I picked an Olympus just this morning with a City rake in my new Sarrows EOD. It opened so fast I thought my tention wrench slipped. 😬 I love spp but when I'm at work I don't have time to play around. ❤🌇rake 🔒
Hey #15/100 here! I bought it JUST to teach 3 of my neighbors at one time. Class went great ) from what I recall), thanks to you. Wishing you the best. I love your plastics! Great work! Respectfully, Jay Desert Storm Veteran
when i started, i raked a lot of those locks on bridges. so i could take them home and practise my single pin picking. really good to get a lot of locks in a short time.
Fantastic video, Tony. I agree with you 100%. Nothing beats opening your first lock and the City Rake gives you that feeling. Raking locks is underrated. Some of us call it cheating, but I disagree. It gives the beginners confidence instead of frustration. That is what is needed for the beginners to feel and to keep at it and progress to the next step. Thank you for this video. 🙏🦊👍
And most home door locks that are outside and exposed to the elements can't be single picked at all without a bunch of lock lube applied first. Most of them have to be raked or you'll be there all day
I’ve always used city rakes to get someone interested in lock picking. They aren’t as flimsy as a bogota. You don’t have to be nearly as precise like with a snake. The city rake is just a good all around rake that is robust and more forgiving in a beginners hand.
I keep a L rake in my EDC pocket kit always. I personally thought the most hated on rake was the S rake profiles. When I started into lock Manipulation my Locksmith friend gave me three rakes. A 0.025" City Rake, 0.015" Sparrows Worm, and a 0.025" Rytan S rake. I opened quite a bit of locks with the City but that Snake rake done alot more. Even opening Locks that contained Spools and serrated drivers. I guess since all I had to start out with was those three tools I learned good techniques for using the Snake rake profile. Still to this day the S rake is usually the first one I grab depending on the lock. Now I've got more picks than cases to store them in and still love the HPC S rake the best. It takes a solid hour though to make a new into my preferred profile and to sand the whole surface silky smooth. I take off some of the profiles material making it thinner and it really makes a difference.
I've started using it less and less as I branch out and learn new techniques and locks, but I love the long rake for popping home door locks and dead bolts.
I'm still very new to this, although loving it, and i"m quite fond of the city rake. I got my first set with a pair of see through locks and after reading the book that came with it said "hey the city rake thing sounds easy enough" and tried it. Had the lock opened in 30 seconds. It was so cool and excited me to try more and to try doing it with a hook (took me a little longer but got it with that to), Being able to get that first lock so quickly was the perfect way to start out in the hobby the whole "I can do this" (I"m not the most coordinated of people) was just what i needed.
I would say this is depends on the biting of the lock. I have multiple master no 3, 1, 140, 141 I have not gotten with a city rake but are all decently easy opens with a Bogota.
Well as a NEWBIE in the lock picking, I have got to say Thank You. My first lock I picked was a KWIKSET 660 Deadbolt. Right out of the package. It took me about 15 minutes, then I realized that I had my Tension tool wrong. At the point of frustration, I restarted and had it open in about 45 seconds. AND I USED THE CITY RAKE, that came with my HPC 11 piece set. I too have come to love the CITY RAKE, especially when opening mastered KW1 LOCKS. Again Thank You. Remember You Can Pick Your Friends But Not Their Nose, or their Locks
Thanks for this video, I’m getting into lock sport after finding Bosnian Bill then Lock Picking Lawyer. I needed something to get into and use my hands now that I’m experiencing a lot of injuries that is knocking me out of commission from playing disc golf or doing volunteer tree work for youth camps in the off season. After multiple shoulder and bicep injuries I have to have something to do in my downtime and this really intrigued me. I am waiting for my first kit from Sparrows in he mail right now and I want to start by using the city rake then other rakes before learning single pin picking. This video gave me he encouragement to start there so I don’t get frustrated early on. Thank you 🙏
There's several picks and profiles I hate, but my advice is always to try everything you can. Something completely worthless in my hands is a half diamond, but for others it's the main profile and can get locks open faster than me. Everyone is different, different things work better for different people. Try it all.
