Wednesday, December 21, 2011

GSA Inspector, Safe and Vault Technicians Association

We're a bit behind on the announcement, but The Key Guy's Guy Tordjman is now a certified GSA Inspector and Technician.  GSA containers are primarily used by the Department of Defense to hold classified documents and other sensitive materials.  Guy completed the rigorous 80-hour training course and certification exam at the MBA USA School in Kentucky this September 2011.  Guy has also been inducted as a member of the Safe and Vault Technicians Association (SAVTA) as of November 2011.  He keeps up to date with advances in safe and vault technology to best serve Hawaii's military, government, commercial, and residential safe-owners. Congratulations, Guy!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Temporarily Closed Until Further Notice

The Key Guy will be temporarily closed until further notice.  We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank all our loyal customers.  We hope to reopen our doors (and yours!) as soon as possible, projected to be in 2012. Happy Thanksgiving and best of health to you this holiday season.

Aloha,
Guy and Kimberly

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Key Guy is Hiring Apprentice Locksmith

We are a small, growing, award-winning locksmith company looking to hire for the position of APPRENTICE LOCKSMITH, to be hired as LOCKSMITH TECHNICIAN upon successful completion of a 90-day training period. You will learn how to unlock everything from cars to safes, how to re-key and change locks, and how to perform all aspects of residential, commercial, and automotive locksmithing. You will be based out of our retail showroom in Aiea, providing locksmith service in the shop and mobile locksmith service at customers' locations. This is a challenging and rewarding field with lots to learn, and we hope to give a few lucky people a solid career they can build on for years to come.

HOURS:
Full Time
Must be available 8am - 8pm M-F, and possibly Saturdays half days

REQUIREMENTS:
No locksmith experience necessary. We will train you! (However if you do have experience, please tell us)
Clean Driving Abstract
No Criminal Record. Ability to pass FBI Background Check
Mechanical Intelligence (able to work with tools, both fine manipulation and large manipulation, problem solve)
Ability to lift 40 pounds
Customer Service Skills, both on phone and in person
Ability to work independently, and to get along with everyone in our family-operated business
Fluent in English
Able to perform basic math calculations

COMPENSATION:
Hourly+Commission+Benefits+Overtime+MEDICAL+DENTAL+VISION+CHIROPRACTIC RIDERS for 90-day training period.
After 90 days, we will evaluate your progress and additional compensation. Our current locksmiths are paid hourly + commission + benefits. Current locksmith technicians have made up to $60,000/year with our company in the first year with us. Your compensation will depend on your performance.

TO APPLY:
Email your resume and a paragraph about yourself to Guy at "guy at keyguyhawaii.com"
NO phone calls. Please do not contact us to see if we have received your application. We will contact qualified applicants for interviews. Your ability to follow these instructions will be considered.

More about The Key Guy: http://www.keyguyhi.com 

Monday, August 1, 2011

Safe Crackers

 Opening an old safe is exciting stuff! You never know what's going to be inside. Our neighbor Blaine from Superior Sweepers just hauled in this old safe from one of his customers. The Key Guy owner and Master Locksmith Guy Tordjman cracked it in just a few minutes, with Locksmith Technician Gavin Baer assisting. Guy used his aural sonometric technique (otherwise known as listening for the sweet spot!) to find the combination on this safe. 

Make an appointment to bring your old safe into our shop in Harbor Center behind Cutter Ford in Waimalu.  Call Guy at 548-1999 even if you lost the keys, broke a key off inside the keyhole, or the combination isn't working. http://keyguyhi.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Toyota Owners Take Note! What to do when your 1990 -2001 Toyota Ignition Freezes

Answering the phone all day long can be really hard sometimes. As a full time locksmith and call-answering service for the past few years, I've tried to save time and money for my customers and diagnose the problem over the phone.

A "stuck ignition problem is very common among all car manufacturers and in this blog article I would like to concentrate on TOYOTA makes from years 1990 to 2001.

How to be smart when your Toyota ignition freezes

It will probably be just another day when you get into your 2000 Toyota and try to start it, but the key refuses to cooperate and doesn't turn in the ignition cylinder. After trying for half an hour, climbing in and out of the car at least ten times, frustrated, you probably call your mechanic thinking that you'll find the solution to your problem there. Any mechanic or auto shop guy will probably think twice before taking an ignition job, some even call us to do the repair for them and mark the price up on your bill!

When you have car ignition problems you want to call a locksmith--not just any locksmith, but one who knows about the split wafer symptoms and can repair the problem with no new parts or ignition replacement, which can cost $300 to $400.

A professional locksmith is able to diagnose and repair the problem in the field for half of what a mechanic costs. No need to tow the car because the problem can be solved in the field and the car keys will remain the original ones.

Cause of the "Toyota Split Wafer Ignition Problem?"

One cause of the problem is the faulty design of the ignition cylinder. Lack of a dust cover allows dust and other particles to accumulate inside the cylinder and disturb the force equilibrium between the key springs and wafers.

The second probable cause for a stuck Toyota ignition is a bad key copy or worn out key. A worn key can gradually damage the wafers and housing of the cylinder until it just gets stuck.

The third and most likely cause for ignition lock-out on a Toyota is a failure of the split wafer system. Toyota added a security feature to their locks that is basically a wafer (2 in a cylinder at positions 4 and 7) that is split in half and sits on the same cut positions in a given key. In 99% of the cases that I run into, the cause for the ignition to freeze is that after using the key for awhile, one of the split wafers overlaps another one and prevents the key from turning.

