Our Most Popular Products Include...

 The Bilock Deadbolt Lock. Our signature product, from when we first opened our business here in the USA, a little over 10 years ago is still Bilock. The Bilock Deadbolt is the most popular of the Bilock products repeatedly requested.
Concerned consumers request Bilock due to it's superior resistance to picking and bumping. The color coded keys help in easily identifying correct operating keys. Our signature authority system prevents unauthorised key production. Often, we can provide just the Bilock cylinder and keys that can be installed in many existing leading brands of hardware too, minimizing the cost to the homeowner and maintaining the existing ambience of the trim on the door.

The Pigio 1 by Serrature Meroni, is quickly rising as one of our popularly requested products because it allows the user to easily operate the push pull mechanism without the need to grip and turn the knob

The Pigio 2 by Serrature Meroni is also seeing increased popularity for similar reasons the the Pigio 1.  

The Combina by Serrature Meroni is the modern version of the unique Premiapri mechanism and is available in so many color options to suit varying tastes of consumers. 

The Cowdroy P697 Keyed Pocket Door Lock (now discontinued by us) was the first of our popular lock systems for pocket or cavity doors. It was pulled from our inventory for not meeting ADA/Building codes. (Key operated both sides)

The enormously popular best seller, The Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock exceeds the requirement of the many pocket door owners across the USA and Canada. The unique design, combined with a 5 pin tumbler that is identical to a Kwikset Keyway, complements this product. The Lockwood range of picket and cavity door locks, also includes privacy (bathroom/bedroom), passage and passage latching versions. 

 The Serrature Meroni range of furniture and cabinet lock systems, mechanisms, electronic control desk lock systems, drawer hinges, door closers, electric strikes, door handles, mailbox locks, etc are second to none worldwide for their quality and vast product range. This fine Italian company is on the cutting edge of design, that many other brands look to, for improving their offerings too. Still the best and still the worldwide leader in intelligent and ambient locking systems.

The Meroni Nova is the flagship of the Serrature Meroni line of door handle hardware. Easily our second most poular selling product.

The Combina Anti-Bacterial handle system prevents the spread of unwanted pathogens or diseases by dissipating germs on contact. Perfect solution for child care centers, hospitals, aged care facilities.

 The Bilock Grade 2 Light Duty Commercial/Heavy Duty Residential entrance set comes with a 15 year warranty on the hardware. Unique keying system and bump proof/pick resistant mechanism makes this product complement the Bilock Deadbolt written about above.

 Hooply, a Chinese range of specialty handles and locking systems aimed at residential markets that are prone to hurricanes or brash weather systems are a popular product found most often in New York City or Florida. We were once the dealer for this product line, but found demand too small to continue. We still have contacts with the manufacturer and their catalog. We are happy to prvide the company contact to enquirers.

 Sliding Patio Doors are one of our most common service requests by customers. We service and lubricate a great many of these doors across the greater St Louis Region, often without requiring to replace wheels or rollers.

A Simple repair usually takes about an hour (average) and costs about $99, including attendance and lube.

The Lockwood 002L is a rim mounted lever deadlatch that is one of, if not the strongest in it's class of secure locking hardware products. Not cheap. Expertly designed and demanded by those who demand the ultimate security.

Lockwood's flagship product for over 50 years is still the best.

Yale Conexis L1 - A New Smartphone Enabled Access Control Locking System

Yale, the ages old company and inventor of the modern day pin tumbler principle, the same name for which the world reknowned university was named, in recent years has seen it's original premise and products be modified and expanded to encapsulate more diverse fields, including (but not limited to) trucks, forklifts, golf-buggy's, etc.

Yale, once known as the leader in residential, commercial and institutional security products, are continuing to press the boundaries of the digital revolution with the introduction of the Conexis L1 electronic, wireless access control product.

Part of their Real Living genre of products, Yale have decided that their foray deeper into the modern digital era involves eliminating the very product for which their name was made famous.
The Key.

While many consumers agree that the convenience aspect of modern day access control products is most likely the primary aim, statistical analysis conducted by many agencies using multiple surveys and other data gathering techniques, reveal that the humble mechanical key is still a highly sought after feature desired.

Removing the mechanical key component does help to produce more competitively priced products, but can be an impediment to sales because electronics failure or electronic malfunction cannot be mitigated using a mechanical key, in an emergency or urgency.

Yes, battery technology continues to improve and the long term future for electronic wireless - battery powered products is intriguing. I do suggest that companies need to continue to include high quality mechanical key overide systems with their new products, to offer the consumer the continuing benefits mechanical brings.

The video below shows typical installation for the Yale Conexis L1 in the UK.



In America we are getting to see many similar types of door locks offering the atrium type of mechanism. Companies like Pella, Anderson, Peachtree etc, have been bringing in these modern and stylish types of doors, in excess of 25 years now and the market for these types of doors continue to evolve. Many customers enjoy the quality and convenience offered by these styles and types of doors.
HOWEVER.......

Anyway Doors - Unique Pivoting Doors And Frames To Suit Minimalist And Modern Tastes

Anyway Doors, a specialty door manufacturer based in Belgium, manufacture a unique range of stylish doors and frames that modernize many applications.

Their unique looking doors and styles are highly sought after in the European market and are showing increasing interest in the North American markets too.

The unique center-pivoting doors option, provides a fabulous way to separate or partition a living or work space.

Beautiful designs aimed at discerning tastes, attract many modern interior designers, who like to offer nouveau and eclectic form and function to suit varying tastes.

After the break, view more pictures from their range as well as a 10 minute video of the installation procedure and options for different door sizes and styles.

Master "Made In Mexico" Padlocks Suffer From Inconsistencies Making Duplicating Keys Awkward

 Yesterday, one of our repeat customers contacted us to duplicate a bunch of keys for their new padlocks they purchased at Ace Hardware. They had tried to get Ace to duplicate these keys in store but none of the keys worked at all.

