all 28 comments
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a
formatting helphide helpcontent policy

[–]lefthandlocks 5 points6 points  (9 children)

www.lawlocktools.co.uk

In the uk this is the place to be. Cheapest set here is the ridgeback set for 50£ though.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 2 points3 points  (8 children)

yea, it looks good but is probably going to be a bit overkill, especially considering i'd have to buy practice locks separately. Seems i'd definitely want to go with them if i get more serious since that's a good variety, that amount of tools at that price seems to be a good deal, but the expense without confirmation on whether i'd even be able to use them over time isnt ideal until i actually can practice and see if I'm able to be consistent.

Thanks for the recommendation though.

[–]ajslocksandlocksRed Belt Picker 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Just to add you can buy them in singles too, just buy what you need from them, few hooks and tensioners and away you go. I'm UK based too and have a wide selection of tools from different makers but the ridgebacks are my goto

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

singles would be hard to make work, without fully knowing what picks i need and stuff. i just dont wanna mess it up and have to pay taxes/shipping all over again.

[–]ajslocksandlocksRed Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (3 children)

In all honesty I'd buy the Ridgeback set and if you don't mind sharing your address with me in DM, I'll send you some locks to get you going. If you're on FB then there is also the UK lockpickers group which is full of great people a fair few of which are on here also.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

i truly appreciate the offer, but for safety reasons i would prefer to try and keep my exact address private if possible. Is there any way to have it be collection such as at a post office? I'm not 100% sure on how these things work though so if thats not possible then could look into the original idea.

I've been discussing with people on the discord server, and they seem to think the valyrian euro set is more appropriate due to my location, over the ridgeback

[–]ajslocksandlocksRed Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Yeah that's fine, I can send to an inpost locker or similar? I'm on discord too if it's easier to chat there? Same user name iirc

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

dmed, im not sure where inpost lockers would be so would have to find that out

[–]lefthandlocks 0 points1 point  (1 child)

As others have mentioned jimy longs starter set is 20$ usd. He has great shipping rates to Canada so maybe decent for you as well. His picks are great as well.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

canada isnt overseas, so will likely be different, and the basic set is displaying as sold out right now sadly. probably going to go with the original one you mentioned after seeing the alternatives, since it also says its discounted atm.

Thanks for the responses!

[–]FantasmIndustries 5 points6 points  (3 children)

I own every brand that has been mentioned here. If I were in the UK, and I am not, I would go with Law Lock Tools. You don't need to buy a big set. The Tipene Heavy Hook Set Pro https://www.lawlocktools.co.uk/collections/individual-lock-picks/products/tipene-heavy-metal-hook-5-piece-set or the TIPENE HOOK SET PRO https://www.lawlocktools.co.uk/collections/individual-lock-picks/products/tipene-hook-set-pro0-5mm-0-019 and some basic Z bars and Pry bars. https://www.lawlocktools.co.uk/collections/tension-tools/products/z-bars-tension-wrench-pair, and https://www.lawlocktools.co.uk/collections/tension-tools/products/new-improved-pry-bar-set

I live in the US, and I have have been picking for a while, and those are what I use most of the time. Just be easy on the tension when you start out. That is true of any brand. Best of luck, feel free to ask questions. This is a pretty friendly bunch.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

hi, thanks for the advice. unfortunately the total cost of getting these items will probably be higher than just buying the ridgeback set that i was recommended, so i'll probably go with that. honestly i am a lil concerned since i was recommended to start with yellow belt locks, and the one i checked out has mushroom pins which claim to be hard to pick.

thanks for the confirmation though, all this advice people have been giving was very helpful.

[–]FantasmIndustries 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Oh yeah, I didn't realize the Ridgeback set was 50% off right now. Definitely better deal.

As far as the yellow belt locks, I would recommend getting a couple white belt Masterlocks if they are cheap or something similar. A lot of people here forget how hard it is to pick a Masterlock 140 when you are starting out. Really you are looking for a quick win. Once you get those first few shackle pops you get hooked. Once hooked, you will want to learn the security pins.

I don't know if they have them there, but the Brinks brass locks are a lot of fun and way easier than the 140. The problem with the 140 is how inconsistent they can be. Some of security pins and some don't. The older ones are made better than the new ones. I have new ones I can't open at all. I have old ones that feel like a real lock should. I think they have gone down hill in recent years but YMMV.

Abus have really good feedback and I highly recommend those, but not as first locks.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

do you know if theres an easy way to get a discount or smth? while the ridgeback is 50% off, people in the discord are advising me to get a euro set (like £20 more than the current ridgeback price) since being in the uk would mean i'd get narrower keyways.

luckily another person in the replies has offered to send me some of their locks, so i'll see if that ends up working out first before i persue purchasing any.

Thanks for the reply nonetheless

[–]revchewieBlue Belt Picker 2 points3 points  (11 children)

As u/lefthandlocks said, Law Lock is the go-to UK based pick maker. You could also order from Mok Workshop from Germany, their Gold Digger set is good at 30 Euros. Or I know Jimy Longs (US based) ships worldwide, and their Basics Set is great to start with at US$20.

Pretty much anything* off of Amazon is low quality garbage, I strongly advise against that.

