A Keyless World

I’m a little sloppy, and because of that there are three things that I tend to lose every now and then; my house keys, my cellphone, and my debit card. It is no surprise, as these are the items that I use almost on an everyday basis. But one thing that is harder to replace (in the sense of time) are my house keys. If you live an active life like I do, perhaps you may want to consider a keyless entry system, which is one of our residential locksmith options, among others. Let me explain to you further.

Some keyless entry systems do have the option of entering a key, however, only when it is needed. Not all are the same. Regularly, you would only need to enter your personal code into it and this way you wouldn’t need to carry a key around. Accidental lockouts after this would be nonexistent. And if you have kids who lose the keys more often than they brush their teeth then that problem will also be a thing of the past. This system only requires batteries and when they are low a light will blink. The keyless entry system can easily replace existing key hardware. It can also be used with knobs, levers or handle sets.

I have this system at home which makes me feel very high-tech and I can’t wait until I am able to have a keyless car system as well. And no worries, not having to carry your keys will feel a little strange at first since you are used to having them but in no time you will get “unused” to the old-fashioned system. If you would like to know more information about this and other options for your home, just talk to one of our residential locksmith specialists. We work with a sense of urgency and take ownership in what we do. 

Locksmith in El Paso

A few years ago, my cousin inherited an elegant old house from her uncle in El Paso. It wasn’t just any house- it was actually a mini-mansion. At first she wanted to sell it, but then she realized that its layout and location would make it the perfect spot for a small hotel. She just needed to hire a construction company, plumber, and locksmith in El Paso to make some slight renovations.

The mansion already had 12 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. My cousin brought in a plumber to update the bathroom fixtures, making the powder room more comfortable for guests while preserving the house’s vintage feel. Next, she had a contractor remove some walls on the first floor to make a larger lobby area with a reception desk. The contractor also expanded the old house’s dining room into a small restaurant. Last but certainly not least, a locksmith came to rekey all the outside locks and install locks on each guest room door. Without even being asked, he thoughtfully provided her with two copies of each key so that housekeeping would be able to easily access the rooms. The locksmith also put a safe in every bedroom and fitted the downstairs office (where the money would be kept) with a very strong lock.

These small improvements done by the builder, plumber, and locksmith in El Paso really made a big difference in the old house. It took a few months for my cousin to receive a permit to operate a business in what used to be a residential building. After some furniture was bought and a deep cleaning was done, the hotel was finally ready to be opened. Now, my cousin hosts guests from all over the world, who are drawn by the place's old-style charm. The family is so proud of her success!

Commercial Locksmith in El Paso

It was my day to open the branch at the bank last Friday. I had recently been promoted as bank manager and thus I had the authority to open and close the bank. I had only done this procedure perhaps 5 times and so I was still pretty new at it. I was also pretty new at being a key holder and so the most terrifying thing happened to me that day; I had left my keys at home. I live in Las Cruces which is the next city over and a little far from the branch; it was much easier to look up a locksmith in El Paso where our branch was than to drive back home.

Fifteen minutes had gone by since the other employees who were opening with me and I had arrived. We only had half hour from the time we entered before we could open up for customers. That meant that this time we would open a little late but we were not sure how late. Another minute passes by and finally the locksmith guy arrives. It only took a few more minutes to open up for us and as soon as we went in we hurried up and set up each of our work spaces so we could start servicing clients.

We obviously had to call our headquarters right away to let them know of what had happened. They did not know that our other manager was on vacation and the boss was furious because of my mistake. Thankfully the locksmith guy from El Paso was able to help us resolve this issue in an efficient way. However, this mistake could have cost me a job, and you know that high paying salaries are not all that available, much less for someone who would have gotten fired like me. A suggestion to all who are managers, always do the ritual of making sure you do not close your house door without having everything you need for work in your hands!

Closet Lockout

A few years ago, I stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast owned by an acquaintance in El Paso. The old-fashioned room was cozy, with a comfortable bed and a small closet. As I was unpacking a bit before going to bed, I spread out all my cosmetics and toiletries on the dresser, which was adorned with a basket filled with fake flowers. I needed more room so I moved the basket, along with my suitcase, into the closet. I shut the closet door and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up feeling refreshed, but that ease wouldn’t last long. I wanted to put on some clothes for breakfast, but when I tried to open the closet, it wouldn't budge. After a few more attempts, I started worrying that I would have to call a locksmith in El Paso.

