Unique Security Products and Specialty Locksmith Services

Locks210.com - St Louis Locksmiths for Greater St Louis Missouri
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'Keep It Yours... Lock Your Doors!'

June 1, 2018

Installation Of Upgraded Gate Locks From Standard To High Security Using D&D Technologies Lokk Latch Deluxe And Bilock Extreme Security Bump Proof And Virtually Pick Proof, Copy Proof Keys

 Recently we were called to upgrade a clients gate locks to double cylinder high-security and expand the already secure Bilock Extreme Security Key System. The system is a few years old, but it has been very effective in preventing her nosy neighbors and other vagabonds from getting in to her house.

But these would-be opportunists continued to play games and were accessing her perimeter gates by simply picking the simple wafer/disc tumbler key cylinder found on the cheaper version of D&D Technologies gate lock.

Following is a description of the process involved in dismantling the locks, installing the Bilock cylinders into them and then installing the new locks to the requested gates.


This is what we saw on first time arrival onsite. The original lock installed to the gate and post shows the existing wafer/disc tumbler keyhole.
Original D&D Gate Lock On Front Gate

Deadly Attack Feared As Hackers Target Industrial Sites

Following up to our post of a few days ago, the left leaning news site, The Hill, have written a new article determining that foreign cyber hackers appear to be targeting industrial sites, with deadly consequences feared.

The article in the source below, tries to predict where these criminals are aiming their espionage.



The wonders of the modern Internet of Things (IoT) age that we currently are living in, is not immune to the efforts of the nefarious among us, who try repeatedly to develop methods and means for disrupting our lives and causing havoc to our sense of security and well-being.

I'm a 35 year veteran of the locksmith industry, with experience gleaned from having worked on 4 continents.

During the many years of exposure to security needs and wants of various customers around the world, I have found that many just desire to use quality products that operate easily, are competitively priced and above all, long lasting with little to no maintenance.

Electronic security products have been evolving over many years. Originally, finding battery powered security products was difficult, because good security requires stable power systems and batteries that continually need replacing, inhibit a product from performing to a sufficient standard continuously and without maintenance.

There are a great many AA and AAA battery powered door locks, cameras, door bells, alarm systems etc, that offer wide choices and features to whet our appetites. Unfortunately, to be able to offer the convenience of battery power, many of these products require to reduce the security elements inside, including the security of communication connections that "talk" to our home routers, Bluetooth devices etc. The article on Thursday and this follow up, point to this too.

When you consider that for many hundreds (if not thousands) of years, we have been securing our homes and businesses with mechanical products, that stood the test of time, doesnt it make complete sense that we should continue to use the mechanical security products to protect us?
Especially considering that mechanical products are often single purchase, come with significantly longer warranty periods, require significantly less maintenance and are (for the most part) significantly more competitively priced than electronic products of the same genre.

I understand some consumers desires to enjoy "Keyless Convenience". But in reality, a code can be shared more easily than a key and often you cant know how many different people "know" your entry code.

Whereas with a number of mechanical key products, you can be all but completely assured your entries are virtually bump proof, copy proof and extremely pick/bypass resistant. Providing you the security your home, family, office and colleagues deserve, while being super competitively priced compared to electronic and battery operated products. The maintenance costs alone are significantly less.

And with the increasing number of cyber warfare attacks, being reported across news sources (and how many are going unreported?), just how can we protect ourselves, if not for quality mechanical security products?

(source...)


May 30, 2018

Breaking News: FBI To America: Reboot Your Routers Immediately

Breaking News: The Federal Bureau of Investigations recently released an alert to all Americans who may use an Internet connected router in their homes and businesses.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center sent a rare Public Service Announcement declaring, "Foreign Cyber Actors have compromised hundreds of thousands of home and office routers and other networked devices worldwide."


A great many security products today are using router connected protocols to connect those devices to internal residential and commercial networks.

Many of these products including (but not limited to) alarm systems, closed circuit television cameras (CCTV), door locks, intercom systems and door bells etc, are often connected to WiFi routers in your home or office.

The nature of today's consumer marketplace appears to be fascinated by the growing Internet of Things (IoT) products that enable many of us to enjoy modern "connected" services that protect us, make our lives easier and keep us in communication range with each other.

