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Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

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chris

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Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:35 pm

Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Not really a product review, just some up close pictures and descriptions of what comes in the Falle-Safe pick set. It's damn hard to find some decent up close pics and what not on the internet.

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The curves from shallow on the bottom to deep on the top.

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A view of one of the curve pick edge.

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Peterson Hook on the left, Falle Curve in the middle, Jruther2 pick on the right (sorry for the bend...those FF locks are brutal). The Jruther2 pick is a .025" Feeler Gauge. So compare sizes off of that. I can't remember the specific dimensions of Peterson...and I don't have a micrometer, so yeah.

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Progressive thick shafted hook picks.

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Two VERY thin shafted progressive hooks. Great for feedback, but not for heavy handed pickers.

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Thinner progressive hooks than the first set, good for getting under low cut pins.

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Three City Rakes (I think that is what they are called). I don't use them, I don't rake. They come with three different profiles of that rake though, I'm sure they work for what they are intended.

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Six non-adjustable TOK/BOK tension wrenches. They are double sided so you can hold them above or below the lock. They progress from shorter to large keyways, with thin and thick tangs (or whatever the fuck you call those things that actually go in the lock :mrgreen: ).

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These are the adjustable TOK/BOK tension wrenches. Same premise as the above set, but they are adjustable in case you find a lock that has an obscure small or large keyway.

Overall the set is really good. The feedback is great, they aren't too thin to where you need a handle or padding right off, but after extended use they can get pretty harsh to hold. People will hate on them because they can't be destroyed like some Peterson picks, but I haven't found a lock that I can't open with this set. The curves are great for getting past a low cut pin and applying direct pressure to one specific pin. The hooks are like any other hooks you get from other manufacturers. I think the best thing about this set is the TOK/BOK tension wrenches, they are amazing.

Anywho...this was a small write-up at the request of Jruther2, he wanted some better pictures than what you can find online, and the only distributors MBA and SafeVentures don't give any decent pictures at all.

Hope this works for you guys.
Last edited by chris on Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs...
See those kids standing by the lake...drop some napalm and watch them bake.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs.
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jruther2

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Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:45 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Thanks a lot Chris! Great pictures and details! I've wanted to see these up close for a long time.
"An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced."
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chris

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Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:47 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

No problem, I included your pick in the comparison, gahhhh sorry for the bends lol.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs...
See those kids standing by the lake...drop some napalm and watch them bake.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs.
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piotr

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Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:44 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Nice photos Chris. Just an addendum to Chris's write-up.

If you get the set from Safe-Ventures rather than MBA you also get the lever lock tools for standard (i.e. non-curtained) 2 and 3 lever locks:

Image

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On the plus side for MBA is that you can purchase the Falle tension tools on their own (US$70 IIRC).

I agree with Chris, the best thing in the set is the tension tools. Not only do they provide extraordinary tension control and feedback they also give you a place to position the fulcrum of the pick where the ward is too shallow (in these cases it is conventional to use your finger to rest the pick but this isn't as stable as the seat provided by the Falle wrenches).

All of the tools are nickel-plated so they don't corrode as a result of residual moisture from your fingers.

I congratulate Storm for having the vision to embrace both conventional and curve style pick designs. My aim/hope is to purchase all of the Storm hooks and curves (when they iron out the problems) and provide a mapping table from Falle-to-Storm so that hobbyists can compose a Falle-Safe equivalent set from Storm products at a hopefully lower cost. I am assuming that the Storm catalogue represents all of the curve/hook radii and extensions that are found in the Falle-Safe set.

<rant>
There is lots of shit talk on that other forum about the Falle-Safe basic set but it seems to originate almost entirely from the hacksaw blade grinding brigade that can neither afford nor obtain the set, don't have an understanding of basic metallurgy, are unable to acquire the light-handedness required to use the set and/or delude themselves into thinking they know better than John W Falle. Schuyler Towne seems to have become a champion for the prejudice against the Falle-Safe basic set and curve picks in general -- a prejudice which he appeared to have acquired from his early days on lp101 from certain members (which I won't name). This is an odd position for him to hold because the original TOOOL set was heavily influenced by the Falle-Safe basic set and included both Falle-Safe style curves and more traditional picks. Even Peterson's introduced a deep curve style pick. Strangely, Schuyler Towne is fond of the offset diamond. The original name for the offset-diamond pick is the DeForrest Pick because it was designed by Bill DeForrest). I say "strangely" because the design principle behind the DeForrest is the same as that behind a deep curve pick -- this irony seems to have escaped Schuyler. Schuyler Towne doesn't know DeForrests first name and consistently misspells Bill DeForrest's surname -- this is poor form for a self-proclaimed student of the history of locksmithing. In a bizarre display of cognitive dissonance Schuyler has included a deep curve in his Open Locksport kit but it has a diamond on the end of it! You can see it here pathetically snapped in half and held together by a piece of sticky-tape. This is a begrudging concession that deep curves do have their place but including a deep curve without a half-diamond (or half-circle) on the end of it would have represented contradictiing several years of anti-Falle garbage. In case you are wondering, I do hope that Schuyler eventually gets his kit to market and I will buy a set. I wish him well but I don't appreciate his blind parroting of the junk he picked up from his early mentors on lp101.

