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Area Safe & Lock Service We are a full-service locksmith company providing security hardware to residential and commercial businesses in Alexandria, Arlington, and the surrounding areas. Owned and operated by the Hardy family, our company has been in business for over 40 years. Our friendly and knowledgeable specialists are ready to assist you with all your security needs. All five of our technicians each have at least 15-30 years of experience.
Highlights and features
  • Business Security, Home Security
Reviews (20)
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Mike M.
May 08, 2022
I wanted to take some time to leave an unsolicited review here as I believe it's well deserved. This business is excellent! I stopped in to ask some questions and look to purchase a safe and John was so helpful to find the right one for me needs. The safe wasn't in stock but I was in no rush with an upcoming move, so he ordered it on his next shipment and it arrived very quickly! John even offered to hold the safe for me until I moved, so it would be easier for me.

When I went to pick it up, he assisted loading the safe into my car and explained exactly how to set it up and change the code. All around remarkable customer service and a business I will certainly recommend to anyone in the area!
Howard P.
Apr 05, 2022
Best and most reliable locksmith in Alexandria. Has large selection of specialty locks and safes. Locksmith will come to home or business.
Barbara H.
Mar 30, 2022
I highly recommend Area Safe & Lock. Their technician, Darren, diagnosed my problem and made the needed repair. Other companies had not figured out the problem correctly. They came quickly. Their rates were explained by the person who answered my call and she gave me helpful information. I would use them again.
Ct P.
Jan 28, 2022
Our entry lock was messed up and they came next day. We had been having issues with our Medeco lock and he figured out the screws weren't long enough when Baldino's put our original lock in. Awesome. It's working very smoothly.
P. M.
Oct 27, 2020
We've been using this company for years. They never disappoint. Always come on time and do friendly, quality work at a fair price. JD changed the locks on our new condo and made us perfect key copies. He thoroughly explained the features of the build-provided mortise lock, which we would otherwise not have known.
Jason M.
Oct 19, 2020
Excellent service by Jim. I moved into a new home so did the typical lock rekeying. I took the first appointment of the day because I hate long arrival windows, and he called me when he was 10 minutes out (ended up arriving 10 minutes early). Two deadbolts, made slightly more "interesting" by the fact that they were electronic keypad locks as well as deadbolts. Jim easily took off the locks, gave me some tips on how to best manage electronic keypad locks since it was my first time owning one, and wrapped up in about 45 minutes total.

Half of that time he spent in the van doing the actual rekeying and hammering out the keys. He also noticed one of the deadbolts was slightly catching on the door frame when the deadbolt was engaging. Seemed to bother him more than me, but he took an extra 5 minutes to bend a metal piece to make it completely smooth. He was very conversational and provided me some useful information about home locks and locksmith services I may need down the line, and made corny jokes along the way.

If the service being amazing wasn't good enough, they were also slightly less expensive than another locksmith that I contacted for a quote. Two deadbolt rekeys with 4 original keys provided at the end for $150. Highly recommended, great service, good price, and extremely competent.
India B.
Aug 26, 2020
This review is specifically to thank technician Jim Dunlap. He came to my home today to install a new Schlage Smart Lock and corresponding door handle. He explained everything he did to me, was very pleasant and even taught me some things about locks I didn't know. So many reviews are filled with negative reviews that I'd like to share my positive experience. Also, the staff at Area Safe was responsive and sent a technician same day to home. Highly recommend!
K. P.
Nov 26, 2019
This is a top-notch business to deal with. Robin politely and efficiently scheduled my appointment and was wonderful to deal with. The technician, Daren N., called me before arriving, was right on time and was a knowledgeable professional. He answered my (dumb) questions politely, worked efficiently and was great to deal with. Plus, he was just a nice guy to chat with. I'm not a big Yelp reviewer but I was so impressed with this place I had to write a review for them - I called another place first and they never called me back - glad they didn't because I'll give all my business to Area Safe and Lock.
Kenneth C.
Nov 18, 2019
Had a great experience with them. Robin was very friendly, took my info down quickly and efficiently and within an hour sent locksmith J.D. to my home to install a new doorknob on my nonstandard front door. He was super professional, eclectically knowledgeable and explained everything he was doing to me in a way that better educated me on how to enhance the security of my home. Highly recommended.
Vicki Bee B.
Oct 09, 2019
That they are good at what they do leaves no questions. New locks work so smoothly you don't hear them and barely feel them engage. What was extra special for me though are the things that happened without my saying anything. When contacting the company I talked to Bob and explained I needed all my exterior locks changed due to family "issues." He asked me to describe my locks and was able to give me an accurate quote on the spot, over the phone, while trying to let me keep as much current hardware as possible.

While I did not ask for expedited service, Bob quietly understood my predicament, he treated me like an old friend, and arranged for someone to be at the house the next morning by 9 AM! This was completely unexpected. My technician was Vince. Before I lost use of one of my hands from a stroke, I used to work on an old car and was able to fix things around the house myself.