The locksmith industry worldwide continues to evolve and many locksmiths today are busy recommending and installing modern "connected" security products, meeting the increasing demands of the marketplace.

Some of these "new generation" products are very good quality and often expensive too. Maintaining the security of your home and business is of paramount importance to protecting our families and our colleagues, aside from our customers.

According to the FBI, hackers are using VPNFilter Malware to target small office and home office routers saying, "VPN Filter is able to render small office and home office routers, inoperable" and are warning, "The malware can potentially also collect information passing through the router. Detection and analysis of the malware's network activity, is complicated by it's use of encryption.".

The FBI recommends, "any owners of small office and home office routers, reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the malware and aid the potential identification of infected devices".

They also advise to consider disabling remote management settings on devices, use encryption and choose new and different passwords.

With the increasing number of "connected devices" in the wider market, security of your home, office and other connected products are potentially gravely affected by this new hack.

We suggest that all our customers and anyone using or relying on Internet Connected devices, including your door locks, your CCTV systems, your alarm systems and your door bells or intercoms, to immediately perform a soft reset of your WiFi routers. This action will temporarily mitigate the malware's operation. It may not completely remove the malware from an infected router and if you are further concerned, we suggest you perform a factory hard reset of the router.

We have been writing about security issues with IoT devices, in increasing articles in the last 12 months.

Some of these articles include:

New Digital 'Hurricane' Churns Gathering Strength To Land Blow On The Internet
















May 18, 2018

Deadly Inconvenience - Modern Day Vehicle Key Fobs Are Being Found Complicit In Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Deaths

Pictured here is a typical example of a modern day key fob for a vehicle. This particular fob is for a Ford brand of vehicle.

An article in the New York Times (see the source below) talks about the commonplace issue of modern day vehicles, that use key fobs as opposed to the old ignition keys, we all previously had to use, where the ignition systems on vehicles are inadvertently left running, even after a homeowner has parked their vehicle inside their garage.

Today there are about 17 million vehicles on the road in America, about half of which use some version of a key fob to operate the vehicle ignition system. This system was designed (in part) to increase the security of vehicles and provide convenient and simple to use access control.

But perhaps the inventors of this technology did not account for the issues that have surfaced. Specifically, that many ignition systems are being left on by accident. Because many of these key fobs, only require to be within a certain proximity of the vehicle to operate, a number of people are failing to adequately switch off their ignitions, resulting in carbon-monoxide poisonings. Vehicles are often left inside a closed garage and with the great number of quiet engines today, people may not be hearing their engines running.

According to the New York Times article titled, "Deadly Convenience: Keyless Cars And Their Carbon Monoxide Toll", 'more than two dozen people have been killed by carbon monoxide since 2006 and dozens of others have been injured, some with brain damage, after keyless ignition vehiles were inadvertently left running inside garages'.

According to the article, Toyota vehicles including Lexus have featured in about half of the carbon monoxide fatalities and injuries. Many modern day Toyota vehicles run a lot quieter today than in previous years and this is proving to be a concern for many elder people who may drive those brands of vehicles.

The article goes on to discuss lawmakers approaches to countering the problem and discussions by safety boards, but no legislation has been enacted to force vehicle manufacturers to comply, at this time.

Some manufacturers have added safety features like timed cutoff's and warning buzzers in later model vehicles, but many of the older vehicles are subject to this flaw that could be a matter of life and death.

The article (in the source below) makes some interesting reading.

(source...)

May 17, 2018

Flaw In Ring Doorbell Camera - Prevents Deleting Previous Users

(video removed)
Check the source below for the video

We continue to monitor the cyberworld of all things security related and just came across this interesting piece of news concerning Ring,

You remember Ring, dont you?

Amazon recently completed their buyout of Ring, to meld it into their Amazon Key program network.

We first talked about Ring in an article in June 2015.

The system is very smart and not bad looking however it is a flawed piece of technology that could be more of a security problem than a benefit.

Then there is the lawsuit against Ring (before the Amazon buyout) by Skybell, the original patent holder of many of the technologies that Ring is built upon. We also wrote about this in an article in January 2018.

