Locksmithing Blog

Last week I went on a training day hosted in London at Alridges, a specialist lock and hardware suppliers, to learn the in’s and out’s of the Austrian company EVVAs range of locks.

The range of products available are second-to-none, and we (6 ICL members) all got to play with the very highest security locks currently available for the average door. We were treated to a tour of the premises, as well as some freebies, but the high point was getting to play with, and re-pin, the newer high security systems such as the DPI, DPX, EPS, EPX, Dual, 3KS+ and MCS EVVA locks.

Believe me when I say that these are locks that few would enjoy having to get past, and at the moment, a lock such as the Dual, with 12 sliders and two sidebars, anti-bump, anti-snap, drill resistant, pick-proof and so on, gives you complete assurance that your door has not been compromised. The 3KS system, which stands for “3 Curves System” is an amazingly beautiful yet simple and robust system, which seemingly owes much to the artisan – even the keys are works of art!

Even large suites of mastered cylinders can be had, across a wide range of profiles, such as Scandanavian, Euro, Oval, rim cylinder and mortice, even padlocks, allowing the widest range of flexibility and ease of use immaginable in a high security mechanical key system. If you are interested in any of these high end locks, which are available with clever features such as master keying, suited operation, over-rides, classroom locks (which can only be locked with the key, and unlocked with the inside handle) and many other bright ideas, please drop us a line.

Seems there are a few rogue locksmiths running around down near Essex and London, and by charging over £200 a time to open simple – no, trivial – locks to gain entry for lock-outs, they got picked up and set up by Rogue Traders. You can watch the action at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00fztby/b00fzl3c/Rogue_Traders_Series_7_Emergency_Call_Out/ and trust me, it is worth it!

There are at least 4 ways to open that door without damage to the door or the lock, 5 if you include smashing the window. Don’t get me wrong, there are some locks that look like the two featured locks that are quite hard to open, and sometimes you will get one that for whatever reason will not play, but in the last 100 doors I’ve opened of that style, I haven’t had to drill a single one.

I can honestly say I’ve never charged more than half what either of the featured Rogue Traders for opening a door. And, don’t forget, if I did drill your lock, I’d be replacing it free, under the ICL guarantee.

(Locksmiths who cannot pick a simple lock are, however, not as scary as the fake CORGI gasmen, though. At least with the locks it was just money, and not money and your life at risk when it turns out they are cowboys.)