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In masterking, I have been playing with the progression & smallest master pin size. I have been doing this because I think larger master pins are better than the small ones.

What do you guy's think, if you have to use master pins, are the bigger one better, I hate those .28 that corbin uses for a # 1 master ?

Just a post out of boredom -

Small master pins....
While on a job working at a large apartment complex I was tasked with picking open units that needed to be inspected by the Fire Department. Yes proper notice was give to all parties.

Long story short I Jacked up several locks that had small master pins inside them. The pins would slip between the plug and cylinder housing.
When the tenants came home later that night they were unable to get in.

I didn't design the system.
I would stay away from small master pins if possible.
IMHO.

Thanks

If you are working with crap locks with loose tolerances like Kwikset I would agree with you. If you are working with decent quality locks it will be fine. I have done master key jobs with a couple hundred locks each most of the locks containing at least one .30 master pin and never had a problem.

When a master key system is designed, most recommend that you don't mix odd/even depths in the same chamber. This has a couple of benefits. The most important is to eliminate any "1" master wafers. You remove a lot of chance that a pin will wedge in the plug, and remove most possibility that the wrong key may be manipulated to operate. If not for that everyone would write to include these and increase the master system ALOT!

Yep, that is called a two step progression system. But that was actually designed to prevent cross keying. In other words as long as you follow the system no one key will accidentally work on a door not specifically pond to allow for that key. In a single step system cross keying will happen frequently.

I hate small pins, the bigger the less problems. Small pins wedging in cylinders and sticking up drivers in there chambers.

I think ASSA Maximum (and most of the earlier version) allows for one step progression. It's been a while since I took the class, but I'm sure that's what the instructor said.