Your technique

[gremner]

I read a lot about 'technique' and 'style'. I'm the only picker I know, so I've only really seen my technique. I was hoping people would post about their individual styles.
My personal style is-

I prefer SPP. Snakes work well on small padlocks, but not as satisfying. I don't like raking locks open, though there is a certain amount of skill involved, it's not my style.
I like to hold the lock and tension wrench in the same hand, pick with my other while I'm in a sitting position. I find it to be more difficult to pick a mounted lock. After I know a lock really well, I usually mount it in a board, vice, etc for a whole new challenge.
I don't like a wide variety of picks. I mostly stick to my hook for all but small padlocks. I use a snake for those. I find half diamonds to be useful in dirty locks where gunk makes feedback hard to hear and feel.
I prefer a private setting. I don't like spectators. Picking is a very focused and relaxing activity for me. More useful for an almost meditative experience than a party trick.

Please, share your personal styles

[Eyes_Only]

I prefer SPP too as do most of us. I rarely ever rake but in a lock I know will give me problems I will give it a go.

I usually mount my locks on a small PanaVise I bought at Fry's. Really cool little tool that will hold any lock. Many would criticize mounting a lock for practice but I work for a locksmith shop and do a lot of the lockout calls we get so I have good reason to want to mount my locks on something.

[raimundo]

what works best for me most of the time is the light touch, and light tension. I have been talking about this since I started on the internet forums, and there were many on the forums who were heavy handed and only picked the forceful way, which dosnt' help you on the security pins.

[gremner]

I agree with the soft touch. I start as soft as I can, and add as I need to. I know I need to put it down for a while when I find that I'm adding a lot of tension without thinking about it.

[LockNewbie21]

I say open and the open.

If that doesn;t work, then I have use a hook, the only tools you will need, rakes are a waste, snap guns and epg's, damage locks, plus if your good enough, theres no need for any of them.

[lockpick1968]

I use very light tension and rake or hook pick.
When you pick long enough you will get the feel and know it.

[locksportboy]

little tension not that little but little .......and i start picking pin from the last because when i started from first when i reach the third or fifth the upper pins come back to their original satatus and reaalyy i pick that way quiet quickly

[locksportboy]

little tension not that little but little .......and i start picking pin from the last because when i started from first when i reach the third or fifth the upper pins come back to their original satatus and reaalyy i pick that way quiet quickly

[samfishers]

since i cant really feel the feedback and i dunt know how to feel the binding pin, i use a snake pick and then the hook

[robert11]

May be sometimes giving too much tensions make it work against, so use tension upto necessary limit, using soft-hands sometime gives better results.

[jujitsu84]

If I am coming up to a lock that I have never seen before I start by putting very light tension on the wrench, using the half diamond pick (the only pick I really ever use), and then find the binding pin. I will try this about three times and if I can’t get the lock, I will flip the tension wrench around and try that way about three times. Sometimes a lock is easier to pick on direction than the other and you can always use a plug spinner if you have to open the lock one way.

If I still can’t get the lock then I switch to the snake pick. I will start with very, very light tension and slowly increase the tension as I keep the snake pick all the way in the lock and work it up and down, and back and forth a little. I will do this about three times and then flip the tension wrench over to try tension going in the other direction. Another trick for the tension that I have had good success with is to kind of “bounce” your thumb on the wrench so as to apply soft to hard and then back to soft tension every second or two. If I still can’t get it, I put the lock down, acknowledge the fact that it has currently beaten me, and try again later. Hoped this helped

Jujitsu84

[Legion303]

I prefer SPP and light tension. I thought my technique was pretty good until I loaded my Brinks padlock with 4 serrated spool drivers and a short (#1) key pin at the back of the keyway right behind a long one (#8 or #9). Now I just weep a lot.

-steve

[ObiWonShinobi]

I usually use a half-diamond or a short hook.
If all else fails, a small rake. (an ugly one)
Then maybe a wide snake.

After that, I order metal eating termites in the mail.
(kinda like sea-monkies, with an iron defeciency)

[jgencinc]

SPP with usually more tension than I need. I'm heavy handed
I use flat tension wrenches like the Peterson flat 5. I tension all my locks from the top. I don't have a preference for mounted or hand held. I like each equally. I prefer my deep home made curve, or the peterson slender gem. When neither of those are giving me any luck, I'll either go with my bogota knock-off, or my king pick for some lucky raking/jiggling action.

[bluestar]

Technique and tension depend heavily on the brand/model of lock you're picjing, so there's much experience and knowledge about its inner workings involved.

To my experience raking is often underestimated - you can open a suprisingly big range of locks if you practice it, maybe with feeling and setting one or two pins with your tool between two "rakes".
And there are locks which are very hard to SPP - but have a good chance of being raked open in a reasonable time.

Go for excellent SPP skills - but don't forget that raking is your friend, too