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What tools do locksmiths use?

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For opening doors, locksmiths use picks and tension tools, bypass tools, letterbox tools and, as a last resort, drills. Much of the rest of the kit usually goes on fitting and repair: hand tools, spare cylinders and mechanisms, broken key extractors and key cutting machines.

Opening tools come first in any lockout. Picks and tension tools work the pins inside a cylinder, rakes and pick guns tend to be quicker on simpler locks, and decoders read a lock so that a key can be cut to match. A Master Locksmiths Association handbook from 2017 lists picking, pick guns, bumping and letterbox tools in the syllabus for its opening course.

Bypass tools get round the lock rather than through it. The MLA says a locksmith has a number of techniques for opening a night latch or a euro thumb turn cylinder without damage, and may find another way in that is easier to open than the door in question. Which tool suits depends on the door, the lock and how it was left.

Drills are in the van too, but they belong at the end of the list. Drilling destroys the cylinder, so you then need a new one. The MLA expects non destructive methods first and calls drilling as a first attempt a common scam technique, so a locksmith who reaches for the drill straight away should be able to tell you why.

Much of a locksmith's kit has nothing to do with getting in. Fitting and repair take ordinary hand tools, spare cylinders and mechanisms, and machines that cut keys. The same MLA handbook lists key cutting by machine, lock fitting and uPVC gearbox replacement among its courses, which says a lot about how much of the job happens after the door is open.

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