I teach my apprentices that if you have to force the key, you have already lost. It means the physics of the cylinder are fighting you, and in this trade, physics always wins. I remember a kid named Danny who thought he could muscle a deadbolt into a misaligned strike plate. He ended up snapping … Read more
Most homeowners view their front door as a solid barrier between their family and the outside world, but as someone who has spent over 25 years behind a locksmith bench, I see things differently. To a professional or a motivated intruder, a door is simply a series of physics problems waiting to be solved. If … Read more
Burglars do not play by the rules, and most homeowners are fighting a war they already lost because they bought a lock based on the color of the box at a big-box retailer. I have spent 25 years at the bench, looking at the guts of thousands of locks, and I can tell you that … Read more
The Hard Truth About Your Front Door A lady came into my shop crying because a scammer drilled her lock and charged her six hundred dollars for a ten dollar zinc deadbolt. It is a story I hear far too often in my twenty-five years at the bench. She had a lockout situation, found a … Read more
I teach my apprentices that if you have to force the key, you’ve already lost. That same philosophy applies to the door itself. Over twenty-five years at the bench has taught me that most homeowners, and frankly most ‘handymen,’ approach door security with the finesse of a sledgehammer. They buy a piece of zinc garbage … Read more
I teach my apprentices that if you have to force the key, you’ve already lost. This bit of technical wisdom applies to more than just a stubborn cylinder. Last week, I was standing in a freezing driveway with a kid who has been under my wing for three months. We were looking at a garage … Read more
The Scam Artist and the Sliding Door Trap A lady came into my shop crying because a scammer drilled her sliding door lock and charged her five hundred dollars for a fifteen dollar piece of junk. She lived in a neighborhood where property crime was ticking up, and she thought she was doing the right … Read more
You hear that gritty, metallic crunch when you turn the key? That is not just age; that is the sound of pins hanging up on a burr in the cylinder or a spring that has lost its tension. Most homeowners panic and assume they need a whole new three hundred dollar handleset from the local … Read more
The Psychology of the Low-Resistance Entry Most people think a burglar is a master of the dark arts, someone with a set of picks and the patience of a saint. In reality, your average neighborhood thief is a lazy opportunist looking for a mechanical failure they can exploit in under ten seconds. They are not … Read more
