looking for lock picks

[antaean3000]

I sold my old camera on ebay to get funds to buy a decent lock pick set
and i am looking for a trustworthy website here in the uk that takes paypal
and sells some good lock pick sets.

I also would like some rake tools too.

[Solomon]

I'll send you a couple of links in your PMs. They both accept paypal, as far as I know. I'll even link you to sets I'd personally recommend.

If you really want a bunch of rakes though, order something larger... but in all honesty you only need 2-3 variations of rake, which you'll be supplied with in the more "basic" sets. Little advice, if you gave me a choice between A) 20 rakes and B) 3 different hooks + a basic rake, I'd take B every time and happily pay the same amount.

If you're planning to sit with each lock you get and just go through a bunch of rakes until you find one that works, you're gonna get bored with this very quickly... pure raking will only get you so far anyway, and trust me, you wouldn't get anything out of this if you just sat and raked locks open all day. It'd be like solving a rubiks cube with the same algorithm over and over again. Get a small, basic set with a nice variety of hooks and a few rakes for those stubborn locks which need bit of raking to loosen them up.

[antaean3000]

I'll send you a couple of links in your PMs. They both accept paypal, as far as I know. I'll even link you to sets I'd personally recommend.

If you really want a bunch of rakes though, order something larger... but in all honesty you only need 2-3 variations of rake, which you'll be supplied with in the more "basic" sets. Little advice, if you gave me a choice between A) 20 rakes and B) 3 different hooks + a basic rake, I'd take B every time and happily pay the same amount.

If you're planning to sit with each lock you get and just go through a bunch of rakes until you find one that works, you're gonna get bored with this very quickly... pure raking will only get you so far anyway, and trust me, you wouldn't get anything out of this if you just sat and raked locks open all day. It'd be like solving a rubiks cube with the same algorithm over and over again. Get a small, basic set with a nice variety of hooks and a few rakes for those stubborn locks which need bit of raking to loosen them up.

I am not really worried how i learn to open a lock i just want to be able to say i can do it. I would like to be able to open a lock in under 5 mins without getting all worked up about it not working.

[antaean3000]

I ordered these today

http://www.ukbumpkeys.com/product_23pc-GOSO-Lock-Pick-Set_1873_index.php
I decided to listen to your advice. I want to learn the proper way not just some boring way using a rake. It has a rake or two in the set but it has other tools to.
Just hope this set will open padlocks as well as my locker locks.

[Squelchtone]

I ordered these today

http://www.ukbumpkeys.com/product_23pc-GOSO-Lock-Pick-Set_1873_index.php
I decided to listen to your advice. I want to learn the proper way not just some boring way using a rake. It has a rake or two in the set but it has other tools to.
Just hope this set will open padlocks as well as my locker locks.

oh man, that's not a great set to start with. I had a Goso pick that Schuyler gave me at a TOOOL meeting a year ago, and it was at least 4 times thicker than the tang of a Peterson blue handled pick, and it was so brittle it ended up snapping in half.

Southord, Southern Specialties, HPC, Majestic, Brockhage, Lockmasters/Dyno, Peterson, LAB, Falle-Safe, those are pick set names you should look into.

cheers,
Squelchtone

[Solomon]

Goso picks seem like they're punched out of a sheet. Whatever metal they're made of is fairly strong and won't bend with normal use, but it has no memory so if they do bend they're gonna stay that way. You'll need to treat them carefully. The hooks with mine are a tiny bit on the thick side, but still useable. The half diamond, on the other hand, is ridiculous. Here are the southord slimline half diamond and short hook, compared to the goso versions:



The goso half diamond is massive in comparison, as you can see. The hooks are almost identical in shape from the side... they're a little bit thicker, but still very useable. I use the goso hooks (medium being my fave) for certain locks, and they fit into euro profiles just fine, so I don't have an issue with them.

If you look at the half diamond from the top though, it's actually almost as thick as the southord handles! I think the pic makes it look a bit thicker than it actually is though, as it fits into the top of euro profiles and you can use it for some light scrubbing. Other than that, it's cack... well, you can use it for catching the cam when the need arises aswell, but that's not something you need to worry about.

[LocksmithArmy]

my 2 cents on goso
http://www.locksmitharmy.com/goso.php

[Solomon]

Nice rundown, LSA. The flat tensioners are a bit fiddly, but they're good for dimple locks. The rod style tensioner is great, I love that thing... the feedback and control you get from it is amazing. Too wide for top tension though. The double pronged tensioner you said didn't fit in anything... what exactly did you try it on? All wafer-type car locks are the same size.

One thing I'll say about it though, it's way stiffer than it needs to be. If that thing popped out on you, you'd certainly know about it! It does the job nicely, and it actually seems to be made of proper steel. The double sided picks could be better though, they seem to be the same shapes as Klom navigators, but they're just one piece of flat metal so as you can imagine they're not as nice to use. A couple of them work really well though, so for the price I wouldn't complain.

[LocksmithArmy]

sadly I dont have any car locks(or civilian cars for that matter) to put it in... i just tried various locks... padlocks wafer locks in the lockers and stuff... couldnt get it to be worth anything.

I may have to order a car lock or 2 and revise my review(ur not the first person to tell me it works for cars)

I definatly agree with you on the rod style tensioner... it is almost worth the whole set... that and the sawtooth rake... I liked it when I fit in a lock lol(and I usually dont like any rake)

feel free to read up on the other sets I have reviewed there... lots of members here have sets reviewed on there