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Against the Elements: Locksmithing in Iceland
» NEW YEAR SPECIAL FEATURE WITH award-winning locksmith Odinn Sigurdsson of Lasar on navigating the weather, isolation, and fast-changing security landscape.
Few locksmiths operate in conditions as unpredictable, or as unforgiving, as those in Iceland. A stark reminder that we can’ t complain too much about the weather in the UK. Odinn Sigurdsson has spent almost three decades carving out a reputation as one of the Iceland’ s leading locksmiths, steering Lasar from a small, overwhelmed shop to a multi-vehicle, multi-discipline business serving one of the most challenging environments in Europe.
In a climate where the weather can shut down a job before it even begins, Odinn has built his expertise the hard way: by learning on the go, adapting fast, and refusing to let geography or climate dictate what his team can or can’ t do.
Finding My Way into the Trade
I never planned to become a locksmith. I followed an advert, walked in, and something about the work just felt right. Before that, I was mostly at sea working on trawlers, then doing maintenance on building sites and taking temporary jobs. When I started locksmithing at 27, I was still figuring out what I wanted from life.
During my first years at the bench, I studied to become a commercial pilot and even worked part-time as a flight instructor. I also studied airline management. But locksmithing won me over in the end. Something about solving problems with your hands and your head just clicked with me.
I didn’ t start this business myself. I was one of four employees at the time. The owner struggled with English, so within days I found myself handling emails, faxes( yes, that long ago) and most of the ordering. All while doing the job I was hired to do.
From Burnout to Rebuild: The Turning Point
Back then we ran a 24 / 7 service. Each worker held the phone for an entire week at a time, nights included, then worked 8am-6pm in the store. It caused constant staff turnover. In 2007, I was actually fired because I refused to keep doing the 24 / 7 rota. A few months later, the business was sold, and I was asked to manage the locksmithing side as it merged with a glazing company.
That’ s when the real evolution began. Cars were getting trickier. Iceland was slowly phasing out the Scandinavian locking systems that had dominated for over 50 years, and European cylinders were starting to appear. We had no local classes, no regulations, nothing official to guide us. Everything had to be learned on the go.
Thankfully the new owners had contacts abroad. We learned from foreign locksmiths, visited trade fairs, took classes, absorbed everything we could. Within a few years we needed a bigger shop, more staff, more vehicles, and more stock. Five years after that we sold the glazing division and expanded again.
Now we operate from a 450-squaremetre store and garage with three service vehicles, a mobile auto-locksmith garage, and a team of ten. I became CEO, though I still work the bench like everyone else.
10
JANUARY 2026
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