Lock Change and Rekeying: What’s the Difference Between Rekeying and Replacing a Lock?

Lock Change and Rekeying: What’s the Difference Between Rekeying and Replacing a Lock?

If you’ve recently moved into a new home or office, you’ll be concerned about security. If you’ve lost your keys or had them stolen, the problem is even more urgent. Equally, if you’re an employer, a disgruntled ex-employee might still have your office keys or, in a domestic context, an ex-partner might not have returned their set of keys to your home. One other scenario is all about convenience. If you have several doors and multiple locking systems, possibly including different brands, you might find it much easier to make them operable by one universal key.

The typical reaction in all of these scenarios is to have the locks changed, but although this is undoubtedly useful, it is sometimes overkill in many situations. The majority of people are unaware that rekeying is a less expensive alternative to lock replacement.

What is Rekeying a Lock?

Everyone knows what changing the locks means, but often rekeying is more than sufficient. It involves changing the internal workings of the existing lock so that an entirely different key is needed to operate it.

A skilled locksmith disassembles the lock and replaces the tumblers or key pins, which are important pieces of the mechanism. The existing configuration of pins matches the shape of the existing key, so when you alter that configuration, you use a completely different key to lock and unlock. This is naturally easiest to do when you have the original keys. If they have been lost or stolen, then the only way to open the lock is to pick it up. This would be a difficult and intricate task for someone untrained or unqualified. For the best locksmith in Toronto, it’s a routine task.

Does it Compromise Security?

When you rekey a lock, you don’t alter its level of protection. The rekeyed lock will be just as secure as before, but that doesn’t imply you’re improving its security. If you want to upgrade your defences, then rekeying isn’t the answer. In these circumstances, replacement with stronger and more sophisticated locks is the only sensible solution.

Why You Should Call the Best Locksmith in Toronto?

While it’s possible to change the simplest locks yourself—although we would still advise professional help – rekeying requires dexterity, experience and certain specialist tools. All locks are made with the facility to be rekeyed, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Some brands are designed to be rekeyed by consumers, but these are not the most reliable mechanisms, and we’d urge caution. Security is a professional business.

As the best locksmith in Toronto, it’s our policy to recommend to our customers only the work they need and no more. When we’re asked to change a lock, it would be easy simply to accept the instruction and do the job. But we believe it’s an important part of our service to give customers as much information and as many options as possible. Where we consider rekeying to be the cheapest but still effective solution, we will say so. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but it should be an informed one.

Lock Change and Rekeying: What’s the Difference Between Rekeying and Replacing a Lock?

If you've recently moved into a new home or office, you'll be concerned about security. If you've lost your keys or had them stolen, the problem is even more urgent. Equally, if you're an employer, a disgruntled ex-employee might still have your office keys or, in a domestic context, an ex-partner might not have returned their set of keys to your home. One other scenario is all about convenience. If you have several doors and multiple locking systems, possibly including different brands, you might find it much easier to make them operable by one universal key.

The typical reaction in all of these scenarios is to have the locks changed, but although this is undoubtedly useful, it is sometimes overkill in many situations. The majority of people are unaware that rekeying is a less expensive alternative to lock replacement.

What is Rekeying a Lock?

Everyone knows what changing the locks means, but often rekeying is more than sufficient. It involves changing the internal workings of the existing lock so that an entirely different key is needed to operate it.

A skilled locksmith disassembles the lock and replaces the tumblers or key pins, which are important pieces of the mechanism. The existing configuration of pins matches the shape of the existing key, so when you alter that configuration, you use a completely different key to lock and unlock. This is naturally easiest to do when you have the original keys. If they have been lost or stolen, then the only way to open the lock is to pick it up. This would be a difficult and intricate task for someone untrained or unqualified. For the best locksmith in Toronto, it's a routine task.

Does it Compromise Security?

When you rekey a lock, you don't alter its level of protection. The rekeyed lock will be just as secure as before, but that doesn't imply you're improving its security. If you want to upgrade your defences, then rekeying isn't the answer. In these circumstances, replacement with stronger and more sophisticated locks is the only sensible solution.

Why You Should Call the Best Locksmith in Toronto?

While it's possible to change the simplest locks yourself—although we would still advise professional help - rekeying requires dexterity, experience and certain specialist tools. All locks are made with the facility to be rekeyed, but that doesn't make it any easier. Some brands are designed to be rekeyed by consumers, but these are not the most reliable mechanisms, and we'd urge caution. Security is a professional business.

As the best locksmith in Toronto, it's our policy to recommend to our customers only the work they need and no more. When we're asked to change a lock, it would be easy simply to accept the instruction and do the job. But we believe it's an important part of our service to give customers as much information and as many options as possible. Where we consider rekeying to be the cheapest but still effective solution, we will say so. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but it should be an informed one.

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