Learned the hard way: spent $200 on a Kwikset rekey kit and still screwed it up

Man, I thought getting into locksmithing would be straightforward after messing with car entries at my old repo gig, but nope. Dropped $200 on that Kwikset retail rekey kit and followed some half-assed tutorial, only to mess up the pins and have to start over. Now I'm wondering where to even begin properly, maybe apprentice under a mobile guy or something. Anyone got tips on starting without wasting more cash?

Kwikset kits are garbage for anything beyond basic stuff, stick to Schlage if you're rekeying deadbolts.

What kinda vehicle entries did you do back then? Slim jims or those wedge tools?

Dude, start with YouTube vids on rekeying Schlage locks, way better than Kwikset junk.

This industry is full of newbies jumping in blind, no wonder service calls are skyrocketing.

Been locksmithing 8 years, my first rekey was a disaster too. Now I charge $150 a pop and never look back.

Customer calls at 3am because their Kwikset fell apart, and I'm out here laughing while picking it.

Walked into a job last week where the DIYer tried rekeying with a $200 kit, turned a simple fix into a full replacement. SMH.

Damn right, these half-baked starters are flooding the market and undercutting us pros with their botched jobs.

Never trust a cheap rekey kit, always carry spare pins or you'll be stranded.

Rough start, but you'll get there. Hit up r/Locksmith for more noob advice, saved my ass early on.

Grab a basic set from LockPickWorld or something, under $50 and covers the essentials without the fluff.