the chris belcher curtain pick

[pinky]

ive just sat down with this pick for the last hour, and the results were excellent, had a chubb114 , new legge bs ( with 2 No 7 levers in) a union bs and an era invincible, opened the lot.
its an excellent pick that really does work, and one i havnt given enough credit to.

[Rockford]

Sounds the business. Assume it was the 5g model ?. Is it Left and Right handed, and if so how easy to change ?.

I've ordered the RB curtain pick with an additional 7g barrel from SKS, but I'm still waiting for this - 3 weeks after placing the order. I'm seriously considering ditching the order and placing one for either the Francis or CB version. It just gets expensive when you cover yourself with both 5+7g models.

Thanks for the brief review.

Rockford.

[pinky]

its easily reversed and flexible, its a little harder to use than the standard curtain pick, but once practiced hasnt the limitations of the standard pick.

[toomush2drink]

Is this pick the pocket pick ?

[pinky]

yes it is, its as i said harder to use but once you get to grips with it , its not as restricted as the rest, it will pick a bs lock with the lowest lever in.

[EvoRed]

Hi Pinky, I've got the Safeventures curtain pick and Francis 7G pick but I'm now probably going to purchase another one of each size that will pick the lowest levers. All it takes is one low lever to render the above two picks relatively useless!

I know it's all considerate expense but I'd rather have most of the alternatives of picking the BS locks. I look at it as you are probably going to get these picks at some stage if you're in for the long haul and want to do things professionally so why not now... Although some of the Safeventures picks/decoders may have to wait as funds aren't that great!

Anyway, simple question I hope - in your experience, if you lost yours and were going for curtain picks that would lift the lowest levers again, would you go for the Belcher or Francis?

Cheers

[pinky]

for price i would go for the francis pick as its priced at £55 plus vat, though the belcher pocket pick i found more robust and of a higher quality, you get what you pay for.
both picks will do the job you want , the chris belcher pick will last longer and at a push has a better feel, the francis picks wires are a little weak and prone to breaking, though the wire is easily made or replaced on this pick.

its your choice and dependent entirely upon your budget, and on how heavy or light handed you are.

[EvoRed]

Yeah the Francis 7G that I have appears a little 'fragile'. After just a couple of hours practising on Era Profit's the curtain turner seems to be already wearing down at the point it pressurises the curtain. I've also found the wire a bit of a bugger to insert into the keyhole.

I've not seen the Belcher picks advertised. Where are these available and how much?

Ta.

[pinky]

you can buy chris belchers picks from M E Duffels in south london, next day delivery.

[EvoRed]

Cheers Pinky. I didn't realise the extent of the price difference. The Belcher picks are more than double the Francis ones. Decisions decisions...

[pinky]

twice the price yes , but remember it has superior feel and wont break or wear as easily.
both picks have pros and cons , both do the job though, as i said it depends on budget.
i like the francis curtain picks especialy the standard and new indicator picks, i prefer chris belchers pocket pick to the thumb pick only down to it being more robust and a superior feel, thats for me , may not be for you.

price wise the francis pick is better, materials and feel the belcher, the decision is yours, either one will do the job

[EvoRed]

You've got the new indicator pick as well?! Is there a curtain pick around you don't own?!

The indicator pick looks a good idea, and still only costs around the same as the Safeventures...

[pinky]

i have most lever lock picks from curtain picks to pin and cams, all have there + and - , all are better for 1 situation than another.

the mark francis picks are value for money and improving all of the time, im still awaiting samples of his pin and cams, im hoping once recieved and tested , and if they perform as well as i hope they do , we shall stock these for sale rather than the safe ventures picks.
these are priced to be value for money and mark is a decent guy to deal with, we hope to stock a full range of his picks for sale on courses.

we are currently sourcing a large number of suppliers for tools etc , ready this month are lock id cd's , these feature , over 100 lock photos of lever locks fitted in the uk over the past 10 years, they include lock photo, photo of view through the keyway, all id points , best picks and picking methods, full drill point details , a drilling tutorial , drill points for obscure as well as common lock types, and instructions for use of the BS3621 picks. these are good cd's totaly removing the problem of lock id.

we have found an excellent value 3mm drill template kit.

we are looking at other tools and information sources all the time, we will be stocking francis tools as well as any tool that is value and is effective on the job.

i like to have as many options as possible at the door , in fact im always looking for more.

[sidpick]

I recently bought one of Chris Belcher's curtain picks, 5 - 5.5g, as my success with the safe ventures one has been hit and miss, well nil for BS locks. Now I have practiced with CB's pick and opened a legge and avocet BS. I have now found that I can use the safe ventures pick also and I am picking things I have been unable to do before so Thanks Chris and Pinky for recomending the tool, as for all of this stuff tension was the key!

[greeklocksmiths]

Hi

I'm new to this site, but what a great way to get advice on all lock stuff, I have been locksmithing for four years and usually use a drill but have recently taken up lockpicking and just brought the Chris Belcher lock pick 5.5g still figuring out how to use it, i tried withoit success today to pick a legge bs lock, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Greeklocksmith