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ABC Locksmith
Category: Home Services Keys & Locksmiths Keys & Locksmiths [Edit]
3410 18th St(between Mission St & San Carlos St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 864-1124
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 5 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
About This Business:
Fast friendly Locksmith service at very reasonable rates, 24 hours a day - for your home, business and automobile. We offer flat rate discount San… read more »
27 reviews for ABC Locksmith
27 reviews in English
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Review from oliver m.
San Francisco, CA
3/27/2012
Highly recommended. They cut a 1960's era car key for me after I took in the ignition barrel for a vehicle I bought where the previous owner had lost the keys.
Only locksmith in San Francisco I use, not just another Ace hardware style duplication service. Only open Monday thru Friday not weekends -
Review from J K.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2012
I went in to ABC with a car key and my own blank. I asked the guy working there if he could copy it, to which he replied he could. He noted that I wouldn't be able to start the car with the copied key, since the key is chipped (aka transponder key). "No problem," I replied. "I know how to program it myself."
He refers to his price sheet, and tells me it'll cost $35 (!!!)
Though it's been going on since the late 90s, I think it's official that the Mission has undergone full-blown gentrification.
Being the denialist I am, I ask why it costs so much to simply cut a key, and he says that's what his price sheet says to charge. I point out that the key is a simple, symmetrical car key, not a laser-cut internal key or a 4-sided key or anything fancy like that. He stands by his quote, and suggests it's probably because the key is chipped. Obviously, the physical act of cutting a key has absolutely nothing to do with the presence of a transponder chip, but I don't bother arguing with him. He's just doing his job, after all, and following a price sheet that is not at all based in reality.
The guy was nice enough, perhaps a victim himself of the trust-fund hipsters who are continuing to dominate this neighborhood. Luckily for me, a few blocks down Mission St lies Workingmans Headquarters, a dusty old shop that's looked like it's been there since before Dick Whitman stole Donald Draper's identity. I got my key cut there for a whopping $4.00. -
Review from Scott T.
Mission, San Francisco, CA
3/5/2012
Came in here looking for help copying my ultra-security keys for my apartment. The guy behind the counter took one look at them and told me the same refrain I had heard three times already - "sorry I can't copy that".
The four stars are for the in depth explanation he gave me about why this was, and the lengthy discussion about who might be able to actually get the job done. Props to this place for helping a customer out even when there was no chance I was actually going to pay them money. Awesome service. -
Review from Victor M.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2012
i havent' used this locksmisth for a while, so when the key broke inside of my double deadbolt, I called them and was rudely informed that they don't instal locks that they don't sell...
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Review from Miel H.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2011
Did anyone mention KNIFE SHARPENING? Yes, the lovely folks at ABC will take your knives and if you drop them off before 2pm they will have them back to you between 4:30 - 5pm on THE SAME DAY.
I turned in four knives, one was a Henckel with a broken tip and another had a divoted, warped blade. Just what in the chicken bones are we doing to our knives? Well, you know, room mates - opening a can and sawing through plastic are all reasonable, right? I mean, it's not MY knife.
ANYWAY.
I got back all four knives in excellent, SHARP condition. Their guy (they send the knives out for sharpening) reshaped the Henckel and recreated a tip, and how they got the blade straight on the other knife was a wonder and a delight. Cost? $24 for all four - CASH ONLY.
I can really recommend this service, well done, quick and above and beyond. YAY! -
Review from Megan G.
San Francisco, CA
8/13/2010
Immediate, courteous, expert help for your key-duplicating needs.
My experience: Another locksmith did a poor job of duplicating our new apartment's finicky gate key, locking us out in the first week. I brought the original and its copy into the locksmith(e!) at ABC, who immediately identified that the original key was a poor duplicate in itself, and thus the root of the problem. In a matter of seconds, she created an improved original key which she said would work perfectly or not at all. Instead of giving me five duplicates of that key (as requested), she had me go home to test her improvement to be sure it worked first.
True to form, ABC's replacement key was a better fit than our "original" from the landlord, and its copies work perfectly as well!
Fast, smart, efficient core service, and all from a woman-run business. Highly recommended, with bells and whistles also (i.e. colored/patterned keys, fancy keyrings, etc.) for those who require them! -
Review from Stephanie C.
San Francisco, CA
5/28/2009
Story of my life:
I go to open the door to our store and lo and behold, my copied key that usually works, doesn't. Yay. I yelp a key place in the area while i'm waiting to be rescued and find ABC locksmith right in our 'hood.
