Locksmith

Locksmith

Josh-the-Locksmith

25 Years Experience

Austin, TX

Male, 46

I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.

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329 Questions

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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

Is it possible to open a combination lock or safe simply by putting your ear up to it?

Asked by DUCKS over 12 years ago

Yes that's real. Not many who can do it though.

Is there a certain type of person that tends to lock themselves out of the house or car more frequently than others?

Asked by Bentoyo! over 12 years ago

Surprisingly not! Young, old, male, female, etc. a little bit of everybody.

WHICH WAFERS ARE IN THE DOOR of a 2001 Ford Focus?

Asked by rick over 11 years ago

Cuts 1-6

Are bike locks useless? I've heard that even a decent bike thief can pretty much work around even the most allegedly strong bike locks.

Asked by Tr3 over 12 years ago

No lock is guaranteed, but some are easier to pick, or cut with bolt cutters. The goal is to make it as difficult as possible; so getting something so thick that you'll need an angle grinder to cut it off would probably be your best bet.

Why do locksmiths cost so much? I've literally gotten stuck paying $150-250 several times for lockouts that took the locksmith all of 5-10 min.

Asked by grrrrrrizelda almost 12 years ago

You should never pay that kind of money to have a locksmith open a car or house that takes 5-10 minutes. Prices vary depending on where you live, but that's ridiculous! They're ripping you off. You are being taken advantage of. There are some nationwide companies who hire subcontractors to work on commission. They quote people a small rate on the phone (which they're most likely in another state), & then the contractor charges whatever he wants to make. They use local phone numbers & fake addresses to make themselves look local. If you're ever quoted a price on the phone, ask the tech what the price will before he does any work. If it's not the same, or if he tries to add more without warning after the job is over, refuse to pay & call the police. He's probably trying to rip you off. It should always make sense. Obviously emergency calls in the middle of the night will be more expensive.

WHICH WAFERS (POSITIONS) ARE IN THE DOOR of a 2001 Ford Focus?

Asked by allen over 11 years ago

Cuts 1-6. 

Is it ILLEGAL for a locksmith to make a copy of a key that says "DO NOT COPY" on it?

Asked by billhert over 12 years ago

No, some keys that say "do not duplicate" is just a deterrent. It's simply an honor system. It's telling you that whoever gave you that key would prefer you didn't make a copy of it. It's up to the person copying it if they want to do it or not. Our shop makes you sign a waiver just to cover out butts. Other keys that say it might be covered by a patent. The blank might not even be available to them, that's called a restricted key. Mostly Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Primus, etc, most of those are truly restricted.