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1. lockpickshop.com great site well organized also has reviews on products 2. combo kit 2 - PXS-17 Lock Pick Set LAT-17 Snap Gun SJG-10 Auto Jigglers and PXS-14. how ever i recieved the MPXS-20 instead of the PXS-17. I wanted the 17 because it came with a nice handle the MPXS-20 handles suck they really hurt my hands and most of the picks are the same and are not like the ones in the pictures. 3. 130.00 new mexico 4. padded envelope 5. looked nice, great condition handed right to me 6. all tools were southord so the quality was amazing 7. i did not excpect the snap gun to be such high quality it was very nice grips on handle. VERY nice case for both pick sets! 8. same as 7 basically 9. i recieved the wrong pick set and it took them nearly 2 weeks for them to be recieved! but the set i recieved was batter so maybe thats ok 10. does anyone know of any god snap gun tuts? i cant seem to get it to work
I picked up a set of "Titan" Bogota picks from serepick.com. They were $35 + $5 (IIRC) shipping. Shipment arrived in 3-4 days in a well padded envelope with the two picks. (Each pick is a combo tension wrench / pick). The finish is exceptional, the working ends just glide around inside the lock. I haven't had much luck with the multi-bump pick, it may be that I need a different technique with it. The diamond works like a champ.
They were very nice and helpful in helping me choose a good basic pick set at a decent price!
It came in a small padded envelope, which was sufficient since it was the only thing I ordered. As soon as I opened the package, I was rather impressed! The blue leather case that holds all the tools is really pretty nice. It also has a little thing on it that can be attached to your belt. The color is really pretty too! ; )
The picks and different tension tools are good quality. The edges of the picks weren't too sharp, and the handles are very comfy to hold onto. Also the handles are ergonomically shaped, and have slight ridges were the grip is important. At least for me. The first lock I tried with these was a new BASI 5 pin euro cylinder. It didn't take long to get the feel of pins and the tools, and then voila! I really like the fact that these actually let you feel what your doing inside.
They are actually better than I expected. The picture doesn't quite do them justice. So all in all I found this set to be pretty darn good for the price. Also, I think I have found a new favorite toy store! ; )
I didn't have any trouble with any aspect of the purchase, delivery, service, or product!
Multipick and this Dino set definitely get two thumbs up from me!
1. H.L. Flake 2. HPC Tyro pick set, and two of the 2000 series stainless steel picks 3. Tyro set: 11 dollars, 2000 series picks: 4.5 dollars each, shipping: 8 dollars. 4. Sturdy corrugated cardboard with abundanct paper packing, items were in plastic bags as well. Packaging was fantastic. 5. Second day air arrived extremely fast, packaging wonderful. 6. The Tyro set was very nicely finished, the two individual picks were VERY rough and had multitudes of scratching and wear around the rivets. 7. Fairly significant in the case of the individual picks. 8. Please see my video review (hopefully I'm not breaking any rules by posting the link): [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8DwQ_CYnYk]video review[/url] 9. No problems with overall experience. Dealing with H. L. Flake was a real pleasure.
Credit Card Pick Set from Fast tech - $5.50, world wide shipping, no charge. I ordered two items, a cheapo folding jacknife pick set and the James Bond pick set. The jack knife hasn't arrived yet. Hilarious. Okay, I sent for the James Bond Credit Card pick set and it arrived about ten days later. Nice stiff, plastic, carry case with the same dimension as a credit card complete with some counterfeit logos but about the thickness of three cards. There are four picks and rakes and one double sided tension wrench inlaid in the slider. The quality of the steel and stiffness seems about the same as the quality picks I already have on hand. They aren't thin and tinny. No complaints. I tried them on some padlocks here and although unsuccessful, I can't blame these picks. The tension wrench could have a wider edge maybe but I see that I can take a flat tension wrench from my set, nip off a hair and it fits neatly in this case. In fact, the case fits flat handled tools from any manufacturer if you cut off part of the handle. In a pinch I say it's a neat item to forget about in your wallet or purse. If you know how to pick, I think this would be just fine. I'm curious to know what the diffs are between this one and similar advertised for thirty bucks but I'm not that motivated. http://www.fasttech.com/product/1120000 ... wallet-kit
Before I ever ventured out from the only tool I had when I just started getting into the hobby of lock picking, which was a simple but effective bump hammer and a set of standard N. American bump keys purchased from Peterson's, I did an extensive inquiry into the various manufacturers and individual tools and accessories. While I had nothing against Peterson's offerings, I somehow found my way onto Sparrows site, and truth be told I became enthralled with their offerings. Tbh really, the website itself is very well done and because of the dark layout and the picture perfect way they presented their tools, I felt like this was the place to begin my arsenal!!
Let's be honest, the majority of websites pertaining to our hobby are not very well done, user friendly, and some seem as if they were just sort of strung together in a few days and launched as soon as possible.
Some of you are probably saying to yourselve's, "what is this guy going on about with the look of websites!?! Who gives a rats ass what the sites look like!" AND while I TOTALLY agree, it is not accurate to assume everyone thinks that way. I happen to be one of those people. I am tempted to name 1-2 popular brand sites for visual comparison, but that is neither here nor there being the focus is supposed to be about product reviews. I'll simply leave it at this; anyone of you who frequents the more popular brand sites know full well what I am referring to. And again, its not a bad thing (especially if such sites produce quality products), it's just a my opinion thing...