The Falle philosophy in relation to pin-tumbler lock picking is that all that is needed is hooks, probes and curves. No diamonds or half-circles, offset or straight. This picking philosophy appears to be vindicated by the tool choice of the majority of top pickers on this forum. The pick of choice appears to be the hook -- certanily different makes, different metals, different radii, different heights -- but nevertheless hooks. I don't often see the diamond being used to pick a difficult lock and I see the half-circle even less frequently.

Yes I am a bastard -- now you know :)
</rant>
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chris

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Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:00 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

well if you say you are a bastard for believing that, then sign me up as a bastard too. I have found that the majority of people that have some sort of hatred for Falle picks are the one's that either can't afford them (not that I agree with the 300 price tag, they are great...but that's a lot) or the one's that have never touched them and seem to know how the curves and thin hooks are going to respond inside a lock. I have Peterson, Sparrows, homebrew, and Falle picks that are in my "go-to" set of picks. I'm not a definite fan of one brand over another. I'm a firm believer that whatever pick opens the lock for you is the one that you should go for. If a Southern Specialties hook opens a lock for you, and works for you, by all means use it. If a Peterson opens locks for you, use it. By all means, branch out and try new things, but use what works for you.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs...
See those kids standing by the lake...drop some napalm and watch them bake.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs.
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Solomon

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Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:58 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Chris, I have a couple of falles that kokomo very generously sent me and I really like the feel of them. The no. 4 hook is fucking heaven, I love that thing... I'd love to have their entire set of hooks, although I couldn't justify paying for the whole kit cos I'm not fond of the curves, and it's very rare that you'd need the adjustable wrenches. Just my thoughts. If I could afford to just toss 180 quid away I'd definitely score a set though.

I haven't seen their lever picks before piotr, so thanks for the pics. They're pretty cool although they don't look the most user-friendly... tensioner is obviously designed so that it can be used bolt side aswell as lever side, but does it go in the top or bottom of the keyway though? If the picks are the same size as the rest of their stuff then I'm guessing it goes in the top of the keyway, but I guess it doesn't matter. I'm assuming since you'd use the picks with more of a lifting action that it wouldn't get in the way picking lever side, likewise for bolt side if it goes in the bottom. At any rate I'd hate to have to use that tensioner on a legge :shock:

I'm a bit confused abut the angled ones... they can't be for getting around warding cos they're not the right shape for that, so what are they actually for?
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chris

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Post Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:06 am

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Yeah I actually don't use the adjustable TW, but the non-adjustable ones I use all the time, they are great.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs...
See those kids standing by the lake...drop some napalm and watch them bake.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs.
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mastersmith

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Post Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:00 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

My set came from Mark Bates many years ago and did include the lever lock picks. They must have changed the set they now sell.
"All ye who come this art to see / to handle anything must cautious be...." Benjamin Franklin
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chris

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Post Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:04 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Yeah I think they tossed the lever lock picks from MBI since they are not nearly as prevalent in the U.S. The Safe Ventures UK set does include the lever lock picks.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs...
See those kids standing by the lake...drop some napalm and watch them bake.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs.
<<

happykill

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Post Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:55 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

excellent images, and writeup.. I think the most ive seen of these tools is old black and white template sheets. They really do look impressive tools. I'd love to give one of those tension wrenches a go some point down the road. :drool:

well done!
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sandman

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Post Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:07 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

piotr, your the smartest man i know, and are always willing to back up your shit with good info, thank you for that.

chris, lets consider creating a keypicking guild of bastards! really, just plain and simple, The Bastards, or Inglorious Bastards, or the Smart Asses, or the Asshats lol think about it, im in,
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chris

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Post Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:21 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Smart ASSAs, or xeo's favorite ASSAssinators.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs...
See those kids standing by the lake...drop some napalm and watch them bake.
Naaapaalm...sticks to kids...it sticks to the belly and it sticks to the ribs.
<<

nhoj_yelbom

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Post Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:28 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Nice pictures, thanks
Wanted TrioVing, ASSA, BiLock, Environmental Locks and Keys, Ingersoll
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Oldfast

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Post Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:54 am

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Very useful pictures & info to have as I begin expanding my arsenal. Thanks guys
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abroxis

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Post Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:43 pm

Re: Falle-Safe Picks for Jruther2 and Wolfspring

Came across this in my archives....

It was done by Sir Picksalot

Does it look lile a useable template or do you see problems.

I was hoping that someone with the actual tools could lay the tools over the template and compare how accurate they are ..
Oh yeah if you didn't know clicking on it makes it bigger
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