Received Rai's picks in the mail yesterday...

[Teddy Picker]

...and they're amazing! The first thing I noticed when I picked them up is they look beautiful; smooth and shiny! But all that sanding isn't just for looks: they slide into the lock smoothly so that you can be sure any feedback you feel is from the pins, not from your pick. I spent almost all day today playing with these picks. I barely stopped to eat! I'm a beginner picker, so I'm actually feeling a little outclassed by these picks.

I ordered a custom set and Rai was very helpful both in helping me figure out what I wanted, and getting them to me. The set I got was:

1. Bogota single
2. Bogota triple
3. Deforest
4. Short hook
5. Medium hook
6. Long hook

I initially didn't think I would want a short hook based on my research online and trying out other people's picks, but Rai recommended that I would probably use that more often than the long hook, and he was totally right. The short hook is my go-to pick now, as it gives me lots of maneuverability in the lock, which is especially helpful for my padlocks (my cylinder have larger keyways). I'm still not very good at raking, but I think that once I get better at it, my general strategy will be to use the bogota triple to set a few pins, then finish up with the short hook. This is my first Deforest pick, though, so I'm not sure how that relationship is going to work out quite yet; I'm beginning to see a lot of potential for that one.

Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase. It's the best thing I got this Christmas. That and the locks I picked up from lock2006.

[GWiens2001]

Teddy Picker,

You made a good choice in picks! That sounds like an excellent selection of picks.

I made my first deforest when I could not seem to get the short pins behind the tall pins. You will eventually find yourself in the same position someday. For a while, it became a go-to pick, but then I started working with narrower, twistier keyways (paracentric), and went back to my short hook, just using the deforest for those pins that hide behind their big brother.

The Bogatas are usually the first picks I put into a lock, unless my goal is to improve my SPP techniques.

Good luck, and happy picking!

Gordon

[catsoup]

The deforest is a great practical solution to the role that the long hook plays in our imagination, like Gwiens said, it is great for reaching around tall/short combos.

Any pictures of your new set?

Just bought two sets of bogotas for christmas presents and they were just as nice and finished as the ones i have been using for years.

[Teddy Picker]

The deforest is a great practical solution to the role that the long hook plays in our imagination, like Gwiens said, it is great for reaching around tall/short combos.

Any pictures of your new set?

Sadly, no. It's hard to take reasonable pictures of small stuff like lockpicks with my digital camera, and I don't have the time to get it right (and won't have for the next week or so).