So far i have never picked a lock in my life but i want to get into the hobby. Can someone give me a basic overview of the hobby like how most locks are picked, what are popular techniques, how long it takes to learn how to pick a basic lock, etc. Also what picks and tension wrenches are necessary for a starter kit. Ive been looking here http://www.lockpickshop.com/BTLPSH.html at tools. what are other good sites to purchase from with reasonable shipping fees?
Hi jmart432. Welcome to the group. I think any basic set of picks will be a good place to start for your tools. Most basic/intro sets will include a short hook, a half diamond, a rake or two (probably an "S" rake, an "L" rake, a "sawtooth" rake, or some combination of these), one or two tension wrenches (probably a regular one and one twist flex), and a carrying case. Not all beginner sets are identical, but they will all be fairly similar in terms of what they come with. It will just depend on which brand you purchase. Many here like the Southord picks to start out with, but I have never used them myself, so I can't speak from direct experience. What I can say is that those who did start with them really seemed to like them. There are many different brands out there and most of the ones that make a basic beginners set will be just fine for someone just starting this hobby. Even a lot of the more experienced pickers here still just stick to the short hook, medium hook, or half diamond (sometimes called a small diamond) and they hardly, if ever, use the other more specialized styles of picks that come in more advanced sets of picks. The other pick I would recommend is to get one of raimundo's Bogota pick. There are a lot of other pick manufacturers trying to make knockoffs of raimundo's Bogota, but his are really the best if you are willing to spend the money on them (they're not too expensive). Ultimately it's up to you to decide which one you want to spend your money on, but like I said pretty much any basic set will be sufficient for someone brand new to this hobby. You can find many different beginner's sets for around $20 plus S&H (+/- a few bucks). I would suggest you avoid spending a lot of money on more advanced sets because a beginner's set will have everything you need to start this hobby. Plus, you might decide this is not a hobby for you and if that's the case then you will regret having spent all that money on a set you're never going to use again. I'm not saying you will decide this, but this has happened to others who thought they wanted to get into this hobby.
As far as a place to start learning how locks work and how to pick them there are many resources online and in print that will help you and bembel has provided you with a good one. If you just google how locks work there will be many sites that come up showing how locks work with animations and written descriptions. Youtube is also a great place to learn the basics. There are a lot of folks on there with good information, but three of my favorites are Schuyler Towne's channel, bosnianbill's channel, and LocksmithArmy's channel.
Schuyler Towne has a great series of video tutorials for beginners. Here's the first in his series (a total of 24 videos in the series, but he has even more on his channel):
And here's a link to an article on howstuffworks.com explaining how locks work and how lock picking works. It has some good pictures of different types of locks and lock parts, as well as a few good animations of what happens when the correct key is used in the lock, an incorrect key, and what's happening inside the lock when you're using a pick and tension wrench. http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-impr ... icking.htm
I think between the videos on the youtube and the howstuffworks article this will be plenty to get you started. And you can always come back here to the group to ask questions about anything you're seen or read if you need clarification. I hope this helps.
That looks like a good set for you, jmart432. Unless things have changed since this post was made, viewtopic.php?t=751 then you should be able to get a 10% discount on that set. Good luck with your new set when you get it and have fun!
