Pick set recommendations

[tooth]

what do you guys use your picks for??? apart from splinters?

I do a lot disassembly on my work bench. The picks are good for catching a small detent between 2 mated surfaces and separating, for leverage lifting small parts, to catch & hook zip ties, to grab snap clips on radiator & hydraulic lines on BMWs. Thats just scratching it. Basically a lot of people probably use flat tip screwdrivers to lift, pry when hook tools would work 10x better

 

[american lockpicker]

what do you guys use your picks for??? apart from splinters?

Picking locks.

 

[allinon72]

I went to Sears Hardware this morning to take a look at the Craftsman Professional set. I found them to be huge! The handles on those things were massive. Nice looking set, but too big for what I need.

I ended up with this set. Very similar to the Pratt Read in price and size. USA made...the package had a nice patina on it, which of course is what you're looking for when buying from Sears.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00941634000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[dieselmike]

picking crud out of screw/bolt holes, then blowing out with air, cleaning a thread, picking o-rings

i have used a set of red SK picks, and they all just come out of the handle. does not say USA on the handle. i refuse to buy snap-on because their handles are made in china, and therefore they cannot stamp "usa" on them. however snap on is ahead of the competition because of their molded case, which makes storage so much tidyer in the tool box

 

[jjjrmx5]

I went to Sears Hardware this morning to take a look at the Craftsman Professional set. I found them to be huge! The handles on those things were massive. Nice looking set, but too big for what I need.

I ended up with this set. Very similar to the Pratt Read in price and size. USA made...the package had a nice patina on it, which of course is what you're looking for when buying from Sears.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00941634000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

LOL.

Picks come in two sizes, small and large, with the smalls also usually having a set with long pick ends in addition to normal length.

You'll end up using all 3 at some point in time.

For the short pic sets, I abhore the handle end of the Sears set you list above, so in addition to S-O, I have several sets of the Kobalt picks as back ups and the handle is a normal ergonomic grip type, not the long black gripless "smoked sausage" type. They Kobalts have served me well for years and are about the same price shown in ur link.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

picking crud out of screw/bolt holes, then blowing out with air, cleaning a thread, picking o-rings

i have used a set of red SK picks, and they all just come out of the handle. does not say USA on the handle. i refuse to buy snap-on because their handles are made in china, and therefore they cannot stamp "usa" on them. however snap on is ahead of the competition because of their molded case, which makes storage so much tidyer in the tool box

I just took a look at my Snapon set and they are clearly stamped USA.

 

[jjjrmx5]

I just took a look at my Snapon set and they are clearly stamped USA.

Hahaha.

So did I.
My orange hard-handle set is stamped USA as well.

 

[Sancho]

LOL.

Picks come in two sizes, small and large, with the smalls also usually having a set with long pick ends in addition to normal length.

You'll end up using all 3 at some point in time.

For the short pic sets, I abhore the handle end of the Sears set you list above, so in addition to S-O, I have several sets of the Kobalt picks as back ups and the handle is a normal ergonomic grip type, not the long black gripless "smoked sausage" type. They Kobalts have served me well for years and are about the same price shown in ur link.

Different strokes for different folks, I hate the chunky handles because I tend to choke up on the grip or hold them like pencils when trying to remove something. The small handle makes it less obtrusive to me, of course I did loctite the shafts as stated above and in two cases swapped new ullman/cman shafts onto my older cman metal handled pics with broken tips.

 

[oldtools]

I bought my mini HF set for $1. Not the best quality, but perform its functions several times. I am looking for a better set.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Different strokes for different folks, I hate the chunky handles because I tend to choke up on the grip or hold them like pencils when trying to remove something. The small handle makes it less obtrusive to me...

No doubt that they have their users and those , like yourself, that like the handle "as-is" but for the automotive fabrication and prototyping work I do, the sausage link handles definately get in the way . I also find it odd in that "someone" has to mfgr. those picks for Sears/Craftsman, but I have never in my many years seen another pick set use those handles.

If you use picks alot, they;re certainly worth buying to complement the std handled ones.

 

[MadMark]

I'm guessing the Snap On pics work best when prying with the full size ones.

I guess for just picking off o-rings, any cheap set would do.

I'm sure if I ever break off a tip on a pic, it will be in something extremely expensive.

I did break my clear handle sears cotter pin puller, never got around to warrenting it.

 

[tylerae40]

Cheers for the explanation, I never thought of those uses, i always just use a sharpend bit of wire, I think i'll make a pick set out of some old screwdrives.