I searched frantically around the room for a key to the closet to no avail. Finally, I decided to go downstairs and ask the proprietor for help. When I told her what had happened, she acted like it was no big deal and confidently led me back up to my room. But when we got there, her eyes grew big. “What happened to the flower basket?” She asked. Sheepishly, I explained that it was in the closet. It turned out that the basket contained her only key to that door. I suggested getting some tools and trying to pry open the door ourselves, but she was enamored of the vintage lock and did not want to risk destroying it.

The owner rummaged through some business cards and found the number of a locksmith in El Paso. The locksmith arrived within half an hour, and very soon was able to open the door without damaging the lock. Still in my pajamas and extremely embarrassed, I raced into the closet to get my wallet so I could pay for the inconvenience I had caused. The owner let me foot the bill, but she did ask the locksmith to make her some extra keys!

Locksmith in El Paso

I had an important business meeting to go to the other day. I had given myself plenty of time to arrive at the venue where I was supposed to meet my partner at least half hour before the scheduled meeting time. Even though this was a meeting with my business partner, we were still in the baby stages of our startup, which meant that our relationship was still in its premature stages of development. I had dressed in a formal outfit and made sure my car looked clean inside and out to show I was a person who took attention to detail (an important trait of an entrepreneur). What I did not have in place was apparently my own head. I stopped for some coffee on my way to the restaurant and when I came back I realized I had locked myself out of my car. I looked up locksmith services in El Paso right away.

I called Griselda, my business partner, to tell her my embarrassing story. Even though I still had an hour to go before our meeting time, I wanted to report any possible delays with time so she did not wonder about me. I had always thought of Griselda as this super woman who always remained calmed even during chaos. She seemed to have everything together all the time; I would never that something like this would also happen to her. Ironically, when I called her, she confessed that I had just awakened her!

There I was desperately looking for a locksmith service company in El Paso, embarrassed at my mishap, when my “super” business partner had totally forgotten about our meeting! I take this as a lesson to never underestimate oneself, and to never overestimate others, ha! I was so happy I wasn’t the one late. Thanks George!

Locked out of the Office

It was the Monday of a long holiday weekend and most people were on vacation with their families ­– but not me. I had an important appointment with a potential client. I got to my office around 9 o´clock, hoping to spruce things up a bit and make some coffee before the client arrived at 10. I punched my code into the electronic keypad and turned the door handle, but nothing happened. After trying a few more times and continuing to receive the red error light, I called the office manager to find out if she had gotten the code changed without my knowledge. She replied that the electronic lock had been working fine on Friday afternoon when she left. I knew I shouldn’t force the lock, and calling someone to get me in through the emergency exit would be a big production. There was only one thing to do: call a commercial locksmith.

I couldn’t believe this was happening now. Sitting down outside the door, I took advantage of the time waiting for the locksmith to review my notes for the meeting. The locksmith arrived within 15 minutes. Although I was a nervous wreck, he maintained his calm and explained that occasionally these type of electronic locks malfunction. He removed the lock and let me into the office to prepare for my meeting, as he rewired the lock and changed the combination. When he had finished, I checked my watch: ten minutes to 10. I quickly paid the locksmith and ushered him out.

About 15 minutes later the potential client arrived, none the wiser to the near disaster that I had experienced earlier that morning. Thanks to the speedy response and expert work of the commercial locksmith, I was able to follow through with my meeting and close a big business deal that day.

A Trip to Remember

About a week ago we embarked on a long car journey from Miami, Florida to El Paso, Texas to visit my younger sister and her groom-to-be Keith. I had actually not seen my sister in over 5 years. She had been so busy studying to get her Bachelor’s degree in accounting. The last time I saw her she was still in high school. It was so hard to believe. I had just seen her just a few years back, when she was still a teenager, and all of the sudden she’s about to be a college graduate and a married woman. As I keep having these thoughts we start entering the outskirts of El Paso and decide to stop at a gas station to get something to drink. When I came back to my car I realized I had locked myself out of my car. I asked the security guard a question I never thought I would have to ask: Sir, do you happen to know a 24-hour emergency locksmith service nearby?