Many hardware stores are often understaffed or their sales assistants are poorly trained in the simple key duplicating field. Often a hardware store will rarely adjust their key machines to correct parameters so that the keys they make will be correct. To the angst of many a customer, whom have had to return time and again to the store because their keys continue to not work, even in products purchased from those stores.

The padlocks pictured here are Master brand, made in Mexico and keyed alike in a set of 3.

Here is a pic of one of the padlocks and it's key individually.

This customer had purchased 2 separate sets of 3 keyed alike padlocks and wanted an additional 10 keys for one set and an additional 20 keys for the other set.

Now, there is not much rocket science involved in duplicating keys. Trained locksmiths have been duplicating keys for well over 200 years in this country and even longer around the world. But being trained to understand the different parts of a key, understanding how to set up and duplicate a key appears to be somewhat daunting to the uninitiated.

Hardware stores and shoe repairers decided a long time ago to enter the lucrative key duplication market because they are services that make a good addition to their primary offerings. Unfortunately, due to the consistent amount of failures in duplication, many big box stores have decided to install automated kiosks like we mentioned here about 6 years ago.

We decided to video our attempts to cut these keys and show some of the inconsistencies of duplicating keys. Please be entertained by our novice videos below.

The first video is not so fabulous......but lets have a look.





The second video shows me in the foreground showing the process. I am in my worktruck at the customers site completing the project onsite...



This third video features me again (please excuse my candor) duplicating the final set of keys....




Okay....I am not the best videographer, but hopefully you will get the idea. I'd be interested in hearing about your issues with having keys duplicated and working or not. Maybe recommended locations for good duplicators in your region.

Thanks!

Meroni Combination Cabinet Locks - Perfect For Car Dealerships And Sales Offices

Meroni manufactures a brilliant yet competitively priced alternative to drawer and cupboard/cabinet security that operates easily for use in high turnover vocations, like sales offices, car dealerships etc, where sales people often move offices/desks sometimes more often than normal.

Enter the Meroni 10 series resettable combination lock system.

The product can be typically used to replace existing cam and file cabinet locks (with a little installation modification) or are fast becoming a sought after alternative to office furniture and cabinet/drawer manufacturers, where their customers are requesting combination locks on sales persons desks and cabinets/drawers.

This product uses a fully resettable mechanism to enable the manager to access a lost combination using an overide key and reset tool. This means that if a user relocates or leaves the position, the desk drawer/cabinet can be easily reset and used by the next occupant without the need to have new keys cut to code or locks replaced.
The obvious benefits include cost savings, time and convenience for managers and reduced down time.

The brochure in the source below is in Italian, but shows how the system is easily reset by the manager.

The products are available with operating keys too and can also be master keyed if desired.

Cost effective, unique products aimed at minimizing productivity down times and maximizing efficient management use, that actually save money while providing superior convenience.

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Meroni Wooden Drawer Lock - Simple Installation And Security

Meroni, the famous Italian manufacturer of stylish and purposeful locks and access control products continue their long tradition of classic yet noveau design expertise with products aimed at making the cabinet makers life simpler and more profitable. This product is designed to be installed in typical wooden drawers and whereas it's simplicity of design and it's ease of use/operation is radically different from competitors offerings, it's price point, combined with it's ease of installation and the ultra-competitive pricing, separates it from it's competitors offerings.

The benefit of this offering includes various length locking bars, that can offer cabinet makers and drawer lock installers an edge where competing products fail.

The technical drawings below offer an interpretation of the use and the easy installation.

 The technical relief drawing here, shows measurements of the lock.

The application drawing here shows how the product is installed and used. Rather than having a hole drilled right through a drawer, you simply drill a hole about half way through your material. Drill a hole for the bolt mechanism to line up with the connection to the lock mechanism, screw the bolt to the lock and that's it. Simply drill the strike hole in your furniture/cabinet/drawer frame and the installation is complete. This means no screws are needed to be used at all.

Available keyed separately, keyed alike, master keyed and keyed alike in groups, the product is available in minimum groups of 20 units.

Available in Pickled Brass (US4) or Nickel Plated Brass (US14) and comes with a collar to protect the external hole (and cover a wayward hole).

As the North American distributor for the whole range of Meroni lock and access control products, we can usually provide requested orders within about 4 weeks.

With the currency conversion rates at their cheapest in many years, owning high quality European manufactured products, usually reserved for higher-end products is now within further reach of discerning customers.

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New Inventory Arrived - Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Locks

We recently stocked up on this fabulous product to answer wildly increasing demand.

The recent update to the product, allowing it to also work on 45mm (1-3/4") thick doors, has seen sales increase as we expected.

The demand from discerning customers, expecting high quality product for the value is being met and this is shown by our regular need to keep expanding out inventory.

Remembering that many manufacturers continue to increase prices for in-demand products, often due to volatile exchange rates, raw material cost increases and of course the cost of oil, we see fit to maintain our list price of this product at US$128.00 plus shipping.

We found through our internal analysis that customers preferred the Satin Nickel (Pearl) finish more than the Chrome finish and we decided to only stock Satin Nickel.

We will update our shopping cart shortly.

In the last 5 years representing this brand and product line, we enjoy continued repeat sales to customers who agree with us that this product exceeds their needs for securing modern (and sometimes older) pocket and cavity sliding doors.

Smart Armor Cube - Wireless Technolgy Meets Drawer Cupboard Locks

There are a number of electronic locks already on the market that serve the needs of corporate and residential uses.

Many of the leading  lock producing companies already offer quality products that are competitively priced, that serve functions already demanded by customers.

But this does not stop new entrants to the market. This new product attempts to improve upon drawer/cupboard safety and security by integrating the humble smartphone with a new type of cupboard lock.

