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Does anyone own the Sparrow's Competitor set? I have been looking at it for a little while now. Most of my picks are southord, they are decent, but leave something to be desired. The rest of my picks are home brew, which I would probably stick with, but the amount of materials I have to make picks is limited these days.
Last edited by Squelchtone on 21 Jun 2016 0:45, edited 2 times in total.
Reason:edited title so it doesnt sound like asing for a competitor of Sparrows lock pick company. added link to pick set in case someone isnt familar with it.
Thanks. I have watched Bill's video, and watch all of his videos. That being said, I wouldn't exactly consider Bill to be in the realm of an intermediate picker. My goal with this thread is to get opinions from those at my skill level, or those who were in my shoes not very long ago. Hopefully that makes sense.
Ian_425 wrote:Thanks. I have watched Bill's video, and watch all of his videos. That being said, I wouldn't exactly consider Bill to be in the realm of an intermediate picker. My goal with this thread is to get opinions from those at my skill level, or those who were in my shoes not very long ago. Hopefully that makes sense.
Opinions? They pick locks, just as well as any other picks. 301 steel. Pretty standard stuff.
Well as I said, most of my picks were purchased from southord (I believe the Mpxs-14 and some singles). Do these Sparrow's picks offer a better picking experience, better feedback, better comfort, anything that makes them worthy of being considered as an "upgrade". Or would I be wasting money by purchasing them as an upgrade?
Ian_425 wrote:Well as I said, most of my picks were purchased from southord (I believe the Mpxs-14 and some singles). Do these Sparrow's picks offer a better picking experience, better feedback, better comfort, anything that makes them worthy of being considered as an "upgrade". Or would I be wasting money by purchasing them as an upgrade?
I've been a locksmith for going on 10 years now. My pick set is primarily made up of Peterson products but my favorite pick, by far, is Southords' laminated half-diamond. I've gone through 4 since I started; I use it a majority of the time.
If yours in good shape, stick with it. They are good picks.
Confederate wrote: I've been a locksmith for going on 10 years now. My pick set is primarily made up of Peterson products but my favorite pick, by far, is Southords' laminated half-diamond. I've gone through 4 since I started; I use it a majority of the time.
If yours in good shape, stick with it. They are good picks.
Do you use the half diamond when spp'ing or do you use it as an attack tool / rake?
GWiens2001 wrote:One of the manufacturers calls their version of the Bogota a Pagoda.
Gordon
Yeah, Southord has pagodas, the description says, "Our pagoda line of picks is designed after the popular "bogota" picks". I have the two peak and three peak from southord, they are fairly functional.
This may be late, but I have used Sparrows for a few years. So I can offer a long term opinion. I've also made my own and purchased stuff from Peterson and othersFirst off. You should make a few picks yourself, the bogota is my choice for the DIY. It's part of the learning process, like a merit badge. The skill in finishing and polishing picks is still used when you buy them. As good as my Bogotas were when I bought them I still took some 1000 grit and Metal polish to them.
Okay, Sparrows picks. General and then the specifics of the Competitor Set (I don't own the set, but I have most of those picks and the associated case listed on the website). I only own a few dipped Sparrows The handles are comfortable enough, and offer sufficient stiffness. I prefer to build a sexy handle around the plain ones but the dipped handle is not bad.
Sparrows picks overall are fairly good value. The "out of the box" finishing is on par with other makers and sometimes even better. All picks need some finishing, but the Sparrows picks only needed minimal sanding and quick polish. NOTE: The dipping process leaves a thin film on the picks. No big deal since you're going to take some 600 or 1000 to them anyway.
Their design has a much more slender shaft. This is good for getting in tight, but with heavy use (both time and force) they will slowly sag slightly. I've only seen it on my hybird and standard hook, but I have lots of hours on those two. I've straightened them out repeatedly and haven't had them break yet. The only pick I have broken was the "triple peak" and then it was one of those things. I wasn't so much using the pick to open a lock as I was to make the lock feel violated ( it was violent and ugly scene, not my proudest moment). As picks go, they work well and I prefer them sometimes to my Peterson's. So, general quality they pretty good.
The Competitors parts. The picks are all .025, you'll eventually want to get thinner picks for some narrow keyways The tension wrenches are their standard mix or shape and with or without twist. The rakes work quite well. The triple peak and double peak work like a Bogota. The Worm is less effective as a kinetic attack, but works well as a rake. The city rake is actually very good once you learn that it's NOT used like a rake. The snake rake isn't my thing,
The half diamond is the right size, not much else to say.
The offset hybrid is a brilliant pick. It's one of my favorites and up there in usefulness with the Peterson Gem
The hooks are good. they cover a nice range. The shallow euro I have is actually good for pin in pin locks because it comes to a finer point.
The case is a nice mini workstation. I've had mine for years and it's still hasn't lost a stitch. The left side pockets are quite tight for anything other than Sparrows picks. The right side "quick draw" pockets can hold much more, so that's where I put my thicker handles. In addition to holding all my picks I've also thrown in a tubular pick and disc detainer pick before zipping it closed and it's still holding strong. It's a good case but leaves little room for extras as you acquire more gear
For the money it's hard to beat the quality and quantity of the set. It covers a lot. I've tried to mix and match something as competent for the money on their website and it's hard to do. Honestly I'd go with set that has a Sherman case unless you are actually competing. Neither my Peterson Case nor the Competitor case leaves much room to fit it all in one case, that's why I'm getting the Sherman.
But as a single purchase to get the most for your money it's a good deal
