What You Need to be a Locksmith

Have you thought about owning your own locksmith company? Today we're gonna talk about the tools and equipment you need to start a locksmith business. I'm Robert and you're watching locksmith recommended I'm standing here in my new Mesa location.
We just got it all, fully loaded up and ready to roll just last month. So let's. Look at that bench back there right over my shoulders on the left, that's, where we keep all our equipment. That's where we're gonna start today.
Take a look at this keyboard. There are dozens of different types of key types: there's, standard keys, Tibbie keys, laser-cut keys, barrel keys, all sorts of different kinds of keys that need to be cut and in the past, all of those keys needed a very specific different type of Machine but now take a look here.
This is the sec e 9 machine. It comes from overseas and there's. A lot of debate in our industry about whether or not an overseas machine is the way to go. However, this machine cuts everything it cuts, house, keys, standard, automotive, keys, barrel, keys, Tibbie keys, laser keys.
If you & # 39, ve got it. This will cut it now. The American equivalent product here will run you about ten thousand dollars. This machine you can have for about twenty six hundred bucks. I'll, put a link to this machine down below so that you can have it with this one machine.
You can cut every single key that you have. So if you're going to be mobile only and you've got limited space. This is the way to go. We've had this one for over a year and we & # 39. Ve had absolutely no problems with it now a lot of locksmiths now are getting into Auto key programming.
Most your modern keys have to be programmed to the vehicle in order for the car to run and start to do that, you need keep programming equipment. We use two machines here and our shop. If you're gonna be mobile, only you're, really only going to need one, but you want to make sure that you have one really good car key programmer.
That'll. Do the majority of vehicles out there now most of your car key programmers will handle everything, except for the German manufacturers very few locksmiths get into car key programming for German manufacturers, because it requires a very expensive investment and a lot of us aren'T quite willing to take that on, but these two machines will handle 99 % of what you're, going to run into outside of German car key manufacturers.
Now these are fairly expensive. This is the hot wire from keyless ride. This will run you about 7 grand investment. This is another one called the Otto Pro pad only about a $ 2,500 investment. We like them both we use them both, but there are some other options.
If you think you're, only gonna do some car keys, and you want to restrict yourself to just the really common ones and the really simple, easy ones to program. You can get a piece of equipment off of Aliexpress or Amazon or Ebay for about 150 bucks that'll handle I don't, know seventy.
Seventy five percent of the car keys you run into I'll, put a link to that product below so that's, a very quick, easy, inexpensive way beginning on the market, without spending all that money on these pieces of equipment.
Now there are going to be times when you want to code cut a key, which means you want a factory original key cut to the exact depths that it's supposed to be cut to not a duplicate of a duplicate of a duplicate.
There are some times when you can pull a code off a lock and cut a key by code. This is the machine that handles that. This is an HPC. You can cut keys by code on this piece of equipment. Is it absolutely necessary yeah? Not really because this one that we talked about here, the SC e9 will also code cut some keys.
However, this one will do a wider variety. So if you're, really looking at offering most complete services that you possibly can you're going to want to put one of these in your vehicle? It's highly recommended, so let's talk hand tools.
Now there are a wide variety. It really goes beyond a scope of everything we want to talk about here today, but for the majority of what you're, going to run to 90 95 percent of it just a basic set of hand.
Tools is going to do for you just any basic kit. Screwdrivers dikes pliers socket set that type of thing we'll handle the majority of what you run into every van. Every shop needs a good vise. There are going to be times when you need both your hands to solve the problem, and this vise will act as a third hand holding that for you, if you're oppresion encase or something of that nature, this is really a requirement.
Now. The other thing that this is really good for is you've, got a nice flat metal pad in the back of that, if you're, stamping keys for a customer or labeling keys, you could put your key on there. Give it a good hit with a hammer, and it makes a nice surface for stamping keys, must have for any van or any shop.
I want to talk a couple optional pieces of equipment. Typically, if you have a shop, you would have some of these. One of these is a nice belt. Sander I'll, put a link to one below again. You're, not going to use this a lot, but there are thousands of different key types and especially when you get keys in your shop that are from an overseas manufacturer, the widths of them might be a little thicker or a little thinner.
And you might have to take the key stock that you have in stock and do a little bit of modification of it to generate a key that works, and this is perfect in ideal for that this one's fairly heavy-duty.
We've had this for a number of years, but again because you don't use it so often the one I linked to below is very light duty and very affordable, and it's good at more than meet Your needs, in fact, this is the one that we have in our other shops.
If you only invest in this SCC e.9, which is fantastic, you may want some backup equipment if that ever goes down and has to be sent in for repair. You want an affordable way to cut keys so that you can still supply service without breaking the bank.
Now this is a traditional key cutter here. We actually love this key cutter. It's by riot tan. It'll. Do all your standard keys, all your standard automotive keys, but it won't. Do laser keys now this one's very heavy duty, very big! Last a lifetime.
We've. Had this one for 15 years, without any problems, we have this one, because we have a shop in your vehicle. You can get a backup one and I'll, put a link to one below that'll. Do basically the same thing for just a couple hundred dollars now, because it's, a backup it's, not gonna be as heavy duty as this.
It's, not gonna be as great as this, but if you only need it when this one goes down, it's. Gon na handle your needs. The other piece of equipment that we use for laser key cutting. Is this one right here now we actually really like this: it's a product.
By debut again we get it off of Aliexpress. It's about a hundred and fifty bucks, but this will handle high security key duplicates. So those car keys that are high-security keys you can make copies of them using this machine.
Now again, is this robust is just going to last you a lifetime of heavy use day in and day out. No, it's not, but as a backup to this sec e9. It's perfect. Also, if you have a shop, you might want to cut steel keys.
What's? A steel key steel, key flathead steel key like this needs a special machine to cut it. Even the sc9 won't cut this one. So what we have here is a steel key cutter. If you have a shop, it's, a good extra piece of equipment.
You have, because you can provide a service to customers that a lot of your competitors can't. They're, not very expensive anymore, alright, so those are the major pieces of equipment that you're need.
Obviously this is going to be a few other things, some hand tools drill. If you're gonna be doing any fresh installation of locks, you're gonna need a fresh installation kit for door locks, but those things are pretty easy to find.
You can get online Amazon. I'll. Put a link to view the products that we like below, but you should get those just about anywhere and you're gonna have a pretty quick understand. You know what you're gonna need there.
Another thing we didn't talk about is, if you have a vehicle, a shelving kit for that vehicle. So you're gonna need a workbench. You're gonna need some shelves some drawers now. This is kind of a hot topic in our industry, because a lot of locksmiths will actually build theirs out themselves, fully customized make the shelving everything from wood or steel or anything else that they have available.
Whatever their skill set is now us, because we're at rather large, we don't have the time to do that, so Adrian steel makes kits that are already made for just about any van out there. You just put in your van type, I don't, know pick one dodge Promaster and put in the locksmith kit and it'll, come back with shelves that are already designed to fit that vehicle targeted for the locksmith industry.
So that's, what we do it's, a quick and dirty way to get your van outfitted. The outfit. A van with shelving runs us right around $ 2,500, a vehicle we have a local installer. Do that for us, it's, a great way to go with these kits because it's easy and you don't have to think about it.
After the kits installed, then you can do a little custom modification based on your preference. If you enjoyed this version of locksmith recommended the basic tools, you need to start a locksmith business.
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