Luckily, I was already in El Paso, just right outside of the city. The problem was that it was 1 am and I did not want to call my sister at that time. We had already expected to arrive this late and we had decided to rent a motel room for the night. Once we were well rested we would call my sister the next morning so we could have breakfast together. I called the 24-hour emergency locksmith service in El Paso the guard suggested right away. I have to say, I have never received such a great service from anyone else. Not only did these guys come so fast but they received us with such a great attitude and politeness but they were able to get into my car so quickly. I gave them the pet name “the speedy locksmith men”. I also thought: how can they be so energetic and efficient at this late hour? Whatever energy supplement these guys drink surely works for them, and I was the happiest customer ever!

When My Son Got Locked Out in a Bedroom

One weekend, my family and I went to visit my husband’s aunt in El Paso.  After a few hours playing with the aunt’s dog, my young son got tired, so I put him down for a nap in a spare bedroom, leaving the door partially open behind me.  When I went to check on about 40 minutes later, I discovered that the door was locked.   I called his name but got no response.  I wasn’t sure if he had gotten up and closed the door himself, or if the breeze had slammed it shut.  Either way, we were now in a dangerous situation.   I ran and got my husband to look at the window from outside the house.  It was cracked open, but we were on the second story and his aunt didn’t have a ladder.  Never in my life did I imagine I would have to look for a 24-hour emergency locksmith in El Paso.

We quickly found the phone book and called an emergency locksmith.  My husband’s poor aunt felt so
bad. She didn’t often have kids in the house and didn’t realize that the little privacy lock on the doorknob could cause such a problem.  While we were waiting for the locksmith, we used our phones to look up different ways to open doors with credit cards and bobby pins, but we had no luck.  I guess it’s best to leave these things up to the professionals.  The locksmith only took about 10 minutes to arrive, but at that point, my son had woken up and started crying.  As I spoken soothingly to my son through the door, the locksmith worked quickly and expertly to remove the doorknob.   

Thanks to the great 24-hour emergency locksmith in El Paso, my son was back in my arms in no time.  He provided such a great service that the aunt hired him to come back and replace all of those privacy lock doorknobs in order to avoid scary situations in the future.

My Precious Belongings

People often assume that their valuables such as cash and jewelry could be safe and sound if they are simply stored away in a closet drawer. Unfortunately that is a wrong assumption; your drawer has to be absolutely private whether it be secured with a lock or if you get a safe to protect your items. This becomes an even bigger problem whenever you are sharing a room or apartment because it becomes very difficult to control your valuables without becoming suspicious of your immediate partners. I had a problem with my own roommate in college because items started to go missing, and she was the only other person with access to the room (other than the cleaning lady who even gave me things that she found under my bed or scattered around the floor). I confronted her about it and she confessed the theft and returned my belongings. I requested to be transferred to another building immediately.

At that time, janitorial services were not as developed as they are now across campuses in the United States and you actually had to pay a premium in order to have your room cleaned, this was never a problem because I got along extremely well with our cleaning lady. What was maybe counter-intuitive was that when things got lost, I just knew she would not dare to touch my belongings. Precisely because of the reputation she had gained with me as an honest individual.

All in all, I remember an iPod and a ring being unaccounted for, but those are very portable items and are very prone to get stolen so I was not very surprised when I found out they were stolen (because of their portability). The answer to my dilemma came of course when I transferred to another building and really tested the waters with my new roommate (by getting to know her better). Unfortunately, human nature runs on precedents and I wouldn't take a chance with this one, I contacted a locksmith to install locks on my closets and desk drawers. To this day I can’t remember anything go missing once I transferred. 

Where to Get a Transponder Key

A couple of months ago I lost my transponder key. The first couple of days I thought maybe I had just misplaced it and didn’t give it much thought, plus that way I could carpool with my husband so I didn’t mind not being able to use my car. Every day I would look for the key and I had no luck. I literally looked everywhere: my purse, the bathroom, my room, the office, and nothing. Then it occurred to me that perhaps I could have left it inside the car. After one week of having no car, I decided to call a locksmith.

El Paso Locksmith came in and unlocked the car for me. I looked for the key in there and, to my surprise, it wasn’t there! I really had no idea where that key could be. I stressed out because now I would have to go to a dealership and pay like $200 to get a replacement, which I wasn’t looking forward to. I expressed all these concerns to El Paso Locksmith and they told me they could do it! At first I was a bit skeptical because dealerships always say they are the only ones that can do that and that you should always go to them but I didn’t want to spend so much money.

