Locksmith answers from the field
The questions we get asked in driveways, hallways and lobbies across North Jersey, answered the way we answer them on the job: plainly, with the real numbers, and without trying to sell you a lock you do not need.
Major Key is a second-generation locksmith business, licensed in New Jersey and working out of Bergen County since 2017. Most of what is here started as a customer question. If yours is not answered, ask us and it may end up here too.
New homeowners & rekeying
Just bought a house? The first-week lock checklist
Who still has keys, what to rekey first, and the four things nobody checks until it is too late.Read →
Rekey or replace your locks? How a locksmith decides
Rekeying is usually the answer. These are the four times it is not.Read →
How many keys to your house are already out there?
Previous owners, contractors, cleaners, the realtor lockbox. You will never get an honest count.Read →
Rekeying after a roommate, an ex or a contractor moves on
When someone with a key leaves your life, this is the quick, quiet fix.Read →
Smart locks & keyless entry
Smart lock buyer’s guide from a locksmith who installs them
Keypad, fingerprint or app, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and the five features we would not buy one without.Read →
Smart lock battery died? How to get in, and why winter makes it worse
How to get in tonight, why winter drains batteries faster, and how to stop it happening again.Read →
Will a smart lock fit my door? Measure these five things first
Backset, bore hole, thickness, the storm door and the strike. Check them before you click buy.Read →
Old mortise lock on your front door? Your real options
The long lock body inside older doors. Keep it, fix it, or convert it to take a smart lock.Read →
Home security & break-ins
Lock grades explained: what Grade 1, 2 and 3 really mean
The number on the box measures strength and wear, not pick resistance. How to read it.Read →
Your garage is the side door nobody locks
Old remotes, shared codes, the emergency release and the door into the house.Read →
What actually makes a lock high-security?
Picking, bumping and key control. Why the key you cannot copy is the real feature.Read →
After a break-in: what to do in the first 24 hours
Police, photographs, insurance, getting the door secure tonight, and when to rekey.Read →
Lost or stolen keys: what is actually at risk, and what to do
A dropped key ring is not always an emergency. A stolen bag usually is. How to tell.Read →
Why doors get kicked in at the frame, not the lock
Most forced doors fail at the frame. The strike, the screws and the bolt are what hold.Read →
Doors, locks & repairs
Door will not latch or lock? Five causes and what to check
It is rarely the lock. Settling, hinges, the strike and the weather. What to check first.Read →
Lock care, sticky keys and frozen locks in a Jersey winter
What to spray in a lock, what never to spray, worn keys, and frozen locks in January.Read →
Multipoint door problems: why you lift the handle, and what fails
Why you lift the handle first, the three common failures, and the mistake that breaks the gearbox.Read →
Key snapped off in the lock? Do this, not that
What to try, what never to do, and what a snapped key is telling you about the lock.Read →
Commercial & property management
Master key systems explained for building owners and managers
Grand masters, masters and change keys in plain English, plus the trade-off nobody mentions.Read →
Master keys or access control? An honest comparison
When keys are the right answer, when fobs earn their cost, and why most buildings use both.Read →
Access control basics: strikes, maglocks, readers and fail-safe
Strikes vs maglocks, fail-safe vs fail-secure, and why the door matters more than the reader.Read →
Storefront door locks: why aluminum doors stop latching
Narrow aluminum doors use their own kind of lock. Why they stop latching and what it takes to fix.Read →
Door closers and panic bars: signs they need service
Slamming, not latching, leaking oil, a sticky push bar. What each one means.Read →
A locksmith’s unit turnover checklist for property managers
Every unit lock, the mailbox, codes and fobs, and the key log that makes the next one faster.Read →
Do Not Duplicate keys: what the stamp really does, and what works
The stamp is a request, not a lock. What actually stops copies.Read →
Eviction lockouts in New Jersey: what to expect on the day
The officer, the timing, the doors and the paperwork. How to make sure the day actually happens.Read →