Advice from locksmiths or door lock pros, please

10 years ago

I'd love some advice from any locksmiths or door lock professionals here, please.

I went to my local locksmith with the following list of Emtek door hardware needing to be installed in the house we just purchased:

(3) Emtek egg-shaped knob/#8 rosette/PVD finish keysets (single cylinder)

(3) matching Emtek passage sets

(1) matching Emtek privacy set

The locksmith quoted me a price of $140 each for the keysets and $120 each for the passage and privacy sets.

Last night I priced the Emtek sets at homehardware4less.com and got prices of $99.72 for the keysets and $58.28 for the passage and privacy sets. Big difference! So I asked the locksmith to break down his quote into cost of materials + cost of labor because I would be able to get the Emteks myself for those prices online.

His response was that if I did it that way I "would not have the warranty". I said "but my warranty is with Emtek if there is a problem". He said that if I buy the hardware AND the installation from him, if there is ever a problem or warranty issue they would not charge me to come and remove the defective hardware and reinstall its replacement from Emtek; but if they install hardware that I have bought elsewhere, they would charge me for those service calls even thought it would be an Emtek-warranty issue.

So in essence if I bought everything from him I'd be paying $40 (over my online price) to install each keyset, and $62 to install each passage and privacy set (which sounds illogical, because I assume installing a keyset would be more work!)... but in the event of a problem with any of them down the road, I would have "insurance" against having to pay for the removal and replacement of that unit.

Of course, unlike a home or car insurance company there is the question of whether they will still be in business ten, fifteen, or twenty years from now -- if they're not around, I'd end up paying a different locksmith for a service call anyway! So the "future-problems insurance" only applies if this particular locksmith is still around if/when an issue arises.

I can't help wondering what is likely to "go wrong" with a good quality door hardware like Emtek anyway. The finish is lifetime and so if that ever was a problem I would deal with Emtek directly via phone, email and photos... so I imagine no problem there. These aren't wireless units or anything fancy. In more than 35 years of various home ownerships, and with door hardware ranging from bargain-basement Kwikset to ridiculously priced Period Brass and everythign in between, I have never had a mechanical failure in any of them. (knock wood!!)

I mean really, what are the odds? And in your opinions, are the quoted materials-and-installs numbers fair or not (given the materials being used and the likelihood of future issues)? I am especially confuddled about the difference in "labor" pricing between installing the passage/privacy and keylock sets...

Thanks!

Featured Answer

User

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

The Andersen 2500 is an aluminum storm door in case you were wondering.

What you also get from a locksmith is a relationship that could be worth far more to you in the future that the cost of his/her services now.

Emtek is owned by the world's largest lock manufacturer, Assa Abloy, based in Sweden. It owns 150 companies world-wide that provide high level security devices including Arrow, Medeco, Yale, Adams Rite, Rixson, Corbin-Russwin & Sargent.

The Emtek warranty should be good for as long as you need it to be.

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Comments (8)

millworkman
10 years ago
Entirely up to you and what you feel comfortable with. A warranty is only as good as the company providing it and of course you ask what if the locksmith is not around in 10 yrs but also what if Emtek is not around? I doubt they are going anywhere but you never can tell. You right though the odds are you will have no trouble with the locks and never need the warranty but there is always the what if?
nigelsgarden
10 years ago
Like you, I don't understand the difference in pricing between lock sets. He's basically charging you for labor and whether it's fair is difficult to say since rates vary by location.
Call another locksmith for a second estimate and also call a local handyman and ask his labor costs.
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I've done a little on-line research... Google on: door lock sets 3 5/8" center-to-center There are two "standard" center-to-center vertical spacings between lock "holes" 5 1/2" and 3 5/8". Likely your door's spacing is 3 5/8" NOT 3 1/2". Take a look at the below arrangement link and you'll see both arrangements. Worse comes to worse, as suggested earlier, go to a local locksmith or call a supplier or two. You may want to think out of the box and include possibly replacing with a two piece lock - the deadbolt and a separate handle/key lock. (May require patching holes and re-finishing door. Ugh!) Sorry I can't give you a specific look or brand, but I've stuck with Kwikset which used to be considered a "builder's grade" product... don't know about current quality. Best of luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Examples Of Configurations This post was edited by saltidawg on Wed, May 28, 14 at 15:01
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If you go the new door route, the door color is a non-issue as the box stores can match paint colors. All they need is a small sample of the color (cut a piece of door off). The easiest thing to do might be to mount a door kick plate to both sides of the door to cover up every past mistake. Yes, they are usually on the bottoms of doors, but they are large enough to cover everything you don't like. Then, put in the required holes with a bi-metal saw and reinstall the hardware. This site will make kick plates to your desired size so you can customize the repair to be aesthetically pleasing: https://kickplatedirect.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy4HU3Kjc6wIVRtbACh0q6Q27EAAYAiAAEgIVGPD_BwE Also, you really need to add a knobset (that large and heavy lockset that you discarded). The open rectangle on the side of the door needs to be patched so that a new knobset can be installed (maybe look up 'dutchman' repairs). Plan this out and make it pat of the kick plate repair.
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aidan_m
10 years ago
Why do you need a locksmith? The only real specialty he possesses is changing the keying of the lock cylinder. Any handyman can install a lockset into an existing door. If you brought 3 locksets to his shop, and asked him to make the keys all match, he'd do the work for about $50. Your handyman can install all of them in a few hours, maybe $100.
kirkhall
10 years ago
$100 for a few hours of handyman work? Wow. I need to live where you do (our prices are about 3x that).

I agree with the others in principle though. Buy Matched Locks from Emtek online, then have someone install them for you--a handyman, your DH, a friend, you. You won't need to pay to have them rekeyed if you buy them matched to start with. When I bought my (Schlage) knobs online, the online company made sure they all were keyed the same.
User
10 years ago
The locksmith is just trying to make a living. If you are so concerned about cost why not have the sets keyed as you like and then install them yourself?

You should buy an extra lock set so you will be able to lock your house while a replacement unit is being shipped from Emtek.

Emtek has only been making hardware for about 30 years; Baldwin has been doing it for 60 years.

My Schlage entrance hardware has failed twice so I now have a Baldwin set.
Nancy in Mich
10 years ago
I purchased new door hardware for each interior door in our house when we moved in here in 2005, as both my father-in-law and I had arthritis and difficulty with turning knobs. I changed our doors to lever hardware. One has failed. I went back to Lowes to get a replacement, and the styles have changed. I have not contacted Kwickset, I am not sure it is worth it to try and find replacements for these super-cheap doorknobs.

Maybe the knob styles don't vary as much as the lever styles do, but I would not trust that any particular style or model is going to be available for more than a few years. Just as Renovator8 gets a replacement set for his exterior door, I would suggest getting an extra interior door set. Having the "insurance" of a free replacement won't help you if the models have changed in the meanwhile.

Since you are replacing existing door knobs, try doing it yourself. The hardest part is getting your tools together and opening the packaging. Pull up a video on You Tube. It really is an easy job.
sameer glodan12
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I bought an Anderson 2500 or 3000 a year ago from Home Depot for around
$300. My first thought was to buy a cheapo $99 door because its the back
door, but after listening to my local Locksmith's advice and seeing the features of the Anderson (top glass slides
down to reveal bug screen) and their 45 minute install, I was sold. TheLocksmith adviced me not to buy cheapo $99 door because it doesn't lasts for a longer period and need to be replaced soon. Then,I got the door up by myself in less than an hour and looks/works great! Best money spent on a door! Some locksmiths are really honest.

Advice from locksmiths or door lock pros, please

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Comments (8)

millworkman

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