Re-Keying Locks?

[FarmerPete]

I bought a house a year and a half ago, and I never re-keyed the locks after buying the house. I had been thinking about it for a bit, but I never had the drive to do it (whats the point? Isn't that what insurance is for???). So, last night my doorknob on the front door broke (It's unrepairable), and it needs to be totally replaced. I'm not 100% sure about how the key part of the doorknob works, and maybe I can somehow retain the key pattern on the new lock, but I doubt it. Since I want all of my locks to match, I've started thinking about re-keying all of my doors (or replacing all of the hardware with a matched set). I've got four knobs and two deadbolts. One of the deadbolts (the one inside my garage) has a keypad which I find convenient.

So I guess what I'm wondering is, Is it worth re-keying your house? The problem is, when I do something, I like to do it right. I find it much easier to justify spending the cash if I get an upgrade in the process. Is there any good way to up the security of my door locks? Should I look for a bump-resistant system? I know I'll never stop a dedicated thief, but I would hate to spend a bunch of money on keying my house just so some dick with a bump key can get in faster than I can with a bag of groceries in my arms. I'm not looking for the best security money can buy. I'd be fine with enough security to make the thief move on to the next house.

I see this question has been asked on many do-it-yourself type forums, but they focus on protection from the builders/previous residents. I'm more worried about the million people in Michigan who are jobless and running out of cash. I guess I figured it would probably be wiser to ask people with experience opening locks without the original keys.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

if you want to re-key to simply a different pattern (what is specifically called the "bitting" of the key) this is typically possible on a basic pin-tumbler lock for about $3 in parts.

the tricky part is... those parts are small pins which only tend to be available as part of a larger "pin kit" which can run you a hundred dollars or more, heh. so a bit of a catch-22 there. also the labor involved would be not insignificant.

a locksmith should be able to take your old lock and replace it or re-key it with a new one matching your current house key for about $30 to $40. (figure a few dollars more if you're buying a whole new lock and not just replacing the pins of an old one)

of course, this is assuming you have a "basic" no frills type of key profile... a Kwikset or a Schlage is the most common in north america. is this the style of your lock? do you have just a basic "blade" key or something else? if a basic key... is the head (also sometimes called the "bow") of your key this shape? what about this shape?

we can easily point you in some good directions, with a little more info. if you'd like to post a photo of the lock itself, that could help. heh, just don't post any photos of your key... people can make duplicates of it merely by seeing the image on a screen in many instances.

[FarmerPete]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

All of my locks are Weiser brands. My key looks more like this. I'll throw up a picture of the lock when I get home.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

All of my locks are Weiser brands. My key looks more like this. I'll throw up a picture of the lock when I get home.

still, not likely to be a problem. that's a typical pin tumbler. if you save the old parts you could re-key your new lock with ease.

in fact, heh... you coming to shmoocon? we would help you do it yourself right there in the lockpick village.

[FarmerPete]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

Unfortunately, I've been so busy at work, I didn't even get a chance to think about Shmoocon until after the registration was already closed. I'm pretty good at figuring stuff out. I thought I could rekey a new lock with the old tumblers, but I wasn't sure. I guess that still leaves the question of whether it is worth it or not to try and upgrade the locks in my house though.

[0x58]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

The question becomes, how secure is the rest of your house? Putting a $100 lock on a door that has drywall that can easily be punched through next to it is not worth the money.

My front door has glass next to it, easy to just break the glass and unlock the door. Not worth an expensive lock. Locks to me are just things to keep the honest people honest. If people wanted to enter a house there is most of the time no reason to go through the front door to accomplish it :P.

[FarmerPete]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

I'm not trying to protect Fort Knox, I'm just trying to make it require a bit more to break into. I understand that just like all things, there is no security guarantee. However, If you try to pick my lock, you're going to look a bit conspicuous. Maybe someone will see you or maybe they wont. I bet you could use a bump key while having a conversation with the mailman, and he wouldn't suspect anything was wrong. All of the rest of my external doors have a monstrous slide bolt lock (Only openable from the inside), and anything short of a considerable amount of brute force isn't going to open them. So really, I could probably get away with only replacing two or three locks.

