Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:04 am
Ever wondered about those $5 pick sets?
I bought these out of curiosity as I've seen them on a number of sites, and I recently found myself drawn in by the variety of hooks. Not literally though, no need to bust out the first aid kit.
If you've trawled the net looking for picks, you're bound to have stumbled across these sooner or later. They go by the name Secure Pro, or Shalon, and are easily recognisable by their distinctive black plastic handles and flashy hooks swashbuckling their way through the air of "too good to be true". At the price of around 50 cents each, it's a natural assumption that they're crappy. So, let's have a look at what you get when you pay $5 for a set of picks. You actually might be surprised... I know I was.
There are 9 picks in total, plus one tension wrench. The tension wrench is the same as the 'Z' wrench you get with GOSO picks, only smaller. For all round use these are complete wank, although I find them to be perfect for big ABUS padlocks so they're not completely useless. Stash it just incase! Now, the real stuff... let's take a look at those hooks first.
The tangs look like they've been forcibly jammed into the handles and they don't all sit straight, but real men don't complain about things like that. They're comfortable to hold and the feedback is great, and while you probably wouldn't wanna flash them around at LockCon it's a hell of a little selection here. Short, long, steep and graduated angles - you can get around just about any bitting with these. They're about the same thickness as GOSO, which some people don't like, but I find they're fine unless you're planning to tackle ultra tight keyways or lots of crazy warding.
Strength wise, they seem about the same as GOSO aswell. There is plenty of flex side to side, so you won't bend them this way with normal use, but if you put too much force on them while picking they'll probably start to bend upwards... and of course once they bend even a little, they're gonna have to stay like that. So don't bend em! They can take some punishment when necessary, which is good, but they're probably not a good choice for heavy handed pickers who overdo it on a regular basis. As we all know, many high security locks need a good bit of tension to keep pins set properly - but you should be mindful that although they feel very strong, you should do your best not to overdo it unless really necessary.
Oh, and one more thing before I forget... some of these suckers will be bent when you get them. Obviously this isn't desirable, but you can still use them just fine... I wouldn't attempt to bend them straight as you'll just weaken the picks. 3 of mine were bent, and this is the worst you can expect to see:
Looks bad, but it really could be a hell of a lot worse. I tried this one out and it's still ok to use, so I wouldn't start a hissy fit over it. Now, let's see the other picks:
From top to bottom we have:
1. Another hook pick, but with a grooved tip. I assume this is so you can get onto the tip of the pins better, but after some experimenting I don't really like it. I find the feedback is a bit weird, although it might be good for newbies who have a hard time telling when they're on a pin. I'll probably file this one flat to add to the other hooks.
2. I dunno what the exact point of this is, but it's good for bypassing the latch in cheap padlocks such as tri circle. You can bypass the master 175 with it too.
3. Dimple rake!! GOSO and Klom both make one similar to this; it's too big for most keyways although it fits Kaba locks since they have zero warding. You can see a side view of it here. Klom also makes a flat dimple pick with small bumps on it which is great for more conventional dimple locks, why they don't just supply these instead of the big wavy thing is beyond me. Probably a cost issue.
4. Not sure about this one either. Yet again, Klom and GOSO both supply this type of pick aswell. I have yet to find a use for it, perhaps it's for wafer locks with staggered bittings.
Every pick manufacturer is guilty of tossing in filler picks to bulk their sets out and make them look more impressive, this one being no exception. Although these 4 filler picks are a much better selection than the stuff you usually see... It's refreshing not to have to look at a ball rake, 2 sizes of snake, or a crappy key extractor. As a matter of fact, this is a REALLY good set for beginners. If you wanna start picking, don't fancy paying out the ass for your first set, and you want to learn SPP without the rakes gazing up at you and tempting you, grab a set.
They're also handy to have if you already know what you're doing, and want a set of hooks that won't cause heart failure if you bend one. There are times when I need to use more pressure than normal but the Petersons are too big, and I'm scared of bending my Southord slimlines... so these are a fantastic middle ground. They'd never be my one and only set, but they're nothing to scoff at either.
Just to finish, I'll do some pros and cons...
Pros:
- Great selection of hooks
- Filler picks are actually useful
- Good feedback
- They feel very sturdy
- Can take a beating and you won't shit yourself if one breaks because...
- They're extremely cheap! But...
Cons:
- You can tell. They look and feel very cheap, and are poorly put together
- Some picks bent on arrival
- Too thick for highly warded or extra tight keyways
- The tension wrench supplied is complete crap so if you don't already have your own wrenches or the means to make some, the set as a whole just fails
- There is no case supplied
- No standard rakes or half diamond (I don't like em but they do come in handy)
Hope this has been helpful!
