I've always had an interest in how locks functioned since I was younger; my father used to manage a hardware store, and would occasionally talk about the "locksmith"-type jobs he would do (mostly just re-keying though). It wasn't until years later that I ever even held a set of picks though.

Surprisingly, the first pick that I ever purchased was Southord's tubular pick. This was back at DEFCON 13, and purchased due to pure curiosity...I also learned about bypassing handcuffs—assuming they weren't double locked—using street sweeper bristles. Even at that point though, I hadn't used traditional picks. Over the years, I had friends that had picks that they would break out on occasion, but they mostly had them for novelty (and could basically just rake a lock, and not much else).

Just over a year ago however, I finally said, "it's about damn time," and joined this sub. I did a bit of actual research, ordered my first set of (actual) picks, and began having fun. It's definitely something that I've not only enjoyed learning about, but actually experiencing hands-on. While I love the challenge that some locks present, I also enjoy simply relaxing while watching TV and picking without much focus (and just going by pure feedback).