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Is it Eu or us size on sparrows when ordering hooks etc

Having read the FAQ's you are still unfulfilled and seek more enlightenment, so post your general lock picking questions here.
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Do not post safe related questions in this sub forum! Post them in This Old Safe

The sub forum you are currently in is for asking Beginner Hobby Lock Picking questions only.

Is it Eu or us size on sparrows when ordering hooks etc

Postby erhggherv » 18 Jun 2021 17:43

I want to order tools from sparrows, and i want us and eu sizes for picking european and us locks but it dosnt stand whether its >0.20 or <0.25 for us.
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Re: Is it Eu or us size on sparrows when ordering hooks etc

Postby GWiens2001 » 18 Jun 2021 20:04

I am not sure that it matters whether you have US sizes or metric sizes. European locks tend to have tighter keyways, and therefore thinner picks may be better for picking the tighter keyways. But thinner picks are also weaker. So there is a trade-off.

Whether you order metric or SAE sizes does not really matter. Both are available in a variety of thicknesses. You can easily enough convert the measurements between inches and millimeters.

Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
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Re: Is it Eu or us size on sparrows when ordering hooks etc

Postby pemlock » 19 Jun 2021 2:38

As Gordon says, whether the pick is constructed with metric och US units doesn't matter, it's just thicker and thinner picks.

There are two common thicknesses for picks: 0.025"/0.6mm and 0.015"/0.4mm. (There are others, less common, as well.)
It's not exact conversions, but close enough.

I'm in Europe and have picks from both Sparrows and Multipick, and pick most of my locks with the thicker picks. Although European locks are said to have narrower keyways, older locks and padlocks (which are made in China anyway) often have quite wide keyways. I bring out the thinner ones only when I have to.
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