I decided I would trust El Paso Locksmith to replace my transponder key and they charged me about half of what I would have paid if I had gone to the dealership! I highly recommend everyone that needs a transponder key to go to a locksmith because it is way cheaper! 

Panic Devices in Commercial Buildings

Experience shows us how things should be done. That is why elders are said to be wise, because they have experienced plenty of things. After many unfortunate accidents, humans learned that buildings need to have some sort of system that will allow people to escape quickly from the building if something terrible happens. That’s why now, there are several building codes that people need to stick to before constructing something. The purpose is to increase people’s survival in case of a fire, earthquake or other similar event.

Nowadays, commercial buildings are required to have a number of panic devices that allow people to quickly exit the building without taking too long to open the door through which they’re trying to escape from a disaster. Just imagine hundreds of people trying to exit a building on fire through a door with a deadbolt. Panic would strike and a deadbolt wouldn’t exactly help the cause because it’s harder to open.

That is exactly why panic hardware was created – to increase safety and the chances of survival in a building that is falling apart. If you are building a commercial property in El Paso, make sure you contact El Paso Locksmith to install a few panic devices in it to comply with the code and keep your employees and clients safe. It is always better to be safe than sorry and it’s a good idea to implement security measures that might save people’s lives in case of an unfortunate event. Plus, you don’t want to be held liable for not having the proper security measures in your building. 

Conveniently Re-Keying Your Locks

With so many doors in a house, you probably have many keys in your keychain. I have seen people with really heavy keychains that just seem totally impractical because it would probably take them forever to find the right key. That is very inconvenient and simply annoying, especially if you are in a rush and you can’t afford to be wasting time. A good option to avoid having so many keys is re-keying the different locks in your home.

Re-keying refers to a process in which an expert, usually a locksmith, manipulates a certain lock’s internal
pins and springs with the intention to prevent the initial key from being able to open the lock. This means that you can keep your original lock and change the key. This can truly come in handy when somebody moves out and you are not sure if they made copies of the keys without your consent.

If done by professionals like El Paso Locksmith, re-keying can be a very simple process and will only take a few minutes. I think it is a good investment because it would be very convenient to re-key several locks in your house and have them all open with the key. That would save you time and space since your keychain wouldn’t be so big and heavy anymore. But like I said before, re-keying is not only meant for convenience, but also for safety. It is highly recommended that people re-key their locks when people who previously lived in the house move out.  

Your Commercial Locksmith

Any business owner needs to have different service providers, especially when they are first opening their business. One needs to be a commercial locksmith and it can’t be just any locksmith, it needs to be someone experienced, licensed, and reliable. Imagine trusting your business on some fellow you’ve never heard of and that doesn’t have the credentials so that you can make sure he knows what he’s doing or that he has a clean background.

I believe in getting a good commercial locksmith since the very beginning and sticking to that person for future needs. A commercial locksmith will install high security locks to make sure your business is secure and that will give you the confident that all your valuable items and your employees will be safe. But besides installing the locks he can also provide different services.

A commercial locksmith offers services such as mater keying, which quite frankly can make things a whole
lot easier for a business owner. Also if you ever get locked out of your own office, you will already know what number to call and there will not be need for stressing out.

Another important feature a commercial locksmith offers is security assessment. Over the years, locks start to deteriorate and unless you are some sort of expert in the matter, I recommend you hire a professional locksmith to determine whether your business has secure locks to prevent any intruders from breaking in. 

Combination lock vs Key lock

A few years ago, a good friend of mine mentioned in passing how she felt her belongings were safer with a combination lock. I didn’t know what to say so I nodded politely. However, her words lingered in my head so I did some research and discovered that most combination locks are very traditional in the sense that most of them operate similarly especially regarding the turn patterns for example, you always turn the dice three times to the right, twice to the left and once again to the right with the only variable being the set of numbers from 1 to 40 for your particular lock.

I also read some reviews posted online by people who had purchased these types of locks before and found out that many of them forgot their combination and had to replace them (instead of being able to contact a local locksmith and have a new key made) and then other buyers claimed to hear a click whenever the combination lock had reached the amount of turns it needed in order to go on to the next step. The problem with this last scenario is that if a burglar wants to rob you, all they have to do is to be really careful and listen closely to the sounds of the lock while turning it around.

