Ripping Technique

[kodierer]

I forgot to add something.
I prefere picking one pin at a time with my feeler on any lock I am learning how to pick, or I have never picked before. I also find it faster than most raking techniques once you have picked a given lock. However if I know I can pick a certain lock with another technique such as "ripping" I will use it if it is significantly faster, and I am in a hurry.

[RangerF150]

I dunno, i've tried rakin etc , but while it may well work , me thinks it takes away from the "art" of lockpicking .

For me, i like picking pin by pin and finally , opening it , im really not pushed about how long it takes , just that i got it open

Other methods , as you describe , and say pickguns may well open a lock , but lack something . It's fine if you make a living at it , you want it open as quick as you can , me i got all night



But hey , that's just me , i guess im just "pin by pin" dude at heart

However, nice post

Good luck !

[digital_blue]

You know Ranger, that really gets me thinking about where the line is drawn between picking, and just opening a lock. At what point does it stop being fun?

I am of the opinion that pick guns and snap picks suck the life out of picking. Having said that, I do feel that raking/ ripping/ scrubbing/ bumping/ bouncing/ tapping/ and any other way of manipulating a pick or such is perfectly acceptable and qualifies as a victory to me.

You, on the other hand, prefer to take the more hardline purist approach and feel that you haven't really picked a lock if it wasn't pin by pin. I can see this point, but I ask, where do you draw the line? I can imagine someone who might contend that it only counts if you pick pin by pin with a small feeler pick, only with the lock in your hands, and only on days that start with T on odd numbered weeks of a leap year - and then, only if you didn't have the rubber handles on.

My point in all that silliness is that the purist pin-by-pin approach may suit you just fine, but why exclude yourself the fun of defeating a lock with an alternate technique? I can't really see how the specific motions you make with the very same tool can somehow make the process less interesting or challenging. Part of the fun for me is figuring out what technique will best work on a particular lock, and why.

Just my thoughts. Happy picking (or raking, or scrubbing ) !


db

[master in training]

db, you again!

i have to agree with db though, i class any opening of a lock using picks as a success, this may be because i am still relatively new to this, but to me, an opened lock feels good, even if i rake it, scrub it, whatever, that feeling of happiness when a lock pops open is still there, especially if its been puzzling me! some locks respond differently to different styles, sometimes it may be almost impossible to open a lock picking pin by pin and it may pop open with raking and vice versa, i think if you cannot open a lock and you rake it and it opens, it gives you the motivation to go back and pick it again, all the time learning new skills and styles.

oh, and as for the line, i think its drawn at property, if the locks yours, its picking, if its someone elses its opening (or breaking and entering, but lets not go there!)


~ Master in Training ~

[Redbull83]

I agree with you master in training. The feeling of opening a lock without a key is like no other.

[MrB]

Part of the fun of snap picks is actually making them and then finding out if they work.

[kodierer]

some raking techniques aren't completely skill less. Many of them require excellent control of the tension wrench. So even if your raking you can advance your skills. I do prefere the pin by pin approach, but if I am having some trouble with the lock, then raking it lets me know I can beat it, and may encourage me. Also if I have a lock I can pick pin by pin in 45 seconds, but I can rake it in 10, then why pick it if I already know that it is an easy pick. The first time I pick that lock, and probably the next few times however I may not know how quickly I can pick it, so these times for me are usually pure feeler, unless I can't get them, I want to feel accomplished anyway. Like was mentioned before however some locks can't be raked. So it is good to be skilled in every technique for every possible situation. I wouldn't want to be locked out in a snow storm, and only know how to pick pin by pin if I could pick the lock faster by raking.
What do you think they mean by pickfu

[Sabin37]

What do you think they mean by pickfu

It could be like Kung-Fu, but instead Pick-Fu. "The martial art of lockpicking."

[RangerF150]

digital blue , you answered the question yourself , when it stops being fun!
That's where i draw the line , and for me raking is not much fun

I just like pin by pin , it's where the action is

That's just me !

I am not coming at this from a "purist" point of view, i don't disregard other methods , i just don't like them myself.

That's said, in time i may find the beauty of raking !!

Good luck

[master in training]

raking is always a useful talent to know, just as any form of picking is, even if you only pick for a hobby, it is always handy to know you can pick, in case theres an emergency, like you being locked out and your young children inside etc.

[RangerF150]

They would be pretty hungry if they were waiting for me to "pick" my way in

[master in training]

if i had to get in quickly, i'd use a brick before i even considered picking! 2 reasons for it i suppose, my picks never leave my room, so it would be hard to open my house with them! the other is that im useless at picking anyway!

[raimundo]

yo ranger, do you get that little indescribable feeling when the plug turns? and if you rake and it turns you don't get it? Or are the only rakes you ever used rough sharp edged things that make you feel bad when some simple lock finally gives grudgingly in.

[frostbyte]

I'm with Ranger on this.

I have a lock that I can easily rake in 3 seconds repeatedly, but until I picked it pin by pin, it stayed in my "Not picked yet" pile.

I dabbled in raking some, but to me it's like drinking de-alcoholized beer. Tastes like beer (of dubious quality) and you end up with an empty can, and your thirst might be satisfied, but I don't get the "high" so I just don't bother.

[kodierer]

if i had to get in quickly, i'd use a brick before i even considered picking! 2 reasons for it i suppose, my picks never leave my room, so it would be hard to open my house with them! the other is that im useless at picking anyway!

Hah I always carry my picks with me. You never know what could happen. Think about it you ever seen the movie SAW.