I'm sure Amazon were not prepared for the headaches they have acquired. But the Ring management are no doubt smiling all the way to the bank.

I see a great number of the Ring door bell in my travels, so it is obviously a popular product (even though it was rejected during it's Shark Tank debut)

Perhaps the many customers who purchased the product were just not aware of it's shortcomings as discussed in the video above.

Not just that, but burglars are actually being pictured stealing Ring doorbells from houses.
And people still want to allow Amazon to be able to access your home with their Amazon Key program?

(source...)


May 10, 2018

D&D Technologies Continues To Lead The World Of Gate, Fence Locks And Hinges



We have been extolling the virtues of this world leading company for many years now and as the new summer swimming season beckons in the northern hemisphere, we continue to sing the praises of the leading life safety products that D&D Technologies produce.

This fine example of Australian Ingenuity, continues to impress the entire world with it's superbly constructed and high quality range of locks, hinges and alarms.

D&D incorporated high security key cylinders into many of their range of products to satisfy the growing commercial market and the desire to include these fabulous locking products in high-security restricted key systems like (but not limited to) our fabulous Bilock Extreme Security Keying Systems. 

Bilock are another Australian designed high-security products manufacturer that have been around since the 1970's. We have been working with Bilock products for almost our entire career in the locksmith trade (now approaching 35 years). We continue to be one of the largest Bilock dealers in the Midwest of the USA, still representing the product since we first kicked off operations here in 2006.

We have been called periodically by customers across our geographical region to offer services and key duplication or origination for some of the D&D Technologies products, specifically their Magnalatch product and a number of their Lokklatch products. Our ability to include these gate locks in our Bilock systems only increases the security of the applications.

D&D Technologies products are recommended by many AHJ's (Authorities Having Jurisdiction), life safety officers, local government building inspectors around this country and the whole world. They are not just beautiful in their design, but simply installed and very easily operated.

We have been selling their products for many years in Australia and now here in the USA.

See our range of articles about D&D Technologies products

April 27, 2018

Water Proofing Repair Project Using Plast-Aid Repair Product - Door Repairs Are Part Of A Locksmiths Repertoire

Being a locksmith is not my only offering. It is the vocation I am most experienced in, with about 35 years experience across 4 continents. I am lucky to have worked with many different professional locksmith tradespeople all over the world and have learned and continue to learn old and new tips, tricks and methods that will one day benefit customers I come into contact with.

Unlike some other locksmith tradespeople and businesses, I choose to believe that locksmiths dont just choose to work on locks and locking products or access control systems. I choose to believe that a locksmith is a person who will work on anything that opens and closes, with particular emphasis on doors. They can be entry doors (swing, sliding, roll top etc), safes (combination, digital, keyed etc), vehicles (cars, trucks, boats, aeroplanes etc), even appliances (cabinets, cupboards, refrigerators etc).

Often I am called upon by various customers to effect repairs to frames and hinges on swinging doors, rollers on sliding doors, safe combination servicing, even repairing vehicle ignition and door access control systems. Just yesterday I performed 3 separate and different types of jobs. One was installing a new replacement Baldwin mortise lock that was warrantied (unknown to the client) by the manufacturer for life. I had serviced the same client a number of times for different projects over the last 4 years, repairing and rekeying locks and doors as their needs arose.

The second job yesterday, was repairing a door closer on a shopfront. The client was concerned that they required a new closer to replace their aging model on their shopfront entry door, that had started to slam and not close slowly enough. Their worry was that the glass window might break and they would be unsecure. We simply adjusted the closing speed and latching action on their existing product, saving them hundreds of dollars in replacement parts and comforting them with the knowledge that they continue to be secure..

The third project was a little more complicated...

We were called by a client who had read some of our reviews on Thumbtack, a lead generation service for professional tradespeople that offers alternative leads services to Angies List, Home Advisor, Porch, Amazon Home Services among others. Having been a longtime member of the Home Advisor network (formerly Service Magic) and enjoying 350+ reviews there averaging 4.79/5 stars and also Thumbtack, with about 37 reviews to date averaging 4.9/5 stars, we are pleased that customers in our service region continue to be impressed with our offerings and bless us with many good natured positive reviews .