After Vince left, I discovered all the things I had over time been putting up with for so long that they barely annoyed me anymore. From the house settling, locks and bolts on two entry doors weren't aligned with the strike plates - he fixed them, at no charge. On another entry door, the door threshold was loose - he fixed it, no charge. In addition to getting locks replaced, best of all was all using my knee or foot to get doors closed has ended. Jiggling locks to get them open is no more. Worrying if I'll get the dead bolt back open once I've engaged it is over. But, there's more.

The handle on my front storm door had come off so many times I eventually said screw it and for years just used my finger in the hole to open it. Vince asked if I had the parts, I did, he fixed it so it would never come off again, at no cost. As great as all that was, what I liked best was this: there was a note on my back door - "DO NOT LOCK KNOB" - as it was common for me to rush out to do something and lock myself out (yes, I am a complete airhead).

Without saying a word he installed a knob that would unlock when you turned it to go out. Pretty simple to him, but his attention and solution to a detail that would have not occurred to me to ask about was pretty damn special to me. As I started with, their professionalism is beyond reproach, but the overall experience was great!
D. W.
Sep 17, 2019
Great business to work with. The reviews are right. We've used them a few times to thoroughly redo our locks, help us when we got locked out, troubleshoot a few things. They are friendly, helpful, trustworthy, fair, and clear. They are the only company we use for locks.
Raj M.
Jul 31, 2019
This family owned establishment is so friendly and supportive I wish every business had that spirit. I needed a home key made w/a new registration and Robin took care of everything and actually made it enjoyable.
Margaret C.
Jun 24, 2019
I have been using ASL for several years and continued to be impressed by their knowledge and expertise. Initially, they handled the locks for my condo and most recently my home. Today, I called because our 1936 original door hardware decided to lock us out of the house. Within an hour, Darren was at our home and repairing the lock to perfect working order.

Previous attempts to repair the door hardware were unsuccessful with some providers telling us that it would cost hundreds of dollars for it to work again. Darren was incredibly professional about what was involved, how long it would take, and how much it would cost. While he was here, we had him re-key all our exterior doors (which had been on our to-do list). Bottom line: if you need anything related to locks this is THE place to go. Thank you again ASL for the quick response this morning!
Sean K.
Feb 07, 2019
Arranging the appointment for the locksmith with Robin was easy. The day of the appointment, the locksmith showed up on time and he completed the work efficiently and according to the estimate provided before the appointment. I appreciated that the locksmith explained the different options for my situation in terms of the security and cost considerations.
Lauren G.
Dec 04, 2018
Worked with Robin here to set everything up, and she was great! Incredibly responsive and friendly about explaining all the different options to me for a rekey on our new house. Vincent came out for the rekey, and was amazing! He was super friendly and efficient and took the time to explain everything he did for me as well. Definitely recommend and would certainly use again!
Robert P.
Jan 17, 2018
Same day service. Front lock was working intermittently. I could not count on my front door unlocking. Sometimes I had to use the back door. That was a real safety issue. If Freddy Krueger blasted through my rear door, I would never have escaped through my front door. And those knives for fingers would have done a real job on me! Freddie is one creepy guy!

To the rescue came Jim! All I needed was for both dead bolts to be cleaned and lubed. Jim is one charming guy. Very affable. And he knows his stuff. He handed me his card when finished. I told him I had another similar card upstairs. Well, it happens that over ten years ago, he visited my home to install new locks. I had an old card with his name on it. How amazing is that! Area Safe and Lock Service was 5 star from the first call to request service, to the goodby/thankyou hand shake.
Donna M.
Dec 29, 2017
I am awarding a one-star rating for this business' customer parking lot. It is entirely too small in size with too few parking spaces.
Margot D.
May 19, 2017
Area Safe & Lock has all the "key" things we needed (I know, bad lock humor) for two issues at our DC company, the first in the summer of 2016 and most recently last week. I was referred to them by one of their large residential customers in Arlington, and after frantically calling locksmiths all over DC who advertised emergency service (but couldn't make it for a few days, two did not show at all), I smartened up and called AS&L. Robin scheduled it all for me last year, I knew what time they would arrive, and the two guys last summer were great.

After an employee termination last week, we needed 10 locks changed with a couple of strange components involved. Robin scheduled JD to come out, he called me to let me know he was on his way and he solved our problem (well, at least the ones related to locks) in under 4 hours. He also had a few good tips and hilarious stories, which are always appreciated. Give them a call - you will most likely get Robin on the phone - and she will get you all the help you need!
Nate C.
Dec 14, 2016
On separate occasions, I've taken commercial locks in to get re-keyed. Not only have they been very helpful & extremely quick with the turnaround, but they have been reasonably priced in a way I am not used to seeing out of locksmiths. Additionally, I just called them about cutting a car key, a service they don't offer. Not only did a real person pick up the phone after 2 rings, but he immediately gave me the name of a local shop that offers that service.

I will continue to use Area Safe & Lock as my go-to shop for all my locksmithing needs, knowing that even if they can't do it, they will still be pleasant and help me get my needs met.
Maria-Elena T.
Jul 21, 2015
They did my house several years ago and the service was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. I came back to get some copies made and same thing again. I highly recommend them. If you get locked out, they can help too. I got locked out on a holiday weekend and they told me they could help but warned about the holiday expense- thus I opted for another way to get back in.