- Solomon
If you've trawled the net looking for picks, you're bound to have stumbled across these sooner or later. They go by the name Secure Pro, or Shalon, and are easily recognisable by their distinctive black plastic handles and flashy hooks swashbuckling their way through the air of "too good to be true". At the price of around 50 cents each, it's a natural assumption that they're crappy. So, let's have a look at what you get when you pay $5 for a set of picks. You actually might be surprised... I know I was.
There are 9 picks in total, plus one tension wrench. The tension wrench is the same as the 'Z' wrench you get with GOSO picks, only smaller. For all round use these are complete wank, although I find them to be perfect for big ABUS padlocks so they're not completely useless. Stash it just incase! Now, the real stuff... let's take a look at those hooks first.
The tangs look like they've been forcibly jammed into the handles and they don't all sit straight, but real men don't complain about things like that. They're comfortable to hold and the feedback is great, and while you probably wouldn't wanna flash them around at LockCon it's a hell of a little selection here. Short, long, steep and graduated angles - you can get around just about any bitting with these. They're about the same thickness as GOSO, which some people don't like, but I find they're fine unless you're planning to tackle ultra tight keyways or lots of crazy warding.
Strength wise, they seem about the same as GOSO aswell. There is plenty of flex side to side, so you won't bend them this way with normal use, but if you put too much force on them while picking they'll probably start to bend upwards... and of course once they bend even a little, they're gonna have to stay like that. So don't bend em! They can take some punishment when necessary, which is good, but they're probably not a good choice for heavy handed pickers who overdo it on a regular basis. As we all know, many high security locks need a good bit of tension to keep pins set properly - but you should be mindful that although they feel very strong, you should do your best not to overdo it unless really necessary.
Oh, and one more thing before I forget... some of these suckers will be bent when you get them. Obviously this isn't desirable, but you can still use them just fine... I wouldn't attempt to bend them straight as you'll just weaken the picks. 3 of mine were bent, and this is the worst you can expect to see:
Looks bad, but it really could be a hell of a lot worse. I tried this one out and it's still ok to use, so I wouldn't start a hissy fit over it. Now, let's see the other picks:
From top to bottom we have:
1. Another hook pick, but with a grooved tip. I assume this is so you can get onto the tip of the pins better, but after some experimenting I don't really like it. I find the feedback is a bit weird, although it might be good for newbies who have a hard time telling when they're on a pin. I'll probably file this one flat to add to the other hooks.
2. I dunno what the exact point of this is, but it's good for bypassing the latch in cheap padlocks such as tri circle. You can bypass the master 175 with it too.
3. Dimple rake!! GOSO and Klom both make one similar to this; it's too big for most keyways although it fits Kaba locks since they have zero warding. You can see a side view of it here. Klom also makes a flat dimple pick with small bumps on it which is great for more conventional dimple locks, why they don't just supply these instead of the big wavy thing is beyond me. Probably a cost issue.
4. Not sure about this one either. Yet again, Klom and GOSO both supply this type of pick aswell. I have yet to find a use for it, perhaps it's for wafer locks with staggered bittings.
Every pick manufacturer is guilty of tossing in filler picks to bulk their sets out and make them look more impressive, this one being no exception. Although these 4 filler picks are a much better selection than the stuff you usually see... It's refreshing not to have to look at a ball rake, 2 sizes of snake, or a crappy key extractor. As a matter of fact, this is a REALLY good set for beginners. If you wanna start picking, don't fancy paying out the ass for your first set, and you want to learn SPP without the rakes gazing up at you and tempting you, grab a set.
They're also handy to have if you already know what you're doing, and want a set of hooks that won't cause heart failure if you bend one. There are times when I need to use more pressure than normal but the Petersons are too big, and I'm scared of bending my Southord slimlines... so these are a fantastic middle ground. They'd never be my one and only set, but they're nothing to scoff at either.
Just to finish, I'll do some pros and cons...
Pros:
- Great selection of hooks
- Filler picks are actually useful
- Good feedback
- They feel very sturdy
- Can take a beating and you won't shit yourself if one breaks because...
- They're extremely cheap! But...
Cons:
- You can tell. They look and feel very cheap, and are poorly put together
- Some picks bent on arrival
- Too thick for highly warded or extra tight keyways
- The tension wrench supplied is complete crap so if you don't already have your own wrenches or the means to make some, the set as a whole just fails
- There is no case supplied
- No standard rakes or half diamond (I don't like em but they do come in handy)
Hope this has been helpful!
- Solomon
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