Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:10 pm by Papa Gleb
What what is worth, Ill add some feedback and experience:
SPARROWS: Have their beginner set with no handles. Good start picks which needed sanding to round the edges as their picks are stamped out and sold. That was before they started selling individual picks so that may have changed because the individual boga and worm rake compared to the ones that came with the kit were different. They didnt need any sanding at all so like I said they may have added something to their production to smooth out the edges. They also started selling in 0.015. As for the handles, they are plastic thermo dipped which is nice on your hand but adds no strength to the pick thin metal handle so they will bend, not a big deal but doesnt feel as comfortable as a hard handle would.
HPC: Had a chance to get these picks for less $2 each so decided to give them a world. I got their cheapest picks not the stainless steel picks and I was just horrified. Aside from the nice handle, the picks came looking like they just had a horrible date with a grinder. The edges were all squire sharp but that wasn't even the worst, the shaft which is usually straight from handle to pick looked like this: O-M---M--------(HANDLE) that being a round snowman like pick. Looks like they were double stamped or something I dont know. I will give them another chance, sand them down and see how things work. Worst Ill trash them and re-use the handles which are much better than the picks. The metal felt weak and too flexible, not in a good way flexible.
PETERSON: Pure pleasure. I dont own or even played with every pick out there but Peterson picks are amazing. The plastic handle isn't super smooth plastic so it gives great grip and feel. The metal is just amazing strong and flexible. I have a hook that I used and abused but it has not snapped just bent a bit which can be easily bent back. I dont know what government steel is but its great. They do have some sort of way to round the edges however some sanding is still needed. Out of all of the ordered picks, just a few came with tiny indents which needed to be sanded. Not sure what that is or from. Their Bogota needed heavy sanding but compared to sparrows are pretty identical except with the hard handle I find it easier to work with. Their City Rake came smooth and ready to use no sanding needed. I have their .025 and .018 which are all great and strong. The 18 obviously wont take abuse as well as the 25 but surprisingly for such a tiny thin piece of metal, it takes abuse very well. Over all these a truly great picks well worth the money in my opinion and I wont be switching anytime soon. Matter of fact, they having a 20% discount until the 20th of December and I already took advantage of that.
SOUTHORD: Was placing an order for something and decided to add a few of these picks just to see how they are. I believe the ones I ordered are their expensive ones but the handles look exactly like the HPC handles which are pretty good. Much better than the sparrows pick handles.