Locksmith Central

I’ve done more major work (rekeying a home lock and a car glove box lock vs. just having keys made) with them twice. They rekeyed my home lock for $ 35 and my car glovebox lock for $ 45. Plus tax, of course. The prices are reasonable, they do good work, and they’re nearby.
Why not five stars? Both times, same scenario.
When you call the number on Unilocal,you get Mike, who is out in the field a lot. You work out a deal with him via email (
) and/​or telephone. He’s a bit hasty, likely super busy, but you manage. Then you get to the shop to find that the guy there doesn’t know what the hell you’re talking about and expects to quote a higher price. He’s open to the explanation that Mike has already made the deal, though, after he sees a couple emails. This whole business is a bit frustrating.
The second turn-​off, though more minor, is cash only, one of my pet peeves. I normally charge everything for record, tracking, and points, and the amount of cash I carry varies. A minor inconvenience.
Overall, I do recommend this place. Just keep in mind the downsides and note that lock prices vary based on the types of locks.

My car door lock was becoming a little difficult to unlock. (It’s key lock not a wireless fob.) Didn’t think too much about it. Suddenly, it wouldn’t unlock at all.
I called Kevin who runs the great San Francisco Auto Works (the most honest and competent garage you’ll ever find), and he referred me to Locksmith Central in Noe Valley.
I called them and explained my situation. The guy says, «why don’t you buy some Tri-​Flow lubricant, spray it in the cylinder, and see what happens. It may take care of it. If not, call me back, and we’ll give you a quote to work on the door.»
It did. $ 7 for the lube, and about 18 second to do it. Bingo. Like new! Vaguely embarrassing, but you can’t know everything in this world.
What I do know is savvy experience, honesty, and generosity when I see it.
I need to take a dozen great cookies or a six-​pack or something over to guys who are as good and honest as SF Auto Works.

Key copying is, as I now know, most of what locksmiths do even though it’s arguably a waste of their talents. I was informed of this while having keys for my new house copied at Locksmith Central, while the guy promised that his handiwork would be an improvement upon the original keys (shows how much I know about keys — how can you improve upon the master while still functioning in the lock?).
Lo and behold, our copied keys work more smoothly than the master provided by our landlord.
Efficient, personable and quality work.

After our home was burgled, the police told us we needed to significantly upgrade our locks. We called Mike Young and Locksmith Central with the intention of rekeying our front door. We got a whole lot more.
More than just a locksmith, Mike was a full-​on security consultant. He quickly identified how the burglars entered our home, and then devised a whole new system of locks to ensure our safety. He also made suggestions on fencing, lights, cameras, garage door and mail security. He even brought dowel rods to secure our sliding glass doors.
He showed up promptly, explained his plan, priced it out for me, worked efficiently, stayed late, and completed the job for a reasonable price. But most of all, his security expertise will allow my family to sleep better at night. Thanks, Mike! 5 stars all the way.

Friendly, efficient and willing to come out in the evening which is a huge help on a busy schedule. The only mild gripe I have is that they didn’t give me a call-​out charge quote up front (and also my bad for not asking for one).

We had keys cut here. Unfortunately, one of the new keys didn’t work in our lock. (It was a copy of a copy, so this may have been the reason.). We took the key back and a fresh copy was cut free of charge, no problem. This time it worked perfectly.

Amazing, lifesaving. I locked myself out, and was panicking that Id be camping on the side walk. Reading the reviews for most locksmiths further freaked me out. Chances it on these guys. Showed up in less than 5 minutes, picked my janky front door lock in under a minute, were super friendly and transparent with pricing. Thank you!!!

I came in upset past the point of rationality after a friend lost my «good key». Michael was kind enough to walk with me to my car to test a new key that he made, but then when it didn’t work in the doors, he told me there was no point in my purchasing it. I was having a pity party and went along with that .
That was my only key, which was stolen with my wallet 3 days later.
Now I have no car key at all, just a bunch of regret for not having a spare key so that I could at least move my street-​parked car. I called the shop back to see what became of the key I was dissuaded from purchasing, hopeful for helpfulness and a miracle of sorts. Mike, the owner, would not spend any time looking for the key or allow me to come do it, or call Micael to ask him for more information, since he’s working elsewhere today. Mike recommended I get a key molded to the ignition by another locksmith for around ~$ 200, and that someone else should do it.
Helpful? Sometimes.
Expert advice? Not really.
Great customer experience? No. They made me feel like they didn’t really want my business.
This is all on me, and boy, that’s how I feel.

These guys saved my boyfriends life! They stayed open a few minutes late after he went to the wrong location on Judah.
Really humble and honest. They wouldn’t accept a tip so he had to leave it on the counter and run out!

Took my motorcycle ignition here after losing my keys. The guy couldn’t have been more pessimistic about whether he could make a key that would work. He told me that it was a gamble and that for certain that even if the key worked the ignition, it wouldn’t fit the gas cap like the original did. What’s worse was his demeanor. His entire attitude to me the whole time had an accusatory vibe, like I was a motorcycle thief trying to get a key made for a bike that wasn’t mine. «I’m just saying this looks like it’s been tampered with so I’m uncomfortable here.» It HADN’T been tampered with. So after realizing that his can’t do attitude wasn’t likely to result in a working key, I took the ignition to Katy at ABC Locksmith instead and had a working key in 20 hours that ALSO worked the gas cap and was 20 dollars less than his «gamble» quote he gave me.

