There are many reasons you may want to have new car or house keys cut. Perhaps you have lost or broken your keys and don't have spares. You may also just want to have more spares to distribute amongst some family members, friends or a neighbour to save your situation in case you are ever locked out. Nevertheless, it is imperative that you get the key cutting right, and to do this, you need to know a few things about what the process entails. Most significant perhaps is that there are different ways in which keys can be cut. Understanding the various key cutting methods will help you know which one will work best for you so you can plan accordingly. Therefore, here are the top key cutting techniques you should know about.
Mechanical Key Cutting
This method, also known as manual key cutting, involves the use of manual key cutting machines such as key duplicators to produce another key. It is one of the most basic and traditional ways to make a copy of your key. Manual key cutting is usually a simple method that is often ideal for creating standard keys. The locksmith will place your original key and the blank in the machine with one on top of the other. The original key's patterns will then be traced manually on the blank until they match. While the process is usually quite simple and cheap, it can turn out to be more difficult and slightly more expensive depending on the complexity of your key, which is why this method is best for standard keys.
Laser Key Cutting
Laser key cutting is usually faster but more expensive than the manual cutting machines. Instead of the blades used on manual key cutting machines, laser cutting machines rely on lasers to cut the pattern of your original key on the blank key. Laser key cutting usually works well for car keys, especially for modern cars with locks that have a slider system to protect against try-out and bump keys.
Code Key Cutting
Code cutting may be your best or even only option if you need a new key but don't have the original. That's of course unless you want to change the entire lock, which may turn out to be more expensive. If it's your car key, the locksmith will need your vehicle's identification number, its make, model and year of manufacture to produce a new key. For your house lock, the code may be found either on the key itself or the lock.
To learn more, contact a company like Commercial Locksmiths.
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