Hello
Dumb question ... sorry!
I've got some Kwikset locks which were all rekeyed to use the same key. I'm using the master key that came with the one of the locks, and it successfully opens all the locks. I've been trying to get a spare copy of the key cut, but am having no luck. Everytime I get a copy, it will open one or two of the locks but not them all. Any idea how I get a copy made that will open all of the locks, like the key that I use?
Cheers
Umm sure... Where are you going to get these keys made ???
Home Depot ??? Wal*Mart ??? or some other mega chain store ??? (more often than not the employees at these stores only receive basic safety training on the key machine.. i.e. where not to touch it and such... and YES I worked at a hardware store and after making my first 1000 keys I knew more about the key machine than the manager of the store)
Try going to a locksmith shop and having a key made there... If that doesn't work, how long have you had these locks installed and in use... If it has been a long time and the locks are used frequently, it might be time to consider having them rekeyed again... Pins inside the lock get worn over time...
Evan the maintenance man
yep, gonna HATE the answer... a LOCK SHOP...
my local Wally world key machine is curently off .010 my local hardware store machine is currently off .007
your key 'could be cut' borderline, as to (ASSUMING IT WAS PINNED TO FACTORY ) dimensions and depths of cuts...
plus, if these ARE KW locks and have some wear on them, the cylinders are now wore a bit, adding to the error... IE, factory dimension 'should be' for example 250... but, due to the worn keyway, you stick the key in and it flops around such that it might be showing a depth of 265..
KW's IMO are NOT good for certain MK situations-they dont wear well.
--Shiva--
The copies are obviously inaccurate. Take the key to a locksmith and let him or her duplicate it. FYI most kwiksets that are master keyed will litterally pick in 1-30 seconds. Frequently closer to 1 than 30.
Go to a lock shop and have a key cut by code, not duplication, because the key you are duplicating is worn down just enough that it barely works all the locks.
Add that to the fact that the key duplicator is uncalibrated and the cylinders are worn because they are pot metal, not brass and you create a problem.
He did not say they were master keyed. He said that he was using a 'master' key that was origingal to when the locks were keyed alike, meaning he is using an 'original' key.
But that does not change the statements made about getting a copy made at a locksmith for accuracy, or the comments about the wear. The other possibility is that instead of using Kwikset pins, the person rekeying them used pins out of a .003 or .005 pin kit and I have seen in some Kwiksets that those pins can cause a binding due to them not having the bevel at the shear line due to the tolerances of manufacturing. Best thing to do, is take all the keys to a locksmith where they can be inspected for signs of pins being forced into the flat of the key. He may need to have some of the locks that are not working well repinned with pins more suitable to the tolerance of the lock and the keys supplied to correct the situation.
Steve
Also - the key may have had some metal removed to make it harder to duplicate!
A locksmith should be able to check and compensate for this .
I'd go to the same locksmith that rekeyed the locks. He knows how they were keyed and whether he used standard depths. If he can't duplicate the key he will probably take the responsibility for the problem and re-check the locks.
Daniel
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