help me pick my first pick set between these choices

[thismembername]

I want to get a good begininer set of picks and im looking at these

http://www.southord.com/Lock-Picking-To ... XS-14.html

http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/Gotham ... _p/s-5.htm

http://www.lockpickshop.com/KPS-15.html

or maybe peterson small 35.00 set


I know i want to get a bogota pick as everyone raves about it for raking, but im a total noob so, yeah.

[GWiens2001]

You might do a search for the dozens of threads on choosing a pick set. The same questions and answers can be found all over the forum. If you read them, you will see what we would be asking you about location, types of locks, and what are the benefits and weaknesses of the different picks.

Good luck on choosing,

Gordon

[DennisK]

I want to get a good begininer set of picks and im looking at these

http://www.southord.com/Lock-Picking-To ... XS-14.html

http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/Gotham ... _p/s-5.htm

http://www.lockpickshop.com/KPS-15.html

or maybe peterson small 35.00 set


I know i want to get a bogota pick as everyone raves about it for raking, but im a total noob so, yeah.

Anyone of those sets would serve you well in the beginning,and all from reputable companies.
Welcome,by the way.

[thismembername]

thanks, if it helps im in the USA east coast. Is the peterson set (even the cheap set im looking at) really that much better than say the southord im looking at?

I hear people swear by the peterson, but if im looking at the cheap set maybe it doesnt matter?

[DennisK]

thanks, if it helps im in the USA east coast. Is the peterson set (even the cheap set im looking at) really that much better than say the southord im looking at?

I hear people swear by the peterson, but if im looking at the cheap set maybe it doesnt matter?

I have a little bit of all these different manufacturers.I really like the Peterson Government Steel models,as they are stronger than the others in my opinion. Once again,you get what you pay for.
If you are looking for cheap and have a bench grinder,you could make your own out of hacksaw blades.There is all kinds of tutorials on how to make them.

[thismembername]

thanks, if it helps im in the USA east coast. Is the peterson set (even the cheap set im looking at) really that much better than say the southord im looking at?

I hear people swear by the peterson, but if im looking at the cheap set maybe it doesnt matter?

I have a little bit of all these different manufacturers.I really like the Peterson Government Steel models,as they are stronger than the others in my opinion. Once again,you get what you pay for.

im a little confused by petersons website with the single picks, i see the governmental steel picks are 8 USD each which isnt bad to try it out, but the pick doesnt show what type of handle it includes, it just says " molded handles ". and there is a price difference,

here they are 8 usd
http://www.thinkpeterson.com/picks.html ... es%20Picks

here they are 15
http://peterson-international.com/picks/gov_steel.html

[DennisK]

thanks, if it helps im in the USA east coast. Is the peterson set (even the cheap set im looking at) really that much better than say the southord im looking at?

I hear people swear by the peterson, but if im looking at the cheap set maybe it doesnt matter?

I have a little bit of all these different manufacturers.I really like the Peterson Government Steel models,as they are stronger than the others in my opinion. Once again,you get what you pay for.

im a little confused by petersons website with the single picks, i see the governmental steel picks are 8 USD each which isnt bad to try it out, but the pick doesnt show what type of handle it includes, it just says " molded handles ". and there is a price difference,

here they are 8 usd
http://www.thinkpeterson.com/picks.html ... es%20Picks

here they are 15
http://peterson-international.com/picks/gov_steel.html

Well the $8 ones are stainless steel,where the $15 are Government Steel.

[smokingman]

If this is your first set of tools ,
get the cheaper set on your list and concentrate on using the half diamond and hooks.
New pickers are tempted by the rake because sometimes it works faster, but this is often
merely luck of the draw and you don't learn the feel of the pins as you will using single pin picking.
After you have learned some finesse and can feel the individual pins setting into place ,
( and possibly bending a tool ) you will learn that too much force on the tool tip is
counter productive and would have ruined your expensive tools.
Then if needed, get the more expensive tools down the road.
By then you may find you don't need the extra strength they offer, but are nice to have.

[YouLuckyFox]

thanks, if it helps im in the USA east coast. Is the peterson set (even the cheap set im looking at) really that much better than say the southord im looking at?

I hear people swear by the peterson, but if im looking at the cheap set maybe it doesnt matter?

I have a little bit of all these different manufacturers.I really like the Peterson Government Steel models,as they are stronger than the others in my opinion. Once again,you get what you pay for.

im a little confused by petersons website with the single picks, i see the governmental steel picks are 8 USD each which isnt bad to try it out, but the pick doesnt show what type of handle it includes, it just says " molded handles ". and there is a price difference,

here they are 8 usd
http://www.thinkpeterson.com/picks.html ... es%20Picks

here they are 15
http://peterson-international.com/picks/gov_steel.html

The $8 ones have a plastic handle, the $15 have a rubber handle.

[KPick]

I want to get a good begininer set of picks and im looking at these

http://www.southord.com/Lock-Picking-To ... XS-14.html

http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/Gotham ... _p/s-5.htm

http://www.lockpickshop.com/KPS-15.html

or maybe peterson small 35.00 set


I know i want to get a bogota pick as everyone raves about it for raking, but im a total noob so, yeah.

I would go with Southord's pick set because they're cheap and easy to replace, especially if you're picking as a hobby and a COMPLETE beginner, so don't spend too much.

As lock picking for 2 years goes by I learned its not the lock picks that makes the lock picker, it's the experience that a lock picker has under his/her belt.

[l0ckcr4ck3r]

The advice you have received so far is spot on but ill add my 2 cents….

When you first start, the "Quality" of the pick makes very little difference to whether you'll open the lock or not… they just won't bend as easily if you are a little heavy handed. BUT, once you progress a bit, good picks will make a significant difference to the amount of feedback you can feel and a good design of the tip will help manipulate pins easier. At the end of the day, its really down to personal preference.

Resist the temptation to buy a large set, you'll end up not using half of the picks. Maybe get a couple of individual picks from different manufactures and see how they feel. I would recommend a pry bar if you do put in an order to peterson and perhaps pick up the cheaper Nickel plated carbon steel Euros at 2.75 a piece. Then its not to big of an investment if they dont work out for you. The Best picks are the home-brews that you make and then tweak yourself as your skills improve!

Again as others have already said, resist the temptation to rake everything when you start… sure it will work fairly often on lower quality locks but it gives you false sense of achievement. Learn to master SPP and in time you'll be able to open nearly anything.

[youngpick]

Get the southord one. Petersons are too nice for a noob you risk bending really good tools. Wait and try em out and see what your good with, then get Peterson picks in those varieties.

[sysvr4]

I'm a beginner myself, but I have both a small HPC set and a Gotham set I recently ordered from Sparrows. I have to say, I'm a disappointed in the quality of the latter. They're not as sturdy, handles aren't nearly as good, and there's a slight end-to-end bend in almost every pick in the set.

I think perhaps I didn't realize just how good the HPCs I have are until I got those. I haven't use Peterson at all yet, but I would tell you to start with a very small set (or a few individual picks) of the highest quality you can find.

[GWiens2001]

...and a Gotham set I recently ordered from Sparrows.

Gotham - The official pick of Batman! Get your set today from Joker Industries.

Gordon

[DennisK]

...and a Gotham set I recently ordered from Sparrows.

Gotham - The official pick of Batman! Get your set today from Joker Industries.

Gordon

Still hitting that eggnog there Gordon?