captdimitri

Cascadia. We sort our fucking recycling.

Westwood defined RTS.

So much this. Tears to the eyes, man.

Hello, fellow locksmith! I'm currently slacking off on reddit while pinning up locks for a bakery. Luckily, I work for myself and the customer is a friend of mine.

Anyhow:

What brand of code machine do you use? I have an HPC1200. I know some who use the Fraymon and prefer that over the good old 1200. Thoughts?

What do you do for bike locks? I use a circulating saw with a carbon wheel. Sometimes I bust out the dremel for tight spaces.

Are you involved or registered with ALOA? Any other locksmithing organizations? If not, I'd highly recommend it. You get access to loads of industry education and opportunities to network with lots of fellow locksmiths.

What is your service vehicle like? I drive a Dodge Plymouth minivan. I've got enough room for a bench, vice, my 1200, and an inverter. It's prefect, and much better on fuel efficiency than those big white vans.

Where do you do business? What's competition like? I used to work in a small college town, and everyone helped each other out. Borrowing blanks, etc. I've since moved to Portland to start my business and other companies don't give me the time of day. Save for other locksmiths I've met through ALOA and other organizations.

Be honest. How often do you reach for the bump key? The drill? I open about 10% of my doors with a bump key, rarely do I have to drill. I've encountered a couple medeco locks that ate up a few drill bits. Ugh.

What do you charge? I charge 40 for a service call and 60 an hour after that. I've got a few standard prices: 5 for a car lockout, 10 for a house or business, 35 to make a key for a Honda. 120 an hour for safe work.

What kind of transponder key programmer do you use? I have a Silca TKO. That's my bread and butter nowadays. I wish I could originate sidewinder keys, but alas, I'm much too poor for the fancy code machines that do that. If you can cut sidewinders, what do you use?

I'll probably have more questions later, but for now, I'm happy to talk to another locksmith! Good luck to you.

I've heard that putting water in the hole when attempting to drill through carbonite hardplate works like a charm. What's your experience with this? Why does that work?

Do you know Dave McOmbie?

I've taken a couple of his classes before, I found him to be incredibly knowledgeable.

Who do you think could crack a safe faster? You or Dave?