What is in a Locksmith’s Toolbox?

You probably already know there is nothing more important than a worker’s tools – and locksmiths are no exception. Having the right tools for a job can help ensure a locksmith gets their work done easier and faster. Unless the locksmith is Macgyver, turning up to a job with the wrong tools is going to make things very interesting.

Every locksmith has his or her unique style and approach. Have you ever been locked out, only for the locksmith to whip out their toolbox and magically open the lock seconds after their arrival? It’s fascinating to see how a locksmith opens locks, and their various tricks, tools and experience makes this all possible. Let’s take a look at the essential tools inside the locksmith’s toolbox.

You may be surprised to know lock picking is not the go-to tool in the locksmith’s toolbox. The first tool in the quiver is thehandy lock pick gun. Why? When time matters, the lock pick gun is fast and efficient (though not easy!).

Nine times out of ten a locksmith can pick the lock with a few clicks of the lock pick gun given their experience.

This is a simple tool that is very common among locksmiths, and is one of the most used tools in the lock pick set. Hook picks are useful for picking locks; combined with a great skillset, no lock is safe.

Since there are different kinds of keyways according to size and shape, one hook pick cannot possibly fit into every lock. That’s why there are several sizes of a hook pick.

The jackknife pick is a domestic lock picker useful for picking locks in the house. For instance, if the door to your bathroom or kitchen is locked and you can’t find the key, a jackknife pick can come in handy.

It is a simple tool consisting of a bunch of picks, featuring about four to five picks of different sizes and designs.

This is definitely a tool that must be included in a locksmith’s toolbox, because to open most locks effectively, you will need a torsion wrench. It serves many purposes, like assisting in keeping every one of the pins removed from a bolt in place.

The torsion wrench’s job doesn’t end there – it’s also useful in enabling a lock to open completely.

This is one of the crucial tools used by a locksmith on the daily. The Slim Jim, which can also be referred to as Slim Shim, assists the locksmith in picking a lock to a jammed door. It works by placing the jim between the door latch and door to retract the latch to the point the door will open.

This is a quick and fun way when you have the room and access, however in some cases such as deadbolts, this will not work.

Locks are usually picked in one direction. If it’s picked in the wrong direction, the lock won’t open and the locksmith would have to re-pick the lock, wasting both time and money. With the advent of a plug spinner, you don’t have to re-pick if the lock is picked in the wrong direction.

If the lock is picked in the wrong direction, simply insert the plug spinner into the lock cylinder and the spinner will turn the lock so quickly that the lock will remain picked. Make use of a plug spinner to change the direction of the lock and get it open!

Most of the situations attended to by a locksmith usually entail removing a broken key from the lock. No need to guess why!

Some cases may surpass making use of a simple paper clip or a knife. In this kind of situation, a key extractor is what you’ll need. A key extractor can help remove broken keys from locks without destroying the lock.

Every professional locksmith carries key duplication machinery in case it’s a problem that can be solved easily by just building a duplicate key.

Key duplication machinery, as the name implies, can develop key duplicates in a matter of minutes. That’s why it’s vital to hire a professional and experienced locksmith who would know what to do to unlock your door without destroying it.

A highly skilled locksmith will know what tools to bring to solve your door problems.

All these tools mentioned above are essential gadgets that must be included in a locksmith’s toolbox. However, some other instruments weren’t mentioned, such as screwdrivers, tweezers, pliers, a set of locks/keys and key gauges.

To restock your locksmith’s toolbox, head to our professional tools page where you’ll find all these tools and more.