Sparrows vs Peterson help?

[15Fire]

Hey guys new guy here. I'm just getting into lock picking, and I'm trying to find a good set. So far I like the sparrows EOD set, and the Tuxedo set. With the Peterson set I like the Eagle series line. Specifically the Eagles nest kit, and the Ghost kit. If you all could help me out with your opinions on these kits, or any others that would be great.
Thanks

[femurat]

Generally speaking I prefer Petersons. If you just started out don't buy too many picks. You need very few.

Cheers

[smokingman]

I like Sparrows.

[MBI]

Both brands you mention are good quality and each offers a few things the other doesn't have. In the end it largely boils down to personal preference.

I dislike pick sets and prefer to order picks individually so I'm just getting the ones I want without useless ones I'll never use. You may end up with an assortment of several brands in your pick case if you stick with this hobby for a while.

I'd recommend ordering a pick case a bit larger than you think you'll need.
Southern Specialties has decent pick cases at very reasonable prices.
I like the Peterson cases better than the Southern Specialties cases, but you pay for the difference.

Welcome to the forum. Search around a bit and read the stickies and the FAQs. Questions like this have been asked hundreds of times around the forum and there are already many opinions on the subject that have been posted which you can read.

[Papa Gleb]

What MBI said lol but seriouesly you dont need a set especially if you are starting out. Spending money on a set to learn that this hobby isnt for you is pointless. What you really need are 2 different hooks and some tension tools. Buy a hook and Gem from peterson and make a tension tool from windshield wiper inserts. If it all works out and you are still in the game then start spending. I personally like Peterson although I have a few picks from each manufacturer. Peterson shipping is a killer especially if you are buying 2 picks but if you call them, they may be able to work something out. What I did in the past, was send them a postage paid return envelope which they used to send me 1 pick. I also dont like sets because they almost always include picks you dont need or will ever use just because they have a huge stock of them since no one buys them.

[22Delta22]

For what it's worth Sparrows has excellent customer service. I bought, among other things, some locks, one of which I destroyed (don't ask) I mentioned that in an email to them about something else, and aside from responding fast, they also sent me a new lock for free. And they shipped very fast.

[jbrint]

I use both Peterson and Sparrows picks/tension tools. They both have their place and are both good stuff.

I think the hooks and half diamond picks from Sparrows are amazing and provide a perfect amount of give and feedback. They have some short curved hook picks that might as well be gold when seeking out a high pin that is stuck or a security pin that needs to be sent home. The thin profile of the half diamond pick makes it super easy to just slip the pick along the pins looking for the binder, sometimes just a feather glide opens the lock. It also has a smaller profile than Peterson and Southord and works extremely well in smaller keyways.

I like the rakes and reach pick from Peterson more than the rakes from Sparrows.

I have broken almost all of the rake picks at one point or another from Sparrows because they are thinner at the neck of the pick. Fortunately Sparrows will replace them so long as you can provide a picture of the broken pick. I haven't broken or bent a single Peterson rake and because they are a touch thicker behind the neck you can really work and rock them.

The Sparrows City rake is slightly smaller and a touch different than the Peterson, I never had much luck with the Sparrow City Rake, but the Peterson does wonders.I have had the same experience with the Bogota style rake Peterson stainless version is a tank and the Sparrows not so much, however the Sparrow Worm is a magical little tool and even though its a bit weaker in the profile I bought a few of them because they have been so effective. The Snake rake from both are equally effective in my opinion and might as well say kwikset master key on them.

Better than both of these though for rakes is Mr. Rai's style and the set purchased from Serepick is getting more and more use as I get better with them. They are excellent as tension tools and very effective when raking is applicable.

My 2 cents.

[Saracco]

I cannot give my word on Peterson as I only have Petersons Bump Keys and hammer. However, I very much like Sparrows and can attest to not only their quality but their customer service as well. They have sent me completely free tools in the past just for mentioning to them I saw some spelling mistakes on their website! I couldnt believe it, they sent me somewhere near $60 worth of free-be's!
With that said, I want to mention that I have Sparrow's complete Whizwazzle pick & tension set. It came with something like 18 tension wrenches uncut as well so you can cut them down to your preference. Now, as much as I love opening this set and ogling over the amount of beautifully crafted picks, I will just come on out and say it; 95%of the time I use my Bogota titanium pick and rake to open most locks. Opening a Kwikset is so simple it is literally like having the exact key for the lock on hand. The ever popular MasterLock locks that most people use in conjunction with a chain is just as simple as well. It's scary how easy it is and you come to realize that your kids bicycle or the door to your shed is not safe at all if somebody even has half the know-how and tools.

As for the large selection of tension wrenches I have to say that at first I thought it was total overkill and a rather cheapish way to bulk up the appearance of the product set and try and justify the price further. But once I really started trying out many different locks from all different brands I discovered that the proper TW (tension wrench) was of course as we know not only essential BUT if I did not have the Sparrows Whizwazzle set with all those TW's I would have had a much more tedious and challenging pick ahead of me, and a pick that I may have not been able to have successfully opened were it not for the selection of TW's in the set allowing me to be able to try many different kinds of TW's i.e. different lengths, thicknesses, flexibility and position made for and MAKES a tremendous difference, so keep that in mind.

[jk2k5]

I can vouch for sparrow customer service. I ordered over $300 dollars U.S. currency from them. A $40 dollar part was missing and had me concerned because of the way a lot of places can be with customer service. They are absolutely outstanding and I cannot say enough about how great they are. It made enough of an impression that I felt I needed to tell others why this company is worth doing business with. The part has not made it to me yet but I trust them just from the few emails.

[PowerHaus930]

I can vouch for sparrow customer service. I ordered over $300 dollars U.S. currency from them.

Not trying to hi-jack the thread but I have a question in regards to placing an order with Sparrows. I'm in the U.S. and the prices on their website are in Canadian currency. If I were to make a purchase for say $100 CA (which would be roughly $77 US with the current exchange rate) would the current exchange rate automatically be applied and then show up in USD on my credit card account? I am also just starting out in this hobby and have thought about getting the Tuxedo set myself. I wish they offered an option to add the plastic handles to the Tuxedo set (or any of their other sets for that matter). They seem to only be available if you purchase certain sets or if you buy picks individually. Also I noticed that quite a few picks that are included in pick sets are not available for purchase individually which seems odd to me. I have looked at some Peterson pick sets however I don't think I could justify spending $60 or more on my first set of picks. In the mean time I have made some picks from wiper inserts and they turned out a lot better than expected so I think I will end up spending money on a practice lock instead.