So okish, I never thought I had to mention this, i really thought this was a no brainer, but I guess not.
You actually can use a tensioning tool incorrectly, so here's my thoughts on it.
For the wrong way, but one that still works, go have a look at this guide
So, what's wrong with it ?. We'll get to that in a moment. First, let's recap what a tension tool is. We have two models, the top-of-keyway and the-bottom-of-keyway, and they look like this
Left, a top-of-keyway tool, right a bottom-of-keyway tool.
If you noticed in the guide i was mentioning, what did he do wrong ?. Let's have a closer look.
Do you see the problem ? notice it's a top of keyway tool, see the shape right at his fingertip. That tells us it's a top of keyway tool. But, it's inserted at the bottom, pointing up. That's wrong, and why ?
Because this way, as you can see, he's blocking up the access to the keyway, the tools in front of it, taking up space for the pick to move in. So even though it works, it's not the ideal way of tool placement.
You "can" do it, but you'll be creating a lot of problems for yourself. Better to use it as a bottom of keyway, as here, going in the bottom of the lock, but pointing down, to clear up space.
So, how do we actually do it ?
Bottom of keyway tool, placed right. It's in the bottom, facing down, and not getting caught up in the cylinder. That's something to watch out for. Be sure that your tool is free to move, and free to cause rotation / tension and don't get caught at the bottom of the cylinder, or it will be so much harder on yourself.
Top of keyway tool, placed right. At the top, being applied a small amount of tension, and free to move as it should, and leaving room for accessing the keyway unhindered.
And yes, I do know that you could drive a truck through the keyway, cheap lock, and no, it's not from my front door :)
Just for the fun of it, here's a shot of a BKS keyway in the multipick training lock, and a standard cheap lock, notice the size difference :)
And in the cheap lock, the warding is not that bad. You still have room to place your pick in, and move freely.
The warding in the BKS is much more cleverly designed, and really takes up space. It IS possible, but be prepared to find some really nice picks. The Increment Pro is a nice choice, since it can be used against BKS style locks without problems, or almost without problems.
I promise you, the BSA style keyway is a lot of fun, it's tiny :)
So there you go, a bit about proper tool usage, so you don't end up being "that guy", and some thoughts on warding. Hope you'll find it usefull.
Much happy picking to you.