Rakes are USELESS

[catsoup]

The look on someones face is priceless when they see you open a lock in a matter of seconds!

HAHA - Definitely. Especially when they were under the impression that a Master No. 1 is a 'good' lock, and then you rake it in less time than it would take to find the key on the keychain.

Or better yet, when its someone who is a hobby-picker who doesn't see value in learning raking technique, and you open a lock that takes them five minutes to spp.

this isn't a shot at the OP, I have a buddy who doesn't like raking and had a lock that was giving him infinite trouble. I slid my bogota rake in and the lock opened as if I had put the key in. The lock was pretty tricky to spp, but the bogota I have was so close to the key that it would open it in a matter of seconds every time.

[Solomon]

Right on. Those are some pretty solid points for raking. But in keeping with the spirit of the debate, I'd have to say that if i only had 1 pick to have with me it wouldn't be a rake.

Same here, you can't beat a good hook. But if you have the option though, don't squander it. You'd be pleasantly surprised how many locks open (and how quickly) with a good raking technique... I've never had a proper bogota; I'm pretty deadly with a half diamond though so I can imagine

[Legion303]

From LockWiki:
"Some notable and favored lock pick manufacturers and designers are... PETERSON. SPARROWS. GOSO. KLOM. LOCKMASTERS. SERE PICK. SHA-LON. SOUTHERN SPECIALTIES. TOOOL. RATYOKE. RAIMUNDO. LEGION 303. LOCKNEWBIE 21. STORM. HPC. SOUTHORD. LAB. FALLE. SECURE PRO. LOCK TECHNOLOGY. PRO LOCK. A1. DINO. MAJESTIC. H&S. HUK. LISHI. ES. RYTAN. ILCO."

Pfft, that's only there because I bribed DG.

-steve

[MBI]

I'm not a fan of rakes myself, but if you want speed then learning to rake constently is a valuable skill.

I think raking gets a bad rap because 90% of the people who use the technique don't really perfect it, it's a matter of luck for them that the lock eventually opens. But for those who have mastered it, it's impressive how consistently fast they can open locks.

For me though, if I could only choose one entry tool it would be neither a rake nor a hook. It would be my pocketknife.

[Emrys]

this isn't a shot at the OP, I have a buddy who doesn't like raking and had a lock that was giving him infinite trouble.

No offense taken. This whole post was just meant to stir the pot a little anyway

I have a bogota style pick in my set but have never had much success with it. With everyone praising this pick as the magic key to most locks, I thought I'd see some better results. Any suggestions?

[raimundo]

by bogota style pick are you refering to one of the inadequate knockoffs like sparrows or locksmithtools these are not legitimate
they have the profile but they are bad copies and do not have any of the finishing that my handmade ones have.
I notice theres a thread now active about sparrows, I have refrained from calling them thieves but they are.
I gave that design to be freely used by DIY enthusiasts,and locksports people, not to ripoff companies who credit it to
wizwazzle on the sparrows site and also on some you tube vids.

You need to use the real thing to make any judgement, but you probably wouldn't like them either, some people 'get it"
some do not

Is that controversy, lets see.

[catsoup]

The bogotas I use are the original titans from serepick distributed at hope 4 years ago.
I also have a knockoff/homebrew (not sure which actually, received in a trade) which is not close to the quality of the real ones, however it does work. It is difficult to compare quality handmade work with machined / lazily handmade work, they simply aren't the same tool.

I am probably not the most qualified to offer advice on how to use the bogota more effectively. I look at them as not a new shape of rake, but as a new tool, which i find helpful. You dont use them like regular picks. extremely light tension + slow up/down/circular motion = open

[Emrys]

Ya the one I'm using is a knockoff. I did notice your handmade bogota had much more detail in the shaping, not just something that had simply been stamped from a sheet of sheetmetal. Perhaps that bit of extra detail is what makes the difference.

[bembel]

But for those who have mastered it, it's impressive how consistently fast they can open locks.

That's true.
And it's not really important what kind of tool you are using. Snakes and Bogotas are fine. I also like a half diamond (slightly larger than the ones you can buy).

[raimundo]

Ive been using some tiny hooks on thin shafts that I make, Im surprised how much better they work in small keyways like padlocks and such
these are probably less than half as high as your common commercial short hook.

[raimundo]

that last post of mine seems like I had a good grasp of the obvious, and yes, I always have made smaller picks for smaller locks, the tiny hooks and diamonds that I am refering to actually seem too small when just looking at them and the keyway. but it is impressing me.