REVIEW – I’ve been trying to master lock picking since I was a teen self-described hacker, although the only thing I ever successfully hacked was an arcade machine that accepted a Canadian quarter. I bought a transparent practice lock years ago, I still work it over occasionally, but I’m no better at it now than when I started. That was before the SouthOrd JPXS-6 showed up.
Most pick sets come in a case, and a case goes in a drawer, and a set in a drawer teaches you nothing. SouthOrd’s JPXS-6 folds six picks into an aluminum handle the size of a pocketknife, held shut by a thumb screw. It’s small enough to carry, and that makes me more inclined to practice with it.
Note: This SouthOrd JPXS-6 Jackknife Pocket Lock Pick Set was sent to me by SouthOrd at no cost. They had no editorial input and did not see this review before it published.
Photos and video by Gregory Morley.
The Basics
Most of SouthOrd’s picks come in cases and pouches. The JPXS-6 is the folding exception, with a shape borrowed from the handle of SouthOrd’s larger PXS-17 set. Six stainless steel picks pivot out of a matte black anodized aluminum handle. A knurled thumb screw at the pivot holds one pick out at the angle you want, or clamps the whole set flat.
The six profiles are a short hook, a long hook, a half diamond, a half ball, a snake rake and a city rake. A single stainless tension wrench slides into a slot in the handle, and a red Flex-O-Loc cable keyring comes with the set.
What You Get
- JPXS-6 folding pick tool (six stainless steel picks)
- Stainless steel tension wrench, stored in the handle
- Flex-O-Loc cable keyring
- Retail box with foam insert
My set also came with a copy of “Easy Pickings,” a 1992 self-teaching manual by Charles Edward Remington III. SouthOrd packed it in the shipping box. It isn’t listed as part of the set, and SouthOrd sells it on its own.
By the Numbers
- Price: $43.95
- Picks: 6 (short hook, long hook, half diamond, half ball, snake rake, city rake)
- Pick material: U.S. stainless steel, 0.020 inch thick
- Tension tools: One stainless tension wrench that stores in the handle
- Handle: Precision-machined aluminum, matte black anodized
- Closed size: 3.5 inches long, 0.25 inches thick
- Lock: Knurled stainless steel thumb screw with a locking o-ring
- Extras: Flex-O-Loc cable keyring
- Made in: USA
Design & Build
Folded shut, it passes for a pocketknife. The machined aluminum handle has real heft to it. Opening a pick takes a thumbnail under the tang and a swing out to the angle you want, the same motion as a friction-folder knife. The thumb screw snugs down enough to hold that pick steady against a pin stack. Closed, it clamps every other pick flat against the handle, so nothing rattles next to keys or coins.
The tension wrench fits into its slot in the handle very snugly. That’s good for carry, since it won’t slide out in a pocket, and it means the whole kit is one object.
Learning With It
“Easy Pickings” assumes no prior knowledge. Years of occasional practice have left me roughly where a beginner stands, so that suited me fine. It walks through how a pin tumbler lock works, how much tension to apply and which pick shape to reach for, all illustrated.
The book explains the why behind each step, not just the motion. I had been skipping the why on my own for a very long time. I worked the transparent lock with the JPXS-6 in one hand and the book open next to me. I won’t claim this set made me good at lock picking. It has made me practice more, and that was always the real problem.
What Could Be Better
Six picks cover a reasonable range of common pin tumbler locks, but anyone who gets serious will want more wrenches and more profiles eventually. There’s only one tension wrench, and since tension is where a beginner goes wrong, a second one in a different thickness would help. You also can’t count on getting “Easy Pickings” with a set you buy, so budget for a book or plan on videos. Before carrying one, check your state’s laws. In a few states, carrying picks can be treated as evidence of criminal intent.
Watch the Review
Video review coming soon. The companion video is still in edit, and it will be embedded right here as soon as it goes up.
Quick Questions
Q: Is this good for a total beginner?
A: Yes, as long as you pair it with instructions. Mine came with “Easy Pickings,” which assumes no prior knowledge, but that book isn’t part of the standard set.
Q: How many picks are included?
A: Six. Two hooks, two rakes, a half diamond and a half ball, all U.S. stainless steel at 0.020 inch thick.
Q: Does the tension wrench store inside the handle?
A: Yes. The single stainless tension wrench slides into a slot in the handle, and on mine it fits very snugly.
Q: Is it legal to own?
A: In most of the U.S., yes, for hobby use. A few states treat carrying picks as evidence of criminal intent, so check local law before you carry one.
Final Thoughts
What sold me on this set was the format more than any single pick. A pocketknife-sized tool that gets carried teaches more than a full case that stays in a drawer, and having the book next to it turned “I own lock picks” into something closer to “I can use them.”
At $43.95 it sits well above the cheap starter sets on online marketplaces and well below a full locksmith case. Six picks and one tension wrench won’t replace a full case. As a starting point, or as the one set small enough to keep on you, it’s well made.
Price: $43.95
Where to buy: Direct from SouthOrd
What I like: Pocketknife-sized format that gets carried, thumb screw locks the picks flat with no rattling, tension wrench stores snugly in the handle, a good mix of hooks and rakes, made in the USA
What I don’t: Only one tension wrench, six picks is a starter range, the book I got isn’t part of the standard set