Preventative Measures

My recommendation for a potential car buyer (new or used) is to keep the lock and keys in good condition.

A lock should be lubricated one to two times per year (in Hawaii try to make it two times a year because of proximity to the ocean) and keys should be checked by a locksmith once a year for worn-out cuts that might prevent the plug from turning smoothly in the cylinder housing.

Even if you lubricate and have your keys checked, a malfunction may still occur, and when it happens, it is good to know a good, reliable locksmith to help. Just in case.

More Information

For more information on Toyota Split Pin ignition, including photos, see this helpful PDF.

To get your locks lubricated, keys checked, or other fine locksmith services, call The Key Guy at 548-1999.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Portable Biometric Eye Scanner

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/only_on_fox10/daily_dot_com/retina-scan-security
For $99, you can get a portable biometric retina scanner and "password protect" apps on your computer like Gmail and Facebook. The device is the size of a business card. Apparently, your eye has 2000 points of identification, whereas a fingerprint only has 18.

A gift idea for the gadget-loving dad or grad in your life this spring? The product is yet to be released, but rumored to be coming soon!

Note to selves: the locksmith of the future won't be dealing with what we think of as 'locks' anymore!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Welcome Gavin!

The Key Guy welcomes Gavin Baer, our newest Locksmith Apprentice, to the family! He will be learning the trade while assisting Master Locksmith Guy Tordjman on service calls.  Look for them together in the big green monster! Aloha, Gavin!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Key Guy Latches On Habitat for Humanity

The Key Guy is proud to have put in a few man-hours at Habitat for Humanity's latest build site.  The home in Waialua for the Vasconcellos family is now complete! We also donated the lock hardware for the doors on the new home. The Key Guy is happy to be part of such a good thing!

The finished home:

Guy and Kimberly Tordjman at the build site

What involving The Key Guy would be complete without the big green monster?


For more about Honolulu Habitat for Humanity, visit HonoluluHabitat.org

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Featured in Honolulu CityGuide as Dog-Friendly Locksmith!

The Key Guy is featured in the SheKnows Honolulu CityGuide for Dog-Friendly places! Woof! Click Here.
When flukes of luck are more like flunks of luck, you may find yourself locked out or otherwise without a key and in need of a locksmith. Bring your dog along to The Key Guy's shop--yes, he is literally named Guy-- and let her romp with Spock; your pet may luck out with a treat while your key is being cut! Or, if you are in need of lock changing, lock picking, lock repair, or other services at your own home or office, you may be lucky enough to get a cocker spaniel in tow with The Key Guy, available for belly rubs and doggie make-out sessions (the spaniel, not the locksmith)! Bonded, Certified, and winner of the 2010 Best Locksmith Website and 2010 Best Locksmith Van in the World Contests, you know you can trust The Key Guy.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

#1 Top Rated Locksmith in Honolulu!

The Key Guy is the #1 Top Rated Locksmith in Honolulu! We are also the most popular, according the Thumbtack.com.  Thank you :)

Locksmiths, Honolulu

Monday, March 28, 2011

We'll put you at ease

Thanks for the kind words, Robert B.!

Not only did The Key Guy fix my lock, but he also took time to explain to me why my ignition key froze in my Dodge Stratus.  When I called the Key Guy he answered the call in friendly manner and put me at ease.

I believe if anyone has a KEY PROBLEM Guy can solve it.  He will talk story with you will he is fixing the lock.  He is quick and gets the job done.  I would recommend The Key Guy for any job.  I'm back on the road, and I'm glad I called the right Key Guy.  Thanks


The Key Guy Locksmith

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Review of the Day on Yelp!


We're proud to say we're #1 in Home Services in Aiea on Yelp, the popular review website. We even got "Review of the Day," as counted by popular vote by Yelp Members!  This is the review:
The Key Guy Locksmith


Who buys a car with a broken key? Phillip H. does!!! Haha well actually, I didn't really buy it. I got it as part of a trade so I guess it's not that fail on my part.
Long story short: Phillip: How much does it cost for a new key?Lexus: About a $100Phillip: How about $20 and a hug?Lexus: NoOuch
Ordered a key blank online, and took it to the Key Guy.  The place is located behind Best Buy in Pearl City in that huge lot of establishments. Apparently there's another key guy in the same lot so i got really confused when I went to the wrong guy. I kept telling him that i talked to him, and he kept telling me he didn't. So confusing.
The actual location is on the ground floor. Look for the bright green van and you'll see it. 
Guy, the owner was informative and pretty quick with the cut. I didn't have the car with me, so I couldn't test it out, but he said that if it didn't work, to call him.  I was praying to every god imaginable, especially the god of saving me a trip from town back to pearl city over a car I didn't really care for. 
The total cost was about $30, so i wasn't complaining. 
What really made these guys shine though, was the fact that Guy called me a few hours later to see if I had tried the key out to make sure it worked. I had to throw some offerings to the god of good customer service. 
Overall, if you need any kind of keys cut and you're in the area, go to these guys. They have a yelp discount which makes them even better. 
All hail the god of good deals and customer service!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

No "Questionable Claims" Here!

Kind of like an audit for "too good to be true," each week, BBB staff pour over ads searching for questionable claims. At The Key Guy, we promise to adhere to fair and honest practices, but just in case you don't want to take our word for it, the BBB is looking over our shoulder and backing us up. They've analyzed everything on our website and all our published material.

And hey, nothing speaks the truth like honest-to-goodness past customers!  Our Yelp page speaks nothing but the truth: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-key-guy-aiea