What To Buy. Picks Sets For Beginners.

[Squelchtone]

I have been using paper clips on a padlock and have fun with it so I wanted to get a set is this good for a beginner.

http://lockpicksandtools.com/index.php? ... &Itemid=53

That is a perfect set for someone starting out. The man who owns that company is very nice and has been very supportive of the locksport community.

Squelchtone

[byronbfd]

Awsome sounds good thank you for a speedy reply also I live in Nevada di I need any kind of a license to own/buy a set.

[byronbfd]

Also do you know if that site takes Paypal.

[Wingzjr]

Iv watched some videos and I am very interested, seems like something that could be a relaxing hobby for winter time, sitting on the bed and picking locks all cozy... anyways enough of that!

Would this be a good set to get for a beginner? Shirt Pocket Pick Set Series A: PM7A-PS

Or would somthing like the set mentioned above be better?

http://lockpicksandtools.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=31&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53


Thanks!!

[loganism]

Nearly any starter/novice set will do you pretty nicely. Don't go gung ho spending a whole lot of money on a big professional set. You're likely going to abuse your first set. The process of figuring out tension and lifting pressures will most likely lead to wear, bending or breaking of picks. Just ask the short hook from my first set it'll tell you the story of some heavy hands.
Most sets come with plenty of tension wrenches but you can never have too many so you can make yourself some extras out of wiper inserts (see youtube for a plethora of tutorials and different styles).
I will however recommend on the subject of tensioners to get yourself a rigid style tension wrench like a Peterson Prybar too. I found them to reveal a whole new world of feedback, just keep your tension finger light.

[SeanGallagher]

I agree.. large pick sets aren't necessary, I mainly purchased a large set to see what pics would work best for me.. but out of 65 picks I've probably only grabbed 3-5 of them when picking.

[boggif]

I started with cheap set from DX. Then I found out they were too thick and too large for smaller locks. Klom was the next choise. (32-piece set is way too big for a beginner though). Neither of those has good feedback. They allowed me to try out diffent picks though which helped when getting a better set. Then I went for Southord and a couple HPCs to try out. The difference in feedback is huge!

Southord MPXS-14 or the smaller 8-part kit is more than enough to get started. C1500 might be tempting for smaller keyways but half of it is without handles. You might want to upgrade those. HPC small diamond is woth a try as well for SPP.

[what1sth1s]

I started out with a simple South Ord 14 piece set - great for beginners.

[PinPopper1]

I have to agree entirely with freak's post. I am still working with my SouthOrd PXS-14 set which contains all your basics and I have literally popped HUNDREDS of locks of all different makes. By the time you get the single pin picking down you still have all your rakes to play with and a few tension wrenches. Plenty of tools to keep you busy for a good while.

[izzymaxmax]

I made 2 tension wrench 1 diamond pick and 1 rake.I practiced with those for 6 months.when I was sure about myself and trade I started to approach locksmith distributors to buy products.I went with letters of references.That was 24 years ago things were not as easy to obtain in those days Thanks Max Force Security Locksmith. Ottawa Canada

[locksmith50]

I agree. It doesn't really take many picks to begin to understand lock picking. Buying a large 20+ piece set is a waste of your money. I purchased a 14 piece set from southord and I only use the conventional pick, a rake, half diamond, and a semi-circle for lock picking. It's that easy. I'm sure that eventually I will find the remaining picks useful, until then I recommend that new locksmiths stick to the classics.

[ktech]

Probably controversial, but I've had good luck with my Bogota entry toolset from SerePick.
Only 2 picks (which both double as tension wrenches - clever), but it's fairly reasonably priced and usable.

I'd say whatever you do, buy a relatively cheap set and spend your money on a decent lock that you can remove pins from for practice.

[Hollywoodpick]

Out of my large pick set i have i use 2 picks for everything and if that dose not work with in a few i drill the lock out that is fast and gets things done right away.
You can replace most locks faster then taking 30 min or more to keep trying to pick them and may never get it open.
Keep a good stock of extra locks with you for this.

[thenightfox]

Probably controversial, but I've had good luck with my Bogota entry toolset from SerePick.
Only 2 picks (which both double as tension wrenches - clever), but it's fairly reasonably priced and usable.

I'd say whatever you do, buy a relatively cheap set and spend your money on a decent lock that you can remove pins from for practice.

+1 these are really good..quite pricey if you compare to a whole set but are perfect for most locks if you want something to take up as little space as possible

[Royal2000H]

I already have the 9 piece set from dx/dealextreme but the tension wrench broke on me. So I figured rather than just buying a new tension wrench, I may as well upgrade. Should I get the:

• 31-piece KLOM from dx
• or a SouthOrd set like the MPXS-14
• or the Bogotas which I just discovered today but everyone seems to love?
• or something else completely?

They're all somewhat similarly priced.