Safe Opening in Northeast Philadelphia

By Michael Schiavone, owner of Aspire Safe and Lock · Updated October 31, 2026

Why safes lock people out

Most calls come down to a short list:

• The combination is lost. Nobody wrote it down, the paper is gone, or the person who knew it has passed away.
• The keypad died. Dead batteries, a failed keypad or a damaged wire between the keypad and the lock. The code is right, but nothing happens.
• The lock failed. Mechanical locks rarely fail on their own, but a dial that has been forced, tampered with or sprayed with lubricant may stop working.
• The handle or bolt work is jammed. The lock may be open while something in the door is stuck.
• The lock is old. Electronic locks have a working life of about ten years from their manufacture date.

If you aren't sure which one you have, start with what to check when a safe won't open. A couple of checks are safe to make yourself. Past those, call.

What to tell Mike when you call

1. The brand and model, usually on a plate on the door or inside the frame. Liberty, AMSEC, Diebold and Mosler all turn up in Mike's work.
2. The lock type: a dial, a keypad, a key, or a combination of these.
3. What happened: it stopped opening after a battery change, the handle won't turn, the combination never worked, and so on.
4. What you've already tried, and whether the safe is bolted down.
5. Clear photos. The whole safe door, a close-up of the handle and the dial or keypad, and the space above, below and on each side of the safe. Text them to (661) 927-7473 or email them to info@aspiresafeandlock.com.

The kinds of safes Mike opens

Mike's work covers the whole range, from a closet safe to bank equipment:

• Home safes and fire safes with dials or keypads
• Gun safes and gun boxes. More on gun safes
• Antique and inherited safes, including ones made in Philadelphia. More on old safes
• Store, deposit and drop safes, plus ATMs and teller cash recyclers. More on business safes
• High-security and TL-rated safes, such as the Diebold TL-30
• Bank vault doors and safe deposit boxes. More on bank work

After it opens

Opening the safe is half the job. A safe you can't lock again isn't much use. On past jobs Mike has opened a customer's safe and installed a new lock and keypad, so the safe went back into use. If you'd rather switch from a dial to a keypad, or the other way around, that can happen at the same time. See safe lock upgrades and repair.

Why it matters who you call

Plenty of locksmiths in the area don't do safes at all. One of Mike's customers put it this way after a lost combination, a house rekey and a car key were all handled by Mike:

★★★★★

Unbelievable locksmith! We had more than 1 problem and he fixed everything! Mike rekeyed our home, made a key for our Honda Accord, and opened our safe which we had lost the combination for! I called several locksmiths and most would just do cars. Others just rekey lock. Mike fixed all 3 at a wonderful price! I highly recommend!

Locksmithing also has a call-center problem: listings that look local, quote a low price on the phone and send whoever is free. Mike is one person with one number, and he's a member of the Safe & Vault Technicians Association. How to tell the difference.