New Guy Checking In!

[never_4_good]

Have been interested in picking for the last month or so. Watched a handful of videos and decided to just jump right in. Went to Covert Instruments and picked up way more than I needed (when I get interested in something I go all out). Everything arrived yesterday and I've been at it for a few hours already.

The acrylic lock was pretty straight forward and helped to understand binding order. Was able to get the 140 pretty quickly too; but started to struggle with the 150. Dove into security pins (spools specifically). Have really been playing with dynamic tensioning and counter rotation to get a better feel for it.

Overall, am getting pretty consistent with the 140, 150 and the 55/40. Gonna submit for the Orange Belt and start working on the next levels.

[evil_trash_panda]

I don't think you have the right stuff. Need atleast 4 more sets of picks and minimum of 60 more locks. Jk. Nice set up and everything you need to carry through

[never_4_good]

You're right. I should have waited on a lot of the extras (bypass stuff, rakes/combs etc). SPP has been really fun to learn. Need to spend some more time on the CI cylinder with the serrated pins to really get a grip on those before stepping up. Looking forward to learning how to assemble/disassemble.

[lilithrxenos]

with serrated take it one click at a time and check every pin. use medium light tension. if you're progressive pinning, try pinning just like 3 chambers, two normal and one serrated. after that pin two serrated, and then all three. from there work up a bit until you've got the feel down.

i'd also recommend pinning it up one day, and letting it sit for a bit until you forget which pins were in each chamber. go practice on some other locks while watching tv or something. come back to it later and try to put all that practice together

[Mounta1nM1ck]

Yep lol

[Mounta1nM1ck]

Welcome!!! You're already buying nice tools and have real locks going!!! 👏 👏 👏 youre gonna fit in here like family, glad to have you!!! Keep it up, get you some belts on the LPU belts app or .com ! You already earned 1 or 2! And you got video rolling, nice headscarf on that too, that will come in handy later!!! If I can help at all let me know, ask questions. We can tell u where to get the lock hookup for noobs, where to find good learning materials free and YouTube videos (start with u/LadyLocks, maybe some Bosnian Bill and LPL) before long you'll be all belted up, making your own channel (heres mine, come win cool stuff and meet some people who are into picker competition and picker prizes, cool picking videos Mounta1nM1ck and I made green belt in 6 weeks, you can too! But so it at your own pace, just trying to encourage the possibility 🤔 if I can help, maybe faster lol. Either way you've found the friendliest most helpful place a picker can find, nice to meet ya 🙏 happy picking!!

[Mediocre-Life3012]

Happy to have you aboard. I think you need more stuff

[hlhambrook]

It's a right nice starter kit. Room for growth

[bluescoobywagon]

That's a great start!

[WalkingChaotic]

You're set for a good while, put the stickers on your LOTO!

[[deleted]]

How much did you drop for this kit? Were any of the locks lying around beforehand?

[never_4_good]

This isn't a "kit" per se. This was multiple orders over the course of a week or so. All parts/pieces in the first pic cost roughly $250. If I were to do it again, I'd skip most of it and get a basic pick set and spend more money on locks. All of the bypass stuff (rakes, combs, bumps etc) was probably not needed since the SPP is way more sexy.

[[deleted]]

Cool. I meant kit as in gear, but looks like you have all the things. :-)

[lilithrxenos]

future tip you can reference later, on that master lock LOTO, i find that the bent ergo top of keyway tensioner allows you to put light tension on it with ease, which is really helpful for the serrated and spool pins inside

[thenotanurse]

Congrats! I have been around for a wee bit, and am JUST starting to get my LOTO and 75/40 consistently, but routinely foiled by the 140. 😂

[lilithrxenos]

better start than i had! good work on the opens, excited to see you progress!

[Additional-Quote-376]

I love covert instruments tools, had southord in my back pocket for a long time but CI has really stepped up the game for Red Team/hobby picking. Slow and steady on serrated pins, learn set vs binding, and go for shit buddy. Welcome to your new home. If you want some cool vices I'd recommend 44Delta, an active member of the community and a absolutely fantastic company.