Uses for this product include but are not limited to child safety, waiter/server access control, hospital pharmaceutical carts, refrigerators etc.

While the Smart Armor Cube looks like a worthwile addition to our lives, perhaps this first of it's kind version will open the market to more aspiring inventors to improve upon it's basic design.

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Tapplock - Padlock Of The Future Here Today

Tapplock is a unique padlock product released recently that offers biometric access control as well as bluetooth smartphone access control.

Unique in design, the manufacturer says the internal battery is designed to last 3 years between charges. Tapplock have produced a few different models since the release of their initial product, including a version with replaceable batteries (about 6 month life cycle).

Modern access control solutions are slowly converting to multiple authentication protocols, where a user might use their fingerprint and a combination or key to operate their product. Other types of multi-authentication might include the presence of your smartphone to enable a combination or key to work.

Check out the video above for this intelligent product and purchase options in the source below.

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Impressive Resistance - UFO+...

Here is the full length video of the attempt to destructively bypass the fabulous UFO+.
The unsuccessful attempt, using only common (and not so common) hand tools displays the use of seven (7) different tools and brute force applied to try to bust this beast open.

And it still works perfectly in the end.

Whats on your truck?

Available in the USA exclusively here!

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Skunk Lock - Beating Crooks By Making Them Sick

The Skunk Lock is an unusual product recently designed and released to market that offers a twist to typical security devices.

Instead of an alarm or electrocution element this product will spray a pepper spray type product that will incapacitate a would be thief.

The video below shows a depiction of how this operates.

Definitely unique and definitely different, this is a product that might appeal to discerning bike owners.



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Pocket Doors Or Cavity Door Repairs

We at Master Key Systems America LLC have been repairing customers existing pocket doors, across the greater St Louis region for about 8 years.

A lot of requests come from online lead generators like Home Advisor and Thumbtack and often after customers have been poorly serviced by a previous technician.

The benefits of pocket doors have been known for over a hundred years, in the United States. You will find them in  many older homes in New England, the Carolina's and the Mid-West.

Pocket doors increase the "usable" square footage of a dwelling. Effectively adding value to your property easily and inexpensively

The fellow in this video shows how to "correctly" install a modern day pocket door into an existing wall. That's not me in the video. It is only by happenstance that he sounds like me (I'm much better looking).




We are also the exclusive North American dealer of the fabulous Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock. This unique, in-demand product continues to sell well, now into it's 4th year.

Whom Are You Going To Trust To Do It Right The First Time?

We posted about Locksis, recently and it looks like a solid product. We hope to test one out soon and will report our findings.

We found the following video on their site rather appropriate because often we get to repair the previous attempt at installation, in our travels as a journeyman tradesman.



Their site is in the source below.

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Meroni Nova Privacy/Bathroom Lock Installed To Communal Restroom in Local Bar

 Last week we were called to a project for a local bar/grill where the communal restroom door was a hodgepodge mess left by a previous installer.
The door in question was fitted upside down and used a D pull plate fitted to the inside with a surface barrel bolt used as the interior lock mechanism.

You can see in the first picture, the exterior door side with the old plates removed, revealed large coach-bolt holes where the old plates were fitted.

The inside D pull had been broken off and exposed bolts looked unsightly. They were using a packing box strap to pull the door open, but inspection by the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), required a properly operating door handle to be installed.

Picture 2 shows another angle of the pre-repaired door. The crack in the door, part way down was the result of a patron kicking the door once to get it open.

We removed the damaged plates which revealed the poor workmanship from the previous installer.

 We decided that the use of 2 Rockwood Push Plates on each side of the door would cover the holes left by the previous products.

You can see that we used 4" x 20" push plates and over lapped the bottom plate and top plate.

The cross bore hole was in the wrong position, because the door was fitted upside down.

The cover plates easily covered most of the damage, effectively improving the aesthetics, expertly. A clean look is a professional look.

Picture 4 here, shows the exterior side with the cover plates installed and the high-quality Meroni Nova N12 Privacy/Bathroom lock installed.

We were required to drill a 40mm (1-3/4") cross bore hole in the cover plates to accept the new lock. These plates are stainless steel and our hole saws were not sharp enough to easily complete the desired holes. As a consequence, we were required to lace-drill the holes in the plates.

Lace-drilling is a term coined by professional metalworkers to explain a method of making a larger hole in an application, when a larger drill bit or hole saw would not work easily. The installer will drill a series of smaller holes in the application and cut the material out to make the hole desired, larger.

Picture 4 above shows the exterior side of the door, while picture 5 here, shows the interior side of the door. The customer requested that we leave the surface barrel bolt fitted to the door.

Because the door frame was a commercial steel frame, the existing strike plate was located in a different position to the existing cross-bore hole in the existing upside-down door.

We were required to accurately allign the new lock with the existing strike plate and drill new cross-bore holes accordingly.

You can see the finished look is very professional. The new lock operates flawlessly.
The door is a high trafficked door with sometimes hundreds of daily uses, hence the decision to use high-quality hardware.

Meroni hardware is uniquely designed with very few moving parts, that reduce the typical wear of many other brands of door knob hardware, making a product that is easy to operate and very long lasting.

Below, find a small video of the completed install and the operation of this simple to use lockset.



Meroni hardware is made in Italy by a company that produce various different designs of aesthetically pleasing, simple to operate lock hardware.

Meroni also is one of the largest furniture/cabinet hardware manufacturers in Europe, with many high-quality cabinet makers and designers across the world choosing their products for their ease of installation, professional look and simple-to-operate designs.

Master Key Systems America LLC are proud to represent this fabulous product line in the North American market. The prices are competitive without being low end, ensuring customer satisfaction.

We also will supply to various customers across the world, with recent customers purchasing from Ecuador, Chile, New Zealand, Australia apart from our Canadian neighbors.