If they hear 3 clicks, the lock’s open and soon your possessions will be gone along with your short-lived affinity towards combination locks. I don’t mean to undermine them here, I think they are really good for people who forget to carry their keys but I just think a good majority of people know the importance of a unique lock and feel much safer with a unique key to have it opened and if they happen to lose the key or forget where they left it, they can always reach a local locksmith to save the day.

Digital Locks

I have used locks and keys for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a little girl, my mom put a cute little Barbie lock on my elementary school back pack. Then I had a little wooden chest in my room with a combination lock that was supposed to be as secure as Fort Knox. Now, in 2014, I have a safe that uses a digital lock system. I basically programmed it upon purchase to a specific combination of numbers that would unlock my safe.

There has been what I would call a proliferation of these types of locks particularly for safes. I think the reason for this trend is because of how durable and secure they are while also being quite affordable. You can find these types of storage units on a wide range of sizes. Mine is a small one (not any bigger than a shoe box) and I put my jewelry, cash and private documents in there. It’s very versatile because I can carry it with me which can be quite convenient.

The one feature I absolutely love on my safe is its lock mechanism. I bought my safe in a locksmith company in El Paso, the owner recommended it a lot and informed me that in case I forgot the lock code, I could always bring it back to have it unlocked and reprogrammed with a new lock code. They always recommend you change your codes periodically perhaps once a year or so. It’s very important that you keep your lock pattern to yourself, never write it down and make it easy for you to remember. I picked the most random code you could imagine and surely that my friends (or more importantly people that are not my friends might surmise). If you adopt those recommendations and decide to buy a safe I highly recommend you get a digital one. Those combination-lock safes just seem too outdated.

Having my own set of keys

Women need to stop depending on men. Trust me, I was one of those women that growing up I thought one day I would become the perfect housewife that would expect her husband to come home everyday from work and have his dinner ready. And for a while I was that person, but let me tell you that reality is way different now. The economic struggles of the twenty-first century practically force every person in the house to work. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against housewives; the work that they do is way harder than what any man does. But unfortunately being a housewife is not an option in my case, and that means that I had to take a different control of my life.

For example, at the beginning of my marriage something in me always “knew” that my husband was the one who had to open the house door, drive the car, change a flat tire, and run all the errands that were “men-related”. Stereotypes, I know, don’t judge me. But at the same time something told me that I had to have some kind of independence.  So when I started working full time and got my own car I knew I couldn’t depend on my husband to open the door for me or do all those “men-things”. The first step was getting my own set of keys with a locksmith in El Paso, the beautiful place where I live. Having my own set of keys gave me special powers. I felt like a woman in control, my eyes opened and I realized that I couldn´t live under stereotypes. I know it sounds silly but it is true. I could get home at any time and not depend on someone to open the door for me.  I had more control of my time and that felt liberating. 

Sometimes I want to go back that locksmith in El Paso and thank him for giving me the keys that changed my perspective. My husband is happy to see that I feel more confident and not afraid to make decisions. Now I change tires, visit the hardware store, work hard everyday and even sometimes get home late to find out that he is the one who has my dinner ready.

Looking through My New Peephole

Just a while ago I contacted this locksmith company that I found online. I thought I was taking a chance because I had never heard from them before but I didn’t know which one to choose so I just selected one randomly. I called El Paso Locksmith to get a peephole installed since I don’t feel comfortable opening the door to people without knowing who they are. I also like being in control of what’s going on outside my home without exposing myself, and without my neighbors thinking I’m nosy.

For the first couple of days I was excited about my new peephole and I would look through the little hole a

few times a day, you know, just to try it out, see if it works. But once I was looking through the peephole and saw somebody standing outside. Well, I’ve got to tell you I didn’t see that coming. To be completely honest, it kind of scared me. Even though, the guy from El Paso Locksmith who installed the peephole for me told me several times that people weren’t able to see inside, it still freaked me out a bit.

After weeks passed by I kind of stuck to the idea that only I could see people who were outside and that I was completely out of sight from anyone standing outside my door. Getting a peephole installed was a great idea because it makes me feel a lot safer and more in control of what’s going on. Not only do I make sure that I open the door to only people I know, but I also get to hide from people whenever I am not in the mood of entertaining guests. I feel like it’s all working in my favor now and I owe it to El Paso Locksmith. Not only did they do a great job, but the sir who came to my house was very polite and courteous and not at all overpriced! 

