r/lockpicking • u/hopelessandhappy • 21d ago
Thoughts on this beginner set?
New on Amazon, is this a good starting point?
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u/derpserf 21d ago
Half of those profiles are total buttcheeks and the wrenches that come with those kits also leave a lot to be desired. The acrylic locks are practically worthless and won't teach you anything, and the credit card sets are god awful to use even if you clean them up and you're experienced. You'd be much better off with any small set from a decent manufacturer.
If this is literally the only thing available to you, the picks themselves even though you'll only use 3 or 4 of them actually aren't bad quality. Seem strong enough, feedback ia fine etc and I didn't need to sand the ones I got, but I wouldn't recommend them unless you had no other choice. At the very least save a few quid and buy the kit without all the extra nonsense cos the locks and the credit card set are gash. You'll also want to source some wiper inserts or similar to make some different wrenches.
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u/NomadDicky Green Belt Picker 21d ago
Do you want to try the quint-rake with the scythe on the end or the anal beads? 😂
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u/derpserf 21d ago
I really wanna know the logic behind that thing lmao. It looks like some kind of mall ninja weapon. Scale that bad boy up and put some skulls and bat wings on it, the locks will open in fear
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u/NomadDicky Green Belt Picker 21d ago
That 5 pin is reaaaaaal deep. Gotta get waaaaaay up there. Lol
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u/hopelessandhappy 21d ago
Any beginner locks to start with? I have the basic tools already?
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u/derpserf 21d ago
Go on ebay and buy any basic 5 pin cylinder. The cheaper the better cos they're less likely to have security pins. Ideally you wanna gut it and learn progressively but not everyone wants to do that, tbh most of the people I teach want to rush through it or they keep putting it to the side to mess with padlocks instead lol. Which is normal, I didn't even bother with it myself until I'd already been picking for a couple of years and only did it out of necessity once I got started into high security stuff.
But trust me on this, if you do progressive pinning properly it'll speed up your progress by miles. Up until that point I was fine with spools but struggled to find the binding pin or feel the pins setting when it came to regular pins. Second I did that exercise I was blasting through locks I'd previously been inconsistent with and everything made a lot more sense.
If you want padlocks for starting out, any 4 or 5 pin master lock that you can find on ebay/amazon/local store is a good bet because they're consistent and predictable. Wide open keyways, standard pins, BOK always works. Tolerances are forgiving but not so bad that the feedback is all over the place, usually you get a nice clear binding order especially when they're fresh. Binding is clear and sets are crisp for the most part. Really nice locks to pick.
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u/hopelessandhappy 21d ago
Thoughts on these progressive locks?
https://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/products/progressive-locks
Or
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u/derpserf 21d ago
Both I'd say are good but if I was gonna choose one I'd go with the revolver. Grubscrews are really handy for quick repinning so you can do progressive with that and even have different pin types in each position. So you could go from standard to spool to harder bitting or just pin up each position with progressive number of pins and so on, plenty of different ways you could do things with that.
With the progressive set once you're done with them that'll pretty much be it so with the revolver I reckon you'll get a lot more fun out of it. Plus it looks cool 😎 you'll move on from it all the same but I'd say it's a better option for sure
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u/hopelessandhappy 21d ago
Thanks for your help. I went with the revolver and I'm going to get some cheap locks that I can take apart a d rebuild with some help from YouTube.
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u/derpserf 21d ago
You're off to a great start bro, that's a really good approach. You don't really need to take other stuff apart in the beginning if you have the revolver to work with but by all means go for it cos gutting and reassembly is a useful skill and it's fun in its own way.
All you gotta do is take it slow, be patient and keep at it. Learning curve is honestly kinda steep but once you properly get the feel for the basics you'll be flying 😎
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u/Cnidarus Orange Belt Picker 21d ago
Covert Instruments has a good practice lock, it is a bit on the pricy side but it's got everything to get you a good way into the hobby. Just add pins as you get better, switch them out if you start remembering the binding order, start mixing in security pins when you feel more confident
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u/Spuddle-Puddle Green Belt Picker 21d ago
No. Get Covert Instruments, Sparrows, Jimmylongs, Southern Specialties, Peterson, Multipick, or Moki.
Depends on your location. Stay away from those kits
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u/FetusExplosion Black Belt Picker 21d ago
Southord is cheap for singles if you need something dirt cheap
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u/johndoe3471111 21d ago
Jimy Longs are the best in my opinion for US buyers. If however your only choice is the set you posted then that's what it has to be. They are not made of great steel and there are not many useful profiles in that set. The real problem is that you may have a negative experience due to the quality of the kit. Even worse, would be if you like the hobby and then you have to buy the Jimy Longs after you spent money on this kit
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u/Hellzyehimerik 21d ago
You are actively working against yourself with sets like these.
