Fine Lock Shop – Smart Door Lock & Locksmithing

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  • A Very Impressive Door Lock in Kuching

    A Very Impressive Door Lock in Kuching

    A customer walk in and ask to re-key his 10 years old house lock (one key drop somewhere and could not be found)

    We are very impressed with his lock. We knew he bought it either KL or Singapore, because they did not buy from us. It is EZ Brand, top range. We do sell it but we have never opened in till the key cylinder to rekey it. This is the first time we open all the way into the Key Cylinder.

    From outside looks like a common key cylinder, but inside is all good material and high security feature. Definitely an upper ANSI Grade 2 lock at least. In Kuching majority deadbolt, sorry to say, failed to pass the lowest Grade 3.

    This lock uses pin-within-pin key system, which makes it very hard to pick. Added with anti pick and anti bump top pin, I have to say this lock is simply beyond even my ability to pick it.

    How about drilling? You can see hardened steel pin inserted at the head of the cylinder:

    Which mean you can’t drill it either. 

    This is a very very impressive deadbolt. Worth every ringgit spend. Price: around RM 200 (high security, last very long, and safe)

    Ordinary China deadbolt might cost around RM 30, but they have nothing to compare with this deadbolt.

    Choose wisely.

    Advise from Locksmith.
    The Fine Lock Shop

  • Why Your Key Snap?

    Why Your Key Snap?

    No matter what quality your key is, even the best and thickest silver-nickel alloy, it will still snap if the below situation occurs.

    1. Lock not smooth/ stuck/ grinding/ badly installed. Usually sign is like the left photo, key twisted.

    • This might happens if the lock is of bad quality, some really cheap locks usually made in China. Or,
    • Badly installed locks, causes the bolt/ latch can’t really fit perfectly into the strike hole. So when lock or unlock, the bolt is actually grinding the strike. Or,
    • Still badly installed locks, the external and internal is not in the same horizontal or vertical line. The lock will not works smoothly and you need more force to turn the key

    2. The user used unnecessary excessive force on the key. The sign for this is bent key, not twisted.

    • Sometimes user use the key to pull the door while the key is inside the lock. The key becomes like a pull handle. 
    • If your door do not have a pull handle, install one. Must not use the key to substitute the pull handle

      Advise from Locksmith,
      www.finelockshop.com

    • Bettee Lock for Aluminium Sliding Door

      Bettee Lock for Aluminium Sliding Door

      This lock is getting more and more trendy among aluminium sliding, usually for bigger house. It is stronger and seems more durable than common aluminium lock with square casing. 

      But in the end still depends on workmanship. If alignment and positioning is not right, even the best lock fails.

      Can consider this type of lock for your sliding door (if not yet fabricated)

      Advise from Locksmith,
      The Fine Lock Shop Team

    • Samsung P728, 5 in 1  Premium Digital Lock.

      Samsung P728, 5 in 1  Premium Digital Lock.

      Model: Samsung P728 + Stealth Deadbolt

      Functions:

      1. Bluetooth (use phone app)
      2. Fingerprint
      3. RF Cards
      4. Passcode
      5. Mechanical key

      Origin: South Korea + Taiwan

    • Royal President Guardian Digital Lock

      Brand: Royal President Guardian

      Functions: 

      1. RF Cards x 30pcs
      2. Passcode x 4 sets

      Origin: South Korea

      Comments: Royal President specialises in electronic locks.  Very reliable brand.

      Extra Service (has to do them Free of Charge): 

      1. Reposition Barrel Bolt.
      2. Door Closer Adjust.
    • Stealth Deadbolt with Custom Made Backplate

      Stealth Deadbolt with Custom Made Backplate

      This door has a bigger hole than the deadbolt plate. If we just install like that, can see some small hole besides the deadbolt. Although small, still doesn’t look nice. 

      Hence something else is needed to cover the hole. There are alternatives like door strengthener, standard backplate which is square, but both doesn’t look nice (according to the customer). 

      So we need a custom made solution that will blend in with the lock, so that it looks “original”. We come up with a round, hairline and plasma cut stainless steel according to the fitting of the deadbolt design. The effect is very nice. 

      Locksmith always need some custom cut metal plates. Sometimes brass, aluminium or stainless steel. It is simply because there are too many design, situation, thickness, requirement, etc. In order to install the lock to work with durability, strength, and smooth, some degree of customisation is needed. 

      So do not be worried your locksmith used some extra plate on your door. If used correctly, it makes your lock and door stronger than before

      Advise from Locksmith,
      www.finelockshop.com/blog

    • Barrel Bolt, Hidden Type

      Barrel Bolt, Hidden Type

      This item is getting popular nowadays in Kuching. We have seen a lot in our client door (asking for repair)

      It is marketed as an additional locks for a wooden door. Same functions as a surface mounted barrel/tower bolt below:

      Standard Barrel Bolt

      Yes same function as above, but concealed into the door, not on surface.