Love them! Best security keys in the city! Very dependable.

A few years ago I had them upgrade my lock that requires a specially-​made key. Trying to get another key from this store has been a challenge.
A few months ago I called the owner and ordered 5 keys. He gets the calls on his cell even if the store is open. The keys cost $ 20 each, but this would keep me happy for a while. Last Wednesday I arrived at the store but the door was locked with a sign that said that they would return, which they did within a few minutes. I had started walking away and ran into the guy returning to the store. They didn’t have my keys! He called someone to see if the keys were «in the office». OK. Deep breath. I said I would return the following week but this time I made the order for just 3 keys.
I did get a call this week saying that the keys were ready. Before driving to the store this time I called first to be sure the store was open.
The man in the store only had one key!!! Not the 3 I ordered!!! And then he was irritated when I told him that I ordered 3 from him last week. He got really annoyed .
I called the store number. Apparently all store calls go to the owner’s phone vs. the shop). A woman answered and I explained what happened. She stated that the owner was on a job, but would call later… and that was about 2:00pm. By the time Mike returned the call I was long gone and didn’t hear the phone call saying that they did mess up and I could return to the shop and they could make the 2 additional keys. What about the this experience would make me want spend another hour in my car — plus pay for additional gas and metered parking — to be faced with a grumpy unfriendly store salesman? They didn’t even offer a discount for my inconvenience of having to drive there yet again!
So much for getting more keys made!!! I will try to see if I can get this key made by another place.
I know that they charge more for site visits because I have seen their bids on several jobs. I can’t imagine ever again wanting to do business with this store. And I believe in supporting local business but not this place… ever…unless I can’t duplicate the key elsewhere…

Good work * Trustworthy * but PAINFULLY EXPENSIVE. Over Over OVERLY priced and i am over them. Looking for a reasonably priced locksmith and the name Rhinoceros comes to mind.

Michael is very knowledgeable and is great at guaranteeing his work. Customer service is outstanding and I will use Locksmith Central fire all of my key and lock needs

Michael did a fantastic job repairing my lock. Someone had put crazy glue in the door handle lock (what? I know) and he arrived 30 minutes after I called for help. Not only did he replace the lock quickly and carefully, but he helped calm me down and give me tips on next steps (call the police to report vandalism, filed a renter’s claim to cover the cost of the repair, etc). He also noticed that the lock on the main door to my apartment building was not as secure as it could be, and helped me understand how to communicate the technicalities of the situation to my landlord. His services were NOT cheap, especially since I called him on Memorial Day, but I’d call him again.

«Employee Mike» helped me out when I lost the main key to my Ford.
All I had was a badly-​worn spare. Mike had me leave the spare and car with him for about forty-​five minutes, and when I returned he presented me with a better-​than-​new key. A perfect fit.
Very professional service. Thanks!

Mike #1 promptly responded to my panicked call about being locked out and got me in within 30 seconds. (Seriously, locksmiths make a crazy hourly wage when one considers how quickly they can pop a door open.) Mike #2 at the shop (a self-​declared «key nerd») made me a spare key that actually worked after four other places either looked at my key and said «no way» or attempted and failed. One hopes to never need a locksmith in your contacts, but I’ve got their number in mine now.

I wish to reiterate my thanks and appreciation to Michael for promptly unlocking a locked door for my wife while I was out of town. He was most professional.
I was especially grateful because when I lost the receipt my wife gave to me he e-​mailed a duplicate to me within 2 days (even though he was utterly swamped, he still found time to assist).
Thanks, Michael!
Patrick Shaughnessy
San Francisco, CA

Mike Young and Kelly are the best locksmiths in the city. They are super popular, so give them enough notice and you’ll be most happiest. They have the latest technology and all the organizational skills to re-​key large apartment complexes as well as single family homes. They’re always in good spirits, even though they seem to put in long hours every day.
You can visit their store as well and get keys made, pick up other security products and accessories, as well as recycle your old mystery keys. We’ve been using them for years and have always been 100% delighted with their service and abilities.

Michael was great. Not cheap, but great.
I had an urgent situation and needed to be let in ASAP on an emergency call at 11PM on a holiday weekend, and none of the other locksmiths I had called (including one on my block) had answered their phones. This dispatcher picked up and, when I explained my situation, offered to redirect a truck on another call not too far from me that could arrive in 10 – 15 minutes instead of waiting for the next available truck. He was very clear about the prices for each option (I believe it was $ 140 for regular, $ 190 for emergency) and I agreed to the emergency service.
Michael arrived 7 minutes later and two minutes after that I was inside. That’s less than 10 min from when I gave them the go-​ahead.
Michael was punctual, professional, and sympathetic to my situation. It’s $ 200 that I wish I hadn’t had to spend on a stupid mistake, but it was absolutely worth it, especially for the caliber of service I received.