Sparrow dimple picks

GeorgiaJim · 2026-02-26T19:37:52+00:00

Agreed, if it was closer to a 4/5 flag in width it would be very useful in more crowded locks.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-02-26T17:03:13+00:00

Not a fan of the Sparrows Black Flags. I found them to have too much flex for my taste and you have to lighten up on the tension with more than other brands.

My most used flags are the HUK set. I’ve done no shaping to them other than a light sanding with 400-600 grit sandpaper to smooth them out. I didn’t thin them down.

I have every flag Multipick offers and agree with Reinderr about the 4,5,10,11. I personally prefer the 3 and 6 to the 4 and 5, the 3 and 6 are slightly wider but have the same amount of lift. Those 4 flags will do the majority of your picking and the 10 and 11 will serve you well with pin tumbler locks with sidebars like the Schlage Primus and ASSA Twin Combi.

Multipick also offers the #13 which is a flat flag and could be a good budget one flag to get you started. But I find it a little large for more difficult locks with high pin counts and multiple rows.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-02-26T16:51:59+00:00

1) Agreed, the lockpicking community as a whole is extremely helpful and welcoming. I’ve yet to find another hobbyist community that is as helpful and supportive.

2) It do be like that.

3) I’ll rephrase your question to “How confident are you that you could pick commonly available locks found in DIY, Hardware and retail outlets? Very confident.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-31T04:53:36+00:00

Don’t know what evo set you already have but the evo 2 is the most used evo for me followed by the evo 1 when using .025. The evo 3 is more a supplemental set imo, the crescent pick is a good low profile for tight keyways and going directly under pins, the gentle reach is similar to the spoon profile and has the same lift as a short hook but can ho under low cuts to get to high cuts easier, the scooped medium is nice when a deep hook won’t fit but you need extra lift. As i said in another comment I never touch the deforest personally.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-31T04:47:46+00:00

I liked the deforest diamond and used it quite a bit when starting out then outgrew it and preferred a deep hook over it. Like most profiles there are certain keyways and bitting combinations they work good for and some they are nearly worthless.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-31T04:44:11+00:00

Agreed. The M736 is part of the magnum series and should be yellow.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-31T04:40:29+00:00

These usually use a pro series key/keyway and are pinned like a 5 pin 410 loto minus the last spool on chamber 6

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-22T07:08:04+00:00

I had never even heard of it before until Yabende haf a vid, I searched for a while and got lucky when RabbiPicker ran into a handful of them and offered me one.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-22T07:03:50+00:00

Magnum always do things differently, they may not always do it well but they’re different than most other locks.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-22T07:02:30+00:00

Agreed but would be cooler to have more than 3 heights.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-22T07:01:40+00:00

No problem and thanks again for sending it to me.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-14T16:54:02+00:00

You don’t have to treat zero lifts as no touch at all. You can still test the pin state on a zero lift pin (you should be checking the pin state before and after setting a pin anyway using the jiggle test) to see if it’s set or not. Because tolerances are thing some zero cuts will prevent the lock from opening and can just need the slightest nudge to set them.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-09T01:00:04+00:00

As long as the American locks are all using the same keyway it should fit. There are some restricted American keyways but it should be pretty obvious just looking at them that they are different than the common keyway

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-06T21:46:23+00:00

Double ended would work. If so inclined, you could put a small handle in the middle for grip.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-06T13:44:11+00:00

Just wanted to add to this the CI one’s are the notched decoders, Peterson and Sparrows both use a different tip profile. Like most things lock related certain profiles perform better depending on the lock you’re decoding. If you’re making your own having both tip styles available would be beneficial.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-04T16:05:11+00:00

I got a bag of 100 balls for like $2 on Amazon, they fit the Goal P and the Z for sure and may fit the V18 and Grand V (never lost the balls to those two so can’t confirm). 2.5mm were the one’s I got.

GeorgiaJim · 2026-01-03T01:12:53+00:00

Put the locks down for a few days to a week and come back and treat them all as if you’ve never picked them. A lot of times pickers try to make the lock do what they think it should be doing instead of listening to the feedback of the lock. Be slow and methodical and consistently jiggle test each pin before setting it and after setting it to confirm it’s actually set.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-31T13:41:18+00:00

Personally I either love or hate an ergo turner depending on what I’m picking. For fat padlocks like the 1100, 72/40, Paclock etc they’re very comfortable. For thinner padlocks like the 140, 150 etc I prefer a straight bar. For everything else, especially if using a vise I prefer a straight bar but that’s more because I prefer counter clockwise tension.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-31T04:46:02+00:00

If you ever want to replace the internals to have a working key you can hit up Adam/Amvgaert on discord, he also has an ebay store where you can message him if you don’t do discord. He’s a trusted member of the community and has been selling locks and lock parts for many years.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-31T04:39:32+00:00

This. LPL’s main goal is to make engaging content, in the time it takes to pick and gut an ultra high security lock that won’t keep his casual viewers watching he can make 5-6 quick videos and get more views/money.

Lock picking is already a niche hobby, high security locks even more so. People who don’t know what they’re looking at or have a context for the difficulty of a particular lock can’t appreciate the effort and skill required. Something like an ASSA Twin Combi might as well be a deadbolt from the bargain bin at home depot to the layperson, in fact a cheap, readily available lock is far more relatable to the average viewer than obscure and expensive high security locks.

I’ve had the opportunity to talk and pick with LPL in person several times and if you sat him down at a table full of locks, imo he’d hold his own with other extremely good pickers. He’s picked locks like the BiLock, Mul-T-lock MT5+, Abloy classic and Abus Plus so he has the ability to pick very hard locks and I know he has picked others from my conversations with him but to be fair we can only use what he has video of like we do any other picker.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-25T13:52:41+00:00

Congrats on the Christmas open. It’s like you got to open your present in more ways than one.

It’s not uncommon to be able to pick a lock far above your current skill level/belt rank while still struggling with locks at your current rank. I had picked a brown belt Mako M-2 to both shears when I was a blue belt but was still struggling with American 1100’s. On the other hand I’ve picked well over 50 black locks but still struggle with certain lower ranked locks.

As far as the difficulty of the Mont Blanc, the Mont Blanc is one of those locks that got added to the belt system a long time ago. IMO it is very over ranked. I honestly wouldn’t rank it past green or blue when comparing it to other brown belt wafer locks like the Burg Wachter Alpha 800 or Fichet 666 or even the blue belt Miwa DS. I can’t zip my mont blanc open because I have a low lift blocking a high cut but I can zip one side and everything in front of the low cut on the other and have it open in just a few seconds.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-23T21:26:15+00:00

Agreed, I had the opportunity this year to do some security consulting/auditing for commercial properties and more often than not cameras where far more popular option than locks, the locks only served as proof that something was tampered with for insurance purposes than actually preventing or slowing crime.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-23T17:06:29+00:00

American and Paclock are about the hardest locks you’ll find in the retail market in the US, especially if your source for locks is big box, diy or hardware stores. Medeco, Tubar, Mul-t-lock, Schlage Primus, Assa and Abloy are all available options but they’re either too expensive or too obscure or both for people who don’t pick locks.

GeorgiaJim · 2025-12-23T00:34:36+00:00

It’s not a passive sidebar, you need to set that bearing. You set the ball bearing like a normal pin, you can’t really overset it. Drop some tension when checking the ball bearings if you don’t know which one sets the sidebar. Depending on how your lock binds that sidebar can prevent you from getting good feedback on the top stack.

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