Picking with a brush pick?

[Engineer]

About 5 years ago, I saw picks for sale that were like small brushes. The idea being that the bristles of the brush, acted a bit like a vibrating pick.

I've not seen them since, does anyone remember anything about them? I know I'm not dreaming them, as I've just done a search and could only find the patent for the idea.

[freakparade3]

Maybe they were for cruciform locks. There's an old locksmith trick to picking those, it works great but you will have to wait for advanced access to know what it is.

[barbarian]

Did they look like these ?

http://www.lockpickshop.com/FIBER-PICKS-K.html

I think the idea is that they have just the right flex for each makers lock. Lifting all the pins at once to the shear line.

[freakparade3]

Did they look like these ?

http://www.lockpickshop.com/FIBER-PICKS-K.html

I think the idea is that they have just the right flex for each makers lock. Lifting all the pins at once to the shear line.

No, what i am talking about is way different. The picks you gave the link for seem pointless to me. Why pay $150 each when kwikset and schlage are 2 of the easiest locks to pick with standard picks?

[Brianpojo56]

Those things are dumpy. However, in a perfect world they would work great, but they operate on the principle that all of the top pins are factory originals and all the same size. Assume one of the chambers had a bum spring, the picks wouldn't work as good. What if it had been rekeyed with uniform pin stacks, then they wouldn't work. What I'm really saying is these magic fiber picks with magic fibers that "sense" better be able to make a sandwich for me while it picks the lock if they cost 150 dollars.

[Engineer]

Thanks! These are indeed similar to what I remembered. They are not quite identical, but certainly the same idea. I think the ones I saw, came with the bottom half of the key to turn the lock and the brush had to slide in over this.

I always wondered if picks like this work? It seems that the bristles would tend to lift all the pins with the same force, so lift them all to the same height, if it wasn't for each pin binding as it reaches the shear line? - Like impressioning.

I must admit to being disappointed at them only being for Schlage and Kwikset though. I would have liked to have been able to justify buying them so I could play with a set, but I can't really. However, I'm hoping for advanced access one day, if only to find out how those cruciform picks work

[raimundo]

there was a site called pickmasters, and it was either dot com or dot org. they had a lot of different kinds of brush picks, but it was brought up on the lp101 years ago and the big question was has anyone tried them, no one had, one member said he ordered some, but we never heard from that member again about them.
I always thought that they would be worth a try if the brush was full key length, this is the sort of thing I was thinking may work to set medeco pins in the sidebar slot, but they never made one full length. as faras I know, no one has ever reviewed them on this site.

See if google has the pickmasters site as current or archiv.

[Engineer]

Thanks for that Raimundo, I think you've hit the right site as well. It does look very familiar (www.pickmaters.com).

They don't appear to stock them anymore though. I'm surprised no-one seems to have reviewed them either. It is an intriguing idea though.

[Bump]

I bought a set when I was too stupid to know any better. Firts review on this site .....CRAP!

[Engineer]

That's very interesting to know Bump! Thanks.