Re:Locksmith gets less tips and more price complaints for be...
by kragen on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @04:32PM
(#2009888)
Most doors and locks don't take much more than 30s to rake, and maybe a minute or two to pick.
This is true of the pin-tumbler and wafer-tumbler locks that are common in the US, and for that matter there are plenty of "locked" US doors that can be opened with a credit card; but in places that have crime, pin-tumbler locks are fairly unusual, at least for the doors of houses and businesses.
So as someone with some knowledge of the profession, I would tip a locksmith far more if they picked it by hand in display of skill and dedication than if they resorted to no-skill tools, especially since it will probably take the same amount of my time.