Locked out at 11pm with my kid asleep inside. Quoted $110 on the phone, tech named Andre arrived in 20 minutes, picked it in five, charged $110. Showed his license before I even asked.
— Dana R., Fairview (Orchard St.)
No $29 bait ads. No surprise drilling. A licensed tech quotes the full price on the phone, arrives in a marked vehicle, and shows ID at your door. If the number changes when we see the lock, you can walk away — you owe nothing.
Every job below is quoted as a complete number — trip, labor, and parts — before a tool comes out of the van. Ranges depend on lock grade and cylinder count, and we tell you which end of the range you're in on the phone.
House, apartment, car, storefront, safe. We pick, bypass, or decode first; drilling is a last resort that happens only after you approve it and hear the replacement cost. Most residential lockouts open in under 15 minutes on scene.
Just bought a house? Rekeying every exterior cylinder to one key costs a fraction of new hardware — and closes the loop on every contractor, realtor, and previous-owner key floating around. We stock Grade 2 and Grade 1 deadbolts on the truck.
Transponder keys cut and programmed at your driveway — usually 40–60% under dealer pricing, without the tow. We program most domestic and Asian makes 1998–2024 on site; push-to-start fobs included.
Panic hardware, mortise cylinders, restricted keyways, and master key systems that actually stay documented — you get a signed key chart, not a shoebox of copies. Scheduled after-close work so you never lock customers out.
Rolling 90-day averages from dispatch logs, May–July 2026. "Fastest" is our best logged run this quarter — traffic and time of day move the number, and we'll give you a live estimate when you call.
| AREA | AVG ARRIVAL | FASTEST | CALLS LOGGED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview | 18 min | 9 min | 212 |
| Cedar Grove | 24 min | 13 min | 96 |
| Maplewood | 22 min | 12 min | 104 |
| Lakeside | 27 min | 16 min | 61 |
| Union Mills | 31 min | 19 min | 44 |
| Prospect Hill | 26 min | 15 min | 58 |
* Demo data. On your real site, these become your numbers — updated as you log jobs.
You've seen the ads. $29 lockout service. Here's what actually happens: an unlicensed subcontractor shows up, declares your lock "high-security, can't be picked," drills it in ninety seconds, and hands you a bill for $300–$450 — cash, while you're standing on your porch at midnight with a hole where your deadbolt used to be.
The FTC has warned about this exact play for years. It works because you're stressed, it's late, and the guy is already at your door.
Our fix is boring: the dispatcher quotes the complete price — trip, labor, parts — before a tech is assigned. That number is written on the work order you sign before work starts. In 2025, 96.4% of our lockouts opened without drilling, because picking is a skill and drilling is a shortcut.
The IronKey guarantee: if the on-site price ever exceeds the phone quote and you don't like the reason, you pay $0 and we leave your lock untouched. That's the whole policy.
The bait. A national call center buys "locksmith near me" ads with a $19–$29 teaser price. There is no local shop — often not even a real address.
The switch. The subcontractor arrives, calls your standard Kwikset "commercial grade," and insists it must be drilled. The $29 becomes $150 labor plus $180 for a "high-security replacement."
The squeeze. Cash only, price non-negotiable, and your door doesn't lock at all until you pay. Most people pay.
Your defense. Demand a total price before anyone is dispatched. A legitimate locksmith gives you one number and puts it in writing. We do, on every call.
Locked out at 11pm with my kid asleep inside. Quoted $110 on the phone, tech named Andre arrived in 20 minutes, picked it in five, charged $110. Showed his license before I even asked.
— Dana R., Fairview (Orchard St.)
Bought a house, had them rekey six cylinders to one key. $215 total, exactly the phone quote, and he showed me the old pins in his hand. Now the realtor's lockbox key opens nothing.
— Nadia K., Cedar Grove
Lost the only key to a 2016 CR-V in the Maplewood Kroger lot. Dealer wanted $460 plus a tow. IronKey cut and programmed a new one at my bumper for $265. Half star off for arriving a bit past the estimate — rush hour.
— Hank W., Maplewood
Sample reviews for demo purposes.
The form is for rekeys, hardware, smart locks, and commercial quotes. Emergencies go straight to dispatch — a human answers 24/7.