The project we completed yesterday took 5 hours to complete to satisfaction. The required repair was on a 75 year old home, where the basement walkout door was a custom built door installed when the house was built, but was suffering from the very common issue of water damage. The home owners were selling their property and moving out of state and a condition of the sale was to improve/repair the back basement walkout door. They had already contacted a number of contractors who had all determined that replacing the custom door would have been the best suggestion. The average estimated cost for supplying and installing a new custom door and frame in that location was ~$3500.00.

We decided to offer an alternative repair....

Plast-Aid is a product we have been using for about 7 years now. We found out about this brilliant product while researching PVC repair products and were delighted to learn about the other uses for the product. The Plast-Aid video below explains the uses of this product and how easy it is to use.



In the above video, they hint at other projects where Plast-Aid can be used successfully. We decided that the benefits of water-proofing would benefit our customer because the repair would mean they would not have to replace their door and frame.

 In the first image above (my foot), you can see that the client had already attempted to effect repairs using standard caulk and just filling in where the water rotted gaps were appearing.
The caulk did not dry correctly and the result was not suitable enough for painting, while not actually repairing the water damage within and preventing additional water damage.
 The next image shows the hole where i dug out the old caulk.
The amount of caulk used was far too much and didnt do anything to cure the water damage. It simply was an attempt to cover up and hide the damaged area.
This next image shows me digging out the vast amounts of caulk and dirt that had creeped into the water damaged hole beneath the old door frame.

We must have pulled out almost a quarter cubic yard caulk, mud and other garbage from this hole.

The next image shows how much material we had to cut out, of the water damaged wood, before we could begin the actual repairs.

You can see the Plast-Aid that we used to fill the base of the hole, left by the water damaged frame.

We actually used 3 separate containers of the Plast-Aid product to make enough material to fill in the base. This is designed to create a water-proof base with which to build upon.






The next image shows the entire filled portion where Plast-Aid was used to provide the filler.
Plast-Aid is great because it dries and "cures" quickly to enable you to build upon each layer of repair reasonably quickly. The product takes about 10-15 minutes to cure to a state where it can be molded into a soft putty and then be inserted into the application, without it dripping everywhere and making a huge mess.



 The last 2 images show the completed Plast-Aid repair, where we used the Plast-Aid to provide a water-proof barrier for the future. We cleaned up the looks using our Makita 3/8" belt sander that we use as a power file. This fixed the water damaged frame to the point where the customer can now use wood filler to patch over the top, sand and paint.

We are not painters and would never claim to be. We advise our clients prior to any repairs that we suggest they may want to contact a professional painter to put the finishing touches on important ambience of a project.










Purchasing Plast-Aid through their website is the better idea than through online market places, in my opinion. See the source below for a link to the Plast-Aid home page, which also shows many other applications for this fabulous product.

(source...)

April 24, 2018

Godrej - 19th Century Indian Manufactured Money/Cash Box/Safe - Open And Make Key

 Godrej were a 19th century Indian manufacturer of money boxes, safes and cash boxes who closed down in the early 20th century.

A few months ago, a customer contacted us to get their money box opened and have a key made.

We made sure to take some pics of this very old box and how we made the key.

After combing through multiple key blank provider sources and trying to find even something close, our misfortune to find an appropriate key blank made us decide to modify another key blank that was suited to another product.




This particular box, we sourced back to about 1908. It appears to be in surprisingly great condition for it's age.

You can see the key blank we decided to use to modify.






This money box used a coin slot/note slot on the reverse side
of the key operated lock. The slot has a welded on flap inside that is designed to prevent removing coins or notes from the locked box.

 Some of the tools, we locksmith craftsmen choose to use when impressioning keys to locks include a selection of files.


In this case we used a 4" warding file as our primary file of choice for this project.


The impression system of key fitting is a long time treasured skill, unique to the craft/trade of locksmithery. There are many books written over the years that teach the skill to new players, but practise makes perfect. After all, "Repetition Is The Mother Of Learning", according to popular theory.

