Drilling & Inventory

[drew5553]

Hi,

In the last resort case of having to drill, what are the best drill bits to use?

And what type of inventory should you realistically carry on your van and what if you don't have a rekey set or even have the exact type of lock the customer had. Give them a different brand?

Thanks

[Eyes_Only]

Most people use Kwikset or Schlage locks so if you keep stock of those you'll be ok for 70% of jobs.

[linty]

Can't help you with questions on destructive entry, but as for replacements, stock what you see most in your area. Weiser, Kwikset and Schlage keyways should pretty much cover it.

More important is to never ever drill anything unless you have discussed and agreed on the replacement with the customer.

[drew5553]

Cool. So what about the other 30% (no, seriously)

And how about businesses? What types of locks are typically used on businesses? I see corbin russel from time to time...

And what happens when you run into a lock you must drill but don't have their type of lock?

Thanks guys.

[freakparade3]

And what happens when you run into a lock you must drill but don't have their type of lock?

Thanks guys.

If you know what you are doing it's rare to ever need to drill a lock. Can you please tell us what your background is and why you are asking these things? Most locksmiths have a brand of locks the sell and will have at least one of every type wth them. So if you do ever need to drill a lock you will have a replacement. I'm not talking about going to the home depot and buying crap locks and installing them. You need to have a premium lock that you sell and service.

[drew5553]

are the schlages, baldwins and weslocks crap because they're from home depot? kwikset is crap of course but many people have them and if they feel safe may not want to spend several times as much on a lock.

[freakparade3]

are the schlages, baldwins and weslocks crap because they're from home depot? kwikset is crap of course but many people have them and if they feel safe may not want to spend several times as much on a lock.

With locks they are grade 1, 2, or 3. Grade one is the best. Home Depot and Lowe's sell mostly grade 3. Not all Schlage, Weiser and similar locks are crap. It depends on the grade. You can get a grade 1 schlage that is a great lock, but you won't get it from the home depot.

[Eyes_Only]

I've been working at a locksmith shop for 7 months and I never noticed that. I'm gonna check our inventory tomorrow at work and see what grade our locks are.

[Safety0ff]

Weiser SmartKey is ANSI grade 1 (according to the Weiser Lock site) and I can get it at Home Depot .

[hillel]

yale keways are also common in buzinesses

[Varjeal]

If you want to be efficient about your inventory, carry standard grade two locks such as those from LSDA, and others, that have key in knob cylinders you can exchange for other keyways, and then carry the popular cylinders seperately. Saves you stock space in your vehicle. Just remember to carry the three or four stock finishes.

If you don't have the tools to rekey the lock, you definitely shouldn't be out drilling them in the first place.

As a general recommendation for drill bills, when required to drill, use the smallest you can get away with. Looks more professional that way.

And yes, it should be very rare that you actually have to drill a lock, and should NEVER be a first resort. This is where creative thinking comes in.

Take the time to properly and fully diagnose the lock problem issue and make sure there's actually something wrong with the lock before reaching for the rotary picking tool.

[Bump]

When I set up I went around my local area looking at peoples locks as I posted flyers! Soon got the idea of what was going to be my initial stock inventory.

Wonder I wasn't arrested!

[mhole]

Good thinking.

I have done leafleting to boost jobs, and found it made me far more aware of how crap most letterboxes are than about the locks fitted!

[WOT]

Not to be rude, but I think you fail as a locksmith if you can't get around a Kwikset without drilling it out.

The only way that could happen is if the lock is broken for some reason, but in that case, it's really a no skill job. You might as well call a friend to come over with a drill and drill out the lock since you'll have to replace it anyways.

[Abus]

I think I've probably drilled a few unnecessary locks when in a hurry, and I had been asked to replace the entire lock anyway. Since I don't really need to add to my collection of broken and worn out EZ-Sets, taking the time to pick them would have been wasted.

Additionally, I didn't have an audience, which meant that I couldn't care less about the appearance of it...I needed to get done as quick as possible. I'd like to think that I didn't let my pride get in the way of time concerns, etc.

Agree that it should be VERY rarely done though, and to use a small bit. Crappy locks are soft so drill material is pretty irrelevant.