My first was The Kickstart by Sparrows. I've picked a bunch of stuff and a TON of SFIC's, as I live inside a U and that is mostly what they have. I'm so adept a popping SFIC's it's just simple for me to go right to it and I don't have to change out with an assortment of other picks- thus saving time from prying eyes. Um, that being said, A City is a must have. There are a lot of Elevators in all the buildings and pretty much all of them have an SFIC on the panel that, if turned, leads to some floor that isn't accessible with the buttons on the panel. The city works on most of them. I'm sure I could also SPP them but- regardless of skill level- it's a super useful pick and 1 of the first 3 I use. Generally, I SPP, then if unsuccessful after a minute or two, I will either try a worm/tri-peak (they are not the same), if that fails- I usually go for the city. I do it in reverse because when you SPP- you've really defeated the lock. You always know that if you can SPP it once, generally, you can SPP it again, where as with a city- there's more of a luck element to it. When I first started picking, I had a few locks that I popped right away with the city and than could never duplicate the feat. That almost never happens when you SPP. Anywho, great vid, and as a seasoned pentester- it belongs in your EDC.
Tony, I was indentured with the city rake from the get go. I use the city rake on 90% of all my locks now. Watch my video where I use the city rake on a 6 pin Euro lock with security pins, I open it in two seconds holding it in the air, no vice, It did take two years of practice to get to this stage watching Lock Noob for hours.
Hey that was a superb statement video I agree that's why there's so variations of picks so everyone can find the one that suits your requirements. Robbie from huyton Liverpool UK
Even though I've been locksporting (i like that term by the way) for maybe 20 years, depending on the lock i usually look for bypasses first (wire picks\bumping\comb picks), then yes i give it a few rakes with the city rake or a tri-peak, all else fails i just move to SPP.
I couldn't agree more. The first lock I picked was a low security padlock with a rake I made out of a bobby pin, and I was hooked! Now I have plenty of picks and locks, but the first open is such a good memory. Use the tools you like and are comfortable with, and preferably expand your skills to more tools, not just move on to the more high skill ones and forget about the rest. And if you are gatekeeping new hobbyists because they use a city rake, the problem is not the city rake, the problem is you.
I first discovered the City rake when a friend managed to lock herself out of her apartment. I’d picked up a cheap set of picks because I needed to remove a padlock from a gun case. I’d seen a video of someone zipping open the lock and decided it was worth a try. After opening her apartment door she begged me to replace the lock, she had no idea how little it took to gain entry.
I’ve had absolutely zero luck with a city rake at all for some reason. Only been picking a few weeks but have quite a bit of luck single pin picking. That first open is incredible.
New to picking, but I haven't opened up a single lock with the city rake, I can single pin a half dozen locks but I get nothing with the city rake/rocking attack. Starting to wonder what's the point of it tbh.
City rakes are my absolute favorite pick out of all of them. It's the most versatile out of all of them and rarely leads me in the wrong direction. I'm grateful that there are others out there that feel the same about them as I do. Thanks again!
I'm not a new picker, and I still grab a city rake when I have a POS lock in hand, because it's fast. I even have one in my small EDC kit, because it's so useful.
I work as pentester and whenever I make demos for clients I always rake, never single pick. The reason is to show how quick and easy it is to open a locked doors. If I single pick they would just assume there's a lot of skill involved and basically you have to be a locksmith to do it.
Been doing this exact technique for a long time on some cheap locks and I can’t get any of them open. Really is frustrating mimicking everything your doing but with no results
Noob again. Love the video. Am handicapped and SPP a D3, M5 and brass practice lock. However, I haven't successfully raked a lock yet. Any suggestions?
In all actuality, no pic is bad, as long as it picks in conjunction with skill. If you need to bypass a lock, know the locks, know the picks that will best do the job. Single pin picking or raking and zipping… All of them have their use, or you wouldn’t see them in high end sets.
Used the city rake to get in my own house after shopping in minus 30C Worked like a charm. Wait I need new door locks I'm not even good at picking and still got in. Bummer not feeling to safe anymore. Thank God for guns. Lol
I'm just getting in to lock picking/locksport and started following Bosian Bill's LockLab lock picking course. Got a Master Lock No. 3 and a couple No. 7's. Started raking and practicing kinetic/raking, rocking, and zipping locks. And the City/L rake is the only technique /pick I've tried so far and haven't gotten an open with. Per Bosian Bill's Lockpickong course, I'm giving myself a week practicing the kinetic attacks and developing my tension feel before moving on to SPP. Any specific tips for using the city rake? Do you tend to use harder tension compared to other kinetic attacks?
