Locksmith

Locksmith

Josh-the-Locksmith

25 Years Experience

Austin, TX

Male, 46

I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.

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330 Questions

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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

I lost the key to my.sentry safe v330. It has since been discontinued. Can I pick the lock or should I take it to my local locksmith. I need important papers out of it asap!

Asked by Vicki almost 11 years ago

You local locksmith might be able to pick or drill it open. You might have to buy a new safe after that. Luckily it's a cheap safe. 

Hi,

I've got a key I need copied, but I've never seen any key like this before. Can you tell me what kind of key this is and who might be able to copy it? I've posted a pic here: http://imgur.com/yoMmk0B

Thanks

Asked by Pedro over 10 years ago

It's made by an Israeli company called Mul-T-Lock. They are restricted keys & are proprietary to the individual lock shop that bought the rights to that keyway. The lock shop's name on the key is the only place you can get it copied, & usually you have to be an authorized person who originally purchased the key system from that locksmith.

what is a shackle plug tool used for ( best padlock)

Asked by bob over 10 years ago

I've never heard of a "shackle plug", almost sounds fake. It's like saying an engine tire tool. 

Tried to get into a Camry with a Big Easy lockout kit and hit the unlock button several times and even pulled the handle wide open and still didn't work. Is there a special anti theft mechanism?

Asked by shane about 10 years ago

I haven't opened 1 in quite a while, & you also didn't say which year the car was, but I know there's a few cars that automatically relock after you unlock it if you're not using a key or remote. In those cases, I use an under-the-window tool & flip the manual unlock button, & in a split second pull the outside handle before it relocks. It takes practice to get the speed, but I got to wear I could do it the first try.

As a newby could u tell me where a good place is to start a wholesale account to get the best price on tools ? Also how do you know what keys to stock on a shoe sting budget? thank you .

Asked by Dave H. over 11 years ago

I've never started a locksmith business or been in the decision making process of that. As far as choosing which key blanks to stock, maybe once you find a distributor who regularly ships to your area, you can ask him which key blanks he sells a lot of to other locksmiths in your area. Another idea is you could always go into a local hardware store that cuts keys and ask them which keys they cut the most of. 

My friend says that in 10 years, traditional key locks will be completely obsolete, replaced by the new breed of electronic locks, controlled by your phone and such. Have you seen those and do you think they're going to take over?

Asked by Augie over 10 years ago

Absolutely not. There are still too many people who can't afford it, don't care about the convenience, don't like electronic technology, etc. Honestly, I kind of doubt manual locks will ever completely be obsolete. The demand just isn't there. Yes, there are already quite a few different options on the market, but they're still pretty expensive. 

Can I sent you a picture of a lock that I'm trying to find the correct key for?

Asked by Javan over 9 years ago

Sure. I'm on Twitter: ATXJoshL