Browsing through this site, will reveal more details and pictures of Meroni hardware products that will provide good looking alternatives to the more mainstream hardware products available.

Our sister site, http://www.locksmiths-st-louis.com/ has some articles and videos and purchase options for your consideration.

We are a professional locksmith and door repair company providing premium quality products and services across the greater St Louis region. We also sell to other states, cities and countries and can provide quality professional contacts for local installations in those places.

Feel free to contact us for expert assistance by qualified and experienced technicians.

Window Security Film - Reduces Casualties In Recent Spate Of Bombings In NYC

We have written about a security product called Shattergard, that we make available to discerning customers, a number of times in the last few years and now we read with interest about windows in NYC that use shatter proof glass and how effective they were in preventing widespread injuries in the recent bomb blasts that rocked the city.

In the article (in the source below - now since removed) the authors hold that since 9/11, New York City "elders" decided that one way to reduce potential injuries while at the same time reducing the smash and grab crimes of opportunity, was to invest in shatterproof glass and/or products like Shattergard.

Shattergard is a product created and sold by Global Security Products out of Atlanta. My friend and colleague Jordan Frankel designs and produces unique security products aimed at minimizing damages caused by criminals that affect our very lives.

Global Security Products produce products like Shattergard, and related products, Ongard Door Brace, Outdoor Security Lighting and Wirelsss CCTV Camera Security Systems


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NUKI - Another European Access Control Sollution

NUKI is another intelligent creation by some talented German designers and engineers hoping to cash in on the ever growing home automation market.

This product differs from the competition because instead of installing to the interior side of the key lock, the product requires you to insert your existing key in the outer cylinder and then clip the NUKI over the top of it. (Addendum: Assuming a double cylinder is being used, interior NUKI use is advised - this is especially important for countries that adhere to the International Building Code - Egress Rules)

Check out this second video that might better explain the product...



Then operating from your cellphone becomes innate.

I see some security issues with this type of product, specifically if the product is damaged or removed from the door, an attacker now has your mechanical key.

I will agree that this product might suit internal access control in an established office or dwelling, without the increased expense of modifying an installation to accept a relatively expensive modern standalone access control lock.

And in the current economic climate, solutions that provide better value for money, are made from quality and lasting components, more competitively priced alternatives are certainly being sought more frequently by cost conscious consumers who also understand that security, aesthetics and ease of use without a large learning curve, are the solutions many of us want.


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Bold - Smart Cylinder Access Control Technology

Bold Security Technologies just recently released their own iteration of a smart lock. But this particular design is somewhat different.

Technologies like this have been around for a few years now, with industry leaders like Salto, already including a similar product in their vast range of high security mechanical and electro-mechanical access control systems.

The Bold is trying to secure crowdfunding thru Kickstarter and it may even come off, although at $129 per cylinder and only aimed at the (relatively small and already competitive) European market, it is a tad dear.

I think the premise has merits and the idea may even have legs, but competing in an already top-heavy market, with many of the established industry players including Assa-Abloy, Salto, Simmons-Voss and others already producing much broader ranges of smart cylinders that operate across more markets than just the Euro cylinder segment.

The market has seen a number of recent entrants, all vie for share, including August, Kevo, Lockitron to name a few.

One of our signature product lines Meroni, are knee-deep in R&D to bring their nouveau, modern style product line of unique door hardware into the "smart" family. Meroni are perfecting their recent auto-magnetic latch mechanism design, that already provides an almost silent and hidden latch mechanism, with a system that can be locked and unlocked by smart-devices (cell phone, proximity device, etc).

We are anticipating a release of late next year on the Meroni.

Our Recent Computer Catastrophe Has Proved Unrecoverable

It is with deep regret that we unhappily announce that our recent computer catastrophe has rendered our database 99% unrecoverable.

This means that all our high security restricted key system data has been lost forever. The computer failure was sudden and unexpected and compromised our backups too.

We apologize to our many clients who trusted us to maintain these records.

NOTE: None of our systems have been compromised or lost to hackers or stolen details. We have simply lost the intellectual data. That means that all systems already in existence are still secure. We just cannot access any of the data required to produce new key copies or generate new cylinders keyed to existing cylinder loadings or run reports of current quantity of issued keys.

Each System's Contact Information, including all recorded signatories have also been lost.

We will try to contact some clients to update their authority signatory forms and enroll the systems in our new updated and backed up (in multiple locations including the cloud off-site) software.

To our customers, if you require additional keys or any service on your systems, we will require to view an image of all your different existing keys in your system. This way we can rebuild the database by hand and can service and update your systems.

We apologise again and thank you for your understanding.

Many Manufacturers Are Increasing Prices In October - In Spite Of Zero Inflationary Pressures

The locksmith and door hardware industry is not immune to financial pressures. Many industries are increasing their prices even though the wider economy is not experiencing inflation.

What is especially interesting is that while these manufacturers are increasing their prices, they are not increasing wages and compensation for their employees. While the greater economy shows that American employers are continuing to offer more jobs and increase hiring, wages are stagnant and in some cases actually dropping.

Some manufacturers increasing their prices in October include:
 Schlage: 10/3/16
Von Duprin: 10/3/16
LCN: 10/3/16
Falcon: 10/3/16
Glynn Johnson: 10/3/16
IVES: 10/3/16
Steelcraft: 10/3/16
Kaba Simplex Mechanical Pushbutton Locks: 10/15/16
Kaba PowerPlex/E-Plex Electronic Locks and Software: 10/15/16


The above manufacturers are mostly companies that produce their products off-shore, where the economies abroad are not seeing the growth of previous years and prices have by large not increased.

So why are they increasing their prices? probably due to shareholder demand!

Will local service providers also increase their prices? Most likely not but they should.

