Changing locks

[PassnThru]

For various reason, I'm looking at changing the locks on the house and the detached garage. So I'm looking at 3 knobs and 1 handleset and 3 deadbolts and I'd like to get them all keyed alike. I can however, live with one key for the deadbolts and one key for the handleset and knobs.
I would also like to maybe up the game with something a little better than the home improvement store offerings of basically Schlage and Kwikset. I've done a little research and was surprised that I haven't found any easy way to do this online. I had assumed that if you found a a manufacturer that you could order keyed alike locks but I'm not even sure which manufacturer I should be looking at.
I'm not adverse to bringing in a locksmith afterwards to remedy the situation by rekeying if they can't be ordered that way.
It's a common thing we do - let's discuss your experiences and ideas.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I bought a new lock set at Carter Lumber a few years back when they were still in town. They rekeyed it to match a set we already had.

I'd take a Schlage over a Kwik-set.

 

[mcj115]

Just go to your local locksmith and talk through what you want to do. There is a true quality difference between what they sell and what home centers sell yet they externally look the same. A locksmith can repin the locks in no time. I would say the most cost effective way is to take the locks/tumblers into the locksmith rather than having them come to you. For extra credit check out the lockpicking lawyer on youtube to isolate weak lock brands/styles.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Just take your existing locks into your local ace hardware and they will rekey them for you.
A whole lot cheaper then buying new. Or go to a real lock shop and they have better locks and again will rekey them for you. If you were closer I would offer to do yours for you, I have rentals and rekey them after each renter moves out.

 

[yeldogt]

I ordered Baldwin stuff online a few years ago -- all keyed alike. 3 knobs and 3 deadbolts. You can do it ... better stuff is $$.

FYI: Anything with the Smartkey in junk IMO. Most stuff is junk ... I can't get over how cheap some of these smart locks are .... just hit them with a hammer

I just ordered about 3k of pocket hardware from DoorhardwareUSA.com In GA -- nice people. They sell everything

 

[dacan23]

If you reconsider the big box, the nice Schlage keypad locks go on HD special of the day all the time, I got most of mine with a coupon on top. Just brought them into my local HD and they keyed them all alike, didnt even ask for proof if I bought from HD, dont know if the service is free to all or what. I have both the zwave ones and other type, think I can control the zwaves once I link them to my ring security system.

 

[CoogarXR]

I might recommend leaving one of your doors keyed differently. I never use my front door, so it's keyed differently than all the other doors. That way if I need to give somebody a key to get in and feed my pets or something, they get the oddball key. That way when they lose it or copy it or whatever, I only have one door to re-key, lol.

Yes, I have had people both lose and copy my key. So it happens.

 

[PassnThru]

I've always wondered how the electronic locks work for people. What I understand is that a motor pulls the bolt back and pushes it in. Maybe I insulated too well but during the winter time I have to pull or push the door to engage the deadbolt. Due to the cold temps things get tight and I can literally break a key off by trying to lock it simply by turning the key. Do you have to set the door and lock that loose to make it work or do the little motors have that much torque?

 

[drivesitfar]

Cooger: great idea!!

ALL: once you watch more than a few LOCKPICKINGLAWYER youtube videos you will buy a shotgun and never leave your place. hard to say which lock is better, but he almost doesn't even have to try and he can pick the ones you can buy at HD and Lowes.

of course we all sort of knew a locksmith could do this, but now the criminals can easily buy the same tools.

good luck and i'm here to see what is a good solution.

ABLOY is a great padlock and I think they make an insert that will fit in a schlage and kwikset handle, but I'm not sure where to buy Abloy.

thoughts on where to buy Abloy if anybody knows besides their factory which I think is in Finland?

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

l bought rekeying kits for the specific brand lock. Can make the lock match any key for that brand.

 

[rlitman]

...ABLOY is a great padlock and I think they make an insert that will fit in a schlage and kwikset handle, but I'm not sure where to buy Abloy.

thoughts on where to buy Abloy if anybody knows besides their factory which I think is in Finland?

There are plenty of Assa Abloy dealers in every state. Personally, I would not recommend an Abloy lock for home use, because they operate a little differently than typical insert key and turn lock mechanisms, and confuse many people.