MOVING ON............
I own the Wizwazzle set. I spent almost 2 weeks narrowing down my choices between other manufacturers like Peterson and SouthOrd. Once I decided on Sparrows, I spent near another week $ every detail pertaining to the pick sets ranging from suggested beginner sets to experienced. The Wizwazzle set, for the money really caught my attention. I emailed Sparrows to ask them some general questions about the kit and some other products that interested me. They responded within 24 hours (i live in NY and I believe they are located in Canada). They answered all my questions no problem too.
I highly recommend Sparrows picks because the set I have, Wizwazzle, is very strong AND glides with ease over the pins, AND my personal favorite is that they have comfortable rubber grips so your hands/fingers don't get indents and blisters. And then there is the matter of quantity. I literally have more picks and tension wrenches than I know what to do with OR need!! LOL Again, not a bad thing. Some are even made for European key ways. Some are for really tight keyways like Yale locks and a few Schlage locks.
Funny enough, two days ago I was picking a Schlage dead bolt and was wishing I had a smaller tension wrench or TOK tensioner. Sure enough I went back through my set, found a video of Wizwazzle also on YouTube explaining AND showing step by step how to make my own tension wrench exactly the shape AND size I need using of course the 11 different wrenches that come on the WIzwazzle set. Oh and it turns out the set even included a TOK wrench.
So it just goes to show you my level of experience, beginner! LOL
I've written way too much and didn't say a lot of anything too informative I suppose. I also have their Quick Shims which work SO fast and easy particularly on door knob locks like the cheapo ones made by Kwikset and used for bedroom doors where the circular/slanted part of the latch is facing outwards I.e. towards the person trying to gain entry.
Like I said, I have quite a bit more from Sparrows but ill leave all that for another time.
Bottom line is this; definitely have a look- see as to what they offer. They have great videos to watch also and they have always been very friendly as well as prompt with anything.
I can't remember how much to ship from Canada to NYC, but I do believe they are competitively priced overall.
Take a look, you won't regret it!!! They have some really neat little products!!!
I also purchased the james bond lock pick set. Ive been using them for a while and haven't had any of them bend. My favorite part about it is the tension wrench, It works really well for top of the key way and is a cheap alternative to peterson prybars.
The good:I have to say it isnt the best set in the world but at the price and considering I had a 7$ credit I am extremely happy with it. All in all it is a lot of picks for the money and a great way to get started. The one tension tool that resembles a X is the only one I could find on the market that was like one I used to have years ago. It has a lot of odd picks that I hope to try out and if anything they are worth it for the entertainment value even if they are useless.They're a little thick but they are decent quality plated spring steel.Nice comfortable handles that have decent feedback. It comes in a decent dual chambered pouch that is zippered on each compartment.
The bad: Quality is not the best,most of them where slightly bent but easily straightened.They work as is but so far they all needed some smoothing.The plastic had some edges that needed smoothing. A few of the tension wrenches are useless as is imho but I prefer to make them and the one X style makes up for the 2 junk ones. It lacks some of the common rakes like the Bogota and snake etc(although its good for me as I plan to use peterson's).
I could go on but at the price there's really no point.It is a decent starter set and with a little work smoothing the edges plus the few quality additions I've added I am VERY happy.I tossed a few of the odd ball picks in my tool box(going to modify them later) and added some Peterson's that I picked up from the sale page along with some homemade tension wrenches and I've got a very good set of picks for under $40 that is comparable to sets at over 2 times the cost.
At 15.99 it's a good value and a great way to get started but its not everything you'll need.I'd recommend anyone that is new to pick up a few quality basic pics in the thinner models and the common rakes to go along with it.For the more advanced users its got a lot of oddball picks that may be useful and I've enjoyed them for entertainment value so to speak(please tell me what they're for if you know) and it includes a nice tool bag that most could put to use.
So to sum things up,its a good value for the money,solid construction but with a few issues in the qc of the finishing department.If you need a kit to get started,want add a lot of things for cheap or need another tool pouch to keep in the car etc I doubt you'll be disapointed if you know they need a little polishing/tweaking etc.Although if you demand the best of everything or already are well stocked on tools you might be happier spending the same amount of money at McDonalds for a meal though
Toool stands for the Open Organisation Of Lockpickers; a group well worth investigating. They sell what I consider top tier stuff. I got the Tremendous Twelve Tool Kit available here https://toool.us/equipment.html
The reason I selected this kit was based on my understanding that it is better to have a good tension tool and a bad pick than a bad tension tool and a good pick. Of course it is better to have a good pick and a good tension tool. What makes this kit stand out in my mind is that it contains six high quality picks and six tension tools. The standard advice for any kit you buy is to check them for flaws and polish if necessary; but I found my set needed very little work. One thing I will be doing is go to Harbor Freight and buy some big zip ties to make larger handles for the picks. But this is really a personal preference things and some folks may like the bare tool better. There are also youtube vids about making metal handles but this seems a lot easier for a fumble fingers guy like me.
In any case the picks and tension tools are quite substantial and give the impression of substantial strength. They come in a square tube that is quite handy to carry the picks. All in all seems like a quality set for the current price of $US30.