      Under some circumstances, we might recommend this concealed barrel bolt, like special location, rarely opened door, etc. 

      However, as a standard guidelines, we say, avoid using this. Why? If you notice the top photo, there is a gear-shape key. There is also a gear inside the lock body. After repeated use, bolt-in, bolt-out (using the gear), what will happen to the gears? Both become rounded and later flatten. So you can’t bolt-out/ bolt-in anymore (actually can, if you use a sharp item and slowly hook the bolt in, but you will not want to do it everyday). No more gear teeth, so to speak. It might happen to the key, or to the gear inside the lock. 

      The problem lies in the material used. Those gears are usually made of Zinc Alloy, a relatively soft metal. 

      The photo that you saw on top, that bolt is sold by us, a highee quality type, full stainless steel lock body, yet the key is still Zinc Alloy. So it will last longer than those Zinc-body concealed bolt, but not too long. One day the key will still become flatten, although the gear inside the bolt part won’t.

      We will continue to search for a manufacturer that produce full stainless steel bolt with stainless steel key. Stainless steel gear-key will last much longer, but we still need to test it first in order to not distribute a problematic items. 

      Meanwhile we will say, stay away from this concealed barrel bolt, unless under a rare circumstances that make it a no-choice.

      Use those surface mounted type. Old fashioned, but time tested.


      Advise From Locksmith,
      The Fine Lock Shop Team

    • Digital Door Lock Samsung 5230

      Digital Door Lock Samsung 5230

      Type: Mortise with Handle

      Origin: Samsung, South Korea

      Unlocking method:

      • 100 Fingerprints
      • Passcode
      • Mechanical Key
    • Door Sometimes Just Get Swollen

      Door Sometimes Just Get Swollen

      Swollen Door

      This door expands. It keeps on expanding so after a while, it is quite bad. So once you push it to close, it is hard to open. This customer ask someone from outside to help kick to door open. And the door cracks. (UPDATES: After checking on the client’s door, just the surface laminate layer crack actually, not the whole wood wall. Inside still solid)

      Wooden door is quite hard to predict. Some expand, some shrink, some twist. And some happen to new door (can claim warranty), some happen after 1 year, some happen after 2 years, etc. 

      We are fully focused on locks, so door knowledge is somehow limited to experience only. From experience, we can guess what type of door will expand, what type of door shrinks, etc. But why? We can only guess, can’t be sure.

      We have worked with some door seller. Some just sell. Some is a contractor carpenter. They are almost the same like us, they can explain what happen to the door but is a pure guess on experience. 

      But there are a few, who are really  specialised door maker. He knows what’s wrong with the door once he sees and touches it. The differences with common carpenter is he can explain to us the technical and scientific reason behind it. Just like a teacher explaining in details.
      So for door problem sometimes we need a skillful and experienced carpenter’s advise or if better a specialised door maker’s advise. We always keep their number with us. Called them up so often that we have become friends.

      Here we list a common door-cannot-close problem:

      1. Hinge problem. It might be the hinge screw worn out or loosen, or the hinge is a bad quality type. Change the hinge (cost more than installing new door, as the workmanship involved is actually removing, and reinstalling door again, so is a “double work”)
      2. Door expand: need to plan the door or grind it
      3. Door shrink: causes the door to unable to latch. In this case the strike plate needs some extra padding to thicken it so that it can catch the door latch.
      4. Door twist: can opt to readjust strike plate, or readjust hinge alignment 
      5. Door joint problem : the door spine/ bone joint is no longer strong, causes the door to drop in shape. Need special angle steel plate to lift and strengthen the joint.

      Advise from locksmith,
      www.finelockshop.com

    • Great Alternative To Sliding Door Lock

      Great Alternative To Sliding Door Lock

      Usually a sliding door, be it wooden or aluminium (steel sliding is rare), will need 4 items to work:

      1. A hook lock mortise
      2. A Key Cylinder
      3. An escutcheon (or common people call, key cylinder cover)
      4. A door pull

      But there are some other alternatives like the above photo. The all-in-one sliding hook lockset. 

      There are many China brand, they break easily. 

      But there are also good one, although not easy to find. Still using Zinc Alloy material, but is thick and heavy, and good mortise mechanism.

      If you have budget, however, should just stick with the 4-piece hook lock. Priced higher, but so long lasting and so reliable. Stronger, piece of mind, and made of stainless steel material.

      Advise from Locksmith,
      www.finelockshop.com/blog