Picks or Tension Tools, What's More Important?

[Afisch]

Am I the only guy who only uses two picks? Don't pick much of a variety of locks though I suppose.

[poor paperclip picker]

Am I the only guy who only uses two picks? Don't pick much of a variety of locks though I suppose.

No I use only about 2 or 3 picks. My rake, my small half diamond, and sometimes my short hook. So I would have to say a variety of tension wrenches. ( Which I need to get more of a variety of )

[Eyes_Only]

For work I normally only use my short hook and three types of tension wrenches. Everything else in my case is used for locksport activities majority of the time.

[freakparade3]

Am I the only guy who only uses two picks? Don't pick much of a variety of locks though I suppose.

I carry 3 picks with me. They are all I need. I carry about 15 different tension tools though.

[stran9er]

It's a conundrum, you need both to pick a lock, without one or the other you probably couldn't pick a lock unless your using a bump key, spinner or some kind of by-pass.

[Proctor]

Not really, i have a lock i can open with just a tension wrench

[stran9er]

Not really, i have a lock i can open with just a tension wrench

Well thanks for disproving my theory!

I'm betting it's a low security lock.

[Proctor]

Yeah xD the thing hasnt even got a name on it

[raimundo]

Those chinese padlocks can typically be opened by pulling back the locking dog through the keyway.

I have a US army DG padlock, a master lock with ball locking dogs, and I have picked it a lot, but it seemed to become harder to pick after a while, the lock was still loose inside, then I discovered that the tensor was no longer smooth on the edge, It had become scarred, and rough, where it contacted the rough edge of the bottom lamination.
this lamination, the one that holds the cylinder in, punched out on a press leaving a cutbreak edge, where the punch cuts partway through and fractures the rest of the way. this is very rough, and the metal may have been hardened somewhat after that, leaveing a rough and tough edge that was cutting into the tensor, leaving it rough,

I reccommend using various types of inserts for the bottom of the keyway, to prevent the tensor from slipping into a binding position, any time the tensor is stuck and not loose, it is not helping the picking, it is grounding the torque in ways that do not affect the shear line.
the inserts should keep the tensor blade from slipping into a binding position and they should also not bind them selves, they should meet the cylinder wall in a way that will not cut into it.

I am considering using a bit of small tubing around the tensor blade back toward that area that contacts this outer lamination to prevent any rough contact with it. I believe that what made my picking seem to become more difficult was this rough surface.