Beginner Sets

[Pegasus]

Hi

I am a New Zealander looking at getting into the hobby of Lockpicking. I have been looking for a beginner set and have narrowed it down to two options.

http://www.southord.com/Lock-Picking-To ... S-05L.html
http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/produc ... school.htm

and I was just wondering, of the two options which has the picks most suitable for NZ locks. I am not worried about price or anything else included in the set. I would really appreciate it if someone could share there knowledge

Thank you

[Squelchtone]

A. dont get a pickset that includes a book, you don't need the book, trust me.

B. dont get a pickset that includes a book and try to ship it to AU or NZ, it will get stuck in customs along with your picks. The picks are no problem, but it seems the books are against the law/or customs thinks they are.

As for which pickset to buy, I'll let someone else tackle that question,
Squelchtone

[smokingman]

The southord set is fine for pin tumbler/wafer tumbler locks,
but you should look around you and make a list of the different
types of locks around your area and get tools for all of them.
You will probably find lever type and others as well
that will require their own type of tools.
Then you can get locks to practice on from local suppliers
and save the shipping/import costs.

[smokingman]

Oh , + 1 on what Squelchtone said about the book.
You can find much better info on the web and not have the hassel of trying to import that worthless book, it could get your package confiscated by customs.

[Picking_Newb]

I have this one and love it:

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

I don't use all the pieces in it very frequently, but it is fun for me to see if I can pick a lock with a different pick or rake than the one I normally use.

[Pegasus]

Hi

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I think the most common brands in NZ are

- Lockwood
- Ezset
- Schlage
- Yale

So if someone could recommend a pick set from any site suitable for these type of locks that would be great

p.s I have taken your advice about the book

[doublez]

My advice it to buy individual picks. Southord sells them as "replacement" picks.

Buy some hooks, some rakes, some tension wrenches, a half diamond or 2, and whatever else you think you might be interested in. Feel free to ask if you want advice on what picks to buy. It'll probably come out cheaper, and come with less useless picks (half-ball, I'm looking at you...)

If you see lots of locks with narrow keyways in NZ, then get the "slimline" picks. They might break easier though, so be careful with them.

- doublez

[Pegasus]

Thanks again for replying

My main concern is that I will buy some picks from overseas and they will not work with NZ locks. So it would be great if someone could reassure me about the right picks for NZ locks.
Also should I consider buying one of these?

http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/produc ... andard.htm

Being able to see the pins looks like a good way to learn

[doublez]

A cutaway can be a good tool to understand how a lock works, but I've head lots of people saying not to learn with them,make what you will of that. I don't have one, so I don't know.

Schlage is common in the US, and any of the tools you posted here should be ok.
Yale seems to produce standard pin-tumbler locks, the tools you posted should be fine.
I can't find info on Ezset or Lockwood, so I don't know about them.

The thing you should watch out for is keyway size. If most of the locks you are going to pick have plugs (the part that rotates when you turn the key) smaller than a half-inch, you should consider Euro/slimline lockpicks. That's the main difference you should worry about, unless you're thinking about non-pin-tumbler locks. I think that most locks around the world will be pin-tumbler (although people with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong).

[Pegasus]

Thank you, that really clears it up for me. I know that most of my locks are pin tumbler so the only thing I have to worry about is the size of the keyway. It would still be great if other could back up this information as well as offering an opinion on that cutaway lock with visible pins

[jmart432]

Hey man, I live in Aus where we have similar locks. When I was getting my first picks I was so sure that I should get a set. I've found that you get a much better selection of useful tools if you buy them separately. My advice is to get a couple rakes, a couple hooks, a half diamond, and some tension wrenches and you'll be set. For rakes, I believe Sparrows is the best option. Send them an email asking for their 'triple peak' (bogota) and a 'worm'. Those rakes are really all you'll need but you might want to chuck in a snake rake. If you want a case, Sparrows is the place for you, their tuxedo case is a popular choice. For hooks, Peterson is probably the best place but their international shipping rates are insane so I would have to recommend either Sparrows or South Ord. If you do order from South Ord though, go for either their 'premium' picks or their 'MAX High Yield' picks. As for the half diamond, Sparrows or South Ord. For tension wrenches, at least the 3 sizes of the common style wrenches are essential. Again, Sparrows or South Ord. You might want to also consider get the two Peterson Pry Bars (available at lockpickshop) as they are very popular and useful.
That pretty much sums up my knowledge of what picks to get. As for learning resources watch all of BosnianBill's videos on Youtube.

Hope this helped.
-Jacob

[Pegasus]

Thanks good to get a reply from someone nearby. Can anyone recommend the most suitable set on southford? Also anyone know anything about those cutaway lock

[Pegasus]

The plugs on my locks are around half an Inch or 1 and half cm. Does that require slimline picks?

[Pegasus]

Would this set be better for NZ locks
http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/produc ... spirit.htm

[AusBazza]

HI,

I live in Aus and have the SouthOrd 14piece set and the Pagoda set, they fit all the locks I have tried them on, my favourite is a deforest pick which is in their " Pagoda " set, point being the normal SouthOrds should fit.

In relation to what Squelchtone said, I tend to disagree, when I got my picks from SouthOrd, they sent me 2 copies of Easy Pickings which are actually sitting around here somewhere.

point being, Customs ( Well Aus Customs ) did NOT confiscate the books and / or my picks

Just my 2c

Bazza