Using a vice vs. handheld...

[hellslave]

Something I've been wondering since I started picking a few months ago, is how much of a difference a vice makes when picking, as opposed to just holding the lock by hand. I've thinking about picking up a small vice from Amazon, but I'm not sure if it's something I would actually benefit from. The other issue I have with a vice, is the limition in where you can use it. Most of the time, I'm picking while relaxing on the couch and watching the news. Seems that would be kinda difficult with a vice.

So what are everyone's thoughts when it comes to using a vice vs. handheld?

[xeo]

Use a vice always when practicing. It is harder than holding a lock in your hand and gives you the most realistic experience of picking in the wild aside from mounting the lock in a practice board, mortise hardware or door. Do this for padlocks as well, but do try picking padlocks in your hand as that is how you will most likely encounter them in the wild, hanging on a hasp that you'll need to grip with 1 hand and pick. Using a vice also lets you hone your tension control skills and makes you pay more attention to feeling the feedback through your tensioner, and not from the shell of a lock in your hand.

[Josephus]

Xeo knows all and is the Captain of the Vice Squad.

Don't be lazy and just pick handheld. I do it too much and it hinders development. Using a vice makes picking more consistent, but slower. Anyway, I replied just to say to get a vice that clamps to something, mounts to something, or has a big base. I have the bessey suction vice. Great for portability, but it is too top-heavy. When it can't get a good seal you have to hold it steady and putting your hand over a lock to hold it down certainly is not at all realistic. Get the Stanley multi-angle or similar.

[hellslave]

I was actually looking at a bessey vice to use at my dining table (my only "work" area that I have), as anything that has to clamp to its resting surface isn't an option, unfortunately.

[escher7]

I have a steel vacuum base adjustable vice with rubber non-marring slide-on cushions for the jaws. A heavy, polished, non-porous granite base keeps it steady and the vacuum holds for at least 1/2 hour. Just for fun and because it has an attachment to hold a Dremel, I have been looking at the Dremel Multi-vise. It definite is not as strong as my vacuum base vice, but for light work it seems to be perfect. Besides holding the Dremel tool the jaws open wide for small boxes and other shapes you would normally need a clamp for.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-2500-01-Ro ... B000P4W3LU

[xeo]

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-83-069M-M ... B000UOJF66

This is the vice I have been using for a very long time. It is able to clench with unwavering vigilance the most vile and wicked locks. It can also withstand 100,000 PSI, can be submerged to 1000 bars and will survive 2000 degree temperatures. It is heavy enough to be used as a melee weapon and light enough to throw across the room when you're trying to pick a lock customized by Farmerfreak.

On a more serious note, it is a kickass vice. It has lasted high abuse by me and has held hundreds of locks. The grip is very tight and the vice is pretty versatile, it can be angled almost in any orientation. The rubber grips have also held up fine. It clamps to your table from the side.

[Farmerfreak]

http://www.amazon.com/Bessey-BVVB-Vacuum-Base-Vise/dp/B0057PUR88 The Bessey vice looks identical to what I use at home. Don't worry about using the suction part, you never know when it will let go and it stands up fine without trying to suction it to a table. If you are picking a lock that requires more tension you may have to rest your hand on the lock to help prevent it from falling over.

I like it, I like how easy it is to move it around any time I want to move it. Probably all of the toughest most insanely difficult locks I've ever picked have been picked in that vice!

The difference between picking in a vice, hands, and "real world applications" is the comfort level. If you can pick a lock in either of those positions, odds are very high that you can pick that lock in the other positions. The hardest way to pick difficult locks is in your hands (padlock on a chain) because it isn't stable and your hands can cramp up. The main difference between a vice and a door, is that in the vice you can tip the lock back, sit down in a chair at a nice relaxed angle and be able to pick for hours.

Some people choose not to believe this, but a lock on a door picks exactly the same way as a lock in a vice. If you can pick a lock in a vice, then you can pick it on a door if you have the endurance to kneel down on the cement, and hold your hands up at eye level for however long it takes to pick the lock.

Edit: If you have a table you don't mind clamping the vice to, xeo's vice looks better than mine. I've been happy with mine so I haven't bothered getting a different one.

[xeo]

Hahaha, I knew mentioning Farmerfreak would bring him out of the woodwork!

[Farmerfreak]

Hahaha, I knew mentioning Farmerfreak would bring him out of the woodwork!

Now stop throwing my locks across the room. I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but you really shouldn't want them to punch holes in your walls..

[coldrake]

I hate to be that guy, but vice == drugs, gambling, women, and vise == table-mounted clamp... Unless you live in a commonwealth country (except Canada), in which case vice is correct. And they say English is hard to learn!

But yea, I own the Bessey vacuum vise as well and it works fine for pretty much all of my purposes. Be aware you have to have a smooth surface, like glass, stone, or a poly-varnished piece of wood.

[Deadlock]

I hate to be that guy, but vice == drugs, gambling, women, and vise == table-mounted clamp... Unless you live in a commonwealth country (except Canada), in which case vice is correct. And they say English is hard to learn!

I AM that guy and I can tell you there's no such word as ''vise'' in English! Might be in American though...

[GWiens2001]

I hate to be that guy, but vice == drugs, gambling, women, and vise == table-mounted clamp... Unless you live in a commonwealth country (except Canada), in which case vice is correct. And they say English is hard to learn!

I AM that guy and I can tell you there's no such word as ''vise'' in English! Might be in American though...

LMAO

Vise --- Vice
Defense --- Defence
Harbor --- Harbour
Color --- Colour
Caliber --- Calibre
Go f*** yourself --- Bugger off!

All with slightly different spellings, all meaning the same thing.

Gordon

[coldrake]

As an American studying in Canada, I use a ridiculous mix of "-or"/"-our" and "-er"/"-re" in most of my writing, and I never notice which one until after I press send/submit. Needless to say I frequently had marks deducted on English assignments.

[Farmerfreak]

I hate to be that guy, but vice == drugs, gambling, women, and vise == table-mounted clamp... Unless you live in a commonwealth country (except Canada), in which case vice is correct. And they say English is hard to learn!

I AM that guy and I can tell you there's no such word as ''vise'' in English! Might be in American though...

I can admit that I was spelling it incorrectly. But if it's in the dictionary I consider it to be a legitimate word.. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vise?s=t

[Josephus]

Damn good thread for a number of reasons. I built a work table for my networking equipment and servers. It has made me tempted to buy that Stanley for it. Only problem is I only have a 1 1/2in overhang. Is that enough for the Stanley or would I need to build out the top some more? Eventually the table is going to turn into a 12U sound dampening enclosure so I don't want to drill into the top.

Oh and English is a living language it has more words than any other and most of them are stolen. Also, disc vs. disk. I guess the most important thing is this quote I learned somewhere about journalism "The meaning of a communication is how it is received." If you know what they meant, it can't be wrong.