So many options plaguing the market, choosing between products feels like pulling a number out of a hat – you never know what you are going to get.
Deciding which types of lock picks to include in your first lock pick set is no exception!With all the squiggly and hooky things out there to buy, how does anyone trying to learn how to pick a lock to know what is good and what is not?
Lock Pick Types 01
One of the things that’s sometimes hard to understand in Lock Picking is which pick to use. Many picks look similar and can be hard to distinguish from one another. It’s important to be able to recognize what type of lock you’re trying to pick, and know the appropriate pick to use.
Lock Pick Types 02
Small Hook – Hooks are designed to pick one pin at a time typically in pin and tumbler locks. They can also be used to “rake” over pins, but will scratch pins and leave footprints.Large Hook – Used for pin and tumbler locks that have larger tumblers. The longer reach is required to push the long tumblers past the shear line.
Single Ball – Ball Picks are used in disc tumbler or wafer locks. The purpose is to be able to move the individual disc/wafer regardless of which direction it moves.Double Ball – Same as the single ball, and should be used when the single ball is giving you trouble.Small Half Diamond – Diamond Picks are used to pick pins that have little variation in length. Stick with the hook if you have big variations.
Medium Half Diamond – Same as above, but with more height on the tip.Broken Key Extractor – As the name implies, this pick is to remove a key that has broken off in the lock. It has an aggressive tip to catch on the key fragment and yank it out.“C” Rake / Snake – This pick can be used when time is an issue. No pick is guaranteed topick a lock quickly, but we’ve had good luck using this pick on typical household pin and tumbler locks.
Rakes will generate more movement than a normal hook or diamond and can be jiggled or picked. Use heavy tension with this pick to allow more than one pin to bind at a time.“W” Rake / Snake – Similar in theory to the “C” Rake / Snake but with more aggressive angles.“L” Rake – Made for jiggling under tension. Not as effective as other picks and should be used sparingly.
Lock Pick Types 03
An equal partner in Lock Picking is the tension wrench, and an improperly selected tension wrench will ruin your whole experience. Tension wrenches come in many different widths, weights and thicknesses.
Armed with this knowledge, you can make a more informed decision on which picks to buy and how to use them!At lockpickmall.com we deliver what we promise. We have live stock levels showing exactly what we have in stock. So you should never be left disappointed in ordering an out of stock item.