I still can’t stand the city rake. It was all I used at first, but I replaced the city rake with the snake rake as far as a rocking pick. Good points here though. I’ll say the pick that gets the least love is probably the ball, followed by the city rake. I do have a couple of city rakes, just in case though. (Your intro video is sweet!)
i have a much harder time opening those 55/40s with a city rake than with a monkey paw or standard hook, so I disagree with the concept that its "easy" or "cheating".
I think people drop the rake too soon, picking and raking are separate skills that can be developed together. I think there are a lot of advanced raking techniques and designs that are going undiscovered because of pointless elitism.
People are so funny! I don't know shit about picking. I just bought a set of picks because I've always wanted to learn. I unlock cars all the time at work using a long reach and an airbag. 99.9% of cars can be opened this way. I have used the old school method of hooking rods in the door like 10 times in 10 years and suck at it. I don't care if that makes me unskilled. My mission is to unlock the car as quick as I can not impress customers with my skill.
For sure, and most of these can be shimmed open. The main point is stop the hate on low level attacks and telling people they "suck" because they use them. The best way to get people interested in locksport is to show them a super simple way to pick a lock so that they get interested enough to dive deeper into the hobby.
![[86] How To Rake Your First Lock](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QrEizJNRNlo/mqdefault.jpg)
![[86] How To Rake Your First Lock](/img/tr.png)
I picked an Olympus just this morning with a City rake in my new Sarrows EOD. It opened so fast I thought my tention wrench slipped. 😬
I love spp but when I'm at work I don't have time to play around. ❤🌇rake 🔒
Hey #15/100 here! I bought it JUST to teach 3 of my neighbors at one time. Class went great ) from what I recall), thanks to you. Wishing you the best. I love your plastics! Great work!
Respectfully,
Jay
Desert Storm Veteran
when i started, i raked a lot of those locks on bridges. so i could take them home and practise my single pin picking. really good to get a lot of locks in a short time.
Fantastic video, Tony. I agree with you 100%. Nothing beats opening your first lock and the City Rake gives you that feeling. Raking locks is underrated. Some of us call it cheating, but I disagree. It gives the beginners confidence instead of frustration. That is what is needed for the beginners to feel and to keep at it and progress to the next step. Thank you for this video. 🙏🦊👍
And most home door locks that are outside and exposed to the elements can't be single picked at all without a bunch of lock lube applied first. Most of them have to be raked or you'll be there all day
My first was yesterday
I've never had any luck with standard raking techniques. I have to rock triple peaks too
I’ve always used city rakes to get someone interested in lock picking. They aren’t as flimsy as a bogota. You don’t have to be nearly as precise like with a snake. The city rake is just a good all around rake that is robust and more forgiving in a beginners hand.
I keep a L rake in my EDC pocket kit always. I personally thought the most hated on rake was the S rake profiles. When I started into lock Manipulation my Locksmith friend gave me three rakes. A 0.025" City Rake, 0.015" Sparrows Worm, and a 0.025" Rytan S rake. I opened quite a bit of locks with the City but that Snake rake done alot more. Even opening Locks that contained Spools and serrated drivers. I guess since all I had to start out with was those three tools I learned good techniques for using the Snake rake profile. Still to this day the S rake is usually the first one I grab depending on the lock. Now I've got more picks than cases to store them in and still love the HPC S rake the best. It takes a solid hour though to make a new into my preferred profile and to sand the whole surface silky smooth. I take off some of the profiles material making it thinner and it really makes a difference.
I've started using it less and less as I branch out and learn new techniques and locks, but I love the long rake for popping home door locks and dead bolts.
I'm still very new to this, although loving it, and i"m quite fond of the city rake. I got my first set with a pair of see through locks and after reading the book that came with it said "hey the city rake thing sounds easy enough" and tried it. Had the lock opened in 30 seconds. It was so cool and excited me to try more and to try doing it with a hook (took me a little longer but got it with that to), Being able to get that first lock so quickly was the perfect way to start out in the hobby the whole "I can do this" (I"m not the most coordinated of people) was just what i needed.
I would say this is depends on the biting of the lock. I have multiple master no 3, 1, 140, 141 I have not gotten with a city rake but are all decently easy opens with a Bogota.
