Looking into locksmithing..

[dieselducy]

I am currently working for a major RR and am cut back, meaning ill be lucky to work a week out of the month. I am looking to pick up another skill and I was thinking "Why not do something with something I am passionate about?" LOCKS!!! I have been collecting locks since I was a child, and currently have narrowed it down to Best SFIC locks (Logo Locks) ok to get to the point

I live near Roanoke VA and I am serious about learning how to become a locksmith. I can pick a basic pin tumbler lock (5 pinner Kwikset deadbolt) and the lock on my pickup truck. anyway, I don't have a lot of money right now and I was just wondering what options I have as far as getting my "foot in the door" in the locksmith industry. Any info will be greatly Appreaciated.

[Beyond]

Call, write, email, contact, etc. locksmiths in your immediate area and pose the same question you just had to them.

Be aware though, you're intial pay will be little, if any.

If you really know what you say you know and can do, you're already ahead of other potential people inquiring to be an apprentice.

Don't expect to make serious money or even decent or even barely decent money though for a while though. You know some but theres far, far more to learn.

Don't waste your time or money with these silly online courses. It's a waste of your time and money. You can learn everything thing they teach with a library card and an internet connection.

If you can't get on with a locksmith doing something, more than likely an apprenticeship, then keep your passion alive by reading and continuing your education through locks. Eventually a door will come open and you will have a lot more tools at your disposal to attract a potential employer.

Good luck. It took me 3 years to get my foot in the door, I hope you can get yours in much, much sooner.

[kodierer]

Call, write, email, contact, etc. locksmiths in your immediate area and pose the same question you just had to them.

Be aware though, you're intial pay will be little, if any.

If you really know what you say you know and can do, you're already ahead of other potential people inquiring to be an apprentice.

Don't expect to make serious money or even decent or even barely decent money though for a while though. You know some but theres far, far more to learn.

Don't waste your time or money with these silly online courses. It's a waste of your time and money. You can learn everything thing they teach with a library card and an internet connection.

If you can't get on with a locksmith doing something, more than likely an apprenticeship, then keep your passion alive by reading and continuing your education through locks. Eventually a door will come open and you will have a lot more tools at your disposal to attract a potential employer.

Good luck. It took me 3 years to get my foot in the door, I hope you can get yours in much, much sooner.

I disagree with you. An online course will give you a piece of paper which says that he has some knowledge, and he's serious about what he wants to be. That goes for something. Also Those online courses come with tools, which may be handy to have even if they are very basic sets. The online courses will help you weed out what you need to know right away from what knowledge you can wait a little while on, and learn later.
A certificate won't make you a locksmith, but it is definitely a big help with getting your foot in the door.

[dieselducy]

I am also able to pick best SFIC cores as well. although it takes me a little longer to get those over the kwikset. picking to the control is very difficult for me still though although i can usually hit the operating..

[globallockytoo]

If it's Best SFIC you want to work with, apply to maintenance departments of schools, universities and hospitals. They are always looking for institutional locksmiths. They will offer training and everything. Best IC technology is such a small part of the locksmith profession, it is actually a joke.

The only reason Best IC is so widely used is due to the Best corporation bypassing the locksmith industry, selling direct to the end user, undercutting and undermining the locksmith industry.

Best IC core is only so prevalent in institutions because the product is not as good quality as other product available (IMO).

[zeke79]

Good advice from global. Dont forget to check into prisons. The minimum security prison here uses best sfic and employs their own locksmith with good pay and benefits.

[straightpick]

I have to disagree with the comment about Best being so widely used. First of all, they will sell to locksmiths, but you will be paying the retail price, not what they charge the large institutions. No different than any other industry that furnishes products to their core supporters. If you have a boiler installed, do you think the heating contractor is paying the same price that you, as a consumer would pay if you bought it from the supplier? Interchangeable core locks are popular because you only need to have one person skilled in masterkeying and pinning on staff. He can then have anybody go and change out cores, instead of tying him up. IC cores are made by many companies, Corbin, Sargent, Schlage,Yale,Assa,Medeco,Abloy, etc. It offers the ability to replace a cylinder that has been compromised by a lost key very quickly, not to mention the labor it saves on some devices that have to be removed and torn down in order to rekey(exit devices, Herculite locks, etc.)[/quote]

[globallockytoo]

I have to disagree with the comment about Best being so widely used. First of all, they will sell to locksmiths, but you will be paying the retail price, not what they charge the large institutions. No different than any other industry that furnishes products to their core supporters. If you have a boiler installed, do you think the heating contractor is paying the same price that you, as a consumer would pay if you bought it from the supplier?

Are you agreeing and disagreeing in one sentence? You contradict yourself immediately!

Yes, Best will sell to locksmiths. But they will sell cheaper to the end user. How does this support the locksmith industry? Large institutions rarely have a boilermaker on staff. Instead they request replacement parts and services like almost any other service. How and why should the Best Lock Co. undermine the locksmiths preventing them from profitting similarly to other industry contractors....then expect the locksmith industry to support them.

I do a small amount of work for some schools with SFIC Best. They pay full retail price for original Best product and have enormous difficulty finding any locksmith who wants to work on the products. I can sell them alternative products much cheaper and still make a profit. And it can suit SFIC . I refuse to recommend SFIC because the hardware cost is significantly higher than other product and with other product, you are not restricted to one type of hardware. If the supplier is out of stock....you're screwed.

[

There are other IC core products like Bilock that are so much better quality than BEST and offer more crossover of products and hardware types than just those you mention. Also no specific hardware is required, significantly reducing price. Yes, a trained locksmith in the product is still required, but exchanging cores is significantly easier across the board!

[maxxx]

You guys are missing the point of the original poster. If he or she, has learned the ability and skill to pick a Best IC lock, that is very impressive.

Most really good locksmiths pick the Best SFIC to the control key shear line. Those keyways are very, very tight. 8 pins per stack times 6 is a handfull, and most times they are drilled out. Time is money.

The first thing a good locksmith who is hiring is going to ask an entry level applicant is "can you pick, can you impression?". If you can pick a Best lock, you can pick any key in knob, any AR mortise, any double wafer, every Kwikset, Schlage or Baldwin.