Rekeying locks is expensive and time-consuming — and that’s if you don’t hire a locksmith. Losing master keys to your business, college, or apartment complex is even worse.
Take, for example, the College of William and Mary. The school spent more than $500,000 on replacing cores and setting up a digital master key access system after one set of master keys went missing.
But is replacing all your lock cylinders the only way to go? Is there a better answer to rekeying your locks?
Keep reading to find out how user-rekeyable lock cylinders can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.
A Little About Interchangeable Core Locks
The interchangeable core lock cylinder revolutionized the way businesses and organizations handle keyholder responsibilities. Although, the interchangeable core does have some drawbacks.
Not all companies’ cores will fit into other companies locks and you generally need to be trained to remove the lock core or change the pin configuration. Even though the technology goes back as far as 1919 with the Best Universal Lock Company, not much has, ironically, changed.
It’s excellent for a master key system. But as you can see with the College of William and Mary, as an organization grows, so does the complexity of their master key system. Complexity and expertise equal cost.
A Better Alternative to Changing Lock Cylinders
A user-rekeyable lock system allows you to change a pin configuration to a new premade set of keys without the help of a professional.
For your existing pin configuration, there’s a special key made to capture the pin(s) you would like to change out. This key is called a step key. Any time there’s a loss or theft of a key or a change in personnel, an organization need only move to the next step.
Generally, a rekey package is opened with your new set of keys to hand out and the step key matching your current configuration.
After inserting the step key, you turn the key 180° and then back to the start. As you pull the key out, a brass pin wafer will be ejected along with the key.
Next, insert your old key to check it no longer works. Insert one of the new keys to test the new door lock cylinder configuration. After the test, you’re finished.
All you have to do is collect the old keys.
Where You Can Use the System
This system will revolutionize the organizational lock system yet again. We knew it was too expensive to replace whole locks, which is why we only started replacing cylinders. Now we’re replacing pins.
This system can get used in all the same places that an interchangeable core (IC) lock is typically used, including a storage cylinder lock like secure filing cabinets or drawers.
Ditch the Locksmith
No need to replace your lock cylinders anymore. Get rid of your IC lock system and replace it with a user-rekeyable lock cylinder. It won’t be free, but the cost savings will be worth it for years to come.
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