Category: Blog
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The Gift-Giving season is upon us, are your packages secure?
This time of year I deal with a lot of heartbreak due to package theft. Many do their seasonal gift shopping online nowadays and all of their loot gets shipped to their doorstep or maybe the lobby of their building. In both cases packages will be targeted by thieves. To prevent your loot being intercepted…
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More pictures of screwed up lock installations
I get these all the time. Many of these problems could have been solved if people had just read the directions. Most locks come with installation directions and locks are designed to be much easier to install than they were 30 years ago.
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How to Secure Your Laundry or Package Room
Laundry rooms and mail rooms are popular to break into in Seattle right now. I get a few calls a week about this problem. At night nobody is around and there is probably more than $50 in quarters inside the machine’s coin box, making this an attractive target for people who need some quick cash…
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Maple Leaf Locksmith: champion of the locksmith challenge, 2018
I am so proud. In a multipart challenge composed of picking a six pin lock cylinder, impressioning a Nissan lock cylinder, and programming an Alarm Lock I beat the competition with minutes to spare! This took place at the KDL trade show so the competition was fierce: seasoned locksmiths, all of them. I emerged from…
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Improvised lockpicking or bypass tools seen in the field
Lockouts are maybe my favorite part of my job. Everybody is very thankful when you unlock their door. They are often the most comical part of my job, too. I’ve started collecting pictures of the implements scattered outside of people’s doors when they have given up and called me out. Here are a few of…
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The problem with finishes and variations between manufacturers
Recently there’s been a lot of interest from property managers trying to save money on fixing and replacing mortise locks by installing wrap around plates or remodeler plates. These are great, especially since once they’re installed people can easily replace broken locks themselves obtained off the shelf at the hardware store. Unfortunately, the options for…