Sentry Safes - They Arent Really Safe Y'know!

Many consumers buy safes from their local big box store, like Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Ace Hardware or even Harbor Freight.

Ever heard the expression "pay peanuts and get monkeys"?

The very popular Sentry brand of safes is on sale at just about every big box store in the USA. The one shown above is one of their popular models. There are methods that we locksmiths employ that can get you into these safes with little to no damage but often the costs to pay for the specialized safecracking skills are so much more than the safe is worth.

After viewing the above video, would you trust your valuables to this brand or type of safe?

Purchasing a safe from a locksmith or specialty safe provider, usually gets you value and quality for money. How much are your valuables worth (Sentry buyers)?

Simple Fix Prevents Easy Lever Lock Bypass

The above video shows a well known locksmith tool being used to circumvent the security of just about any lever handle lock.

They also show a simple and effective method of prevention to this bypass method.

Now, most homes employ both a handle and a deadbolt to ensure an entry door is secured but the quantity of online videos explaining how to pick locks and the availability of lock picking tools online can make the job of providing security more difficult to those whose job it is to be concerned.

Luckily for some, there are products available that can mitigate the ease in bypassing these and similar types of locks.

Our very impressive range of Serrature Meroni products are designed differently to mainstream knobs and levers. Meroni make push/pull levers and press button knobs that never require a handle or lever to be twisted/turned.

The Meroni Pigio range are a very unique, high quality designed lever type entry handle that would make the above entry method more difficult to achieve.

The Meroni Combina range are a beautiful version of the entry knob that exceed ADA laws and are very easy to install and use.

The Meroni Nova range are the company's original product offering and are widely used across Europe and are starting to be found in the USA and Australia/New Zealand.

The Meroni Forma range are also very stylishly designed, being oval shaped knobs. Again, they use push buttons to activate the mechanism, meaning no twisting or turning of the knob ever occurs.

By having no twisting or turning of the handle/lever, less wear occurs on the mechanisms. Less wear means longer lasting products. Longer lasting products means value for money.

We plan to show more on these fabulous Meroni lock ranges in upcoming articles.

Changing Locks - How Much Does It Cost?

Many locksmiths would prefer you not know how lock re-keying is done. This talented young fellow has shown exactly the steps involved.

Almost 4 years ago we posted a very popular article here explaining fees.

Locksmith publications usually publish annual accepted industry averages. These prices vary across the country from $12 to $55 depending on where you live.

We are pleased to say our prices have not increased in this time. We still charge $15.00 per keyhole including parts and labor. Master Keying is $20.00 per keyhole.

We also rekey car locks too. Often $30 in parts are required and labor is negotiable.

Many people are starting to look at wireless and battery powered digital door locks. It is important and vital to always include the mechanical backup option even with battery powered door locks. When your batteries run down, you still need to get in. This also explains why you should not just rely on your Remote Garage Door Control.

I cant tell you the number of times I have been called to open houses for people who cannot get in their garage. Usually, power loss is the cause. But they dont carry a house key and to make worse, often leave the garage-house entry unlocked too. Does this sound familiar?

Antique Lock Restoration - A Lost Art

International Silver Plating Inc. are a Glencoe Illinois based company that have been around over 80 years.

As locksmiths and iron workers they continue to provide their unique and hard earned and acquired skills to rebuild and repair many products for many discerning customers.

Many of their pieces are of museum quality and they are often the go to source for specialized piece restoration and repair.

Check out their website in the source below, it is a wonderful insight into the true art and craftsmanship of locksmithing.

While I personally have repaired and restored a few pieces for different customers across the world, I wish I had the depth of knowledge and expertise these chaps possess.

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Hooply - Armored Door Locks

Zhejiang Hongli Locks Co, is based in China. They are a well known manufacturer of some interesting high security lock products that differ greatly to mainstream products found in the USA.

Pictured below, is a version of their armored lock. This virtually impregnable door lock is a mortice lockset comprising 6 stainless steel round bolts and a latching mechanism.

They produce Hooply, Cefiro and Mingbang as their 3 primary brand lines.

The company employs about 800 people and continues to be a dominant player in the Asian high security lock manufacturing industry.

The cylinders used in these locks are known as lever type locks. They use double sided mortice bit keys (skeleton like). This means they are 100% bump proof and very difficult to pick.

Even duplicating these keys is a chore.

I have duplicated similar types of these keys, early in my career and I know they are very exact with very tight tolerances. They are usually required to be copied by hand, because finding suitable duplication machinery is not only difficult but incredibly expensive.

I remember being required to fashion a blank by braising a flag to both sides of a steel stem. Then gently filing the blank until it was similar in shape to the original.

I worked with a very learned professional, early in my apprenticeship, who taught me to use putty (plasticene) or play dough to form a mould around the original. I was then able to create a perfect duplicate using the mould as a guide.

Difficult and time consuming, the reward was customer satisfaction and the knowledge that the key worked perfectly the first time it was tried.

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Many Manufacturers Announce Price Increases Today

A recent memo from some of our suppliers informed us about many of the leading brand manufacturers increasing their prices for their products, effective February 1st, 2012.

Assa-Abloy, HES, Schlage, HID, etc are among the few who have raised their prices.

Lucky for some, we actually lowered many prices on our specialty inventory items.

It is a competitive market out there and by offering the identical products to everyone else online and offline, the only way to remain competitive, many vendors can only compete on labor charges.

Fortunately, by offering products that are less mainstream than brand named lines, we can offer super-competitive prices, as long as you are not fussed about having the brand named products.

We offer Cal-Royal, Carbine, LSDA, Baron, Emtek, Meroni, Cowdroy, Lock Focus, Bilock products that are often similar in application to the more mainstream brands but at more competitive prices.

We will also provide any brand, upon request if we can get it.

Safe Combination Lock Model - Made From Wood

Woodgears.ca is a woodworkers site that displays different contraptions built by a keen woodworker and his peeps.

Pictured here is a model of a combination lock they designed and built themselves. I think this is a great project for budding locksmiths apprentices and safe workers to understand how a typical safe combination works. It can also provide some hands on practise to budding manipulators wanting to practise their combination manipulation skills.

Sure, it may look like a toy but the principle is sound and as a practise jig would be fun to work with, no?

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Oops - I Dropped My Keys In The Water - Help!

Water sports enthusiasts rejoice. No more keys lost to the bottom of the lake.

A talented Dutch boat enthusiast was perturbed at losing his keys in the lake so he decided to invent this intelligent floating key buoy encased in a small key fob.

This unique and intelligent product will save the day for boaties or fisherpeople intent on recovering their dropped keys.

It is a one time use item but it is effective at allowing you to retrieve your keys.

When your keys hit the water, the sponge inside soaks up the water and triggers the buoy into action, raising your keys to the surface. A bright colored marker rises above the water line allowing you to locate it easily and save your day.

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