One of our most popular posts in this blog is "How To Open And Make Keys To Antique Furniture Locks" and explains the method to impression keys to old fashioned 'skeleton key' type locks without damage.

You can see in this pic, we were required to drastically modify our selected blank and hand file the key. We were required to reduce the guage of the key to enable it to enter the keyway, because we could not find a suitable blank.



The finished key works beautifully in the lock, maintains it's originality (and antique value) and can only be withdrawn from the lock when the door is closed and locked.


Not a difficult project for an experienced locksmith, but rewarding nonetheless.

There are many talented locksmiths around this country and the world who still practise the art of impressioning today.

The skill is unique to the locksmith trade and one that can save customers money and heartache when needing service to their antique lock, safe or furniture product.

Home Advisor (formerly Service Magic) Testimonials And Sites That Recommend Us

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Testimonials

Danny was very professional and friendly at the same time. He not only gave me the quote and fixed the exterior door and explained his work. He was prompt and upfront about the work and did the work. He came in time took care of it on the same day. (Sasheethn K St Louis MO) June 2018d out problems but assured not urgent. Please feel free to have Danny pass out my number for my total experience review 314-351-5553

Charlie M. (St Louis, MO) November 2015


Danny was pleasure to meet and was very knowledgable. He explained several lock replacement options but I decided none of them were a good fit for a storm door, however, I did replace a lock on my entry door with a type of lock I had never seen before. I would highly recommend this company.
Patricia J (Bridgeton, MO) March 2014
They were prompt and showed up when he said he would show up. He knew his stuff. I had ordered new handles and he was honest enough to say that we don't need them that he can fix the doors and he did. Made me lock and unlock my doors to his satisfaction so that I knew what to do. Am very, very pleased with the service and cost.
Joyce K (Glencoe, MO) May 2015

Showed up on time for appointment. Was very knowledgeable about the project and offered a solution beyond what I asked to be done.
Stephen G (Chesterfield, MO) May 2015


Daniel was right on time, assessed the problems I had with two doors, made the repairs, and explained what caused the problems to begin with .... He is a "door expert" and a true professional. I highly recommend him.

Vince V (St. Louis MO) May, 2015




Danny was fabulous! He went over my concerns and he provided me with more than a fair quote. He was there when he said he was going to be there. I would highly recommend Danny. Cheers!
Denise S (Imperial, MO) May 8, 2014

Hired Danny to re-key locks on "new" house purchase. He advised to replace with new deadbolts & door knobs on 3 entry doors instead which I agreed with. All doors have 1 matching key & the safety of excellent quality product & workmanship. He also added new strike plate to door frame to complete project.. I recommend as your 1st & only call to a Locksmith.

Denise F (St. Louis, MO) April 3, 2014


Danny was very helpful in solving a pretty complex problem involving many lock.
Scott C (Eureka, MO) March 27, 2014




Needed patio door track to run smoothly. Arrived early, fixed door and explained what he was doing during repair. Quick and easy. Door works great, my wife will now speak to me, and I've become a better dancer.

Mike W. (Arnold/Oakville MO) July 2013


The owner spent a longtime with me on the phone helping diagnosis the problem. He was on-time, friendly and helped resolve my issue. I will definitely use him again!

Chris C (Lake St Louis, MO) July 2013


I had a very pleasant experience with Master Key Systems. They came out, did the job (which took longer than expected) and they did not change the price they quoted me. Now, I am not certain that it was a great value for the money because I don't have a comparison, but they did what they said, when they said, for the price they said. Enough said!!!

Antonio B (Saint Louis, Missouri) March 2013


Professional.. Upfront about charges. Fixed the sticky door within 20 minutes. I will recommend Master Key for exterior door issues.
Muthu R (Ballwin, MO) July 2012


Danny was a master craftsman, knowledgable and professional. I will be calling on him again in the future as well as passing on his services to friends and family.

Marsha L (Saint Louis, MO) July 2012


Danny was excellent! I called him on a Monday to fix a sliding glass door. He happened to have the exact part we needed (and it was not an easy find - we had looked everywhere) and he came over Tuesday evening. He stayed until 8:00 until the job was done, and cleaned up afterwards. He was courteous, professional, and efficient! I could not be happier!