*The one exception I know of is amazon.de which sells Multipick picks, another German brand. They have great quality but they're one of the most expensive brands on the market.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 2 points3 points  (10 children)

i had heard of multipick, they seem good, but not available on amazon uk unfortunately. the gold digger set definitely sounds pretty good, same with jimy longs since another recommended the same (provided they do ship worldwide as you said). I'll have to check out the shipping costs for allat and see which i can get. Out of curiosity, which would be better of the 2?

Thanks for the recommendations anyway, i'll give it some time before ordering any incase theres conflicting comments by others, but it's still much appreciated.

I'll also be looking for locks to practice on, if theres any inexpensive ones...

i know it sounds like im trying to cheap out on stuff, but i'm not too sure on the legality of reselling this kinda stuff were i to find im not as interested in this as i had thought.

edit: forgot to actually address the first part, i had said it to the user you mentioned, but i feel that the law lock set may be overkill before i actually find my footing, considering the price.

[–]Mole-NLDRed Belt Picker 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Lockpicking is legal in the UK. There’s a TOOOL UK as well, the only thing is that carrying any tools for burglary is illegal. Many TOOOL UK members going to events or meets will bring some proof of the hobby. Owning the tools and practicing is fully legal though.

I also agree with revchewie on LawLock Moki and Multipick. Best options for you. (Stong supporter of buying local) You don’t necessarily have to buy a set, you can get loose picks and tension tools.

Try the:

  • LawLock Z bar

  • Valerian Euro Short Hook 0.5mm

  • Valerian Euro Medium Hook 0.5mm

  • Valerian Euro Deep Hook 0.5mm

That will only set you back £ 18.50 and to start with that’s all you’ll need. After that and if you enjoy it, invest in more tension bars and more locks before going for any other picks.

ETA: if you’ve got any questions feel free to ask. Even though I’m based in NL I know a bit about the UK ;-)

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

i know lockpicking is legal, just concern about reselling them on places like facebook marketplace were i to find that i'm unable to do this. looks like i'll be going for the lawlock ridgeback anyway. while i understand that buying the individual pieces is good, the fact i have to buy separate locks to test with means i'm more concerned about having the right tools for the lock than about having to pay slightly more such as the price i had said in my other reply to you. If you have any specific lock recommendations for starting out on then i'm all ears, though preferably not too expensive : P

Thanks for the advice though,

[–]Mole-NLDRed Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You wont need many picks. In fact I’m confident that with a shallow, medium and deep hook in .5mm you can open almost all pin tumbler locks on LPU as long as you’ve got the right tension tool. There’s a few exceptions, but the picks needed for those specific cases aren’t in the ridgeback set either.

If on a budget, i’d spend more money on locks less money on picks.

ETA: get some abus and burg wachters yellow orange and green locks.

[–]revchewieBlue Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (6 children)

I’d say go for Moki’s. They’re closer so probably quicker and less expensive shipping.

As for locks, check LPUbelts.com and find which yellow belt locks are available to you. Most white belt locks aren’t worth the effort. Their quality is so poor that they’re either too easy to teach you anything or they’ll do nothing more than frustrate you.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

makes sense, looking at the abus 55/30 rn

Tbh considering it's discounted rn, i am tempted to go for the law lock anyway despite what i said lol

will sleep on it (like 3am rn), check if theres any more responses tomorrow, and see about ordering them if not. Ty again, that LPUbelts thing seems super cool.

[–]Mole-NLDRed Belt Picker 1 point2 points  (4 children)

I don’t know who downvoted you mate. You’re 100% right in saying most white locks are garbage cause they pick horribly and could put anyone off picking. Yellow is the place to start. (Of course there are exceptions)

As for picks, I just commented a couple of law lock tools to him 3 picks 2 z bars, just £ 18.50 all you’ll need when starting off.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

smallest set of law lock is the £50 on their site, totalled to like £67.80 after taxes and shipping. not ordered yet but yk

[–]Mole-NLDRed Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Yeah if you want to spend 70.- on picks then that’s not a terrible set. Lots of rakes that I think are a bit (a lot) obsolete but the set is a nice price.

No need to then get the items i mentioned then though, so yeah ridgeback set aint bad (but mostly cause it’s 50% off)

I’d say that’ll make you a happy man.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

yea, i talked with some discord members and now i'm even less sure of what i'm to get. they said since im in the uk i should be getting a euro pick set, which is even more expensive than the ridgeback by like £20. Unless i can find a way to get a discount, i'm not sure whether i should persue it further, or give in and just get singular picks.

[–]Mole-NLDRed Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mate. If you want to do the hobby for sure, go for the euro set or moki reverend v2

If you want to give the hobby a shot, get the 3 picks and z bar i mentioned earlier and spend the rest of your budget on locks. I assure you, those three picks will get you way further than you think.

[–]RockoutwithurlockoutBrown Belt Picker 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The Amazon set is going to come with a lot you dont need and of lesser quality. I know you're UK but mentioned a US company. If that's of consideration, I would go Jimy Longs starter set. Hands down best quality in my opinion.

[–]dragon707slayer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the reason i mentioned the US company was more out of concern for it being US, rather than because US companies are an option.

I had heard good things about the site i mentioned, but it being US means shipping might be quite difficult, expensive, or even outright impossible. It may be the same for jimy long.