I had my front door lock replaced and needed a spare key. This business is a thirty second walk from my place, so I figured I should try them out. The gentleman was very friendly and I was in and out of there in less than a minute! Plus the key cost less than $3, tax included. Your key is also guaranteed to work. If it doesn't work, just bring it back with the receipt and they'll make you another copy. read more

I was desperate and called o'brien when I was locked out of my apartment. I was told someone would arrive within 30-45 min. I waited for 2 hours, no one showed up or answered! Finally, after 2 hours, the technician said they would not be able to make it. Terrible communication, disorganization, and service! read more

Bye, Bye Home Depot. Hello O'Brien. Fast and friendly service. Mailbox key copy was easily taken care of. Even better, love that this local shop is open until 6pm. read more

Obrien Lock And Key is definitely a Life saver on arrival he was professional quick and got the job done very reasonably priced, and a lifesaver I called him at 3:30 AM while getting ready to get go to work and walk the dog lock the security gate by hand and left the keys inside it was there very quickly and Did an amazing job thank you I thought I was going to have to call out of work or at least tell the boss I was going to be late Obrien Lock And Key got there open the door and it's a whole transaction with plenty of time for me to arrive at work on time. Highly recommend you use Obrien Lock And Key if you need a locksmith that's going to come over to the job right not charge you an arm and a leg and make sure your set to continue your day. read more

I suspect that the folks operating O'Brien Lock in Downey are not the original owners, nor are they the folks the reviews are talking about. We the consumers are usually unaware when a business is sold and new owners take over while retaining the original business name. That is not illegal and it's done a lot, but it leaves us hiring people who haven't earned the very positive reviews we read in Yelp. And I'm pretty sure that's what I did. As a result of reading the Yelp reviews, I was expecting "reasonable rates" and instead the rate quoted to me was astronomical. No, at first the cost quoted was acceptable: $187 to install 3 new door locks (excluding dead bolts). That was still high given my previous experience with a first-rate locksmith who is sidelined because of covid. I should also point out that when I called O'Brien Lock, they wouldn't give me a price - saying the person they sent out would assess the job and quote a price. That alone made me suspicious, but in these covid times allowances must be made. So the work on my 3 doors commenced. Then somehow it became $187 per door lock and now the cost of the installation became $561. There is no way on earth I would have misunderstood how much the installation was going to cost. Had I heard $561 I would have shown the young fellow the door and called someone else. In the end I wrote a check for $300 and he left. The door locks work, and so they should at $100 a pop. He left me 2 keys for the 3 locks -- a nice touch, I thought. It looks to me like the young fellow sent out by O'Brien Lock is a free lancer who sets his own prices while paying O'Brien a fee for getting him the job. O'Brien Lock had no idea what the fellow asked me to pay: they phoned me a few times to ask how much he was charging. Had I paid him the $561 he asked for, he would have made a pretty fair profit for the job. But even at $300 I'm sure he did fine. For my part I do not like doing business like that. My original locksmith absolutely ran his own business and I know I was dealing with the business owner, and he was very straight-forward about the prices he charged. With a company like O'Brien Lock you have no idea who you're dealing with, who they work for or who's setting the price you're being charged. You can be treated fairly or you can be gouged. One thing is for sure: you cannot read their reviews on Yelp and think that they are directed at the current company bearing the O'Brien Lock name. read more

We have used O'Brien lock and key several times now. Mike is not only professional, courtesy but provides great service at reasonable rates. We have had him re-key our rental unit and he has come to our house and repaired a broken lock, door knob and help with swollen door. I would highly recommend him! read more

I first discovered this place after attempting to get a rare key copied at Grah. Frustrated when I discovered that Grah's not open on Sundays, I asked the folks at Ace Hardware if they had a recommendation, and they sent me to O'Brien Lock & Key. They quickly made the keys I needed. We've recently have some work done on our place, and after three months of having a lock-box outside for the parade of workers that have been in and out of our place, we figured that it was time to re-do our locks. Called O'Brien Lock & Key, and they quickly made an appointment. They gave us a two-hour window, and were there in the first five minutes of it. As if that weren't great enough, they completed the work in 5 minutes! Can't say enough about their great service. read more

Job well done. I was on my way to Ace Hardware to get a key copied and saw this place on the way. In and out in minutes, the guy at the front was able to assist me with competent and friendly service. He also told me about the difference between key quality used at other establishments (Ace, Home Depot, etc) and how it differed to the quality of keys they used. Recommended for quick key copying! read more

Hole in the wall locksmith, but that is kind of like what a keyhole is, isn't it? Also, how much space do you really need for this kind of business? I stopped in to try to make a copy of a key... found out I wasn't allowed to, which was disappointing, but all the same, the guy working there was very informative and saved me from running all around town to try to get a copy made- the lady I spoke with at Lowe's prior to coming here didn't have a clue. Grateful for the information, I'd probably come back in again if I were ever in a jam. Location is easy to find, street parking is no problem. read more