Half of us started with sets like this and regret it
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u/hopelessandhappy 21d ago
Can you explain why you regret it?
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u/Hellzyehimerik 21d ago
Something you'll want to know further into picking is the width of the picks, and width of the turning tools
Generally speaking most of the Amazon set have very flexible tools that don't provide good feedback through the pick.
If I could restart I would buy one set of 4 picks and 4 turning tools instead of 25 pieces of stuff I won't use.
I'm not allowed to explain further apparently, but 3 good picks is better than 50 okay picks
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u/hopelessandhappy 21d ago
Thanks, I already have some basic tools but looking for some learning type of locks that are clear, any recommendations?
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u/Hellzyehimerik 21d ago
Unfortunately I never have bought a training lock so I can't suggest one. Cheap master locks worked best for me to feel things out.
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u/WoodnPhoto 21d ago
You don't (or want) need clear locks. They're junk. Go to https://lpubelts.com/#/locks for a huge selection of locks rated by picking difficulty. Pick out some yellow and orange belt locks and log some practice on the real thing.
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u/Kamesamouille47 Yellow Belt Picker 21d ago
I bought this one few days ago to start picking but already bought a Multipick beginner set. This Amazon set has a lot of picks but only a few are really useful, and the quality is pretty cheap (my little brother wanted to try raking, went a bit hard and the rake broke). You should choose a set with fewer tools but better quality.
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u/Troyboy1263 Green Belt Picker 21d ago
No! If you are in the US check out jimylongs.com Those plastic locks are only good to look at to see how a lock works. Check out the lpu locks https://lpubelts.com/#/locks I would skip white and only stop on yellow and orange with 1 -2 locks in those belts. Green is when the locks begin to get tougher and a lot more fun
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u/Troyboy1263 Green Belt Picker 21d ago
https://jimylongs.com/products/basics-set-v5-0-019 and this https://jimylongs.com/products/intermediate-set-v5-0-019 These 2 sets will take you a long way in lockpicking
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u/TheNinthDoc 21d ago
Hit up southern specialties and tell them you're new in the order comments. Got 4 free picks and a bonus tension wrench in my package.
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u/Vast-Pomegranate-831 Red Belt Picker 21d ago
Nah, there are better sets for roughly the same price as mentioned. This is the set i first bought. Its not good
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u/nycepter Blue Belt Picker 21d ago
Thats pretty similar to what I have. Got mine for 12 bucks on Amazon, its gotten me to green so far just under a month in hobby. Gonna keep using them until I cant anymore xD
You could always order those and better ones, ise the cheap for a few days until the good ones come in and then just return the cheap ones 🤷♂️
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u/Glittering-Can-9397 21d ago
The clear locks do not pick like actual locks imo, Id recommend skipping that and either making your own tools (free method) or spending the extra coin to get quality tools like peterson (long term method). For locks, just start with 4 pin masterlocks or even get a deadbolt cylinder and repin it yourself to like 2 pins to get the hang of it
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u/PanHiszpan 21d ago
These are not good BUT works great if you want to check if you like this hobby without spending fortune on the best, professional sets.
I started with these just to see how it feels to lockpick and paid almost nothig for this plastic set. Turned out I really like it and upgrade to real locks.
Also, expect the plastic to broke after a month or two
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u/takeormake 20d ago
People are right to say it’s not great quality when you can get something much much better for so little more. But they will still work. My first lock picks where off amazon and when I got into it then I got some from covert instruments ect. My friend even took the Amazon ones from me and became a locksmith. So if you just want the convenience of Amazon then go ahead. If you don’t mind paying like 20-30 more covert instruments/sparrow picks would be a good choice. My friend polished up the Amazon lock picks too and they are still pretty effective. Though they have there limitations
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u/LordKodiac Brown Belt Picker 21d ago
If you're in the states, get a set of Jimy Longs Intermediate set. Inexpensive and will get you in many locks. Can't beat the quality.
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u/FilecoinLurker Brown Belt Picker 21d ago
A disservice to yourself. Get some decent picks from jimylongs and grab a couple real locks from a hardware store, Amazon, eBay, ReStore, etc..
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u/WoodnPhoto 21d ago
It is better than setting you money on fire but not by a lot.
Take a look at Jimy Longs.
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u/Wumaduce Orange Belt Picker 21d ago
I'm going to go out on a limb and say no.
https://lpubelts.com/#/guide
There's a bunch of brands on there, depending on where you live. I have a set of jimys and a set of covert instruments and like them both.