GM Ignition Key Fault - Not So Fast Says Texas Jury

A couple of years ago we reported about the GM Ignition Switch fiasco that was taking place across the country, in the wake of repeated mechanical problems suggested to be directly and indirectly caused by faulty ignition switches.

To read the articles we wrote previously click here

In a new article in USAToday, a Texas jury has sided with GM in a closely watched court case where the car maker was sued over a supposedly faulty ignition switch.

The particular case (see article in source below) was about an accident that occurred where the occupant lost control of the vehicle after hitting the key switch with their knee.

The jury found that case investigators determined through extensive research, that the driver was driving recklessly at the time of the accident.

This does bring into question the legitimacy of other claims of impropriety by the car manufacturer and does suggest that they are not at fault like previously thought.

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Locksis - Smart Lever - An Updated Variation On The Keyless Lever Lock System

The Touch Lever Lock by Locksis, a Korean manufacturer of unique door entry products is making it's debut to the door hardware market.

The video above gives a glimpse of this very interesting product, aimed at reducing the reliance on mechanical key products, while maintaining security, aesthetics and convenience to the access authorized.

The fundamental difference with this new product, compared to similar products in it's genre, is the use of high grade stainless steel providing ease of use and quality for internal and external environments. Stainless steel is well known to provide better functioning and protected internal mechanisms especially when used outside.

This product looks quite functional and easy to install. The benefit that external battery connections provide include easy access from outside if the internal batteries havent been replaced (like could happen if your dwelling has been unoccupied for some time and the internal batteries have not been replaced).

With no mechanical override key, there is no key to lose or worry about being copied without your permission. The provision of a master code and an operating code, allows for easy changing of the combination, further protecting users.

A unique and modern approach to the deadlatching function enables this product to act like a deadbolt and latch mechanism in one product, eliminating the need for a handle and a separate deadbolt.

We hope to be able to offer this product in due course.

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Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock - New Model Arrived And In Stock

Our very popular Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock is selling fast.

The new model is here and now makes this lock able to install to 1-3/4" thick doors too, without any special drills required.

With increased shipping and import duties we have been required to marginally increase the unit cost, even though the manufacturer has not raised their prices.

The product is available now for only $128.00 plus shipping.

You can purchase the product at our sister site or by visiting the link in the source below.

We choose to ship with UPS in the continental United States and the shipping fee is for UPS ground. Greater quantities incur higher shipping fees.

To Canada and off shore states and territories we choose to ship with USPS with the average delivery time of 7-10 days.

Please remember that all shipping requests out of the country require your contact telephone number be included.

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Catastrophic Computer Problems Are Causing Us Issues - We Apologize For The Inconvenience

We suffered a monumental catastrophe at the beginning of July that caused us to lose much of our data. Our backups cannot be used until we rectify our hardware issues and we are working to correct these problems as soon as possible. We thank you for your understanding and patience and apologize for the inconvenience.

Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock - New Model Arrived to Suit 1-3/4" Thick Doors Too

As informed, we happily announce our receipt of the new and updated Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock. This new updated model replaces the older version and is now designed to also work on 1-3/4" (45mm) thick doors too.

The former version will only work correctly on 1-3/8" (32mm) thick doors but it could have been used on thicker doors with a little door modification.

The new version has been modified using a stronger and modified connecting tail, inside the mechanism that allows for the one product to be used with doors up to 1-3/4" (45mm) thick.

(view the installation video)

The manufacturer have seen fit to maintain the cost at the previous price point, enabling us to offer the newer product without a price rise, although shipping and customs rates for importing products from abroad have seen a marginal increase, which we have to pass on unfortunately.


Unlike another vendor in California who is offering the same product, but suggesting to purchase a special drill for installing to the thicker doors, our new offering enables simple installation without door modification.

UPDATE: Only US$128.00 Plus Shipping

Zore - Gun Protection Technology That Is Simple Yet Smart

Israeli startup Zore, have produced this new sensational security product aimed at protecting us (the free citizens of the world) from gun violence that is rapidly taking over our society and culture.

This intelligent yet simple to apply and operate attachment, will find it's way to gun stores, police departments, shooting clubs and probably anyone concerned about the safety of their families.

The short video above shows how it is applied and why it is effective.

I personally refuse to own a gun, but I also believe in freedom to choose for yourself and support the second amendment to the USA Constitution as it is written (not as it is understood).

The safety and security of all people is at stake here and products like these will help to prevent more "crazy" actions, while protecting your individual right to gun ownership.

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Sting Operation In Australia Reveals Simple Hack That Renders Electronic Security Swipe Key Systems Ineffective

Electronic security devices are quite the rage today in the security field with many companies offering variations of key fob and card key systems aimed at supposedly increasing the security access control of residential buildings and where we live, work and play.

Notorious current affairs program on the Nine Network in Australia, A Current Affair, recently produced a video segment where they caught up with a perpetrator, operating a scam to copy and reproduce the electronic key fobs and swipe cards that are supposed to be restricted and giving them to customers all across the Sydney and other metropolitan centers for a fee.

The issue presents a moral and ethical quandary because, as residents or dwellers of abodes, people often want to share access to their residences where many management companies often refuse to provide additional copies of electronic access control fobs and cards or,if they do, charge outrageous prices for even legal tenants of these dwellings to obtain working duplicates.

Tenants are often coerced to find more nefarious means to bypass the legal owner/operator of these security products and gain access to desired locations.

The legitimate locksmith industry across the world has been repeating similar messages for many years, that the perception of these "electronic access control products" providing better security and access control, is nothing but a fallacy. Yet the legions of building contractors and management companies simply turn a blind eye because they want their cake and to eat it too.

Legitimate locksmith companies have been offering restricted mechanical key control systems for decades. Systems like Abloy, Bilock, Evva, Primus, Multlock, Medeco etc, that produce operating mechanical keys that are virtually impossible for non-authorized people to obtain duplicate keys.

