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What a locksmith does, and what to expect

The trade in plain words, from a Trenton locksmith: the four jobs, how a call goes, and how to pick a good one.

Rekey vs replace

If the lock is sound, rekeying keeps the hardware and changes the pins. Unless the lock is worn or you want an upgrade, rekeying does the job.

Deadbolts

Grade 2 and Grade 1 deadbolts installed, including on a door that has no bore in it yet.

Mortise lock on a storefront door in Trenton, NJ

✓

Smart locks

Keypad and app locks installed and set up, with a mechanical key override that actually works.

✓

One key opens everything

Front, back and garage side door all keyed alike, so you carry one key.

✓

Sliding doors

Proper hardware on the slider, so it locks like a door should.

✓

Rekey after moving in

You have no idea who holds a key to a house you just bought. Every exterior lock rekeyed inside an hour.

What the job actually is

A locksmith opens doors and cars for people who are entitled to be inside them, makes and programs keys, rekeys and replaces locks, and installs and services door hardware for homes and businesses. In Trenton that's a mobile trade: the technician comes to the door, the car or the building with the tools and stock on board, and the work is done there. There's no counter to bring a lock to.

What it isn't: a guide to how locks are defeated. A good locksmith doesn't explain that, on the phone, on site or on a website, and this one won't.

Keypad deadbolt installed on a front door, NJ

New deadbolt being installed in a front door, NJ

The four calls we get most

Lockouts. House, apartment, car, office. The technician confirms you're entitled to be inside, then gets you in without damaging the door or the car. Car keys. Lost, broken, or a spare, cut and programmed at the car for most makes. Rekeying and lock changes. New house, lost key, tenant turnover, or hardware that has worn out. Commercial. Storefront hardware, master key systems, closers, panic bars, rental turnovers.

Around Trenton and Philadelphia, Edison, Toms River those four make up most of the week, in roughly that order.

What to expect when you call

You'll be asked where you are, what you're locked out of or what needs doing, and whether anyone is in a hurry or at risk. You get an arrival time, and the technician calls again when close. On arrival: ID first for any lockout, then a look at the lock or the car, then a plain description of what it needs and what it takes. Nothing starts until you've said yes, and no is a complete answer.

If you'd rather not talk, the form on this page reaches the same dispatch and they call you back.

How to tell a good locksmith from a bad one

The good ones ask for ID before opening anything, tell you what the job is before doing it, name their company on the phone the same way it's written on the vehicle, and don't say one thing and bill another. The bad ones arrive in an unmarked car, won't say which company they are, drill a lock that didn't need drilling, and produce a number at the end that nobody mentioned at the start. A local name that answers to a local number is the simplest filter there is.

Thistle Locksmith Co is a local company in Trenton. The technician who comes out works for us, and the phone reaches our own dispatch.

Residential, automotive, commercial

Residential is the house: front door lockouts, deadbolts, rekeys after a move, keypads, patio and garage-entry doors. Automotive is the car: lockouts, keys cut and programmed, fobs, ignitions that won't turn. Commercial is the business: storefront locks, office hardware, panic bars, closers, master key systems that give the owner one key and each tenant or employee only theirs. One technician usually covers all three; the stock on board is what changes.

Apartment buildings sit in the middle: tenant lockouts, mailbox locks, unit rekeys between tenants, with the landlord's say-so where it's needed.

What you'll hear that isn't true

Any locksmith can open any lock the same way. Doors and locks vary, and knowing which you have is most of the skill. Locksmiths damage the door to get in. Not a good one; damage is the last resort, not the first. You're better off breaking a window. A window is more to fix than a lock, and a locksmith is on the way anyway. The lowest number in the ad is the best deal. The lowest number is usually the one with the surprise at the end.

Questions we get asked

Do you check ID before opening a door?

Yes, on every lockout. Photo ID against the address, or the registration for a car. If the ID is inside, there are other ways to confirm it and the technician walks you through them.

Are you a real local company?

Yes. Thistle Locksmith Co is based in Trenton, the technicians are ours, and the number on this page rings our own dispatch.

Will you tell me what it'll take before you start?

Yes. The technician looks at the lock or the car, explains what the job is, and waits for your yes.

Do you explain how you open locks?

No, and we'd be wary of anyone who does. It's the one thing the trade keeps to itself.

How do I reach you?

Call (609) 913-2289 at any hour, or use the form and dispatch calls you back.

Ready when you are

A technician is dispatched as soon as we have the address.

Call now