Well as a NEWBIE in the lock picking, I have got to say Thank You. My first lock I picked was a KWIKSET 660 Deadbolt. Right out of the package. It took me about 15 minutes, then I realized that I had my Tension tool wrong. At the point of frustration, I restarted and had it open in about 45 seconds. AND I USED THE CITY RAKE, that came with my HPC 11 piece set. I too have come to love the CITY RAKE, especially when opening mastered KW1 LOCKS.
Again Thank You. Remember You Can Pick Your Friends But Not Their Nose, or their Locks
Thanks for this video, I’m getting into lock sport after finding Bosnian Bill then Lock Picking Lawyer. I needed something to get into and use my hands now that I’m experiencing a lot of injuries that is knocking me out of commission from playing disc golf or doing volunteer tree work for youth camps in the off season. After multiple shoulder and bicep injuries I have to have something to do in my downtime and this really intrigued me. I am waiting for my first kit from Sparrows in he mail right now and I want to start by using the city rake then other rakes before learning single pin picking. This video gave me he encouragement to start there so I don’t get frustrated early on. Thank you 🙏
Thank you for this video. I don't have a city rake in my set and I am finding lock picking very hard to learn.
Great video with a great message. I also remember my first open, using a brass paper fastener attacking a briefcase. I thought I was MacGyver, lol.
There's several picks and profiles I hate, but my advice is always to try everything you can. Something completely worthless in my hands is a half diamond, but for others it's the main profile and can get locks open faster than me. Everyone is different, different things work better for different people. Try it all.
My first was The Kickstart by Sparrows. I've picked a bunch of stuff and a TON of SFIC's, as I live inside a U and that is mostly what they have. I'm so adept a popping SFIC's it's just simple for me to go right to it and I don't have to change out with an assortment of other picks- thus saving time from prying eyes. Um, that being said, A City is a must have. There are a lot of Elevators in all the buildings and pretty much all of them have an SFIC on the panel that, if turned, leads to some floor that isn't accessible with the buttons on the panel. The city works on most of them. I'm sure I could also SPP them but- regardless of skill level- it's a super useful pick and 1 of the first 3 I use. Generally, I SPP, then if unsuccessful after a minute or two, I will either try a worm/tri-peak (they are not the same), if that fails- I usually go for the city. I do it in reverse because when you SPP- you've really defeated the lock. You always know that if you can SPP it once, generally, you can SPP it again, where as with a city- there's more of a luck element to it. When I first started picking, I had a few locks that I popped right away with the city and than could never duplicate the feat. That almost never happens when you SPP. Anywho, great vid, and as a seasoned pentester- it belongs in your EDC.
New picker too. Didn’t know about the city rake stigma, but realised it helped me get a lot of early opens! Tnx for sharing.
Glad you made this video, raking and rocking will always be one of my favorites
Tony, I was indentured with the city rake from the get go. I use the city rake on 90% of all my locks now. Watch my video where I use the city rake on a 6 pin Euro lock with security pins, I open it in two seconds holding it in the air, no vice, It did take two years of practice to get to this stage watching Lock Noob for hours.
Hey that was a superb statement video I agree that's why there's so variations of picks so everyone can find the one that suits your requirements.
Robbie from huyton Liverpool UK
Even though I've been locksporting (i like that term by the way) for maybe 20 years, depending on the lock i usually look for bypasses first (wire picks\bumping\comb picks), then yes i give it a few rakes with the city rake or a tri-peak, all else fails i just move to SPP.
I couldn't agree more. The first lock I picked was a low security padlock with a rake I made out of a bobby pin, and I was hooked! Now I have plenty of picks and locks, but the first open is such a good memory. Use the tools you like and are comfortable with, and preferably expand your skills to more tools, not just move on to the more high skill ones and forget about the rest. And if you are gatekeeping new hobbyists because they use a city rake, the problem is not the city rake, the problem is you.
I first discovered the City rake when a friend managed to lock herself out of her apartment. I’d picked up a cheap set of picks because I needed to remove a padlock from a gun case. I’d seen a video of someone zipping open the lock and decided it was worth a try.
After opening her apartment door she begged me to replace the lock, she had no idea how little it took to gain entry.
I’ve had absolutely zero luck with a city rake at all for some reason. Only been picking a few weeks but have quite a bit of luck single pin picking. That first open is incredible.
New to picking, but I haven't opened up a single lock with the city rake, I can single pin a half dozen locks but I get nothing with the city rake/rocking attack.
Starting to wonder what's the point of it tbh.
I learned doing single pin picking with a Standard hook I made out an old jigsaw blade.