 

[nynexit]

Just go to your local locksmith and talk through what you want to do. There is a true quality difference between what they sell and what home centers sell yet they externally look the same. A locksmith can repin the locks in no time. I would say the most cost effective way is to take the locks/tumblers into the locksmith rather than having them come to you. For extra credit check out the lockpicking lawyer on youtube to isolate weak lock brands/styles.

^^ This .

As a bonus , locksmiths have all sorts of cool tools , and they like to give advise.

I have 1 key for every external lock (even garage door and one car key . It’s nice .
I use Baldwin.

Also lock picking lawyer is awesome.

 

[p00p]

The cheapest for me to have all them keyed alike & have the most acceptable peace of mind was going with the [wait for it] kwikset smart key (blasphemy! how dare they!) sets & adding in a couple extra surveillance cams with trip motion detect.

If you do the above & also what CoogarXR provided, it wouldn't add any additional cost if you went with the Kwikset Smart Key sets & cams. Would hate to know what a locksmith charges to do a couple handfuls of tumblers with a few key cut copies.

 

[oldwino]

I’d stick with quality commercial grade locks. Falcon, Baldwin, or Schlege Commercial to name a few. Usually available at a locksmith shop and the will re-key for you. Most of the locks at the box stores are not top of the line units

 

[The Cobbler]

I've always been a Schlage guy for residential locks, but I recently saw a video on a new Schlage deadbolt & it sure looked like they had cheapened up the cylinder...
anyways, any place that sells deadbolts should rekey them at little to no charge . and if you stick with the same brand, the Key in knob can be the same key as the deadbolt

 

[nynexit]

For what it’s worth , having a locksmith rekey everything to a like key isn’t a large expense . Like an hour’s labor if you install them , and better locks cost a little more. That’s it .

 

[steveo1o9]

When I moved into my house a few years ago I replaced all the locks with new ones. I don't remember the website but I got all new schlage locks (deadbolt and knobs) and they had the option to have them all keyed the same at checkout for no additional cost. Online pricing saved me probably 20% compared to Lowes and I didn't have to deal with the unhelpful employees any longer.

 

[Pate]

Being in the lock industry I can tell you that locks come keyed alike in sets based on the wholesalers purchasing. We key locks alike if requested, but a locksmith would likely charge $10-12 per lock to rekey them. Most will do it no charge if you buy them from them.

 

[Pate]

I've always wondered how the electronic locks work for people. What I understand is that a motor pulls the bolt back and pushes it in. Maybe I insulated too well but during the winter time I have to pull or push the door to engage the deadbolt. Due to the cold temps things get tight and I can literally break a key off by trying to lock it simply by turning the key. Do you have to set the door and lock that loose to make it work or do the little motors have that much torque?

Most of the common locks don’t actually retract the bolt or latch. They lock a clutch that allows you to turn the knob/lever or deadbolt to lock and unlock it.

 

[whateg01]

I never really understood spending a fortune on the best lock for residential use, especially when there's usually a window an arm's length away. I am going to guess that most burglars aren't picking locks to break into houses, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Pate]

I never really understood spending a fortune on the best lock for residential use, especially when there's usually a window an arm's length away. I am going to guess that most burglars aren't picking locks to break into houses, but maybe I'm wrong.

I’ve never seen a break in that wasn’t from brute force in my entire locksmith career.

 

[chipper]

84 lumber will re-key as many as you need

 

[whateg01]

I’ve never seen a break in that wasn’t from brute force in my entire locksmith career.

Reminds me of the movies where a team goes to break in and the first person gets their lockpicking tools out and just as they reach for the lock, the second person kicks the door in!

 

[rlitman]

I never really understood spending a fortune on the best lock for residential use, especially when there's usually a window an arm's length away. I am going to guess that most burglars aren't picking locks to break into houses, but maybe I'm wrong.

I’ve never seen a break in that wasn’t from brute force in my entire locksmith career.

I can totally believe this. However, bump key attacks are well known to have been used by burglars.

And herein lies my problem. Let's suppose that a bump key (or bypass tool, or whatever) is used to break into my house. The police and my insurance company are going to laugh at me, and I'll be left absorbing the loss. A few extra bucks for high security locks that make the crooks break a window, and I'll have positive signs of forced entry and will be covered.

 

[drivesitfar]

RL: great post and yes I agree. I'm also going to make a steel bar across the inside of the door to avoid anybody kicking it in. that said I heard installing a dead bolt near the top really helps prevent break ins.

of course having a shotgun ready in case somebody breaks in if you are home is usually a good option.

