Locksmith Equipment

Essential Locksmith Tools and Their Uses

Locksmiths are skilled professionals trained to install, repair, and manipulate locks for various purposes, including automotive, residential, commercial, and emergency situations. To carry out their tasks effectively, locksmiths rely on a variety of specialized tools tailored to specific needs. Let’s explore some of the most common tools and their purposes across different locksmithing scenarios.

Slim Jim

Used for unlocking car doors without a key
Particularly useful for older vehicles with manual locks.

Wedges

Used to create a gap between the car door and frame
Allowing access for other tools like the Slim Jim.

Car Jiggler Keys

Used to manipulate the tumblers inside car door locks to unlock them.

Key Extractors

Used to remove broken keys from car locks.

Lock Picks

Includes various types such as hook picks, rake picks, and diamond picks, used to manipulate pins inside pin tumbler locks.

Tension Wrenches

Used to apply torque to the lock cylinder while picking.

Plug Spinners

After picking the lock, these tools rotate the lock plug quickly, facilitating the unlocking process.

Bump Keys

Specially crafted keys employed with a bumping technique to expedite the opening of pin tumbler locks.

Mortise Lock Picks

Specifically designed for manipulating the intricate mechanisms of mortise locks commonly found in commercial settings, aiding in efficient lock opening and servicing.

Tubular Lock Picks

Tailored for opening tubular locks often encountered in vending machines, ATMs, and certain commercial doors.

Key Decoders

These tools help locksmiths determine the key’s bitting by analyzing its cuts, essential for making duplicates or rekeying locks.