Frequently Asked Questions

Most house calls in Ohio are wrapped up in 20 to 45 minutes. A simple lockout might take 10 minutes if everything cooperates; rekeying a whole house with four or five doors usually runs 45 minutes to an hour. Safe work and commercial master key systems take longer, and we'll tell you that upfront. We don't rush the work, and we don't stretch the clock.

First, check every door and ground-floor window, including the garage side door, because we've seen plenty of lockouts end with a found entry. If you're truly stuck, call us at (866) 283-1853 and a live coordinator will connect you with the local team. Have your ID ready, because our techs are required to verify you live there before opening anything. It's for your protection and ours.

Yes, in most cases we can originate a key by code or by impressioning the lock directly. For cars, we pull the key code from the VIN or lock cylinder. For houses, we can disassemble the lock and read the pin depths to cut a working key. It takes more time than simple duplication, but it's ordinary work for a trained journeyman. We'll tell you if your particular lock makes it impractical.

Rekeying keeps your existing hardware and changes the internal pin combination so old keys no longer work. Changing locks means removing the entire lock and installing new hardware. Rekeying is faster and cheaper when your locks are in good shape. Changing locks is the right move when hardware is failing, pitted from Ohio's salt-laden winter air, or when you want to upgrade security grade.

You should at minimum rekey, because you don't know who has copies, from the previous owner's dog walker to their contractor. We handle this weekly for new homeowners across Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and every market we serve in Ohio. Rekeying every exterior door takes under an hour and gives you clean key control from day one. It's the cheapest peace of mind you'll buy for your new place.

We install and service Kwikset, Medeco, Yale, and Baldwin, among others, and we match the brand to your needs, not our margins. Kwikset offers solid residential grade at a fair price. Medeco brings high-security pick resistance for homeowners who want serious protection. Yale and Baldwin both deliver excellent build quality with different aesthetic lines. We'll show you the options and let you decide what fits your door and your budget.

Smart locks have improved dramatically, but Ohio's temperature swings, from subzero winters to humid summers, still stress electronic components. Battery life drops in the cold, and condensation can affect sensors. We install them where they make sense, and we'll tell you honestly if your particular door exposure, like a west-facing entry in Medina that bakes afternoon sun, makes a smart lock less ideal than a quality deadbolt.

We can service many older locks, especially common brands from the mid-20th century still found in Ohio's older neighborhoods like Glenville and East Cleveland. Some very old or ornate hardware requires specialty parts we may need to source. We'll examine what you have, tell you if repair is practical, and never talk you into replacement when restoration is the better path. Krafted right means respecting good old work.

Ohio does not currently require a statewide locksmith license, which makes it especially important to verify who you're hiring. Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their municipality requires, and our techs carry company ID they show at your door. Ask any locksmith for credentials before they touch your lock. The person who opens your locks should be the most verifiable person you've ever hired.

Demand ID. A legitimate tech arrives in a marked vehicle, wears company identification, and has no problem with you photographing their credentials. Be wary of anyone who shows up in an unmarked car, won't give a full company name, or pressures you to pay cash before work is done. We've built 42 years of trust in Ohio by doing the opposite of all that. Your safety comes before our convenience, every time.

We carry the insurance required to protect your property while we work on it. That includes general liability coverage and workman's compensation for our technicians. We'll provide proof of insurance on request, because a company that plans to be in Ohio in thirty years acts like it. Don't hire any tradesman who hesitates to show you the same.

Yes, our phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the week, including holidays. A live coordinator takes your call and connects you with the local team serving your area, whether you're in Toledo at midnight or locked out in Youngstown on Thanksgiving morning. We don't promise impossible arrival times we can't keep, but we do promise to be straight with you about when help is coming and to show up when we say.

Response time depends on where you are, what traffic looks like, and how many calls are running. In central Cleveland or Columbus during business hours, we're often there within the hour. Outlying areas like Vermilion or Medina take longer, and we'll tell you that honestly when you call. What we won't do is quote a fake "15 minutes" to get you off the phone, then leave you waiting. Call (866) 283-1853 for current timing to your address.

A child locked in a car, a broken key in an exterior door with the oven on, a security breach at a business, these are emergencies we prioritize. A stuck interior bedroom door at 2 PM on a Tuesday is urgent to you and we'll handle it, but it may queue behind true safety situations. Tell us what's happening and we'll triage honestly. We've been doing this in Ohio long enough to know the difference.

Every job we complete in Ohio is backed by The Keystone Standard: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If a rekeyed lock starts sticking, a new deadbolt loosens, or anything we touched isn't right, we come back and fix it. No paperwork to dig up, no transfer to a warranty department, no he-said-she-said. Standing behind it is one of our K.E.Y.S. values, and we mean it literally.

Hardware defects happen even with quality brands, and we'll sort it out. If a lock we installed fails due to manufacturer defect within our warranty period, we replace it at no charge and handle the return. If the failure is from misuse or an attempted break-in, we'll assess honestly and quote fair repair. We've never stayed in business 42 years by weaseling out of problems we caused or problems we didn't.

The Keystone Standard covers the work for the original customer at the serviced address. If you sell your home, the new owner isn't automatically covered, though we're happy to inspect and re-warranty the work for a nominal trip charge. For landlords and property managers in Ohio, we offer commercial service agreements with different terms. Call (866) 283-1853 to discuss what arrangement fits your situation.

Written by the team at Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. of Ohio, serving Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and communities across the state since 2013.