Took my new house keys here to get extra copies and I had a great experience. No wait, friendly customer service by a woman with cute birkenstocks, keys worked when I got home, and I liked the somewhat kitchy atmosphere. I'm glad I was able to support a local business! Note: there is about a 50 cent debit/credit card transaction fees for anything under $10 so bring cash. read more

After reading other reviews I stopped in to get some keys made. Super fast! Plus the nice lady took interest in my beer shirt which sparked a good conversation. Happy I stopped in and will definitely be back should the need arise. read more

It's like Ernie was still there I didn't get the lady name but she was so sweet and tried to fix the defective key fob that was the second one from the key crew on Adams Ave. See the review for them here on Yelp. But it was like walking back in time cause nothing changed in that place. That included the over friendly service why can't more businesses be like this very one. read more

I never expected to have any problem with these people. I arranged an appointment at my house and they were supposed to show up within a certain 2-hour time frame. Sounds simple, right? Well their guy showed up much later as I was about to leave my house. I told him the appointment was for earlier, and he got defensive. He told me the appointment was for a later 4-hour time frame that I would never have agreed to because of my schedule. Instead of owning up to the mistake and apologizing or trying to arrange another appointment (which would have been easy) he just implied that I was lying about the appointment time, and then he questioned whether I had even called to make an appointment at all. When he left he said, "You're welcome for nothing!" The bottom line is, they are either too disorganized or don't care enough to honor their appointment times. Some businesses don't understand customer service, and based on my brief interaction I assume this is one of them. read more

Friendly affordable and fast! I was in and out of there in five minutes. Definitely recommend

I was in the area and I needed a copy of a key made. I was in and out in less than a few minutes and it only cost me $2.50. Parking can be hard to find, but we all need the exercise anyways. read more

I've been here twice now with nonstandard requests and both times they were helpful, knowledgable, friendly. I can't say enough good things about them. The other locksmiths in the area were extremely unhelpful with what I needed, and these guys just rocked. Definitely giving them all my business from here out. P.S. My requests were 1) an uncoded transponder key. The other places refused to sell it because it's $5 or whatever instead of the $100 coding they charge. And 2) to cut a key based on a set of tumbler positions instead of an actual key. This was so I could rekey my car door locks after the keys were stolen. read more

I bought an old rv and had trouble opening the door. Lynn to the rescue! She made a new key quickly and for a great price! Also, the owner gave me some great advice. I'm telling all my friends to go see O'Brien Lock and Key! read more

Just got back from Obrien's lock and key, had four keys made. Mike was helpful and we got to talking about lock and keys. Not my first time there. Probably had fifty keys made over the last ten years. Also have brought in a few locks that he has been able to repair, rekey or was honest with me and told me not worth repairing. I get my keys made there because big box stores only seem to have a fifty-fifty success rate, not so with Mike. Had schlange lock I bought for new door, had problems with it, he told me about the recall and gave me option of him replacing it or maybe I should call schlange. I did they replaced the tumbler, Mike has never try to upsell me, just tells it how it is and gives you options. Not the same Antonio M as the other review read more

My new favorite locksmith in the area. Fast and efficient service at a reasonable price.

**I have amended my original response as the owner (Jeff) removed the original offensive response from his employee, Michael** While I still do not agree that the response is proper, I do appreciate that the rude and offensive nature of the first was toned down, therefore I am amending my response as well. I understand that they feel that the Kwikset lock I purchased at Lowes (lifetime guarantee model) is inferior quality, and they are entitled to their opinion. The main issues that I have are the fact that I had an appt with them on a Saturday before I moved in to my new home. They didn't keep that appt and when we called about it they simply said that they did "not have' an appt....there was no apology offered on their part. The other fact is that afterwards I took the lock that I purchased to their North Park store. I was told that the lock wasn't good quality, and Michael intially suggested that he should keep it so that he could research it. I didn't feel comfortable with that so his next suggestion was that I take pictures of the side of the door and email them to him, I gather so that he could determine if the lock was compatible. I did do that as soon as I went home. I didn't receive a reply, so I called to follow up and was told that they were busy and that I would receive a call "much later in the evening" after they closed. That call never came. Regardless of their opinion of the lock hardware I purchased, they blew me off twice. This is the main reason that I went elsewhere. I have yet to receive an apology for the type of service that I provided. I did take the time to ask them questions, they just didn't bother to get back to me. I wanted to set the record straight... read more

It seems that this company is my own private Locksmith. I have several properties within San Diego. He has re keyed them all. Usually it is my schedule that is very inflexible. I called on a Saturday very last minute. He did tell he was booked. However, within a few minutes, he called back and scheduled me within two hours! Talk about a very responsive company. I will and do recommend this company to anyone needing locksmith needs. Excellent job. Thank you! read more

