We're the shop behind the phone number — a real Houston company with real trucks and real technicians. No franchise, no offshore dispatchers, no subcontractors wearing our name. Just 24 licensed locksmiths who live and work here.
Quick Key started with one van, one locksmith, and a phone number written on a piece of cardboard in the back window. Here's the honest timeline of how we got from there to here.
Marcus Delgado — a Houston native who learned the trade at his uncle's shop in Pasadena — opened Quick Key with a single used Ford Transit and a strict rule: firm prices by phone before any job. Sixteen years later, that rule still stands.
Word-of-mouth turned into steady repeat business. Marcus hired his first employee — a locksmith who'd been laid off from a big-box hardware chain — and added a second van to keep up with demand across the Heights and Memorial.
After three years of "can you do our office building?" calls, we formalized a commercial division. Master key systems, access control, and maintenance contracts became a serious part of the business — and today account for roughly 40% of our revenue.
Modern car keys stopped being keys. We invested in OBD-II programming tools, transponder equipment, and cutting machines — so drivers could stop paying dealer prices for a spare fob. Today we program keys for every major make.
While most of the city shut down, we stayed open — with masks, gloves, and no-contact service protocols. We served 400+ households during the shutdown, including free lockouts for flooded families during Hurricane Harvey's aftermath.
Added a third service depot in Katy to reduce response times west of the Beltway. Also launched live ETA tracking and tech ID messaging — so customers know exactly who's coming to their door.
Twenty-four licensed technicians, four depots, and over 62,000 completed work orders. We've never franchised, never sold, and never subcontracted a job to an unknown crew. Same phone number. Same promise.
Every technician below is a full-time employee — never a subcontractor, never a temp. When our name is on the van, it's our name on the work.
Houston native. Trained under his uncle's Pasadena shop before opening Quick Key in 2009. Still takes emergency calls personally when a storm rolls through.
Runs dispatch, routing, and the 24-hour scheduling system that gets a van to your door in under an hour. Previously managed logistics for a regional medical courier network.
Certified in Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and ASSA restricted-keyway systems. Designs master key hierarchies for buildings across the Houston metro.
Handles transponder programming, smart key origination, and European immobilizer systems. Trained on Autel, Xhorse, and factory OEM scan tools.
Installs and configures Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, and Kwikset Halo systems. Handles app integration, guest codes, and firmware for our smart-lock customers.
Runs the overnight dispatch desk — the voice most customers hear when they call at 3 AM. Trained every one of our current dispatchers on the firm-quote policy.
Most locksmith complaints come from people who let anyone with a van wear their logo. We built the opposite system — a checklist every single technician clears before their first solo job.
Every technician on our payroll clears the same bar. No exceptions for years of experience, no shortcuts for being "really good with locks." If you don't clear all six, you don't wear our uniform.
Verified with the Texas Department of Public Safety on hire, and re-verified every renewal cycle. License number printed on the uniform and the van.
Seven-year criminal history, sex offender registry, and driving record. Re-run every 24 months. We do not hire anyone with a violent crime or theft conviction on record.
Cylinder theory, non-destructive entry, brand-specific hardware, master keying, and commercial-grade panic hardware. Minimum 30 hours before touching a customer's lock.
Every new hire rides with a senior technician for three months. They watch, they assist, they take over when ready — never before. Signed off by two senior locksmiths before their first solo dispatch.
Minimum two manufacturer or industry courses per year — Medeco, Schlage, ASSA, or SAE-approved automotive training. New hardware releases trigger additional sessions.
Every tech arrives in a Quick Key uniform, driving a Quick Key van, with their name, photo, and license number texted to you before arrival. If it doesn't match, don't let them work.
We're not a national chain dropping vans into a map. Our technicians coach little league, send their kids to Houston schools, and drive these roads on their days off. When the city needs locksmith work, we show up — paid or not.
A locksmith is only as good as the tools they carry. Here's what every one of our 24 service vans is stocked with on every shift.
SouthOrd and Peterson pick sets, tension wrenches, rakes, plug spinners, and bypass tools. Everything needed to open a lock without drilling it.
Duplicate key cutting for edge-cut, laser-cut, and high-security blades. On-van production means your new key is cut on-site — no waiting.
Dealer-grade OBD-II programmers that write transponder chips, smart key fobs, and immobilizer codes directly into your vehicle's ECU.
Grade-1 deadbolts, knob and lever sets, smart locks, panic bars, cam locks, and mailbox cylinders in the finishes we install most.
Not about a specific job — about how we operate. Every review below is verified and tied to a completed work order.
"Called four locksmiths before finding Quick Key. The other three all sounded like call centers — vague pricing, transferred twice. Quick Key answered with a human, quoted me a firm number in ninety seconds, and the tech showed up in 40 minutes. That's why they get my business forever."
"I manage 14 rental units and Quick Key handles all my rekeys. Their techs are the same people every time — I recognize them by name. That kind of continuity is rare and it matters when you're dealing with tenant turnover every month."
"After Harvey my mother's house flooded and she lost everything, including every key. Quick Key came out and rekeyed all her doors for free. They didn't advertise it, didn't take a picture for social media — just did the work and left. That's a Houston company."
The questions customers ask before they trust a locksmith with their home or business. If yours isn't here, call +1 (346) 366-7559.
View full FAQ →Whether you need a key cut, a lock rekeyed, or a full commercial install — you'll be working with a Quick Key technician, not a subcontractor. Call and hear the difference.
Never franchised, never sold, never subcontracted.
Every tech is a full-time Quick Key employee.
Four depots across the metro. We live here too.