Locksmith in El Paso

Today I was watching a popular blog on the internet that focuses on good TV shows; the kind of shows that bring some visual impact for the audience. I have tuned in to documentaries, classic movies and real life shows. I would not like for ‘’real life shows’’ to be mistaken in this context with reality television because they are two absolutely different things. The one show I was interested in was ‘’Bait Car’’. This show was about law enforcement officials who leave cars parked in urban areas usually with the keys inside and the doors open, shortly after they ‘’deploy’’ the bait car, a ‘’fish’’ would bite or in this case a burglar would jump on the front seat to take the car away.

When I saw this show (which is shot in areas with high car-related crime rates such as California, Arizona and Texas) I found it incredibly disturbing to see how easy these individuals had it to steal expensive things like vehicles. In their show, they leave the cars open but I know for a fact that whenever vehicles are stolen they are rarely left open and decorated with a shiny set of keys dangling from the chain.

I paid a lot of money for my car (I was in debt for at least two years) and I guess I belong in a majority where having a car stolen or your home broken into is not a nice feeling by any means, so I made sure to contact a locksmith in El Paso to have them comprehensively revamp my vehicle’s security system. They changed the lock (so that the engine and door wouldn’t start and open with the same key) and then they installed a car alarm with a high tech system that lets the user know when their vehicle is being tampered with an alert on a little screen that acts as a key chain. Thanks to the locksmith in El Paso I now feel a lot better and also safer.

Got Enough Keys?

I am sure most of us know a person who is always leaving the key to their house in the window or another not so secret spot because not everyone in the household owns a key; if we don’t, we are probably that person. If someone in a household is going out and another person from the household isn’t home and doesn’t have a key, the other person will be forced to leave a key somewhere so the other person isn’t locked out of the house when they get back. Annoying, isn’t it? But somehow, people prefer doing that to simply calling a locksmith for key duplication.

I don’t even have to point out how dangerous it is for people to leave their keys there. Maybe burglars don’t go from house to house checking if homeowners left the key in a secret spot, but you never know if you are being watched as you place your key in the window. That is a possibility and you are putting yourself at risk, you are making yourself a target every time you do that. Key duplication is a simple, inexpensive solution to this problem but people sometimes aren’t very logical.

Safety is definitely something that matters to everyone, yet very few people will make sure their home is secure. It is as simple as picking up the phone and calling a locksmith to get key duplication but somehow people are too lazy to even do that. I have a few friends that used to have a secret spot where they would leave their key instead of taking it with them. Some did it so that others from the household could enter and others just did it to not be carrying the key around. But I convinced them to contact a locksmith and increase their home’s security. There are a lot of dangerous people are there and if you are being watched, you are exposing yourself and it’s very likely that someone will break into your house and rob you. Is that something you want or would you prefer to call a locksmith and get another set of keys? 

Home Security

One of the main concerns of homeowners is home security. Nobody wants a burglar coming into their house and stealing valuable goods, and much less harming their loved ones. But there is a chance of this happening if the home is not equipped with the proper security system. People spend a lot of money remodeling their houses and trying to make them as pretty and stylish as possible and they sometimes leave aside functionality. As a homeowner, you should make sure that the locks you have in your house function really well and that they are not an easy target. Install a deadbolt and increase the security of your home. 

Spending money on the security of your home is a smart investment. If you have a regular knob in your front

door then burglars will see it as an easy target and that puts you at risk. Other locks like digital locks where you have to put a fingerprint or an access code will surely make a thief think twice about trying to break in. Having an alarm system can also scare them away because even if they try to break in, as soon as they hear the alarm they will probably run away.

If you don’t want to get anything overly-fancy because those locks might be too pricey, you can get a deadbolt. Deadbolts are very resistant and harder to break than a regular knob. If you have one of those at home, most bad guys would prefer choosing another house as their target. My advice is that you get an expert on the matter like Locksmith El Paso so that they can further advise you on which lock is most appropriate for your home as well as for the kind of neighborhood you live in. 

Locked in the Bathroom

You know those people who are always trying to bargain and get the cheapest price available? Well I happen to be one of those. Sometimes I get really cheap stuff that turn out to be really high quality and that’s what keeps me going for the great deals! But experience has taught me that for certain things I shouldn’t focus on price, I tend to be kind of stubborn, though. That’s what got me to contact El Paso Locksmith the other day.

