Why does Massdrop have so many of these trash "lockpicking" kits
Also, like I have said before you can buy tons of real practice locks on ebay for cents each
SCIFIcrabDrop's market really isn't as much "practitioners" as it is Instagram hobbyists. The EDC community drops aren't necessarily great practical daily pocket fodder, but folks who want their pocket knife to color coordinate with their flashlight and key-clip. Drops like this are for the #pocketdump market, which while not my idea of a fun collectible wierdflex, is a valid market, and has brought some cool folks and nice visibility into the locksport community. Personally, I'm much more about actual utility than if something is popular.
Look at the audiophile stuff - it's mostly not actual high accuracy studio gear, it's the stuff with good marketing that has studio terms slapped on to make it seem l33t. Yes, there is some really great stuff, but there's also junk with "IEM" slapped on some earbuds and exclusive marketing. Kits like this are the same thing for locksport folks.
I'd rather pick up a couple more bogota's or custom hooks from Raymundo or some weird Indian padlocks, but I don't get the excitement about r/lockpicking's belts either.
SCIFIcrabYeah, I miss the community sourcing and getting custom builds of things that the mfg wouldn't normally run, but I get that they make more money as a more traditional retailer, particularly of boutique stuff sold to people who don't know what "bespoke" means.