In the source below find a link to the video of this particular video segment where a reporter is hot on the tail (literally) of a scam operator who is selling inappropriately obtained duplicate tags for operating access control systems. The same systems where many people think they are in a secure building but unfortunately, as this video proves, they are not.

how safe do you feel?


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PRODUCT CLEARANCE - Lockwood 7444SPDP Making Way For New Model

For a limited time (until stocks run out) we have reduced the price of the Lockwood 7444 keyed Pocket Door Lock.

This model is being replaced by a version that will install to 1-3/4" thick doors too.

It is only available though this link.

$105.00 Including shipping



CLEARANCE ITEMS SOLD OUT

Our Latest Statistics That Show How This Site Is Progressing

Pertinent information to any webmaster that provides vital information to determine how well your site is progressing, is an integral component of any marketing management program for any business.

Our latest statistics are captured above in the image provided and show that this site is maintaining a reasonable amount of web penetration.

• Now, what does this information mean to a business owner?

This information helps a business owner determine the popularity of website posts and provides engagement statistics that enable one to better determine the types and styles of posts that most interest our readers.

The information above is an indication of the number of pageviews our site has achieved for the dates tabled. These are NOT the number of hits to the site. These are the number of pages that viewers peruse and may be from a significantly lower number of individual hits.

• How is this important?

Many webmasters use search engine statistics to determine the value of a site, but many seem to only judge a site's value on the number of individual hits their site(s) receive. That unfair assessment of your sites value often can lead to over saturation of content, in attempt to bolster your numbers.
Engagement and site quality is better measured by the number of pageviews, because this indicates that your landing page may be creating enough interest in the reader for they to mosey around the rest of your site, reading additional articles, moving between pages etc. These actions directly power your sites credibility and authority with search engines and can be a contributing factor in having your site listed higher, naturally, in search engine results.

Without knowing the actual algorithms that search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etc use to provide content to searchers, a webmaster needs to design their site based on content and optimisation. For many years the optimisation industry has developed to provide services to website owners aimed at improving their websites search engine penetration. Like others we continue to receive multiple calls, sometimes daily, from companies wishing to sell us "first page ranking on search engines". We have chosen to say NO to all of these companies because we believe the value of our content, provides better engagement to our readers that search optimisation has ever brought us.

We understand that optimisation companies want to/need to make money too and they offer (the lazy website owner) some quality products and services that can help a site progress up the search engine ranks. It's up to you if you want to pay for the white hat techniques to propel your site/s. We choose to simply provide better content. This is reflected in our statistics above.

New Inventory of Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Locks Coming In About A Month

Breaking News!

The Fabulous and in demand Keyed Pocket Door Lock by Lockwood, the 7444 SPDP and it's cousins, the passage 7450, the passage latching 7410 and the privacy 7450 have all been updated to enable installation to thicker doors, meeting demand from around the world.

This means that the new model will be able to be used on doors from 32mm thick to 45mm thick.

Persistent and continuous inquiries have been flooding in requesting this lock to be used for 1-3/4" thick doors.

Until now, we have only been able to sell the 1-3/8" thick version, which typically works on standard pocket/cavity doors found more often across the market.

As a SPECIAL to our customers we will be reducing the price of the older version from the current $125 plus shipping to $80.00 each (plus shipping) to clear our excess inventory. we expect this change to occur, early next week.

The new model we expect to make available toward the end of August and expect the price to return to the current level.

Thanks for your interest.

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Family commitments out of state require us to close temporarily. - We apologize for the inconvenience

Unexpected issues, require us to travel interstate at last minute. We will close until Wednesday afternoon. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

How To Secure A Double Door Cupboard Using Only One Lock

CompX, a maker of a wide range of cabinet furniture lock products and hardware recently came out with this novel modern approach to securing double casement cabinet doors.

The product is straightforward to install and operates natively without the need to operate an elbow spring or necked bolt, which were the traditional ways for securing cupboards of this type.

I recently installed a few of these for a client who understood the benefits immediately. I also installed a number of Meroni 2630 Screw On cupboard locks keyed alike.

The combination of these products look professional and are extremely simple to use and operate.

The Meroni 2630 Screw On Cupboard lock is available in Nickel Plate Or Black finish with a 20mm (1-5/8") long cylinder that will fit a standard cupboard door.

Able to be keyed alike, keyed to differ or master keyed.

They cost about $17 each and are quick to install.

The Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock Is Selling Like Hotcakes!

The Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock continues to defy and break sales records for our small company.

The product is especially difficult to keep in stock or on the shelf.

Few options exist that make a high quality lock for pocket doors, especially something stylish, easy to install and competitively priced.



And with Lockwood about to release the new version tailored to suit 1-3/4" thick doors, we expect an avalanche of orders in due course.

Our last shipment of the current model came in a month ago and we have sold almost half of our inventory already.

Available exclusively here at Master Key Systems America LLC, through our sister site locksmiths-st-louis.com   you will not find it elsewhere in North America.

We have recently sold product to Guam, British Columbia, Montreal, Quebec and some other far away (from me) destinations and in over 5 years of representing this product we have not heard of one product failure.

If this product suits your discerning needs, please click on the picture in the top left side of this site and be directed to detailed explanations of how it operates, the ease of installation and your shipping options.

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Key Deposit Cylinder Upgrades The Abloy Deposit Tube

Assa-Abloy Asia Pacific - Lockwood Australia have decided to introduce their new Key Deposit product to the wider market.

A key deposit is used for storing route keys for apartment buildings, office complexes and factories, enabling secured access to authorized key deposit key holders.

Okay! That's a mouthful to consider.

ABLOY® key deposits are commonly used for storing route keys to apartment complexes, office buildings and factories.