I had gotten some cheap lock for my bathroom door a few years ago and I thought that it was ok, after all it had worked well for some time now. Until one day I went to the bathroom and when I tried to come out I just couldn’t. I didn’t know why, the first thing that popped into my mind was that my husband was playing a trick on me, as usual. I really thought he was standing behind the door holding the knob so I wouldn’t be able to open the door.

At first I thought it was funny and kind of started laughing, but after a while I got annoyed so I started yelling at him. Then I saw he wasn’t responding so I thought he might not be there. Luckily, I had taken my phone with me into the bathroom so I gave him a call and it turns out he was actually taking a nap. Then it hit me:

my lock was malfunctioning!

My husband tried to let me out but couldn’t. Then I remembered a while ago my friend had recommended El Paso Locksmith to me so I looked for their number and asked them to come to my home. I was so relieved that they were there in about 20 minutes. I think most people know how frustrating it is to get locked out but being locked out in a bathroom is far worse! Luckily I was out in no time and I owed it all to El Paso Locksmith!

The issue with my roommate

I always enjoyed living with my family; we shared so much and experienced a lot of memories together. Ever since I was a little girl, from the first steps, to doing homework with my mom, to hugging daddy when he came from work, to the chores I hated… I loved it all about living with them, but like many adults, time eventually came to go to college and since my school was out of my hometown, I had to move out and find a place and along with it: a roommate.

I had done extensive research about roommate etiquette, the dos and the don’ts about sharing quarters with someone else. I thought I knew it all (theoretically anyway) but a lot of people say rightfully so that there is a very long stretch of distance from theory to practice. I experienced this first hand with my first roommate. She seemed nice, outgoing, and I even enjoyed her company at first. Everything went smoothly for a while but all of a sudden I noticed some things missing in one of my drawers (the one where I had placed my valuables such as gadgets, jewelry, cash etc.) it was probably wishful thinking on my part to assume that nothing would ever happen if I left cash lying around the apartment. I guess I was naive.

I confronted my roommate about this issue and sure enough, she confessed after extensive probing that she had been the source of my ‘’leaks’’. We had co-signed a lease so I had to suck it up for a while since it would have been very costly to break up our arrangement. Another permanent life lesson was to inquire more thoroughly whenever associating myself with anyone especially on a contract. 

I called a locksmith in El Paso, Texas and had them come in and install locks on the drawers, my closet and an extra lock on my bedroom. The incidents obviously stopped but had it not been for my detection of the leaks and the good efforts of the El Paso locksmith firm, who knows what else could have been gone!

How to Properly Choose a Door Lock

There is a huge variety of door locks available for your residential or commercial property. They can range from deadbolts to keyed entry knobs or from front entry handle set to keyless entry access systems. So how do you know which one would be the best for the specific purpose you need it for? Whether it is for your front door, your bedroom or the patio door, it is important to give thought to the type of lock that will best suit your need. So basically, the first step to choosing the proper lock is to figure out where you are going to place it.

The level of security locks provide can vary. But basically there are three grades of security:

1     Grade 1: this is the highest grade security. It is the strongest grade you can get for your residential or commercial product.

2    Grade 2: this grade is intended for higher residential security. It is designed and built to offer excellent security as well as durability. It is mostly used for residential applications but it can also be used in some light commercial applications.

3      Grade 3: This is basic residential security. It is the lowest grade of security and the minimal acceptable quality for residential door locks.

When you hire a residential or commercial locksmith, I recommend that you let him know where you want your lock to be. Then you should ask what the best grade lock for that application would be. I think that for any door inside your house (like the door to the bathroom or the kitchen) you can use grade 3 but if it is for a lock that will be exposed to others or the environment (like the front door) you should go for at least grade 2 for a residential home and grade 1 for a door at a commercial place.  Of course the lowest the level of security, meaning grade 3, the cheaper it will be but remember that going for the cheapest products will often times lead to risk exposure and the chances of someone breaking into your home or business will increase. The best you can do is ask for your commercial or residential locksmith’s opinion and do as he advises but also make sure that he is qualified for the job. 

Locks Facts

New technology develops year to year and whenever a product is launched we might feel the desire to buy it, but not the feeling of actually needing it. However, if a new product or service is launched and we acquire it, we use it for some time and get used to it, we would feel desperate and we would feel a huge need to get it back if it were taken away from us.

Just think of the internet or cell phones. They haven’t been around for that long but we have become so dependent on those two things. If you leave the house and realize you forgot your phone, you go crazy! Or if for some reason the internet is off, you can’t find what to do all day and you get frustrated.