 

[logical]

I had no problem getting all mine keyed alike, Baldwin from a big online retailer. Just click the box and done.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[driftpin]

I use Schlage at a rental and Baldwin at two other homes. The Baldwin dealer/commercial hardware and building supply keyed them all-alike in a matter of minutes.

 

[mobetta]

OP- Cheapest option is just pull all your existing hardware and bring it, along with all your keys, to the locksmith. Of course that leaves Zero locks on your house while you are away... Avoid this with a service call for a few more bucks. Or spend up on new hardware and have it keyed up how you want. even the big box store will key it if you cant find enough matching cylinders in stock.



smart locks come in both styles- where the weak *** motor is supposed to throw the latch, and where the smart box engages a clutch so the Human can throw the latch. Really they both rely on the Human to verify its latched- which I find s=doesnt really happen very often on the weak *** motor powered units.

I prefer the latter but honestly the consumer grade stuff is pretty crappy So I just use old fashioned MANUAL deadbolts......

 

[drivesitfar]

I hear a lot of talk about re keying locks to the same key which they've been doing for at least 40 years now if not longer.

I hear very little about security.

watch a couple Lockpickinglawyer and other youtube vids to see how easy it is to pick one of these locks you are spending good money RE KEYING.

i'd love to hear about some actual secure ones even if you couldn't re key them.

 

[toolmiser]

I think the better quality you get the smoother the operation is. I think you will get longer service out of good quality and they won't feel like junk every time you operate them.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I do this all day!

 

[justanengineer]

Most of the $8/hr kids at the big box stores should be able to repin 3-4 of the locksets they sell in <5 mins for free. Personally I don’t buy better (Schlage or better) locks and knobs for security, I buy them bc they look and feel better longer. I’m not a pretentious person in the least but the last thing I want is my front door or knob to look/feel like **** after a few years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PassnThru]

I do this all day!

Honest - when I posted this I actually wondered when Jeff would respond.

 

[vavet]

I've always wondered how the electronic locks work for people. What I understand is that a motor pulls the bolt back and pushes it in. Maybe I insulated too well but during the winter time I have to pull or push the door to engage the deadbolt. Due to the cold temps things get tight and I can literally break a key off by trying to lock it simply by turning the key. Do you have to set the door and lock that loose to make it work or do the little motors have that much torque?

I have a couple of these. They’re not the smart locks with WiFi connectivity, there are 4 AA batteries. I punch in a numerical code and it unlocks. On my garage door, I have to keep a little pressure on the door knob as it is locking or it will jam. There’s not a lot of torque. It tries a few times and then gives up and emits a long beep to alert you that it did not lock. I like the convenience of not having to dig out a key.

https://www.kwikset.com/products/detail/909-smartcode-traditional-electronic-deadbolt?variant=909-15

 

[jeffmoss26]

Whatever you guys buy, just make sure it is not Kwikset smartkey

 

[jsaw]

I might recommend leaving one of your doors keyed differently. I never use my front door, so it's keyed differently than all the other doors. That way if I need to give somebody a key to get in and feed my pets or something, they get the oddball key. That way when they lose it or copy it or whatever, I only have one door to re-key, lol.

Yes, I have had people both lose and copy my key. So it happens.

Yes I agree. At one time I thought that I wanted all locks keyed alike. Then we had a situation that made me glad that they were not all keyed alike.

 

[p00p]

That ex....

 

[Pate]

Yes I agree. At one time I thought that I wanted all locks keyed alike. Then we had a situation that made me glad that they were not all keyed alike.

You can still have one key for all your locks and have a 2nd key just fit one door. It’s called master keying, but not very common in residential locks. Multi family and commercial is more common.

 

[The Cobbler]

^^^ common for passing a key to house keeper etc, then if things don't work out well, you only need to rekey 1 lock

 

[PelicanPines]

Family owned an apartment complex... I'm well versed at SIMPLE rekeying locks. They sell kits that include the tools you need.

I keyed my deadbolts to use a different key from my knobs. This way... if I need to give someone a key... temporary... I give them the knob key and leave the dead bolts unlocked.

I got fancy tho... the deadbolt keys open both locks...

Check youtube on how to rekey ... it's not hard.