On Jan 2, 8:33*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
It's been ages since I sold a lockset with IC capability.
Most wholesale houses have an "off brand" which is a lot
cheaper. I'd guess about $175 for a Schage key in knob
lockset wtih IC capability. Less than that for Arrow, and
noticably less for off brands. I'd have to guess a key in
knob lock about $75 for the off brand. But, that's a guess.

Titan or Kwikset Ultramax would provide much the same
convenience, and a bit less cost. A good locksmith can
master key a bunch of locks, provide you with tenant keys.
And also a core remover key. And some instruction.

Many locksmiths do accumulate cut keys when buying locks to
make master key systems. Most of the cut keys I accumulate,
I sell later, when rekeying houses or business.

Yes, it's often possible to decode the key depths, and cut
another key on a code cutter machine. I've done that, for
example a friend whose truck key didn't work right. I
decoded the key, and cut it back to factory specs.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org


Unless of course the locksmith in question is hardcore and not
interested in accumulating tons of scrap metal in the form of
manufacturer randomly pre-cut keys and orders all their locks
zero-bitted to originate their own keys for at the time of sale...

Less waste, each lock comes with two 0-cut keys which can
then be cut to the new bitting on a code machine... I mean
if you are going to have to disassemble each lock to rekey it
anyway why not start with zero-bitting so you can reuse the
included keys rather than tossing them aside and letting them
pile up somewhere...

I wouldn't recommend master keying Kwikset locks... And
the "removeable core" types like the Ultramax are just a
gimmick... If you need someone to do all the work for you,
install a commercial quality Interchangeable Core system
rather than residential grade crap...

One thing you are forgetting when you are quoting the
approximate prices for IC locks is that they usually come
without a core which is an additional price... Plus someone
installing such a lock would need to invest in spare cores
and keys for when they wish to change the locks... All of
that costs more initially than a standard lock...

How often does this person foresee needing to change their
locks ? If it is frequently then the ROI on purchasing a pin
kit, a blue punch key machine for their type of lock and
some blank keys would allow for them to key their locks
anyway they want without having to pay for a locksmith's
services (which Ultramax locks do not do, as you just
eliminate the emergent need for the service, however you
still pay for some work on the part of a locksmith)...

~~ Evan