Route keys can be of use to utility companies such as electricity, telephone, gas or cable TV companies as well as fire departments.

Route keys limit service people to access only those rooms where their equipment is installed.It also allows for the convenience of only having to carry one single key which can operate thousands of key deposits.


The ABLOY® key deposit cylinders allow each company to have their own unique key combination. The cylinder can be ordered keyed different, keyed alike or master keyed.

The key deposit tube is designed to house the actual operating key for a particular door or series of doors. This enables authorized key holders to have secure access to just the room/s they need to access and reduces the need to hand out extra duplicate copies of keys. Simply unlock the key deposit tube and use the key, when finished put it back in the wall.

In the brochure (in the source below) there is a diagram that shows what I am talking about.

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Revolutionary New Lockwood Mortise Lock Range Dramatically Upgrades The Leading Industry Standard

Assa-Abloy Asia Pacific - Lockwood Australia Proudly release the latest upgrade to the Australian industry standard commercial mortise lock range.

This is a complete redesign of the product that has been the industry standard in the southern hemisphere for over 50 years.

They make models for both standard wooden or metal doors and for aluminum shopfront type doors.

The research and development of these new products is the result of many hours of research and development in conjunction with industry professionals, customers, locksmiths, security product installers, educational institutions, hospitals and hotels.

The video below explains the new products in greater detail and clarity.



Just released in Australia, the product uses oval shaped key cylinders that differ considerably from the round cylinders Americans are probably familiar with. The benefits of using oval cylinders instead of round threaded cylinders include a lower profile and smaller holes cut into the door frames making installation a little bit easier. The use of retainer pins to hold the cylinders in, increases the ease for maintenance people to service the cylinders,

Check out this commercial about to be released in Australia...




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C.Q.R.I.T. - Key Control On Steroids

I happened to stop into my local supplier IDN Hoffman in Creve Coeur the other day when in walks Scott with Ian Cooke in from Canberra, Australia with CIC Technology.

Now, two Aussies in St Louis is a rare treat in the same room. We got to chin-wagging and he introduced me to this fabulous Australian designed and manufactured C.Q.R.iT range of electronic key cabinets and lockers. He opened the door and there was a Bilock key inside. We are the leading Bilock Extreme Security dealer in the Midwest. We have continually dealt in Bilock products for 25+ years worldwide.

The first version is the key cabinet above.

The locker here is state of the art.

Especially tailored to hospitals, schools, colleges, car dealerships, institutions, corporate security is now enhanced to it's finest.

Watch the video to understand the benefits of key control and how it helps you.




The options are endless with this multi-authentication product.

(source...http://www.cictechnology.com/)

How To Make Your Van/Truck Virtually Impregnable - Meroni UFO+

We have talked about the fabulous Meroni UFO+ security product a number of times in the recent past and shown installation videos and operations.

The above video is a short version of the extended test display, that demonstrates the prowess of this kind of lock system, especially designed in consultation with commercial truck/van manufacturers over a few years.

The Meroni UFO+ is a unique and stylish lock product that prevents malicious entry to your property, while in your truck/van. The interior release cable, allowing for quick and simple egress/escape from inside, separates this product from many competing brands that simply lock the outer doors.

Having an interior release function prevents an occupant from being locked inside easily.

The product is incredibly secure, using high-security virtually pick proof, virtually bump proof and virtually copy proof keys.

Able to be master-keyed in groups, like for fleet vehicles, the Meroni UFO+ is the most sought after van security product and the strength and reliability is just one factor that FEDEX and TNT and UPS have chosen as their "go-to" security product for their delivery trucks and vans across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

First released to the USA market last summer, the product is hard to keep in stock because of the demand for better van/truck security.

Definitely not a cheap "fix" product, the Meroni UFO+ sells for about $325.00. Installation is straightforward, although we do suggest a professional installer complete the project, to maintain warranty.

Entr - Yale Introduce a Family Friendly Smart Lock

Yale is known worldwide as one of the oldest lock manufacturers in the lucrative North American Market. Yale products have been continually built since Linus Yale patented his original pin tumbler mechanism back in 1865.

In recent years, the advent of "The Internet Of Things" has opened up many industries to the technological revolution. The large technology behemoths like Apple, Google, Microsoft to name a few, have capitalized on this technology boom with products like the iPhone, Android etc to make all people lives a little more "connected".

Many industries including, thermostats, alarm systems, web cameras, lighting switches and door locks have seen the new IOT "smart tech" be embedded in their products. Virtually allowing most of the devices and gadgets that surround our lives, to work together seamlessly.

There are already a great many options to choose from in the $30 Billion home security market with many "new-age" smart locks already gracing the shelves of locksmith shops, hardware stores and online e-commerce websites.

The Entr by Yale, looks like yet another entrant to this crowded market. The video above shows the product developed for the standard European market, but I am lead to believe that similar models are being produced for the North American market too.

I think the product looks pretty good. Dont you?

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Why Is Re-keying Your Home Locks Vital And Important For Home Security?

Pictured here is a typical front door entrance set found commonly across the United States.

Many customers we visit, ask us to re-key their locks. It is one of a locksmiths principal service offerings.

But why is it a vital and important project upon buying, renting or moving to your new home, to re-key locks?

In our vast 35+ years of experience across four continents, we have re-keyed a great many lock systems for our customers. The obvious reason for re-keying your locks, is to lock out a key holder.

We attend many customers who rarely think to re-key their locks when they first move in to their new home or office. Many seem to think that previous owners or tenants have returned all the operating keys and that full disclosure indicates there are no additional operating keys "out there".