City rakes are my absolute favorite pick out of all of them. It's the most versatile out of all of them and rarely leads me in the wrong direction. I'm grateful that there are others out there that feel the same about them as I do. Thanks again!
I'm not a new picker, and I still grab a city rake when I have a POS lock in hand, because it's fast. I even have one in my small EDC kit, because it's so useful.
Im a beginner and i bought a set 2 days ago and yesterday i unlocked my first lock with a rake
I work as pentester and whenever I make demos for clients I always rake, never single pick. The reason is to show how quick and easy it is to open a locked doors. If I single pick they would just assume there's a lot of skill involved and basically you have to be a locksmith to do it.
I have a master lock n.5 and I can't get it open with the city rake. I am able to single pin picking it tho
U make it look so easy bro. Sometimes she goes but 95% of the time im just jiggling shit around
100 % right. My fav rake.
Love your attitude towards stuff I wish there was more people like you
Been doing this exact technique for a long time on some cheap locks and I can’t get any of them open. Really is frustrating mimicking everything your doing but with no results
I didn’t realize people hated on it, lol. Great demonstrations on a variety of locks, definitely a good tool to have in the kit!
Great video Tony i understand your view on city rake .
Noob again. Love the video. Am handicapped and SPP a D3, M5 and brass practice lock. However, I haven't successfully raked a lock yet. Any suggestions?
In all actuality, no pic is bad, as long as it picks in conjunction with skill. If you need to bypass a lock, know the locks, know the picks that will best do the job. Single pin picking or raking and zipping…
All of them have their use, or you wouldn’t see them in high end sets.
Used the city rake to get in my own house after shopping in minus 30C
Worked like a charm.
Wait I need new door locks I'm not even good at picking and still got in.
Bummer not feeling to safe anymore.
Thank God for guns. Lol
I'm just getting in to lock picking/locksport and started following Bosian Bill's LockLab lock picking course. Got a Master Lock No. 3 and a couple No. 7's. Started raking and practicing kinetic/raking, rocking, and zipping locks. And the City/L rake is the only technique /pick I've tried so far and haven't gotten an open with. Per Bosian Bill's Lockpickong course, I'm giving myself a week practicing the kinetic attacks and developing my tension feel before moving on to SPP.
Any specific tips for using the city rake? Do you tend to use harder tension compared to other kinetic attacks?
City rake saved me a trip from a locksmith.
I think the problem is that it's a basically a try out key.
What's this "spool" you speak of? What does it do and why and how?
I still can’t stand the city rake. It was all I used at first, but I replaced the city rake with the snake rake as far as a rocking pick. Good points here though. I’ll say the pick that gets the least love is probably the ball, followed by the city rake.
I do have a couple of city rakes, just in case though. (Your intro video is sweet!)
Thank you! Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the intro.
i have a much harder time opening those 55/40s with a city rake than with a monkey paw or standard hook, so I disagree with the concept that its "easy" or "cheating".
I like the city rake, I use it for rocking attacks on locks
Lockpick drama is best drama
the name Bogota is patented now. i may have misspelled it
i still use them
I think people drop the rake too soon, picking and raking are separate skills that can be developed together. I think there are a lot of advanced raking techniques and designs that are going undiscovered because of pointless elitism.
I love the L-rake.
People are so funny! I don't know shit about picking. I just bought a set of picks because I've always wanted to learn. I unlock cars all the time at work using a long reach and an airbag. 99.9% of cars can be opened this way. I have used the old school method of hooking rods in the door like 10 times in 10 years and suck at it. I don't care if that makes me unskilled. My mission is to unlock the car as quick as I can not impress customers with my skill.
The only thing I "hate" about the city rake is calling it the city rake OR L rake. Fucking pick one.
The master 140 series can be bypassed even easier lol
For sure, and most of these can be shimmed open. The main point is stop the hate on low level attacks and telling people they "suck" because they use them. The best way to get people interested in locksport is to show them a super simple way to pick a lock so that they get interested enough to dive deeper into the hobby.
I like city rake❤
TLDW; Tony makes lots of locks cry
Didn't know there is "cityrakophobia" in the lock sport community 😅😊
City rake gang
Tell the truth you wanted to make a video about you opening locks, opening locks make you feel special
all rakes are jack didley. none have ever worked on anything other then the most basic and chintzyist practice locks. its so maddening.