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Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

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L4R3L2

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Post Fri Jan 25, 2019 11:15 pm

Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

I'm curious what pricing relationship manipulation shares with drilling. In other words, which is typically more expensive, and to what degree? 50%? Plus 50%? Double???
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Visitor

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Post Sat Jan 26, 2019 5:41 am

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

No difference for me, some people change their prices dependant on age of customer, place customer lives, commercial or residential, distance to travel etc etc, I'm a good guy, I have a fixed cost call out then parts on top. Everyone gets treated the same by me, fairly.
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mdc5150

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Post Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:29 am

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

Whatever my drill price for a safe is, my manipulation price is the same. I explain to the customer there will be no repairs necessary, they don't have to worry about replacing the lock etc. Either way a skill set is opening that safe, and it is the skill they are paying for. I have not had anyone complain yet.
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SafecrackinSammmy

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Post Sat Jan 26, 2019 7:32 am

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

It can vary depending on the safe and lock type, but normally no difference in price. The customer is paying you to open a safe they cant. How you do it is up to you and your skill level. Manipulation requires training and practice so you have time invested up front to be able to provide that service.
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MartinHewitt

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Post Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:20 am

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

As I don't drill I don't have this problem, but my thoughts are:

- Both drilling and manipulation require skills. I can't just buy a drill and some bits and open a safe.
- Drilling is more expensive because you need to buy tools and break bits.
- Manipulation is more expensive because it will in most cases take more time and there is a risk of failure.
- Drilling damages the safe which leads to higher costs after opening if the owner wants to continue to use a/this safe.

I think I would charge the same for drilling and manipulation when the safe will be discarded, but I would want to participate in the savings of not having to do a repair when the safe shall be used afterwards.
In case you wonder ... Martin Hewitt is a fictional detective in stories by Arthur Morrison:
Martin Hewitt, Investigator Chronicles of Martin Hewitt
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L4R3L2

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Location: Sutter County, CA

Post Mon Jan 28, 2019 9:55 am

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

This all makes sense. An open safe is an open safe. What is a typical price range, then, for a safe opening in the U.S., whether by drilling or manipulating?
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MartinHewitt

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Post Mon Jan 28, 2019 10:47 am

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

In The National Locksmith magazine were or are prices for locksmith jobs. Maybe someone can look into the newest price list to give you an idea.
In case you wonder ... Martin Hewitt is a fictional detective in stories by Arthur Morrison:
Martin Hewitt, Investigator Chronicles of Martin Hewitt
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Jaakko Fagerlund

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Post Mon Jan 28, 2019 12:26 pm

Re: Typical pricing relationship: manipulation vs drilling

Typically I price them differently, as drilling is usually only an option when manipulation or picking is impossible, i.e. broken safe. There might come too many surprises, the drills are not cheap, in some cases one has to fix the safe also and time required to open might easily exceed what it would have taken if the lock/mechanism was in working order.

But general base rule for pricing is the rating of the safe. Cheap firesafes are of course cheapest, then the pricing goes by the Euro rating. Higher rating, higher price. But again, this is just the starting point, as the lock itself can even lower the opening price if it is easily pickable/decodable/manipulative.

And of course it is different with private customers versus businesses, as individuals typically don't have much money to spend, can't get it to tax write-offs and also generally do not have a rush and the most common problem is lost key or combo and very rarely a broken mechanism. Typically when a company calls, it is rush job, it has to be open by XYZ, have to go now, the mechanism/lock has failed, it has a high Euro rating and they have insurance for it, so it all adds up. Maybe had one company job where the problem was a lost key, while 99 % has been broken ones.

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