It’s never a bad idea to have the necessary skills to weave yourself in and out of situations using just the bare minimum of tools on hand. If you have the base skills, you can even get by with making your own set of tools in a dire situation if the opportunity presents itself. This is also the sign of a truly skilled locksmith.
But there are times when you will need a lock pick set of your own. So, to know what to consider when buying the best lock pick set, you should aim for your skill level as a baseline and then decide.
Rakes
Rakes serve one main purpose. They are shaped like a key and will move pins consecutively while holding the correct shape. This will allow you to move through the pins so that you can find out where they overlap or stop. By keeping an eye on them, you can progress forward beyond this step.
Hooks
These are the most tedious of all the instruments in a lockpicking set, as they are made for individual pins. What your rake does not catch, your hooks will, so long as you have one hook for each pin that didn’t get caught. This could be quite troubling if the locking system is more complex.
Half Diamond
Just like the rakes and hooks, a half diamond tool gently lifts the pins. It works best with larger locks, as it will have trouble fitting into the openings of certain locks. As such, this is considered a specialty piece in the set that’s generally used in special situations for operating larger padlocks.
Tension Wrench
Possibly the most important component of the whole system is the tension wrench. Once everything is in place and all the pins are moved, the tension wrench helps keep them all in place under tension. Without this piece, the whole system would not unlock.
There are a few other factors that go into owning a decent lock picking set that should not go unnoticed when thinking about what to consider when buying the best lock pick set. These factors include the material and the width.
If you’re using stainless steel, you know it won’t bend, break, tear, or warp. The width should be no less or more than 5/16ths at the rear of the handle and 1/16th at the tip. With the right training and consistency in the craft, you will find yourself successful in picking locks.