Went here with a key for a pad-lock. I handed the man the key and it was like, *POOF* magic. The man had my key done before I could even pull my wallet out. It was like he knew I was coming. Fast, friendly and the key was flawless. read more

The gentleman in the shop has been super friendly and knowledgeable every time I've gone in. Very pleased with the key copies and repaired deadbolt I received from him. read more

So grateful for the expertise of Michael - my factory sealed locks on my house stumped the "other guys". Michael was kind and generous with his time and his knowledge. I will never go anywhere else! read more

I called around to a couple of places and their prices were the best by far and they came out to my house to replace my mail lock within an hour of calling them. Plus the guy was really nice too! read more

Needed a bunch of keys made badly so I showed up at 10 am which is when yelp and multiple signs on the door say they opened. No one was there so I waited until 10:10 when it became clear Mr o'brien doesn't want my business. read more

I could not be happier with the speed and ease of service here! I was greeted warmly, and the work was completed before I could even get my cash out. Literal service with a smile. Glad to see a local business knows how deliver service! read more

This is the only place in the city that can make any rare key available.. Thank you so much for being there..

This place was great. I lost my ENTIRE set of keys at the beach. Needed a new house key, gate key and mail key. Walked in the nicest guy (tall, white guy with glasses) helped me out, made conversation (all of the 4 minutes it took to make my 3 keys). The grand total? $6.51. I also needed a couple of smart keys for my cars made and the owner wasn't there so this guy took my name and number for when the owner, Mike, returned. When he did, he called and left me a message saying that they didn't do that type of key but referred me to someone who did and included his phone number. Whoever this crazy guy is who keeps making your customer service experiences horrible (and they sound just awful!) needs to be fired! He is making this business look sooo bad!! Luckily I went in when that particular guy wasn't there. Put a description of him on here, so you can avoid going to into the store while he's there!! read more

Can't complain! In and out fast (that's what she said.... Uhhhhggggg!!!), cheep and good service! And of course the sign "getting a key made at home depot is like having your car worked on at wendy's"... Boooo ya!!! read more

So good I decided to sign up for yelp as I am waiting for my key to be made. Amazing service. Very knowledgeable and willing to explain in detail. Good pricing. Future advice... don't tell a pro what you think the solution is, just explain the problem and let Mike decide. It will save him time and it may be a simple cheap fix. Thank you Mike now we can finally lock the car door. read more

locked my keys in my car while it was running ! haha. he was here in like 5min. got in w/o doing any damage too.

Lynn at Obrien's helped me today problem solve over the phone which is so unusual now days. It was refreshing to have this type of old time service read more

Quick and friendly! Didn't even take a minute to make 3 copies of a key - and they all are guaranteed (though they all also work, so that was unnecessary). read more

I used to manage a portfolio of commercial and residential properties in San Diego and did a lot of work with Mike. He is a courteous professional, showing up on time for appointments, and doing quality work. I have since relocated to Los Angeles, but I have a number of friends in San Diego who look to me for help when they run into maintenance your home repair and upkeep issues because of my great vendors that I worked with before. Recently an elderly friend of mine called to have his door repaired and rekeyed, and I called Mike to take care of this business. My elderly friend is a very nervous and worrying type of person, but Mike was able to do the work and set his mind at ease, all for a remarkably reasonable price. Thanks again for the great work Mike. read more

The owner did an auto lock for me and he was very knowledgable and insightful. I had a few questions for him about the process. In addition to explains it to me he also pulled out one of his kits and gave me a basic run through of how it was done. Happy to do business here and support local small businesses such as this one! read more

Excellent service. This is the place if you own an old house with original hardware on your doors. I got a new cylinder lock in my front door that looks like it was always there, and replaced the spindle for the door knobs that used to just spin. It now all works like new. Wished I had done this years ago!!!! read more

I called O'Brien's to install a lock on my French doors. They had me email them pictures from the inside and outside of the door. When I called back to get the estimate, I was told that it was quote, "impossible" to put a legal lock on my door. Just to be sure, I went to Lowe's with pictures, and within 10 minutes they explained that I needed a mortise lock mounted on the inside of the door. I had I Am Locksmith install the lock this weekend, and it works perfectly! Can be locked/unlocked from both the inside and outside. I would go to I Am Locksmith if I were you. The customer service is also lacking here. read more

Fast friendly service at a great price. Seriously didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for my keys and parked a few feet away in the green zone. Will go back if I need a lock or key made. read more

Good people. Rear car door latch jammed. Went in for help. They came right out, helped fix it. On our way again. No charge! I'll call them next time I need help with a lock for sure. read more