Opinions about this tubular pick?

[Shrub]

Just got them in today Scorpiac. Didn't have time to use them, hopefully tomorrow. I may also include some pics of them. My overall impression though is they look high quality. It definitely does have the stainless barrel, and the feelers move under tension freely with no fine tuning necessary.

Can i ask and please do not take this the wrong way,

Do you have any experiance to compare against? as in have you used others so you can say if these are as good, worse or better?

[hesevil]

Just got them in today Scorpiac. Didn't have time to use them, hopefully tomorrow. I may also include some pics of them. My overall impression though is they look high quality. It definitely does have the stainless barrel, and the feelers move under tension freely with no fine tuning necessary.

Can i ask and please do not take this the wrong way,

Do you have any experiance to compare against? as in have you used others so you can say if these are as good, worse or better?

Not taken the wrong way. I do not have experience to compare against and as I said, I hadn't had much time to examine them when I made that post. My impression was based on the 'feel', construction quality, and a quick handling.

It has a stainless barrel which I wanted because I had read that some others use a brass piece which I would think would wear down with use. I saw that, when discussing other tubular locks on this forum, people mentioned that for added tension range, they added a second o-ring to the collet; this one came with a second o-ring already installed. Some people had mentioned how the tensors on some picks did not move freely back and forth and needed a de-burring to move smoothly; the tensors on both picks moved freely both while under full tension and none. People talked about the handles coming loose on the Southords; these have a fitted aluminum handle, very securely attached, with no play.

The mechanical tolerances are very tight and the quality of the machining is readily apparent.

I had some time earlier today to practice with them, and have opened 3 locks so far, all 7-pin centers.

The first was a rope bike-lock which cost around $30US. I think it was a cheap lock because when I fully seated the pick into the lock, the tensors moved automatically into the impression of the lock and I could immediately unlock it without having to rotate and pull in/out. My guess was that the equivalent of the top pins in the lock bottomed out in their chambers, only allowing each pin to be depressed to the shear line. This one opens consistently in about 2 seconds, or as long as it takes to push the pick in and turn.

The second lock I worked on was a motorcycle disc-brake lock. This cost me somewhere around $70 when I bought it 2 years ago. I am again assuming that this one was fairly easy, because I managed to open without much trouble. After reading members' articles on tubular picks and watching videos on them, this lock seemed to open exactly as they all described. I set all the tensors flush with the barrel, inserted fully and perpendicularly into the lock, and began a slight rotating back and forth while adjusting slightly the depth of the pick. After about 5 or 6 times of pushing it in and out slightly, it set all pins at the sheer line and once i pushed it back into the lock, it unlocked.

The last that I had was an Ace on my gun safe. I had picked this lock a few weeks back with a hook and a tubular tension wrench. This one took me about 2 hours to get. I found that adjusting the tension really made a difference in the response I got. The other two locks had opened with only a moderate amount of tension on the tensors, this was different. I tried lighter first, then moderate, then heavier, then finally hardcore; hardcore did it. After about 30 attempts, I finally got it open. Again, I think it was only because I had finally gotten the tension just perfect.

I need to get my hands on a difficult tubular that I can hold in my hands. The safe is in a closet, where it's dark and low to the ground... not a whole lot of fun to sit crouched for hours there. In fact, anyone reading this: any suggestions on moderate-difficult tubulars that I can hold?

So as far as my impression again though, I would definitely say that if someone wanted this style of tubular pick (as opposed to the peterson), they would not be disappointed. You can take that with a grain of salt because I have never used one before, but I'll still stand by it.

I gotta get some sleep, haven't had any for days. I'll definitely post back after I've gotten some more locks and/or practice on my safe and I will get some pictures up sometime this weekend when I stop working so freakin' much.

[Chucklz]

For my "peanut" style pick (the impression kind) I always keep the tension at the "hardcore" level. Picks the ACE II locks, and the cheapos as well. The cheapos just take a few seconds longer than they would with lighter tension. It might not be the most efficient method, but it works well for me.

[Shrub]

Having never used one before then youve done quite well,

I agree with Chucklz, i use my SO (highly modified) with hard tension,

Insert the pick and turn slightly either way and the lock will open, on the cheaper ones insert pick and turn like its the proper key

[Nasydave]

You can usually get ACE IIs on ebay for about $6 apiece for practice. Looout for the lots all keyed the same, however.

here's an example for $7.

http://tinyurl.com/2z52g9

make sure if they SAY Ace, that they actually are. I've had people say ACE II and ship me a generic, although they made good on it.


Plus, when you're done with them, you can resell them

[Shrub]

Plus, when you're done with them, you can resell them

As long as you sell them for picking practice and not for use, it must be made clear to the buyer that they should not be used as a lock,

[Nasydave]

Plus, when you're done with them, you can resell them

As long as you sell them for picking practice and not for use, it must be made clear to the buyer that they should not be used as a lock,

Do you think picking with a tool harms the lock that much? I wouldn't think picking it would preclude it being used again for locking purposes.

[hesevil]

Thanks for the recommendation NasyDave. My tired mind didn't even consider buying the lock mechanisms themselves instead of a whole lock with the device it locks.

I really like working with tubular locks though. I can't put my finger on it, there's just something about it.

-Matt

[Shrub]

I consider that any lock that has had anything other than the key used on it to be a used lock,

A tubular pick with the wrong tension could over compress the springs or change the shape of the pins or holes a slight amount,

It could also get scratched slightly etc etc,

Its what ever you feel happy with but we always say do not pick locks that you rely on, this must also count for useing locks you have been picking,

Its up to you, im not the lock police, personally i keep my 'play' locks totally separate from my stock and the two never cross each other,

[hesevil]

I consider that any lock that has had anything other than the key used on it to be a used lock,

A tubular pick with the wrong tension could over compress the springs or change the shape of the pins or holes a slight amount,

It could also get scratched slightly etc etc,

Its what ever you feel happy with but we always say do not pick locks that you rely on, this must also count for useing locks you have been picking,

Its up to you, im not the lock police, personally i keep my 'play' locks totally separate from my stock and the two never cross each other,

I wouldn't sell them if only for the reason that once I have them, they will always be a good practice tool. I ordered two Ace IIs and some generics. I figure that between them I should get some good practice. Especially after re-pinning, the challenge can always change.

When it comes to selling or not selling them because they are 'used', I would definitely agree that it shouldn't be done if they are to be in a utilitarian setting. Not only could the locks wear and or break prematurely from the extra wear and tear each time you pick, but the fact that while picking, I will be making hundreds, if not thousands, of attempts and the sheer number of openings would cause fatigue (sorry for the run-on sentence).

-Matt