As we get used to things, we begin to take them for granted. Just like phones or the internet, imagine what our world would be like if locks didn’t exist! When you think of locks, technology isn’t exactly what comes into your mind. But what if nobody had ever invented them!? Before they existed, people were used to not having locks. But now that they do exist, if they were ever to disappear we would get a terrible feeling of being unsafe and we would never want to leave our house in fear that someone would break in and steal everything.

The oldest lock was discovered about 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. The lock was one of the most important inventions in Ancient Egypt. While that was the first actual lock found, there were also other attempts at securing items. People would use knots in rope like the thief knot to secure their belongings. The first combination lock was created by an American called James Sargent who came up with it in 1857. I think it’s safe to say that life would be so much different if nobody had ever invented the lock. Now you can easily contact a locksmith and you will have a wide variety of high-tech locks available! 

Types of Locks

There are several types of locks you can choose from and they also serve different purposes so when you go out to buy one, you need to consider several factors. First you need to think what kind of lock you would like: a combination dial, a keyed lock, or other type of security device. Then you need to consider where that lock is going to go, if it’s going to be used indoors or somewhere it will be protected, or if it’s going to be used outdoors in a front door where it will be exposed to the weather, or if it’s going to be used in a harsh, industrial environment. Another thing you need to consider is the value of the property or equipment that the lock will be protecting. Of course, the higher the value, the better quality lock you need to acquire.

If you are looking for a lock to a store unit, storage locker, workshops or garage then a combination dial is a good option. If you are looking for a lock to your business then you should definitely go for a keyless lock. There are different kinds, for instance you can go for one in which you have to insert the right code so it unlocks or you can go for something even more sophisticated: a fingerprint lock. Nowadays, many businesses are going for the fingerprint lock because it’s easier. It takes less time than inserting a code and your employees won’t have to spend days trying to memorize the code. Also, if an employee resigns or is fired, you don’t have to change the code for everyone because you just erase his fingerprint access. That’s what makes fingerprint locks such a popular choice. If you are not sure what kind of lock is the best, you should contact a locksmith to help you out and advise you on the different options. 

Master Key

I think most of you will probably know what a master key is but just in case, it is a key able to operate a set of several locks. They are quite functional and save a lot of time for those who use them. For instance, there are hotels with hundreds of rooms and every room has to be cleaned. People in charge of cleaning need to access several rooms and imagine having to look for the particular key to the 50 rooms they are supposed to clean! It would take hours finding the right key in a huge pile like this!

Master keys are important in places like hotels because customers are always losing the one that was assigned to them and when they go to the lobby and ask for assistance, they expect to be helped immediately and imagine how unprofessional it would look if the receptionist took out a huge pile of keys and started looking for the right one. In addition, you are just as likely to lose it as the customer because there are so many! Oh, if only you had a master key things would be much easier.

If you run a business that has several rooms and you need certain employees to enter most rooms then I recommend getting a master key to facilitate the workload and make the process faster. All you need to do is contact a commercial locksmith and he will be able to help you out. But of course you will need to provide some sort of document that shows you have the right to get a master key because you are the owner of the business.

P.S. If you still have a keychain and you have to constantly add or remove keys, I found this great tip! 

Break-in Repairs

Imagine someone breaking into your house when you are away and taking your most expensive belongings like your TV, your laptop, and the money you had put in your nightstand. You come back from work and realize the door is open and you can tell someone broke in; then you see your house has in fact been robbed. Not only have you been robbed, but you are also now exposed because they have broken the lock of the front door but since it’s late at night then you think it’s best to wait till the next day to get it repaired, plus what are the chances of being robbed twice in one day?! Well, they might be higher than you might think, so don’t risk it. 

The smartest thing to do when you realize someone broke into your house and ruined the lock is to contact a locksmith no matter the time. Most locksmiths offer 24 hour service and will most likely show up in just a few minutes. However, you should be careful about whom you hire because not all locksmiths are legit. In order to avoid even more inconvenience and trouble you should always contact a locksmith who you know is licensed.

If you ever go through something like that then the best thing to do is to step up the security system in your house. A more expensive, state of the art lock might suffice but you can also request your locksmith to install an alarm system in your house so that you and your family are kept safe. Remember that no price is too high when it comes to your life and the lives of those you love.