LocksmithArmy wrote:looks totally badass... prolly feels great... but hows the feedback... i cant imagine it transfers thru rope well
Cord is nylon, but fine. A bit like a course silk rope... ish. Knotwork is very tight. Traditionally used to make fenders for boats, especially inland waterways like canals. Obviously fenders are a lot bigger and the rope is too, but they're designed to last a good few months protecting the hull of a boat as it bumps in and out of locks. The locks are stone, concrete and brick and when there's 20 or 30 tonnes of boat bumping around it can do a lot of damage. The fenders are pretty tough and the knotwork really tight. It feels smooth, yet textured. Lighter than a rubber/plastic/metal handle. Because the cord is so tight the handle is solid, so feedback is little if at all different to a solid handle. The picks is gripped tight, so there's no twisting the handle and finding that the pick's not moving in the lock, just rotating in the handle.
If there's anything at all wrong with the pick, it's probably that it's a little too flexible for heavy-handed pickers or where a little more pressure than usual needs to be put on a pin. It glides in, but bends under a lot of pressure. Needs a light hand and a lock with pins that move with a gentle pressure. I've also found that it's not got a steep enough curve near the tip, so can't reach under low set pins to get the next pin if it's set high.
Other than that, it's really good. Small tip gets right under most pins and lifts them, even when it's not strong/curved enough to get in there and set them.
Thanks for the feedback guys. Happy to give more details if anyone wants to make their own handles. Real easy (when you know how).
Dave.