I bring the original store key to her (and by her, I mean magic key maker, holder of all key knowledge) and ask her for two copies of the key that I needed cut. I give her the key and she tells me that whoever cut the original didn't know what they were doing (AHEM HOME DEPOT) and told me that I'd be lucky if the copy she was making me would work. SO, she only let's me buy one. Out the door with my new fancy gold key for $2.14. Can't beat it. She's friendly, honest, knowledgeable, and efficient. -
Review from Elizabeth B.
Brooklyn, NY
7/23/2008
This woman is a key genius. Genius! In fact, if there was a reality show like Top Chef, where locksmiths were tasked with cutting keys perfectly, and at record speed, she'd win without breaking a sweat.
I've had a TON of keys made by a bunch of really reliable seeming people, and invariably, at least one in the set won't work. If I'm lucky, I catch it before a guest gets locked out of my apartment due to faulty keycrafting. That sucks, when that happens.
That doesn't happen with these ABC keys, though. Ever. You are in the care of a master. -
Review from Wolfram A.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2010
I'm seriously underwhelmed with my experience at this locksmith.
I had bought a used metal cabinet which needed a lock. I had the cabinet in a pickup truck and was lucky to find a parking spot straight across the street from this locksmith's business location.
I walked in and saw a man and a woman inside; they both seemed to work there, no other customers. After I said hi, 20 seconds of awkward silence ensued until the man finally asked if I needed help. I guess I was expecting a hi in return and stunned that my presence didn't seem to get acknowledged for 20 seconds in an otherwise empty shop.
I explained that I had a cabinet in the truck across the street and I asked if someone could take a look.
They actually asked me to pull the truck across the street so that they didn't have to walk the 10 feet to cross the street! I was desperate enough to comply. Mind you, 18th street is narrow and busy, it has a bus line on it, and people were waiting at the bus stop, that I had to illegally stop at. The whole ordeal just to maneuver the car took 10 useless minutes. Useless, because the woman took only a brief glance at the situation before she proclaimed that she didn't have anything that would fit. I asked what to do, and the best she could come up with was to contact the manufacturer and ask them for a lock.
I cannot recommend this operation. I found a locksmith just a few blocks south, West Cost Emergency Locksmith, on 21st and Mission, which solved my problem without attitude and for only $35. Don't waste your time with ABC. -
Review from Nate R.
San Francisco, CA
5/19/2011
She was fast, no-nonsense, and great. Very much deserves all the great reviews!
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Review from Bucky W.
San Francisco, CA
6/9/2009
Katy is the best!
ABC is great! I had a toothpick in my car door lock. Someone vandalized my car and Katy fished it out. Very fair and very nice and very easy. ABC is a local small business and you should support them. Around since the 60s and taken over by Katy in 1986. Check it if you have any locksmith needs! -
Review from D A.
Oakland, CA
2/2/2011
my favorite locksmith!
they know what they're doing, quick and easy! this is the only place i go to for copying keys. they make the end product nice and polished too, so you don't have to break them in.
i go them for re-keying door handles, duplicate keys, adjusting locks, etc. they are literally a one-stop shop.
thanks ABC locksmith! -
Review from Jess K.
San Francisco, CA
12/10/2007
Cannot say enough!! She has helped us out numerous times, is always friendly and has REALLY COOL locks to play with.
Love, love, love ABC! -
Review from Timo H.
San Francisco, CA
9/17/2011
My default local locksmith was unavailable, so I asked friends on Facebook to recommend a locksmith. Audra M. said to call ABC, and it was great! Alex was on time, professional, and did the jobs quickly and professionally. Even giving advice and answering my questions. (Turns out graphite powder is a perfectly acceptable way to get sticky locks working again!) Anyway, ABC is now at the top of my locksmith list! Thanks, Alex! And they offer a cash discount!
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Review from jean m.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2009
I doubt anyone who uses this place reads yelp, but I need to vent. A few years ago I brought a key and the lock from my car to see if they could re-key it, since it was starting to stick. Instead of helping, they treated me with suspicion and refused to help because they thought I was doing something shady. Like I'd have both the key and the lock if I was stealing the car. I had to go all the way out to the richmond to get toyota to do it for me.
Then yesterday, I went back because I'd sort of forgotten how much attitude they had. I needed a new mailbox key, a really simple key I could make with a blank and a file if I needed too. They want 20 dollars for it! I asked why, and the woman said "because I don't like making them."
