The fine print, in plain English
Terms, returns, shipping and privacy
I would rather you read this than skip it, so it is written the way I would explain it to you on the phone rather than the way a lawyer would write it. If anything here is unclear, call me at 337-316-3693 and I will tell you straight.
Last updated: 31 August 2026
Returns and warranty
All sales are final once your order has shipped. These tools cannot be returned because you changed your mind, because the job got cancelled, or because you decided you did not need it after all.
Here is the honest reason, because you deserve one rather than a policy that just says no.
These are precision optical instruments. A real glass mirror, an LED, and a blade that goes down inside a dirty lock cylinder. Once one has been used, it is used, and there is no way for me to look at it and know whether the optics are still true or the mirror picked up a scratch. I cannot sell it to the next person as new, and I would not want to.
There is a second reason and I will say it plainly. In this trade a single lockout can pay for the tool. A no-questions-asked return policy on a $645 scope is an invitation for somebody to buy one, run a job with it on Friday, and send it back Monday. Everybody else ends up paying for that in the price. I would rather keep the price honest and be clear about the rule.
So here is my side of the bargain. Because I will not take it back after you have used it, I will spend as long as you need on the phone before you buy, working out whether it actually fits the work you do. And I will stay on the phone with you afterward while you learn it.
Call or text 337-316-3693. If the answer is that this tool is wrong for you, I will tell you that and you keep your money. I would rather lose the sale than sell you the wrong thing.
What is covered, no argument
All sales final applies to buyer's remorse. It does not apply to any of the following, and I will make each of these right.
- You cancel before it ships. Orders are placed by hand after payment clears, so there is a real window. Call, text, or email with your order number and if it has not gone out yet you get a full refund, no fee and no argument.
- It arrived damaged or defective. Dead battery, cracked mirror, will not pair, will not charge. Tell me within 5 business days of delivery, send a photo or two, and it gets repaired or replaced at no cost to you.
- I sent the wrong item. My mistake, my problem, and I pay the freight both ways.
- It never turned up. If tracking says delivered and it is not there, or it goes missing in transit, tell me and I will chase the carrier and sort it out.
Warranty
These tools are manufactured by LockTech LLC and carry the manufacturer's warranty. The warranty terms are set by LockTech, not by me, and a warranty fault is handled as a warranty claim rather than as a return.
Here is what I commit to. If a tool fails, you call me and I handle the claim. You do not chase the manufacturer, fill in a form, or sit on hold. I have worked with these people for years and I have a direct line to them. That is the part I control and that is the part I will answer for.
Call me before you send anything anywhere. In my experience a good share of "it stopped working" calls turn out to be a dirty mirror or a flat battery, and those get solved on the phone in about five minutes. It costs you nothing to check.
Out of warranty
LockTech repairs these rather than scrapping them. There is a factory repair service for the LTKSD 2.0 at $55, listed on the tools page. If your scope is out of warranty and something has gone wrong, that is usually the answer, and it is a good deal on an instrument at this price.
Shipping and delivery
Where I ship
United States only, to a valid USPS-deliverable address. A business address is usually a better bet than a residence for anything at this value.
What it costs
- Orders under $100: $12 flat
- Orders $100 to $495: $18 flat
- Orders over $495: free
Flat rates, not calculated by weight, so a small order never gets punished by an odd carrier quote.
How fast
Orders go out by USPS Priority Mail or UPS. I place orders the same day whenever I can manage it, and delivery is typically 2 to 7 business days after that. You get the tracking number by email the moment it is issued.
If you paid by bank transfer rather than card, the order goes out once the payment clears, which can take a few business days. Card payments confirm immediately and move faster. If you are in a hurry, pay by card.
If something goes wrong in transit
Damaged in shipping: keep the box and the packing material, photograph the damage, and tell me within 5 business days. Carrier claims need that evidence and they get difficult without it.
Marked delivered but missing: check with neighbors and around the property first, because that solves it more often than not. If it is genuinely gone, call me and I will open a trace with the carrier.
Terms of sale
Who you are buying from
Robert Reynolds, trading as Empathy on Wheels, an authorized distributor of LockTech LLC products. Reach me at 337-316-3693 or empathyonwheels@gmail.com.
LockTech LLC manufacture these tools and hold the intellectual property in them. I am a co-developer on the SmartKey decoder line. Kwikset, SmartKey, Weiser and Schlage are trademarks of their respective owners and this site is not affiliated with any of them.
Pricing
Every price here matches LockTech's published minimum advertised price, to the cent. I do not undercut other distributors and I do not run secret discounts. If LockTech change a price I change it here, so the price at the moment you check out is the price.
