A re-keying guide by your local York Locksmith

This article will help our customers decide whether their locks should be replaced or re-keyed. And while it is impossible to cover every aspect of lock re-keying, hopefully, after reading this guide, consumers will have the knowledge necessary to determine if lock replacement or lock re-keying is appropriate for their needs.

What is lock re-keying? Simply put lock re-keying is changing the internal pins, discs or wafers so that a new key will operate an existing lock. This new key will have a different biting (cut pattern) then the old key. Once re-keyed the old key will no longer work in the lock. It is necessary to replace the lock cylinder (the small part that the key actually fits into) when re-keying dis-similar locks, i.e. you can not re-key a Kwik Set lock and a Schlage lock so that one key will work both locks without changing the keyway cylinder because the new key has to be able to fit into both locks.

The following factors list when re-keying is appropriate and when is it not:

1. The lock operates fine but there is a worry that others may have a copy of the operating key. We recommend re-keying for these situations.
2. You have multiple locks on your home or business and the locks all have different keys and you want one key to operate the multiple locks, we recommend having the locks re-keyed rather then replaced. (The locks must have the same keyway for re-keying to work, meaning the key will fit into the lock even though it won’t turn it. If the key for one lock will not fit into the other lock(s) then the locks will need to have new cylinders installed.)
3. Remember re-keying will only work if the same key fits into the keyway of all the locks. Otherwise new cylinders will need to be installed.
4. If your locks are old, worn, damaged, hard to operate, or of low quality we recommend replacing your locks. The new locks can be keyed the same if desired.
5. If you are upgrading to restricted key locks, for example Schlage Primus, we only recommend re-keying if the lock housing is rated high security as well, even though new restricted key cylinders are available to fit many popular lock housings. There is no point in investing in high security keys and cylinders if the lock housing is of inferior quality.

The benefits of re-keying:

1. Re-keying saves money versus replacing an entire lock.
2. Re-keying adds convenience in that one key will operate multiple locks.
3. Re-keying ensures the security of a lock if others may have had access to your key.

The drawbacks of re-keying:

1. Re-keying only works if the same key fits in all the locks.
2. Re-keying does not fix broken locks.
3. Re-keying will not turn a low quality lock into a high quality lock.