Are Southord picks bad or good to buy?

[Vargh]

I've been picking for a couple months now with picks that I made out of windshield wiper inserts and I was planning to buy myself some Southord slimline picks to use.

Before I buy them I was hoping the lockpicking community could answer some of my questions.

1. Are Southord picks made from bad quality metal because a lot of other forums say that these picks bend and break easily.

2. Do the Southord picks give decent feedback I.e. Are they stiff enough for feedback but not too stiff that they break.

3. How light pressure should I use on these picks so they do not break or bend?

Thanks!

[Squelchtone]

We have like 500 posts here that say get Southord as your first pick set which offers the best quality for the price. I encourage you to poke around and read them.

No, the metal is not bad or brittle and they dont just snap or bend or break unless a beginner is a total brute cranking on the picks like someone removing rusted lug nuts off a car tire.

So not sure where you're reading this but it sounds lile some ape broke all their picks and is blaming the picks instead of their own inexperience.

Picking by the way is always a gentle art, if any pick is breaking or bending then "you're doing it wrong"

Buy Southord euro or regular with confidence, they'll get the job done, have good feedback, and wont break or bend if you're not doing something stupid with them.

Squelchtone

[Vargh]

We have like 500 posts here that say get Southord as your first pick set which offers the best quality for the price. I encourage you to poke around and read them.

No, the metal is not bad or brittle and they dont just snap or bend or break unless a beginner is a total brute cranking on the picks like someone removing rusted lug nuts off a car tire.

So not sure where you're reading this but it sounds lile some ape broke all their picks and is blaming the picks instead of their own inexperience.

Picking by the way is always a gentle art, if any pick is bresking or bending then "you're doing it wrong"

Buy Southord euro or regular with confidence, they'll get the job done, have good feedback, and wont break or bend if you're not doing something stupid with them.

Squelchtone

Thanks for the info. I did read all the posts on this site saying that Southord picks are good, but I also read that they bend a lot so they have bad feedback. Is this true?

Also, would plastic handles with a rubber grip dampen the feedback so I should just go with plastic handles only?

[Squelchtone]

We have like 500 posts here that say get Southord as your first pick set which offers the best quality for the price. I encourage you to poke around and read them.

No, the metal is not bad or brittle and they dont just snap or bend or break unless a beginner is a total brute cranking on the picks like someone removing rusted lug nuts off a car tire.

So not sure where you're reading this but it sounds lile some ape broke all their picks and is blaming the picks instead of their own inexperience.

Picking by the way is always a gentle art, if any pick is bresking or bending then "you're doing it wrong"

Buy Southord euro or regular with confidence, they'll get the job done, have good feedback, and wont break or bend if you're not doing something stupid with them.

Squelchtone

Thanks for the info. I did read all the posts on this site saying that Southord picks are good, but I also read that they bend a lot so they have bad feedback. Is this true?

Also, would plastic handles with a rubber grip dampen the feedback so I should just go with plastic handles only?

They bend a lot if a beginner is rough with them, they dont normally just bend like a wet fish in normal use, Im not sure I can convince you that they're not crappy unless you just go buy a set. They dont have bad feedback, show me the post you read that in, I'd like to see the context and who wrote it and how long ago.

I would go with Southord laminated metal handles, no plastic and I didnt know they make plastic handles with rubber grip.

Squelchtone

[Vargh]

I read about the feedback and bending from here: https://www.keypicking.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=4965

My plan was to buy the picks without handles and make my own handles via 3D printing since I normally feel the feedback trough the shaft of the pick and not the handle. Is this a bad idea? If not, is a 3-4 inch handle good for feedback or is it just completely personal preference.

Thanks for your help!

[Squelchtone]

I read about the feedback and bending from here: https://www.keypicking.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=4965

My plan was to buy the picks without handles and make my own handles via 3D printing since I normally feel the feedback trough the shaft of the pick and not the handle. Is this a bad idea? If not, is a 3-4 inch handle good for feedback or is it just completely personal preference.

Thanks for your help!

just like the OP wrote in that forum it's his personal .02 cents. I happen to not agree. Will they bend over time if you are a heavy handed picker? yes. if you're not a brute, then no they wont just bend on their own.

I have bent Southord, Majestic, HPC, TOOOL, Peterson, and home made. When I first started I was very heavy handed and yes, I bend all my Southord picks and 6 months later when I got a clue, I bought the same set again and it laster for a couple years until I gave it away during TOOOL meetings for beginners to learn how to pick, while I upgraded to my Peterson set.

either way, for $20 to $30 bucks, you cant got wrong getting a set and making up your own mind, you dont have to listen to that guy, or to me for that matter.

I wouldn't 3d print or add on any handles unless its heatshrink tubing. Which Southord set have you been thinking about? This is the one I would go with C801 for $32.00 https://www.lockpickshop.com/C801.html

Also, do you need the thinner euro profile picks? If you're picking Master lock padlocks and Kwikset deadbolts then a non-slimline set is probably better for a beginner. If you're in a rusty master lock padlock jamming the euro picks in and out, yes, they will probably bend. If the lock is in good working order and you're not b*tch raking like Bosnian Bill talks about then you should be fine.

Hope this helps, good luck!
Squelchtone

[Vargh]

Thanks for all your help.

I was planning on buying individual picks like http://www.southord.com/mm5/merchant.mv ... e-Standard

So that I can get just the picks and not the case for a bit cheaper price. I'll probably be picking Schlage, master, and euro keyways.

Thanks again!

[Rigidman]

I know this is an old post, but wanted to know if anyone saw the new, to me any way, high dollar wood handle picks. I cant remember the maker, but they're like $75-$100+ for a single pick. I mean. honestly. I can get some nice wood, attach it to a pick, file, sand, shape and sell them individually for $25-$40+ individually if i thought anyone was going to put out the coin for a piece of art basically. I mean they're really nice, but for the price, I'd be afraid to use them.

I have Southord slimline picks and I put on the rubber(?) handles just for comfort. Saw some videos of G10 grips, carbon fiber, plastic zip tie handles, bicycle/skateboard tape, wood, plastic, and maybe even woolly mammoth tusk.

I guess anything you can use for knife scales, pistol grips, straight razor can be used for pick handles. As a beginner I think you'd want to stay away from these because you need to learn to feel for the feedback of the pins. But once you can pick locks with confidence, then maybe you can bling out your picks. I like the G10 and carbon fiber myself. I love wood, but on a pick I think the weight may throw off the feedback. But what do I know. I'm new.

[GWiens2001]

Have seen quite a number of fancy wood or other more exotic material handled picks that are high dollar. You will have to find who is making them. Browse the forum. Or post that you are willing to pay for someone to make them, and ask for pics of their work.

I have some individual picks made by members here over the years. One hook that is particularly nice that I bought had a horn and amber handle. Beautiful and very well made. It picks well, too. Have a few other odd wood handled ones as well, and have seen several that member friends outside the US had mailed to me so I could forward the picks and other locks to them, saving them shipping money.

It seems that the majority of the best wood or other material handled picks seem to come from members who are also knife makers.

Gordon