Locksmith tools - Professional tools for locksmiths
Locksmiths have specific needs when it comes to shop tools, and Professional Locksmiths everywhere look to a handful of proven name brands to deliver the kind of quality necessary to keep a business going. Aside from the everyday tools you would expect in a mechanical shop -- hammers, screwdrivers, various measuring instruments -- there are many locksmith tools that are designed expressly for this Industry. We are very pleased to say that our selection is excellent and our prices impossible to beat.
Tools for Professional Locksmiths would include all the following:
- Key cutting machines, both duplicators and machines designed to originate keys from code
- Special key files, such as warding files and round files
- Small mallets known as "locksmith hammers", for delicate work on lock cylinders
- Tools designed to hold lock cylinders in place while they are being worked on
- Rekeying equipment such as pin kits, key gauges, plug followers, and special tweezers for pin tumblers
- Lock picks and tools designed to remove broken keys from locks
- Car opening tools and related equipment designed for automotive Locksmithing
- Shop tools designed to remove lock cylinders from housings
- Probe lights and Inspection lights that are suited for peering into very small openings
Of course this is only a partial list of tools that Locksmiths and others who work in related fields will have need for.
As for key cutting machines, we have chosen to limit our selection to those manufactured by the HPC brand, as they are universally recognized as leaders in the field and they are incredibly well priced. The high quality offered by HPC is a given and it is easily appreciated by anyone who has used equipment made by this company. Probably the most popular code cutter ever made is the HPC 1200CM. The most current version, the 1200CMB, is a joy to work with and will last as long as your business does. I've had mine for over 25 years and it works flawlessly. Equally popular with Locksmiths is the HPC 9120RM Speedex. This is a compact duplicator that is as at home in your work van (with an inverter for power) as it is on your shop bench.
No Professional Locksmith would be caught without a good set of lock picks. We cover this on another page, but it is well worth the mention because a Locksmith without lockpicks is like a surgeon without a scalpel. Needless to say, our selection of quality lock pick tools is unparalleled. We have lock pick sets designed for Pros, as well as those more suitable to beginners.
Locksmith tools that are made expressly for lock work, such as rekey kits, are virtually vital to a business that is built around lock work. I would venture to say there isn't a Professional Locksmith out there without a LAB rekeying kit, since LAB is easily the world leader in lock repinning supplies and kits. We have a huge assortment of repinning (rekeying) kits, as well as the specialty tools that are used with them. You will need plug followers to remove the plugs from lock cylinders, tweezers designed to securely hold pin tumblers, and a set of key gauges to determine the cut depths on existing keys.
Most professional locksmiths respond to automotive lockouts now days. There are kits made by Pro-Lok, Brockhage, HPC and others that fill the bill nicely. Lockout kits include tools designed to attack virtually any model of vehicle without doing damage. Lockout experts know that there are many opening methods available, and there are tools made for each of these methods. Buy a good kit to begin with. We recommend you stay away from starting out with individual tools. It is fine to ADD separate tools later, as you need them, but it is far better to have a reasonable assortment at the outset than to find yourself trying to open someone's vehicle without the proper SAFE tool.
A quick look through our store will dispell any worries that the right Professional Locksmith tool can be found here. If you are looking for something you can't find, contact us.