But time and again, we find that many homeowners are unaware that many of their new locks, installed by the building contractor, are in fact master-keyed. The reason their locks are master-keyed is often a building contractor or home construction company, will build more than one or two or three houses in a new locality and to minimize the number of different keys that each of their tradespeople are required to carry, to access each different property, the builder will order direct from the manufacturer, all their locks keyed to their master system. The builder will obviously hand over the individual operating keys for each new property to the new owner or agent, but many new homeowners are unaware that their new locks are actually master-keyed and will often delay or forget altogether to ensure no-one but they have keys or copies to their new home. Perhaps they are lured into a false sense of security that their new home is secure because they have original keys in their possession?

There are some builders who operate with integrity and install Construction Keyed locks to doors. And these builders will also instruct the customer to insert their individual operating key to all their new locks and in so doing, their construction keyed cylinders will naturally and automatically "switch off" the construction keying function.

We just came from another customer where we re-keyed their locks. In dismantling the cylinders we discovered master pins in multiple chambers, indicating (most likely) that these locks have never been changed, since original installation.

Now, here is the rub!

How Do You Prevent Being Locked Out Of Your Home?

As a practising locksmith for almost 35 years across the planet, I have attended a great many "lock outs", rescuing stranded customers who are locked out of their homes or office buildings.

The skills that a professional locksmith brings to bear, include the special training in learning the art of picking locks.

These days, with the advent of online video sources, more and more videos are appearing daily showing people, including locksmiths and hobbiests displaying their prowess at picking locks.

There are few brands of locks available that are particularly difficult to pick/manipulate, presenting increased challenges to would be lock pickers. Some of these brands include (but are not limited to) Abloy Protec, Assa Twin, Multilock, Bilock, Medeco, Primus and others. Few are bump proof and virtually pick proof like Protec or Bilock and the industry is constantly evolving to produce better mechanical "mousetraps" aimed at increasing the security of our homes or offices.

But, the pain felt when you accidentally lock yourself out and the sometimes long wait for the professional locksmith to attend and rescue you, can be mitigated using a hidden key safe.

There are a number of versions available in todays market and one worth considering is pictured above. A simple water sprinkler with a cavity and screw on cap, that can hold a couple of spare keys is a painless and inexpensive method that would be so helpful to some people.

Locksmiths would probably prefer i didnt mention products like these, because these types of products could reduce the calls for professional locksmith services.

I dont really care all that much as i am in the business of "Securing America - One Door At A Time" and the interests of my clientelle and their families are more important that a few quibbling locksmiths.

And if i can save you a couple of bucks and some extra time and inconvenience, then why the heck not?

These dummy sprinkler heads can be purchased just about anywhere but Amazon have them fairly cheap.

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Fire Rated Nightlatch - New Product From Assa-Abloy Asia-Pacific, Lockwood Australia

Lockwood Australia recently released their new fire rated nightlatch, the Lockwood 507.

Designed to withstand 4 hours of fire and rated accordingly, this new product is constructed using high-quality 304 Grade Stainless steel.

Installation is simple and straightforward and a perfect solution for utility cabinets, service cupboards, janitors closets, etc.

The 507 Rim/Surface mounted nightlatch conforms to a standard 60mm/2-3/8" backset (the standard distance between the edge of the lock body and the center of the keyhole)

The latch mechanism is also fire rated and also constructed from 304 Grade Stainless Steel, as is the lock body/case and strike plate.

The product is supplied without an external cylinder ensuring the ability to use with an existing master key system.

The lock mechanism has been tested and certified to 500,000 operations and is corrosion resistant for up to 168 hours, neutral salt spray ( that means testing involved direct spray of seawater for 168 hours). This makes this an ideal product for use in coastal regions, river-side buildings etc.

The product is of sufficient quality that the manufacturer warranties the product with a 25 year mechanical warranty.

Available soon by special request to North America.

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Meroni Pigio 1 Installed To High Traffic Doors In An Upmarket Car Dealership

A couple of weeks ago, we completed an installation of some Meroni Pigio 1 Passage Sets to high traffic doors in a car dealership

Before

After Installation - external

  Here is an image of the issue we faced. The existing mortise lock handle hardware kept falling off due to overuse.

After Installation - internal

After Installation - edge

Before Installation - internal

Before Installation - external

After Installation - external

The install was painless and straightforward. We used Don-Jo renovator kits to modify the edge fittings.

We also installed Rockwood Push Plates to cover the existing holes left by the old hardware.

These Push-Pull handles are made from high-quality materials and require very little effort to operate. They look good and are easily used by management and also mechanics in the workshop who can often be a little heavy handed with handles they use. (you can see the make-shift tape they had put into use because of the problem they were facing)

Now, they dont even need to use a dirty hand to operate these handles. they can pull the doors open with their arm easily and push them open from inside, even when their arms are full of parts from the supply shop.

Here is a little video that shows how the product looks and operates...

Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock - New Inventory Just Arrived And Available For Purchase Now

UPDATE: Our fabulous and in-demand product, the Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock is now back in stock, with new inventory having just arrived.

We just updated the purchase page and thank our  customers for their patience.

The new model, tailored to suit thicker doors of 1-3/4" (45mm) has not been released yet, although we are informed that they will be available about August. We expect to have new supply of this new model shortly thereafter.

The quantity of inquiries we are continuing to receive for the in-stock Lockwood 7444 continues to surprise us. The recent inquiries for the new 1-3/4" door model is exceeding our expectations.

Many customers across North America have 1-3/4" thick doors and some have purchased the 1-3/8" version, thinking they could just adapt it to suit the thicker doors. They can, although installation requires a little modification to your door for perfect fitting.

Until the newer model is released, we suggest purchasers who wish to install to the thicker doors, countersink the crossbore holes about 3/16" from each side. This will enable the lock body to seat correctly in your door and make connecting the screws simpler, with the activation mechanism correctly activating the bolt mechanism.

To purchase, simply click on the product image at the top left of this page and be directed to our sister site with purchase and shipping options.

Thanks again for the continued interest and your patience.