be my inexperience compared to others who have picked longer than I. That and I do not find them real useful in "MY" real world picking situations.

[lockjaw]

Sorry, the progressive style hook is the peterson reach tool.

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Are you referring to the pick at the bottom of each picture which has been included for comparison?

The others however were designed by Barry and his team.

The style is basically the same as the Falle. I don't think Barry and his team performed "clean room design". I think they would have been exposed to the Falle Set before they designed the HOPE Set. The influence is clear.

You can find similar hooks in petersons DCAP set, but some hooks are Barry's own design.

A curved pick is a curved pick is a curved pick...

This I know for a fact. I own all sets, Petersons, falles, hope 6 sets too. They are all different.

I own the Falle Set and most of the Petersons. I agree that the Falle's are different from the Petersons but the HOPE Set have the same handles as the Falle's (except for the slots) and they either have a curve or finger. They look the same to me: an arc (of the same degree) is an arc (of the same dgree), a probe is a probe and a right angle is a right angle.

How specifically are the Falle's different from the HOPE Set?

[zeke79]

I guess I can scan each to compare. The Hope picks feel much different to me than my falle picks, angle or not.

Though thinking of it, it may be the different steels used between the sets.

[zeke79]

A real comparison is now in order!!!

[lockjaw]

Are the hope picks commercially available?
I was going to buy a set of Falle safe picks this week.

Sort of. AFAIK Barry Wels does a small production run and sells them at TOOOL meetings and at HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conferences. His remaining stock will only be sold face-to-face at meets (so I am told). There will be a production run (some time) in 2007 and at that time the HOPE/TOOOL set will be more widely available directly from Barry Wels.

I don't think you will regret buying the Falle-Safe Picks. Besides the picks, rakes and tension tools there are some lever lock tools in there. Honestly, I am so impressed with the quality of materials and workmanship (I didn't need to debur or polish my set) I would pay the full price for just the Falle fixed and variable tension wrenches. Like the Peterson tools the Falle don't scratch or deform easily.

[lockjaw]

Lockjaw, I too feel that the adjustable tools feel gimicky. That may just be my inexperience compared to others who have picked longer than I. That and I do not find them real useful in "MY" real world picking situations.

What about the fixed tension tools? There is such a good spread of these that the adjustables are a last resort. Some of the fixed tension tools fit some Australian keyways like a glove -- absolutely no play, no slip and no obstruction of the pick.

I have every tension wrench Peterson makes and I think the serrated tools are excellent but they can be obstructive -- the teeth on the upperside (pointing towards the pins) can grab the pick when you're in a restrictive keyway. I come back to the matter of feedback. None of the Peterson's give the same feedback as the Falle's.

Perhaps the wider keyways of North American locks aren't as well suited to the Falle tools?

[zeke79]

Ok, Barry's pick with the feeler on the end of the peterson reach is not quite a 5 or 6 falle slim pick. About a mid reach and mid angle to those two. It has less of an angle and more upright of a reach though it is very very close to a falle #4 slim.

The other one end of the hope 6 set appears to be a #5 falle slim to me within a few thousandths of an inch.

The other end appears to be a thinned down version of the falle #6 medium shank pick.

The other two in the hope set are rakes.

I must say that lockjaw is just about right on the money on shapes. I must say however to ME that the feel seems different and I attribute this to the steels used. The hope set is much stronger than my falles.

I apologize lockjaw as you are more right than I am at this point. GREAT JOB!!

[lockjaw]

I apologize lockjaw as you are more right than I am at this point. GREAT JOB!!

No need to apologise -- they aren't identical as you stated -- but the differences appear to be so small as to be irrelevant.

It is my intention to buy a HOPE set next year when/if Barry makes them available internationally by mail order. I'm always interested to try someone's "philosophy" of pin tumbler picking using there tool set.

[zeke79]

but the differences appear to be so small as to be irrelevant.

Close enough now that I really looked at them though.