Follow In our article “How to Lock Drawers” we discussed several types of locks that also lend themselves well to locking cabinet doors. The nice part about cabinet door locks is that there is always a door to easily attach the lock to, and there is always ample surfaces in which to secure the latching component of the lock. This allows for several other products to be used to lock the cabinet door so you can really find a product you like with the budget you’d like to spend. There are some very nice selections available to match almost any need and style ..read more

Follow Types of Drawer Locks We get calls all the time asking how to secure things like desk drawers, garage cabinets and other small cabinet spaces. In most situations, these aren’t needing to be anything robust, just something to keep honest people honest or maybe little kids away from where they ought not be prying. So the drawer locking solutions can run from the basic to the more advanced when security is indeed the primary goal. Drawers are most often locked with cam locks. Cam locks come in both keyed and keyless lock (electronic) varieties. Other d ..read more

Follow In our recent blog posts, The Best Smart Locks for AirBnB, and our 3 Best Home Electronic Deadbolts, we discussed some of our favorite home electronic locks. The difference between those two articles is that AirBnB and Home Rental Units require additional offsite monitoring capabilities that most home owners would like to have, but just didn’t really need to have. Yale Assure Connected by August Offsite electronic lock monitoring added expense, hardware components, and setup time without adding much value for the typical homeowner, so most homeow ..read more

Follow What is Building Egress Code? “Egress” is a building term that refers to “a means or place of going out”. In other words, it’s an exit. Both commercial buildings and residential homes contain codes regarding the paths of egress. Any door that is along the path of exit (the egress path) is considered an Egress Door. That is, if someone needs to go through that door to exit the building, then that door is an egress door. This includes office doors, hallway doors, etc…. For safety reasons, municipals have adopted new fire code for exit doors. Egress Pa ..read more

Follow Google Makes a Key Duplication Kiosk the Largest “Locksmith” in the US – KeyMe’s Fake Google Business Listings Google is suppose to be smart. They are a high-tech company solving high-tech problems, but once again, they have been beaten by an unscrupulous company. This company, KeyMe, has figured out how to trick Google and exploit its search results to their advantage and to the consumer’s detriment. Google Thinks This Company Has Thousands of Locksmith Shops This map shows the locations of KeyMe kiosks in the Phoenix market. These Kiosks are automa ..read more

Follow Can Every Lock be Picked? We recently started our YouTube Channel where I discuss our favorite locks. Often we’re talking about the best locks for a specific function. Can Every Lock Be Picked?For example, “What’s the best lock to stop lock bumping,” What’s the best padlock to just keep honest people honest,” etc… We see a lot of comments about how a specific lock can be bypassed, “That lock can be picked using XYC….” or “So and so shows how to bypass that lock.” The reality is that nearly every lock can be picked and if not picked, bypassed using s ..read more

Follow How Do Locks Work – Lock Functions: Passage, Entry, Storeroom, Classroom, Privacy Locks behave differently based on their lock function. Do you want a lock that always locks every time the door closes? There’s a lock function for that. Do you want a lock that cannot be locked from the inside (only the outside) so that you never get locked out of a room? Yep, there’s a lock function for that too. Here are the most common types of lock functions. What is a Passage Lock Passage locks are used when doors do not need to be locked. There is no keyhole in ..read more

Follow Lock Grades 1 2 3 Explained The ANSI lock grading system was developed to setup a standard testing procedure to measure the strength and durability of a lock. The ANSI lock grade system provides an indication as to the quality of the lock being purchased. The system is composed of three lock grades. Lock Grades ExplainedWhat is Lock Grade 3? Grade 3 Deadbolts are the Least Secure and NOT RecommendedLock grade 3 is the least secure of the three lock grades. It should be considered basic door hardware, for non high security situations, and is the least ..read more

Follow Purchasing a safe can be a big investment, but how do you know you’re getting the right safe for your needs? Safe burglary ratings can be very confusing. What do b-rated, c-rated, RSC, TL15, and TL30 burglar ratings mean? Here, I break down the common safe burglary ratings so you know what they are, and you can make a safe purchase with the confidence of understanding what level of security you are buying. There are a couple systems for safe ratings (at least in the United States). One is developed by insurance companies, and mainly focuses on s ..read more

Follow Arizona Swimming Pool Code & Lock Requirements Here in Arizona, home of Acme Locksmith, a good percentage of homes have in-ground swimming pools.  We have the perfect climate for them, and having a swimming pool means you can entertain in another space at your home almost the whole year round.  But a swimming pool can also be a hazard source, and each year we hear in the news of drownings; the saddest instances are when a small child is lost to a pool drowning. For this reason, the State of Arizona, and Arizona cities, have building codes in ef ..read more