Does anyone know how efficient these things are? What kind of locks can they open? How long does it take to open locks? Anyone have any info? Also, how easy are they to use? Could someone with no lock picking experience use them easily? Thanks!

-GreaterEvil

[This message has been edited by GreaterEvil (edited 08-16-2003).]

Pick guns are used to open 5 pin locks. They tend to work faster than manual picking, not only because it vibrates on its own but also because it uses a rake pick which is one of the faster picks to use. THey are pretty simple to use, police officers use them to quickly open locks in certain cases. They are used for speed. You should be able to use one with little lockpicking experience. If you want, you could possibly make one using an electric toothbrush and a pick mounted in the head. There have been countless threads on the subject in DIY, I believe the most recent one being this one:

http://www.totse.com/bbs/Forum20/HTML/000881.html

Well...pick guns come in 2 different types like scuzzy has already mentioned. However, I would like to say that the manual kind DOES take some skill and patience to operate.

With the manual gun, you cannot constantly be applying tension with your tension wrench. You must apply tension at a specific point when all the pins are lined up. This might sound easy and fun, but takes a lot of patience and time.

As for the electric ones, I had not had any experience with a professionally made model. Sorry I cannot give you any personal experience here, however I heard they work a LOT better than manuals and can open locks in seconds. The only way to find out however, is to try yourself.