What these tools do and do not do
These limitations are part of the deal, not marketing small print. Buying a tool and then finding it does not do something it was never built to do is not a defect and is not grounds for a return. Read these before you buy, and call me if there is any doubt.
The LTKSD 2.0 scope does not decode Gen 5 SmartKey locks. It decodes Gen 1, 2, 3 and 4, and SmartKey Control Key cylinders. Gen 5 in the KW1 keyway additionally requires the KW1-GEN5-123D accessory.
The KW1-GEN5-123D is for Gen 5 locks only. LockTech's own warning, word for word: DO NOT USE IN NON GEN5 LOCKS.
The Cube is a bench tool and it does not open doors. The cylinder must already be removed from the door and in your hand. It will make a key or reset the cylinder to a key you already have. It is KW1 only.
Who these are sold to, and licensing
These are professional locksmith tools. They are sold for lawful professional use only, on property you own or are authorized by the owner to work on.
By placing an order you are confirming that you are one of the following:
- A locksmith or security professional, licensed where a license is required
- Law enforcement, or acting under a lawful authorization in that capacity
- An institutional or facility locksmith working on your employer's property
- The owner of the property and hardware you intend to work on
Orders are subject to licensing verification. I reserve the right, before anything ships, to ask you for a copy of your locksmith license, your credential, your agency identification, or other evidence that you are authorized to hold these tools.
If I ask and you would rather not provide it, that is entirely your call and you get a full refund. No argument and no hard feelings. What will not happen is the tool shipping anyway.
Licensed states are your responsibility
A number of states, and some counties and cities, license locksmiths. Requirements differ from one place to the next, they change, and I am not in a position to advise you on the law where you live. Knowing and meeting the requirements in your own jurisdiction is on you, not on me, and buying a tool here does not authorize you to do anything your state does not already permit.
If you are unsure whether your state licenses this work, your state licensing board or your state locksmith association will tell you, and it is worth the phone call before you spend money on tooling you may not yet be permitted to use.
I reserve the right to decline or refund any order at my sole discretion, including on the basis of licensing, the shipping destination, or anything else that does not sit right with me. I would rather lose a sale than put a bypass tool in the wrong hands.
Orders and acceptance
Placing an order does not by itself form a contract. A sale is accepted when I confirm your order and it ships. If something is out of stock, discontinued, or a price is wrong on the page through my error, I will contact you and refund you in full rather than quietly substituting or charging a different amount.
Payment
Payment is handled entirely by Stripe on Stripe's own secure pages. Card details are never entered on empathyonwheels.com and are never seen or stored by me. If any page claiming to be mine ever asks you to type a card number into a form on the page itself, it is not mine. Close the tab and call me.
Limitation of liability
My liability on any order is limited to what you paid for it. I am not responsible for lost work, missed jobs, damage to a customer's property or hardware, or anything else arising from how a tool is used. These are professional instruments and the judgment about when and how to use them is yours.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Alabama.
Privacy
Short version: I collect what is needed to get a tool to your door, I do not sell it to anybody, and I never see your card number.
What I collect
- Your name, email address and phone number. For the receipt, the tracking number, and so I can reach you if there is a problem with the shipment.
- Your shipping address. To ship the thing.
- What you ordered. Kept so I can help you later when you call about the tool.
- Delivery notes, if you leave any. Gate codes, hours, dock instructions.
What I never collect
Card numbers, bank details, or any payment credentials. Checkout happens on Stripe's own pages. Your payment details go to Stripe and never touch this website. I can see that a payment succeeded, the last four digits, and the billing name. That is all, and that is all I want.
Who else sees it
- Stripe, who process the payment. Their privacy policy is at stripe.com/privacy.
- LockTech LLC and the carrier, who get your name and address so the package can be addressed and delivered. Nothing more.
That is the complete list. I do not sell, rent, trade or share your information with anyone else, ever, and I do not add you to a mailing list because you bought something.
How long I keep it
Order records are kept for seven years, because tax rules require it and because a customer calling about a tool they bought three years ago is a call I want to be able to help with.
Cookies and tracking
The tools page stores your shopping cart in your own browser so it survives a refresh. That never leaves your device and I cannot see it. There are no advertising trackers and no third-party marketing pixels on these pages.
Your say in it
Ask me what I hold on you and I will tell you. Ask me to delete it and I will, other than the order records I am legally required to keep. Email empathyonwheels@gmail.com or call 337-316-3693. It is me answering, not a ticket queue.
Children
These are professional tools sold to adults in the trade. This site is not directed at children and I do not knowingly collect anything from anyone under 18.