Another ALOA show is in the books, and the Locksmith Ledger team learned a great deal at this annual gathering of the locksmithing industry. Lots of hard work went into hosting this event, and it showed. Well done, ALOA team.
Most of the locksmiths agreed that the best part of their week was the training, and the Security Expo was a worthy bonus. For me, the best part was talking to our readers about their business challenges and successes and getting their picks of the coolest new products.
The ALOA New Product Showcase has grown, with 11 great entries, some so new that they are not yet available through distribution. Mul-T-Lock took top honors for its MVP 3000 stainless steel slam lock, designed to safeguard commercial vehicles.
Here is the full list of nominees. We will be covering most of these products in more detail.
- Allegion ND Series Privacy Indication Locks
- Allegion’s Schlage Performance Series Locks (PM Mortise, PC Cylindrical and PT Tubular)
- ASSA ABLOY Control ID IDFace Max
- ASSA ABLOY’s Norton Rixson 4500 Series Low Energy Operator
- ASSA Technical Services High Security SFIC with Sidebar
- EDM Solutions Ltd. 8C04 SFIC
- Kaba Ilco Smart Pro Mini
- KSP – Killeen Security Products Two-Step Lock
- Mul-T-Lock MVP 3000
- XHorse Key Tool Midi
- XHorse Condor XC-Twins
We also saw some trends on the show floor. It looks like 2025 and early 2026 will see quite a few key machine introductions. Lock Labs had one of the coolest displays on the floor, showing off its new Maverick key machine with a giant LED display. Kaba Ilco previewed their EvoX machine, and XHorse’s giant booth featured the two new models listed above.
Electronic access control remained a growth market, with more services using the cloud and generating recurring revenue. Nexkey demonstrated the ease of upgrading mechanical locks to EAC. Keyincode previewed its upcoming sleek KIC9500 smart lock, powered by Korelock, for narrow stile aluminum doors.
In addition to its PAC-BLU access control system, Paclock showed its impressive new PACLOCK PL951 padlock prototype for government and high security applications, almost ready for market. Frontline Defense had some impressive interlocking latch guards with multifamily and commercial applications.
For the safe tech, MBA USA recently launched some new tools and the MBA Locksmith Portal, a membership-based website for verified locksmiths that includes training courses and videos, product information and a community forum.
ALOA is early next year. We’ll see everyone June 26-27, 2026, back at the Southpoint Resort in Las Vegas (though we’d be fine in future years if the ALOA show moved to a cooler climate in the summer).
Emily Pike
