Here’s my two cents.....

I own one 686 with a lock.
I own several pre-lock Smith’s (66, 60, 19, 29, 629, etc...).

The 686 with the lock is a nice gun.... It works great and I have no concerns of it failing to operate correctly. I just don’t love it due to the little hole. To some it’s not a big deal. To me it is a sad reminder of a bygone era of classic revolvers.

The pre-locks come out of the safe most often. To me they are akin to looking at old family photographs. I will keep them until I’m gone and they will be passed on to someone whom I know feels the same way.

Just one man’s opinion....