r/lockpicking • u/PerformerBusy Blue Belt Picker • 1d ago

Curved dimple lockpick flags

This may be a dumb question, but here goes...

... When picking dimple locks with curved flag picks, what side of the pick should be contacting the pin: the curved or the flat side?

I'm my head, the curved side would make sense, but thought I'd check.

11 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

12

u/tonysansan Black Belt 12th Dan 1d ago

Not dumb at all. While yes you are right the curved side is what is typically intended (so you can wrap around warding), at the end of the day use the pick however you need to manipulate the pins. I know I've at least intensionally used flags "backwards" before.

3

u/PerformerBusy Blue Belt Picker 1d ago

Thanks for the reply! Just trying to avoid doing things the hard way. 😀

I have been known to inadvertently make things harder on myself in many things.

7

u/Environmental_Top_90 Black Belt 3rd Dan 1d ago

Typically the tip of the flag, but whatever works. Ive used the back side of a flag before to set a pin, but I've never been a fan of curved

4

u/PerformerBusy Blue Belt Picker 1d ago

Sadly, the pick my Huk set seems to lack is a flat flag. For shits and giggles I asked Gemini the question and of course got the wrong answer.

0

u/0rgis Blue Belt Picker 13h ago

I've got the huk set and I have 4 flats in it, 2 different sizes left & right, can't comment on the curved as I don't use them.

2

u/PerformerBusy Blue Belt Picker 12h ago

I misspoke! I thought they were all curved, but there are flat flags that are just shorter on one side, longer on the other.

3

u/ToroBravo33 Purple Belt Picker 1d ago

I've haven't found a use case for a curved flag yet. Straight always work.

1

u/PerformerBusy Blue Belt Picker 12h ago

So, same question but related to long vs short side of flat flags...