to rake or not to rake

[toomush2drink]

I love raking as much as pin by pin picking both are skills worth having. Some locks i can open with either method but other locks will only open with one or the other. I have one yale that has defeated me so far with single pin picking so i tried raking out of desperation and popped it in under a minute, its just one of those things. Every lock is different and all respond to different techniques, i personally think raking requires a fair amount of skill in its own way and ive learnt certain brands of locks require light or heavier tension with this technique just as spool pins require different tensions when single pin picking. At the end of the day everyone will have their own opinions on which technique is best etc but who cares ALL techniques are good one way or another especially when the whole point of picking a lock is to open it non destructively by manipulating the pins.

[Mad Mick]

I'm in agreement with both DB and raimundo here. Raking is not considered to be cheating, nor does it cheapen the experience of picking a lock open, IMO.

However, it is not my initial method of picking a lock. I'm not a purist and am probably not what could be classed as an experienced picker, but I do prefer to pick single pins over raking. Don't get me wrong here, I do know how to rake (raimundo's Bogota is the first tool to reach for when the need arises, followed by a half-diamond), and can probably rake quite a few of my practice locks quicker than single picking.

But, I do think that single picking locks first teaches you finer control over tension, which can be more easily applied to raking afterwards, as opposed to raking first then single picking.

[glasskey]

my feelings is that some locks can be raked open very easy while others can only be opened by picking. I generally rake before I pick, if it is an easy padlock it is open in under 4 rakes. on tougher locks I start picking after the fourth rake when the lock is not open. raking or scrubbing can push a pin up too high and you will need to release torque to drop the pins back down and start over.

[Dodgy_Dodgerson]

I think I came off sounding too purist by saying that I am less satisfied by raking. I dont think that if you rake you are cheating, I am merely stating that the knowledge of how to rake is important but I enjoy myself more when I pick a lock pin by pin. Although I agree with db about having a fun challenge no matter which method is used or how long it takes.

Anyway, I hope I cleared that up, if not sorry, I am not trying to be too puritan. Happy Picking

[Fuse]

if ure in a hurry RAKE !!
if u wanna impress ure pals pick pin by pin
but every 1 is right it really pays to know both, but pin by pin is the way to go by me, aferwhile u will get faster and it will be evenmore satisfying

[quicklocks]

i use both on some locks, rake first then pick the ones that dont set or are security pins.
personal preferance realy

[master in training]

well you already know single pin picking, thats the harder of the two techniques to learn, most people work the other way in terms of progression, learning raking for you now should be considerably easier than it would be to learn when you first start and easier than learning pin by pin was.

i think we should all remember what we are doing as well, especially the hobbyists among us. we are picking locks. why was lockpicking developed? for locksmiths to use in part of their job, we are doing for fun what they do for a job. their job involves opening locks (if they are NDE) using picking if they can, if not, bypass methods are used. the picking involves single pin picking and raking. we take up their job as a hobby, so we take up their techniques, which means we rake as well as pick single pins. make sense? or has college work melted my brain, lol!

picking is also one big learning progress. the natural progress goes from knowing nothing, to a bit and learning raking and opening some simple locks, to learning more and single-pin-picking and opening harder locks. then you combine the two things and pick more high security locks and get a lot better.

shame im still somewhere near the start of that!

[Geek142]

Hey

Something just sprung to mind on what i sometimes do on locks that have similar pin depths, i SPP but in a randoms order, i dont find the pin thats binding i just push on the pins one by one but randomly until it opens, so you that be classed as raking or SPP or both. But of course when i do SPP properly i do try find the pin thats binding.

Geek

[pyrodude145]

I find raking to be good in certain situations, but preferabbly its kinda easy. I like the challenge of single pin picking. I dont know much about raking but i have found that it does come in hand. The second thing is you have to know which tool to use for raking with each lock. O well good luck and good picking. Pyro out

[lockpickingnewb]

personally, I can't rake for my life....

[archiebald]

Raking is a handy tool to know especially in emergencies so why not learn it I am and it so not easy.

[NKT]

I use a combo technique, normally, which works quite well, but I still have a lot of trouble with high security locks.

For this thread, I thought I would see the difference on a new Union Euro I got off eBay the other day. Purely pin-by-pin, the new lock (with no, or perhaps one or even two security pins - I'm thinking just one) took between five and ten minutes to pick open, single pin. The first pick, I got it in under a minute, but then it slowed down a lot. I then switched to pure raking, and found that the lock would open in under a minute sometimes, and under five every time. Using a combo of rake and pick, I can open it in under a minute. The key bitting isn't stunningly advanced, but it isn't too bad.

Compare the other lock I got. A nickel finish EVVA Euro, with an oddly straight yet restricted keyway. This, I simply could not open. Raking did nothing at all, and pin-by-pin got nowhere either. Using my usual combo of both, I can set 4 pins tops, then it resets, and I'm sure there are at least three security pins in it, as well as a lower pin that is slightly oversize. With the key in, it is sticky, as the pins all click on and off the shearline, but the lock is accurately made. Yet the key profile is terrible, 02030! You would think a few rakes would open it, but no, it just won't go.

Anyway, both techniques are valid, and like many things, they are stronger together.

[barnzy]

When my mate brought a home made pick into school for the first time he showed me how to "pick" the school locker locks, i went on thinking this was all what picking was about but infact all i was doing was constantly racking, it wasn't until a few months later i looked it up on the internet and found i hadn't actually done any picking at all to open my locks. So i learned racking before picking which is not really the right way of doing it, but it does come in real handy if you get fustrated at a lock...

[Cman22]

i personally perfer singleing out pins. it seems quicker and easier for me unless the lock is easy like a kwikset

[pip]

for myself
when i rake a lock, i give it 10 trys
if it doesn't open, i'll put that lock away till the next day

when the next day comes
i had a whole day to think about it

tension
too much, too little
raking
too fast maybe slower

so i give that lock another 10 trys
if it opens, it goes into my "next week box"
i'll try that lock again next week

quality not quantity
exercise the brain, not the hand