Against my better judgement, I went ahead and got it. I got all the way home, and it didn't work. I went back, and asked for my money back, but she wouldn't do that. She was only willing to re do it. So she did, and I went all the way home and it still didn't work. Argh. I held the two keys up and they were obviously different. I ended up doing it myself with a jeweler's file, and I wasted 20 dollars and got a bad attitude. Never going back. -
Review from Ev K.
San Francisco, CA
10/18/2011
Best locksmith in San Francisco!!! If Katie doesn't have it you won't find it!! I run my own business and got tired of going to locksmiths that could make 2 out of 4 keys and I would have to search for another locksmith to make the others. ABC is my one stop shop for all my key needs! They have save me so much time and stress!! Don't go anywhere else!!
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Review from Kathy B.
Sausalito, CA
1/21/2011
After calling around several places that couldn't help me to duplicate my key, I was relieved to find that ABC could get the job done (and super fast!) I saw from an earlier review that the reviewer gave Katy high marks and so I have to reiterate that. She is super pleasant to deal with and has a very welcoming attitude. I will definitely come back here again.
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Review from Jade P.
San Francisco, CA
6/28/2007
this womyn has been locksmithing since 1968. excellent key copies made for $2 each. do not go to the 99-cent store, do not go to the discount hardware store. their machine is cheap, their technician untrained.
she might give you a little attitude, but hey, that's her right as a professional local! roll with it! she's cool!
located on 18th street just around the corner from mission street. -
Review from Amy C.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2009
I needed a key cut for my car, so I ordered one online thinking no one would actually carry the exact computerized key that i needed. I took it to ABC to get it cut. I was curtly greeted by the woman that worked there who immediately asked me why I would ever buy a key online. She said she would have charged me only $35 for it if i had bought it there. Inwardly i'm thinking maybe I wasn't such an idiot because online it was only $19.
So I had her cut my key, and thought maybe I heard her wrong when she said charged me $25. $25????!! I asked her if it was seriously $25 to cut the key (mind you this is after she already cut it). She said yes of course, but that she gave me a $10 discount. WHAT? it took her all of 30 seconds to cut the key!
So I did some research after thinking maybe it's just that those keys cost more to cut. Called ACE, and they said they would have done it for $2 (yes they knew what kind of key it was). I called ABC back to see if maybe there was some misunderstanding. She was not apologetic, and said she'd have to eat the cost of the key if it didn't work right. But for that price, I would have taken my chances with ACE screwing it up.
I told her she made me feel like an idiot for buying it online after which she replied that I should feel like an idiot. I didn't wait for the end of the sentence, and hung up on her. I'm sure she does fine work, but I do NOT appreciate not being told how much I'm being charged, OR being told I'm an idiot. I will not be going here again. -
Review from Alex R.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2010
The proprietor copied a key for me and it worked great. But I cannot recommend this place because I brought in my own blank motorcycle key purchased from the dealer and she said she had to charge me for the cost of the key and not just the duplication. This is plain and simply a bad business practice. I basically paid quadruple to copy a key. I gave her two stars because the key did work and she did give me the option of declining and going someplace else.
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Review from Larissa Z.
Manhattan, NY
7/18/2008
You know when you walk into one of those places that seems to have been around forever? And then you start talking to them and they just KNOW their stuff?? Like to the point where you want to pay them for sharing their information? This place is it. Super, super knowledgeable, nice and friendly. I walked away with 2 problems solved and understanding enough to fix them myself.
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Review from jesse h.
San Francisco, CA
8/19/2008
Katy Katy the ABC lock lady. As good as it gets.As a owner of a auto repair shop she can re- key cars, trucks,bikes,motorbikes, ect..with ease thanks.
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Review from Francis B.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2008
I went to 5 hardware stores trying to get a key made for my motorcycle. I finally found ABC and she had the key for me in 3 minutes.
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Review from Rob Q.
San Francisco, CA
4/23/2007
Went in today to get a motorcycle key copied from a key code. The woman working there made it right away and it worked. One of the cheaper places around for the service.
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Review from kristin b.
San Francisco, CA
9/4/2009
This tiny shop appears to be a one-woman-operation. She re-keyed the front door lock of our new house -- very speedy and quality work, and clearly very knowledgeable about all things lock related. Should have gone straight there rather than the 5 hardware stores that were unable to help...
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Review from Parousha Z.
San Francisco, CA
10/16/2009
I've been going to to this place for 12 years now. She can hook up any random key, small random ones as well as the usual. Best place to go if you don't want to have to bring the key back.
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Review from Somasunder V S.
San Francisco, CA
3/3/2009
Quick and easy. She was able to make a copy of my Club key. The Home Depot and Lowes cannot do this.
