Whether you’re looking to buy your first picklock kit ock picking set or expand an existing one, a good picklock kit will contain everything that a beginner needs to get started and progress quickly. It should include a variety of picks, tension tools and raking tools. A quality set should also include a practice lock or two to test out the tools and learn how to use them.

There are many types of lock picks, but for beginners it’s best to stick with a few standard options. Picks like hooks, rakes and half diamonds are the basic building blocks of a lock pick set. For more advanced practitioners, there are specialized picks such as the deforest diamond and offset rake.

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A hook pick is narrow and pointy, allowing it to reach into the key pins of a lock cylinder. This type of pick is great for single-pin picking and raking. A short hook is slimmer and more agile than a hook but is not as precise. It’s a great choice for tight locks with heavy-ish warding or paracentric keyways.

A gem is a pick that has the wide reach of a short hook with the agility of a short rake. It can even be used for very long pins in a rear pin stack. Its slim shape makes it easy to pivot and curve around pin stacks, reducing pin slippage and making it easier to set the very short pins in the back of the lock.