Using a rake

[magician59]

I'm a long-time pro; so my objective is more often to get the job at hand done and move on to the next in a timely manner (you know..."Time is money"...blah blah).
I also recognize that there is more of a sense of accomplishment when we win by a higher skill, than by a more common method.
But in my bag-o-tricks, anything that gets the lock open is the method that I prefer. This includes the customer finding his key before I'm done.
So, I maintain my pracice with such methods as Key picking (using a randomly selected key as a rake); Bumping (usually my last resort); raking with a variety of interesting rake configurations; pick guns, both mechanical and electric; and, of course, magic!

[jailersmith]

Just drill the bastard, then talk about prison, back in the good old days. LOL

[chris]

Chris: All the Master padlocks I have in my collection, whose keys no longer work unless the keyway is held vertically, have crushed springs. All caused by indiscriminate use of a pick gun. This is a heads-up, and not a critique. Be careful if you choose to use a pick gun on a customer's lock.

I'm a long-time pro; so my objective is more often to get the job at hand done and move on to the next in a timely manner (you know..."Time is money"...blah blah).
I also recognize that there is more of a sense of accomplishment when we win by a higher skill, than by a more common method.
But in my bag-o-tricks, anything that gets the lock open is the method that I prefer. This includes the customer finding his key before I'm done.
So, I maintain my pracice with such methods as Key picking (using a randomly selected key as a rake); Bumping (usually my last resort); raking with a variety of interesting rake configurations; pick guns, both mechanical and electric; and, of course, magic!

I didn't take it as a critique, I agree with you. I bought the pick gun for the fun of trying something new (years ago when I was just beginning). I never use it, I'm pretty sure it is buried under a layer of dust somewhere. Another thing is I don't have customers since I am not an active locksmith, so I don't have to worry about that, though I can definitely see your point about smashing a customers springs and making the job longer and more expensive for them.

I agree that whatever is in your tool kit that gets the job done the quickest and most efficient for you, so you can move to the next job, is the right tool for the job. Locksmithing is a business, time is money, absolutely. I would use whatever got the job done faster, if it means whipping a city rake or S rake through a lock to open it in 2 seconds, then so be it.

I'm just a hobbyist so luckily I don't have to worry about that.