Need Advice for my First Pick Set

[zanetsu]

Hi everyone! i am looking to get into the art of look picking. I was inspired by a friend so here i am , i was wondering what my first set should be, It is between
JPXS-6 Jackknife Lock Pick Set:
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000NVLLAO ... J6G2QYGCG2

PXS-14 Fourteen Piece Lock Pick Set:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NV ... B000NVLLAO

PXS-05L Five Piece Lock Pick Set:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NV ... B000NVG2SA

I am a pretty smart so i am not sure if i should start with the 5 or go right to the 14, and i am also trying to figure in my ability to quickly lose small pieces so that is why the jackknife is on there. The one i would like to get is the Jackknife, but i wanted to hear if it works as good as the separate pieces. Also can a jackknife or the 5 piece set pick a "best" door lock.

Any help or review on those pieces would rock, thanks guys.

[dougfarre]

I wouldn't buy a southord jackknife pick set because the setscrew gets loose over time and gets lost very easily.

If you want a jackknife set buy the metal "Folding Pocket Pickset" from lockpickingtools.com

You can pick a Best lock with this tool or a jackknife.

[raimundo]

You say youre pretty smart, so read the many references to large picksets, what these actually amount to are duplicates which are useful when you bend or break or lose picks, and some completely useless designs that are included to support a higher priced pickset. Commercial picks are stamped out at a rate of about a hundred picks a minute on automated punch presses, these orders are made on contract for the companies by punch press factories, they have a die set for them, and when they get an order for 25000 parts, they set up a machine, and do the run in a day or so, then put the tool back on the shelf until the reorder, the picks are deburrend in a tumbler or vibrator and sent to the customer who sells them. actual cost to the punch press factory is less than a penny a pick, slightly more to the middle man who sells them but the profit is huge for the middleman.

[jgor]

I second dougfarre's suggestion, if you want a jackknife-style pickset go with the Southern Specialties folding pickset. The website is actually lockpicktools.com, and you can find it about 1/3 of the way down on the Products > Lock Picks page. That being said, some people feel you get less feedback when picking with a folding pickset, and just for the sake of easier learning you might want to start on a regular pickset.

[Eyes_Only]

As someone who started off using a tool similar to a jack knife pick set I would recommend the 14 piece set over the other two choices.

[TopKey]

I started with the 14-piece set and I like it because, not only do you get lots of fun picks to play with, but you also get tension tools in several different thicknesses. It's a better deal in terms of money, too.

[Eyes_Only]

Good point. Even if you buy a jacknife pick tool first, you'll eventually buy a standard set for yourself sooner or later. So might as well keep yourself from wasting like $30 on a tool you'll stop using after a few months of frustration.

[Dragunov-21]

I'd go for the *M*PXS-14... Metal handles are cool.

[scorpiac]

I'd go for the *M*PXS-14... Metal handles are cool.

+1

[LeeNo]

Let me just say that, as a complete and total newibie (I was instantaneously smashed in my face with the realization that I really REALLY wanted to get into this hobby on Monday), I was unable to participate in this poll because I don't know enough.

It would have been good to offer an "I don't know, I haven't used every single pick you mentioned, therefore I would have to be an idiot to vote for any option without having tried all of the others" choice.

What impresses me about this forum is that there are, clearly, many members that have tried every single pick mentioned in the poll options and actually know enough to even vote (I mean, it would be pretty odd to vote about how one thing was better than the other without ever having tried the other)!

[criminalhate]

I would personally suggest getting the 5 piece because you won't really need or use most of the other picks and if you get into it more you can always go all out and buy a 36 piece kit or even better then that order picks as you go when you find a need for them.


Tension tools are probably the easiest thing to make and in my opinion shouldn't be part of the pick set count =/


also check out
http://southord.com/catalog.asp?cat=outlet
sometimes you can get a pretty decent price from their outlet but right now it seems cheaper to buy off amazon.

[criminalhate]

also a side note

Jack knife picks suck to start out with. There is simply not enough feeling there for someone new to know whats going on.

[dougfarre]

Let me just say that, as a complete and total newibie (I was instantaneously smashed in my face with the realization that I really REALLY wanted to get into this hobby on Monday), I was unable to participate in this poll because I don't know enough.

It would have been good to offer an "I don't know, I haven't used every single pick you mentioned, therefore I would have to be an idiot to vote for any option without having tried all of the others" choice.

What impresses me about this forum is that there are, clearly, many members that have tried every single pick mentioned in the poll options and actually know enough to even vote (I mean, it would be pretty odd to vote about how one thing was better than the other without ever having tried the other)!

It's nice to see people who are honest with themselves

[zanetsu]

sweet thanks guys going for the 14 piece, ordering now, then iwill get to learning, thanks alot, i will post back if i have any probs!