Locksmith Technique Question

[tokillamurderer]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and semi new to the hobby. I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this question, sorry if it isn't. I locked myself out of my room, which has a standard Home Depot Schlage residential lock-in-knob on it. The locksmith took about ten seconds to (rotate the core somehow... he had it turned within five seconds of walking over to the door, before I moved to where I could see) remove the knob with what looked like a punch, which he whacked, into the hole on the side of the lock. Does anyone have any idea how he would have done this? Does the core need to be picked and/or turned to remove the knob with that pin on the side? How would he have turned the core (maybe 90 degrees?) within five seconds? He definitely didn't pick it, he didn't take any picking tools out of his bag.

Thanks for any info! (He charged me $120 for less than five minutes of his time. My picks were all inside my room, of course...)

[billdeserthills]

As a locksmith myself, I find the transition from happy client who was just saved,
to ungrateful one-time customer who may give a poor review to be a sad, but integral
part of the service--Btw, in my area I usually charge $135 to pick open one lock

If the knob begins coming off in your hand I'll agree that you have a point
'
Now to answer your knob removal question, A-1 makes a knob removal tool for schlage F-series
it uses a puller to pull the cylinder so far out of the knob that the knob can be removed, usually
without much if any discernable damage. Far as using a punch on your knob retainer goes, as long
as the handle stays on when you pull the door shut, or open it should be fine

Why not simply ask the price before doing something that makes you feel like you were taken advantage of?
Ever have your vehicle's transmission fixed?--Lots more scary

[tokillamurderer]

Lol. Maybe you should read my original post more carefully before you start getting offended about something that doesn't even concern you. The ONLY mention made of anything regarding price was one sentence: "He charged me $120 for less than five minutes of his time." That's it. Nowhere did I say, or even imply, that I felt I was taken advantage of. FYI, we agreed on the price before he even left his shop.

"If the knob begins coming off in your hand I'll agree that you have a point" What point would that be, exactly?

I'm not trying to come across as rude here, but your response was totally uncalled for. I do appreciate the little bit of info that was actually included, but the rest of it is just condescending and unnecessary.

[GWiens2001]

Lol. Maybe you should read my original post more carefully before you start getting offended about something that doesn't even concern you. The ONLY mention made of anything regarding price was one sentence: "He charged me $120 for less than five minutes of his time." That's it. Nowhere did I say, or even imply, that I felt I was taken advantage of. FYI, we agreed on the price before he even left his shop.

"If the knob begins coming off in your hand I'll agree that you have a point" What point would that be, exactly?

I'm not trying to come across as rude here, but your response was totally uncalled for. I do appreciate the little bit of info that was actually included, but the rest of it is just condescending and unnecessary.

You may not be trying to come across as rude, but you definitely are doing so. Your response is condescending and unnecessary.

Billdeserthills has been a locksmith for a very long time. He was telling you what it is like, and giving you good information. You say that "He charged me $120 for less than five minutes of work". Would you have been more satisfied if the locksmith had taken two hours for the same amount of pay? Would you have paid double if the locksmith had taken two hours? I bet not. Is your "five minutes of time" also including the time the locksmith required to drive out to your home from wherever his/her shop (or home) is, AND the time required for him/her to drive back to the shop or home?

Bill gave you a great deal more information than you think. Plus you do not seem to know the pricing of some of the tools of the locksmith trade. An experienced locksmith with the right tools can do a lot in a little time. You are not paying for the five minutes of time, you are paying for the years of experience and training it took for him to become skilled enough to do that job in five minutes of time.

Yes, your question may not refer specifically to feeling taken advantage of, but it seems implied. And you are requesting information on bypass, which is information that is restricted to the advanced forums. That is not because of you, but because we don't want to be teaching troublemakers how to get into your room.

As a moderator, it is my job to keep things toned down and respectful, and to limit information that is restricted. Am locking down this thread in order to prevent flame wars.

GWiens2001 - Moderator

[tokillamurderer]

You are blowing one sentence way too far out of proportion. Please read the sentence that follows my statement of how much he charged me. I was commenting on the misfortune I had to lock my picks behind the very door I paid $120 to have opened. As I stated in my second post, I was not complaining about the price, I did not feel taken advantage of, and we had agreed on price before hand. Why can't anyone here read?

This is just self defense at this point. I am an aircraft mechanic by trade, so yes, I understand that it takes years to hone a skill to make yourself efficient and proficient for the benefit of the customer. I also understand what tooling costs. And I really couldn't care less how long Bill has been doing what he does. None of this argument is relevant, as this whole thing started because my original post got misinterpreted TWICE. It was neutral, not aggressive, and merely asking for insight on the technique he used, because, as a beginner locksmith myself, I was curious how it had been done. Period. End of story. If someone jumped down your throat after asking a question, I bet you'd defend yourself too.

[femurat]

Let's say I'm the third person that misinterpret your tone. You know what? I miss the sentence "Sorry if my post was not clear". Maybe that's why, as you say, we misinterpret it. I may even believe there are no hard feelings. But please, no more "Why can't anyone hear read?" otherwise you're just being rude.

Anyway, since the thread was not locked, I'm not going to lock it now.

femurat