Miracle workers! Dave and his partner Corey came on short notice and repaired our Baldwin Brass front-door lockset in a flash. It's an older lockset, and I really appreciated their attitude: "the old stuff is beautifully made, so let's make it work like new again." While they were here, they fixed a different lock in which the key had broken off years ago. They lubricated all our locks and are working like new again. I can't recommend them highly enough. read more

Dave Escola and his apprentice Corey really helped us out big time! The key we were given to the gate controller of our new house did not work so we could not reprogram the gate codes at all. Corey was able to pick the lock! It turned out the mechanism was rusted inside from all the ocean air. The also helped us rekey several doors. They have a machine that makes new keys in their van. We're near Mendocino and they charged a very reasonable mileage fee to come out. Really appreciate them for driving out from Fort Bragg. Really happy with what a great job they did! They're such nice people and seem genuinely happy to be working together. read more

Charles Engel 17000 Robert Drive Fort Bragg, CA 95437 707-357-5340 David Escola ESCOLA'S LOCKSMITHY P.O. BOX 2735 FORT BRAGG, CA 95437 707-964-4703 Dear David: This letter is about the work you performed for me on October 24, 2023. You responded to my call for assistance within a few hours. You have not responded to multiple calls since then. I was seeking assistance in determining how to best deal with the loss of my mailbox key. I simply needed to replace the $10 lock that came with the mailbox. Your bill of $270.27 amounted to approximately three times the cost of the entire mailbox assembly. I believe that I am the victim of financial elder abuse. I mistakenly trusted the judgment of an established locksmith. I believe you have financially exploited others before. You asked me to watch you do the work for reasons that didn't make sense to me. You asked me to stay nearby so that I would be assured that you did steal anything from my locked mailbox. This didn't make sense because most mailboxes are not locked anyway. It wasn't until after you left that I figured it out. You apparently wanted to demonstrate to me how difficult it is to change the $10 lock on my mailbox. You spent between twenty thirty minutes and attempting to make a replacement key rather than simply drilling out the old locking mechanism. Your initial attempts were a complete failure as well as inherently foolish. Then you changed your strategy. You decided to drill out the old lock. The drill you used was an underpowered Craftsman. It was apparent that the drill bit was dull. It spun in the chock because it wasn't sufficiently tightened. Again, it took between twenty and thirty minutes for you to drill out a lock that anyone else could have replaced in a matter of minutes. In retrospect, it appeared as though you believed that I was a gullible senior citizen, a neighbor that could easily be exploited. You charged me $45 additional for the half hour you spent doing a job that I could have accomplished in less than ten minutes. It wasn't until you were finished that I learned that you had installed the most expensive lock possible, a lock whose keys could only be replicated by you. You informed me that the lock was of the same quality as locks used on safe deposit boxes. You didn't inform me of other options prior to installing it. You told me that you were the only person in town that could replace the new keys due to their unusually angled teeth. I asked how I could copy the keys if you were to retire. You don't have a physical address and none of this made sense. The final bill listed the price of the lock (to replace a standard $10 lock) at $127.00 (lock and two keys). You promised to send me additional keys and I haven't heard from you since. You informed me that it would be difficult to impossible for anyone to drill out the lock you had installed without my permission. The labor, in addition to your standard $85 fee was $42.50. The "basic zone fee" was $85.00 with an additional fee of $4.50 for three additional miles. Total materials were $127.00. Total labor was $42.50. Basic zone travel and service fee was $85.00 plus $4.50 for the additional three miles. The total of my bill was $270.27. I paid my bill in cash. You have informed me that the lock you used requires a code to be copied and you are the only person that has the code. A good neighbor and/or an ethical business owner could have advised me to try drilling it out myself and to call if there were any problems. Apparently, business integrity is not one of your priorities I am sending a copy of this letter to the City of Fort Bragg as well as the Maintenance Manager at the hospital. You informed me, after you installed the lock, that you had done similar work for the hospital. They may have a few questions for you after reading my letter. I am posting this letter on the Mendocino Community Announce List. Several neighbors have expressed an interest in my experience as well as the outcome. Please be advised that I will file a complaint in Small Claims Court if you don't respond within 30 days of receiving this letter. I would be claiming financial exploitation of a disabled senior citizen. Sincerely, Charles Engel Cc: ~Maintenance Manager, Adventist Health Mendocino Coast, 700 River Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 ~City Manager, City Hall, 416 North Franklin Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 read more

He does a great job of rekeying large buildings. He is fairly expensive but for your money you're getting someone who will do what you need in a high quality and timely manner. If locks and keys are what you require, I recommend Escola's Locksmithy. read more

I can't say enough about Mr. Escola. I locked myself out of my house late afternoon on a Saturday. Within a short time I received a call back and he was here within 15 minutes. My house is new and had a "smart lock" so he wasn't able to pick it or get in with a card, he had to drill into the lock. He had inventory in his work van and replaced my round door knob with a beautiful door latch that matches my dead bolt. He is professional and his fee was very reasonable. I am very happy with his work and highly recommend him. read more

Escola's Locksmithy - Keys & Locksmiths Near Me

I have done business with Mr. Escola for years purchasing locks, door entry sets, re-keying, etc. He is a professional and knows his business. He isn't low cost, but quality products and good professional service rarely is. I recommend him if you are looking for good security lock hardware and service. If he can't help you he probably can point you in the right direction. read more

Dave is amazing. He really knows his locks and keys, arrives promptly when he says he will, and does a professional job changing locks. I recommend Escola's Locksmithy. read more

I have used Escola's for years. He is great with businesses that need high security and lots of locks rekeyed. Pleasure to work with.

Mr. Escola is good at his job. He does not do car keys, so don't bother about them but.... if you need to get into a safe, or have any kind of home or commercial locksmith needs do not hesitate to call him. This most recent visit took a couple of days because his shop was closed and he was out of town but I was able to wait and did not call anyone else. I have used Escola's Locksmithy numerous times over the years and I am happy. read more

I have called him out twice as we were doing a lock out and each time he has done a great job for us. I also had him do my locks at the office and he did it quick and reasonably priced. I would recommend him. read more

Abysmal. I needed to get a new set of car keys before I could leave town. Called on a Saturday, when Escola's is supposedly open for emergencies (regular hours M-Fri.). Now, four days later, they still haven't returned my call. I had to contact a locksmith in Lakeport (near Ukiah) who drove over Highway 20 and naturally charged a lot of $. When I spoke to another locksmith in Mendocino about Escola's, they said, "Oh, he just works when he wants to." Maybe he ought to advertise the truth. How's this: "Escola's: We Don't Give a Crap. We Don't Have To. So Don't Bother Calling." read more

I have used him for many jobs, he is on time, very courteous and stands behind his work. He does not do vehicle locks, but for houses and businesses he carries high security lock system, new product on the market. read more