[Thorn]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

The question becomes, how secure is the rest of your house? Putting a $100 lock on a door that has drywall that can easily be punched through next to it is not worth the money.

My front door has glass next to it, easy to just break the glass and unlock the door. Not worth an expensive lock. Locks to me are just things to keep the honest people honest. If people wanted to enter a house there is most of the time no reason to go through the front door to accomplish it :P.

Your logic is understood, but burglars don't follow it. They tend to prefer going through doors.

From an oft repeated survey, reportedly done several years ago in Pennsylvania:
34 percent of burglars entered through the front door;
23 percent through a first-floor window;
22 percent through the back door;
9 percent through the garage;
4 percent entered through a basement;
4 percent through an unlocked entrance;
2 percent through a storage area;
2 percent entered anywhere on the second floor.

So statistically about 55% will only go through a door, and my personal experience is that it may be closer to 75%. If you secure the doors, you're already halfway there.

[FarmerPete]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

Well, what do people thing about going with BiLock Deadbolt and BiLock doorknobs? Are they good value? Is there something better or more cost effective? It looks like for two deadbolts and three knobs it would cost me roughly $600. I don't plan on replacing two of my knobs, and I'm still not sure how to handle the electronic deadbolt inside my garage.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

Well, what do people thing about going with BiLock Deadbolt and BiLock doorknobs? Are they good value? Is there something better or more cost effective? It looks like for two deadbolts and three knobs it would cost me roughly $600. I don't plan on replacing two of my knobs, and I'm still not sure how to handle the electronic deadbolt inside my garage.

BiLocks are very good.

I know of some fellows who have replaced their Schlage Pro-grade padlock cores with BiLock cores... a very inexpensive way of making a rugged yet highly-secure lock. Steve, one of the guys who ran the Lockpick Village with us at ShmooCon, uses them on the storage lockers in the bed of his truck, i believe.

[scorche]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

If you are serious about getting BiLocks (and they are quite nifty locks), might I suggest you look at getting them from here? https://securitysnobs.com/BiLock/ This is a recent startup by some locksport friends who also help out in lockpick village. Might as well help support friends and perhaps you can even save money. ;)

(sorry for the shameless plug, but if it is any consolation, I am not one of the owners of the site)

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

suggest you look at getting them from here? https://securitysnobs.com/BiLock/

i'm happy that mitch and others partnered with Han Fey in order to offer Abloy hardware and other items that you simply can't get over here in the states otherwise.

what i'm really dying to know is whether or not the BiLock or Protec KIK retrofit cores can be worked into S&G padlocks. the price on their web site for the 833 is just fucking stupid, but if i can get a line on some of them more cheaply, i'd LOVE to drop in one of those cores for maximum badassery.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

OT: I'm still tripping out that the locks on Denver parking meters are Abloy. Most locksmiths here that I have talked to have never even heard of them.

i'm happy that mitch and others partnered with Han Fey in order to offer Abloy hardware and other items that you simply can't get over here in the states otherwise..

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

OT: I'm still tripping out that the locks on Denver parking meters are Abloy. Most locksmiths here that I have talked to have never even heard of them.

photo, perhaps? are they modern Abus/Abloy (rectangular, or at the very least, symmetrical keyway) or are they Abloy Classic (half-moon / half-circle shaped keyway?)

[bascule]

Re: Re-Keying Locks?

I bought a house a year and a half ago, and I never re-keyed the locks after buying the house. I had been thinking about it for a bit, but I never had the drive to do it (whats the point? Isn't that what insurance is for???).

*boggle*

I bought a dedicated server a year and a half ago, and never changed the changed the passwords after buying the box. I had been thinking about it for a bit, but I never had the drive to do it (what's the point? Isn't that what backups are for???).

</facetious>