High Desert Lock & Safe, Inc.

Ever heard the term "key relevance"? It refers to the minor differences between a master key and the copies made from it. If you've ever had a key copy not work as well as the original, you know that there can be a significant variance in key relevance across multiple copies. That's why it's always a good idea to test new keys immediately.

When you are trying to keep your business secure, it’s important to remember that your locks are your first line of defense. Be sure you have solid doors installed as well as the appropriate locks.

Just as in medicine, a bit of preventive maintenance can keep your car locks operating smoothly and opening every time. A periodic treatment with graphite will keep the parts lubricated so they do not jam, freeze, or grab your keys.

When it comes to auto locksmithing, both J tools and L tools work similarly to unlock car doors without a key. They are usually used with supplementary wires and guides that are fed through the top of the window to help the locksmith access the lock.

The most important places to install quality deadbolt locks in your home are on all exterior doors, on doors between attached garages and living spaces, and on any doors leading in and out of the garage (even if the garage isn't attached to the house).

Before modern electronic automobile locking systems, car locks usually had pin or wafer tumblers. Pin tumblers employ a series of pins of different lengths and the key was cut to match the pattern. Wafer locks are similar, except they have thin plates (wafers) instead of pins.

Even though your business maybe in a part of town that never has burglaries, it’s still important to get in the habit of locking up shop when you are away. Most of the time, an ounce of prevention is all that's needed to deter criminals.

Worried that our locksmiths won’t be able to unlock your car? You don’t have to be concerned. We’ve unlocked thousands of vehicles over the years. Everything from cars to trucks and even motorcycles. No matter what it is, we’ll be able to help you get it rolling again.

You probably already know locks help keep you home safer. Locks are only effective if you use them, though. Care to guess how many residential burglaries are reported across the U.S. every year? That would be around 2 million.

Locksmiths in history: A former New York City police officer by the name of Samuel Segal is credited with the invention of a jimmy proof lock in 1916.

One common type of cylinder lock is the wafer tumbler lock. These work similarly to pin and tumbler locks except that they have thin wafer shaped tumblers rather than pins. Some designs use single wafers rather than wafer pairs.

It’s important to remember that the longer you wait to change your company’s locks after an employee mentions they might have lost their keys, the more at risk your business is. Rather than hoping they turn up soon, let’s err on the side of caution by changing the locks now.

If you recover your old transponder keys after your new ones are made, do not be surprised if they do not work. Many manufacturers require that codes for lost keys be erased from the system. However, we can reprogram them.

The weakest point in a door is typically the lock strike plate. A strike plate should be heavy-duty with 3-inch screws into the frame.

Did you know that the quality of auto locksmithing tools is important? Basically, smooth and durable tools needed to be used no matter what type of lock is being picked in order to protect the locking mechanism and avoid damage.

If you must allow temporary access into your home to workers or visitors, a digital lock may be your best bet. Locks with combinations on the lockset can be reset when the work is finished or your company has left.

Interestingly, the oldest archaeological find of a wooden lock (although the key has been long lost) was near the ancient city of Ninevah in the ruins of the Khorsabad Palace. It’s believed this lock dates back to the 8th century BC.

Anthropologists believe the first locks created by humans were used to secure doors. Care to guess where they were discovered and when they were made? That would be in Egypt about 4,000 years ago. They were fashioned from wood.

Employee thefts costs companies up to $40 billion a year and it's been estimated that up to 3 out of 4 of your employees will steal from your company this year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Surveillance systems, card-access systems and high security locks can all make a difference.

A high grade deadbolt lock can be a deterrent to potential burglars. Many home intruders, when interviewed about their selection of a target, claim that seeing a quality deadbolt lock will cause them to move on to another house.

We specialize in unlocking vehicles, and our locksmiths are trained to deal with the specific methods to unlock cars of all makes and models, and the hazards inherent in unlocking cars with advanced locking systems.

If you have lived in your home for a long time, you may be noticing that the locks are not working as smoothly as they once did. This could be due to the teeth of the key wearing down, or the lock itself is beginning to fail or both.

Warded locks are one of the oldest locking systems still in use today, with evidence for them going as far back the 9th century. They are still commonly used in some padlocks, furniture locks, and other low-security lock systems.

One common tool used by auto locksmiths is the auto jiggler, which is basically a combination between a key and a lock pick. These tools resemble a ring of keys, with the set being specific to a major car model.