Rachel P Maryland Heights, MO (July 2012)


He did an excellent job. Got there on time and quickly solved the issue. Was very pleasant and explained the situation and how to keep the door from sticking in the future. Would definitely use Master Key LLC again!

Neil F. (Saint Louis, MO) April 2012


Danny was very friendly and knowledgeable, although his apprentice seemed to do most of the work, Danny kept an eye on him to make sure it was done right. He had very reasonable pricing for re-keying.
Greg D (St Louis, MO) October 2011


He was extrememly fabulous and helpful and did a wonderful job. He was very professional.
Shannon M. (Arnold, MO) October 2011


Growing up spending so much of my time in Italy, the uniqueness of the Nova Classico left quite an impression on me. To be able to have and enjoy them in my own home here in the states is a nostalgic indulgence I'm enjoying beyond words. Thank you Danny for coordinating this transaction.

Joseph M (Chicago, IL) September 2011





great job. hired on the spot and he did job right then at great price

Ron B (Arnold, MO) July 2011







I searched the internet and found your services. I received three phone calls within several days. A service call was scheduled. Two gentlemen arrived promptly, analyzed the problem and fixed it.
James & Florenc M Saint Louis, MO July 2011

The repairman was on time and did an excellent job of fixing a very stubborn door lock. He was persistent and cleaned up the work area afterwards. I would use this service again.

Brenda F (Saint Peters, MO) June 2011


Danny at Master Key Systems has succeeded in making the purchasing of our Meroni door locks, from Italy, an absolute breeze. Even though I live in Australia with a 16hr time difference and was ordering door knobs from Italy that weren't in stock, the whole process was faultless. Danny was prompt and efficient with all his emails and made sure we had covered every possible variable so that the product I received was exactly as required. I would have no hesitation in recommending Danny for your next purchase.
Patrick Carr (Canberra, Australia)


Your product really helped because I needed to secure a nurse's station adjacent to a waiting room and needed a pocket door. Unfortunately, no real options were available to lock a pocket door effectively that would keep me compliant with HIPAA and secure an area that stores medical supplies. This was vitally important as this particular waiting room was for "waiting detox patients". Thank you very much.
Randall R The Fritz Clinic (Birmingham, Al) March 2011


Danny was very polite and knew what the problem was and how to fix it. He also gave me some information about other issues that could arise with my door and locks. Will hire again if I ever need that type of work done.
Jason M Imperial, MO March 2011




I had an exterior basement door that dragged when opening and closing. The hinges were not fitting properly and the door frame had shifted, probably due to the age of the house.The screwswould not go far enough into the wall without hitting stone...even using a special drill bit. Dan worked a long time drilling and sanding to shore up the door as best as possible. I know it will never be perfect. He could have easily sold me a new door and the same issue would happen. He was honest, thorough, and did an excellent job without charging me a fortune. I'm satisfied with the door now. If you want an honest, experienced man, Then Dan is the man

Roger M Saint Louis, MO March 2011


I purchased the Cowdroy P697 Pocket door lock with key over the internet. I emailed questions before my purchase and was provided with the answers quickly by return email. The purchase was quick and easy and the lock was shipped immediatly. Installation is quick and easy. But you do need to convert millimeters to inches (use the internet) in the installation instructions. And the lock looks great and works great. I will do business with them again. THANK YOU

Ed D (February, 2011)





Who Are We?





Welcome to Locks210.com.
This site is to inform about historical and modern approaches to Keys and Physical Security products and services.
Locks210.com, established in 2006, offers residents and businesses of St Louis Locksmith premium quality products and services. As the Premier Bilock Extreme Security Dealer in The Mid-West,
Our conveniently located workshop and service vehicles are uniquely designed to offer trade qualified, bonded, insured tradespeople with knowledge and experience spanning multiple countries and product lines.

Shipping and Returns

All products are sent in manufacturers condition.
All products are subject to sales tax where applicable.
All products are dispatched within 10 business days of remittance.
All products are subject to manufacturers warranties.
All products returned within 30 days, will be 95% refunded less shipping.
Prices are subject to change without notice.
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