Kwickset SmartKey: How to Pick

[scriptguru]

guys, what do you think of this variant of the SmartKey lock?
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/collect ... ish/903321

It looks like it uses better materials, and it is ANSI 1 Grade certified.

[LocksmithArmy]

These locks have been around in the U.S. since 1978, sold under the name "U-Change".

what on earth are you talking about...
yes U-change IS a rekeyable lock... that is the ONLY similarity...
the almont is a rekeyable padlock...and old as heck... but that does not make it a smartkey...

smartkey is a revolutionary design... and would be a great lock if it wernt made from such crappy materials. it is NOTHING like the pre existing rekeyable locks.

[LocksmithArmy]

guys, what do you think of this variant of the SmartKey lock?
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/collect ... ish/903321

It looks like it uses better materials, and it is ANSI 1 Grade certified.

the deadbolt is ANSI Grade 1... the cylinder is just a regular smartkey...

[Eyes_Only]

The cylinder is ANSI Grade 1. Absolutely Not Safe and Inadequate.

[scriptguru]

"Not safe and inadequate" even though it is much harder to pick (and impossible to bump) than any pin tumbler?
As for damaging methods of entry, it is still easier to kick the door or break window than drill/break a lock.

[deception]

"Not safe and inadequate" even though it is much harder to pick (and impossible to bump) than any pin tumbler?
As for damaging methods of entry, it is still easier to kick the door or break window than drill/break a lock.

Really? Wieser isn't terribly hard to pick? It's not kwikset easy, but it's not anything special.

[Eyes_Only]

"Not safe and inadequate" even though it is much harder to pick (and impossible to bump) than any pin tumbler?
As for damaging methods of entry, it is still easier to kick the door or break window than drill/break a lock.

I said "safe". I'm not debating the secure part because it is difficult to pick. But the security it offers is pretty inadequate since there are much eaiser and "cleaner" ways of getting around these locks without having to do something as extreme like drilling or kicking down the door.

[camelgd]

Hi guys (and gals?),
Sorry I'm late to the party on this, but better late than never. I piddled around with a few different methods of picking the Smartkey and came to the conlusion that for in the field, picking one wafer at a time is not consistant enough.(piddling is advanced locksmithing term, I guess I shouldn't have used it in this forum!). I dug out and dusted off my Compton picks, Reed picks for some of you not that old, and rocker picks for you young fellers. Originally designed for GM sidebar locks, they are a set of 13 single sided rocker picks. They work. Simple as that. I used them without a tension wrench, flipping them back and forth using the thumb and forefinger, while adjusting the up and down position a little on each flip. 4th pick and less than two minutes for the first key setup, and 5th pick and a little more than3 minutes the second setup. I spent a little more time with each pick on the second one. I can't wait to try them in the field on this lock, I have been using bypasses that I felt a little uneasy about doing in front of customers.
I would recommend where to get them but I honestly don't know. Maybe some of you other guys have some resources that I don't have or know about. What I don't know could fill the Grand Canyon and still require sideboards to hold the overflow.
camelgd

[Couloirman]

Wow. Great thread, thanks for it! I had a doosy of a time picking one of these the other day. The plug was so loose it would turn an eigth of a turn before locking up any pins and felt borderline impossible to pick. I ended up bypassing the lock and just using a stiff piece of paper to open the latch but after seeing this thread I think I'll pick one of these up off amazon and see if I can do any better with it at home.

[cledry]

Hello All,

Well, im just a guy who managed to screw up the re-keying process and couldnt use my deadbolt any more. Luckily I stumbled upon this thread and learned quite a lot from you folks. Unfortunately non of you directly showed how to fix this problem, but I was able to figure most of it out from the photos and info you all provided. So I will give some instructions just in case someone like myself finds this thread again.

First off, I dont have my camera with me (at least one that is working), so i'm using Datagram's photos that he posted on this thread for reference, so I hope he doesnt mind.
Instructions:
1. You screwed up your deadbolt programming process and now none of your keys work on it. i.e. you can't turn the deadbolt any more with a key.

2. Take it all apart and remove the cylinder from its metal enclosure. You will have to remove a black "U" type pin which is holding it in place.

3. Insert your key fully that you want to use on this lock. http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq10 ... 4/Pic1.png

4. Now that its all opened up you can see the wafer jacket and side bar. Chances are the sidebar, a spring, and a bearing fell out on you. Don't worry, its easy to put back in.
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq10 ... 4/Pic2.png

5. You will have to remove the wafer jacket from the cylinder. There is nothing holding it in place, so gently pick it up straight off the cylinder. You may or may not remove some or all of the wafers as they may stick to the wafer jacket. There are 5 wafers in total.
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq10 ... 4/Pic3.png

6. Now that you have the wafer jacket off, make sure the key you want to use is inserted fully. Now take all the wafers and make sure you place them in the grooves of the wafer jacket such that the wafer "U" notches are aligned with the indented groove along the length of the wafer jacket. This long indented groove will fit directly over the raised lock guide groove of the main cylinder which will allow it to move side to side. I dont have a pic of this unfortunately.

7. Carefully put the wafer jacket back onto the main cylinder with the wafers attached to it. Then carefully replace the side bar and the spring and the bearing and replace the cylinder body on to the main cylinder. When you have the cover 60% of the way back on and the bearing and sidebar are mostly covered turn the key 90 degrees clockwise. Then you will be able to insert the cover the rest of the way.

8. Reassemble the rest of the clips and brackets and your done.

I hope this helps someone in my situation and thanks to everyone in this thread with your info and pics. They saved me a shed load of problems on a Sunday evening.

Andrew

Kwikset makes an inexpensive reset tool that takes a couple of seconds to reset the lock.

[tc 5625]

Hello,
New to locksmithing but have a great opertunity with apprenticeship and looking forward to being a great lock smith one day. I am also new to the fourm so bear with me here. My question is has any one used the destruction over powering tools like shown in this video with any sucess? I have purchased a smart key lock and taken it apart and played with it but the Youtube videos of over powering the lock like this and with screwdrivers have not worked for me any help here? I have only defeted lock when keys are not present by drilling out side bar.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF4wbyJ5uLk

[brosskgm]

Some how I just posted on the wrong list. Not sure how it took me to that one.

I have a crazy, dumb question. I've started to notice an increase of people locking them selves out of their smart key lock.
I have the tumbler reset and it works fine, but I have also be asked lately to re-key them for people. Ok, no problem there
until I was told they use a different Kwikset key.

The question, How do you tell the difference between a Smart key and a regular Kwikset key used for re-keying?

I can't tell the difference. The ones sent to me that are suppose to be Kwikset smart key doesn't have any different markings or cuts than the regular Kwikset keys I use now for re-keying.

Thanks
Bob

[TomJrzk]

Thanks guys, this was a great help.

My wife messed up the programming and we ended up with the cylinder set to half of one key and half of another. We bought a $20 reset "barrel" from amazon and were able to set it back to one of our keys. That, however, was only after I found the pictures in this thread since, when pulling out the key after the reset, I pulled the innards out of the sleeve and pieces fell everywhere. My sidebar and one of the springs are a bit different but nothing too confusing.

I have programmable locks because my intermittently disgruntled step-son "lost" his key to our home and his very disgruntled father with many guns is rather scary. Whenever we leave the house and need him to get back in by himself, we program one of the locks to his key. Then we set it back to our key, which he has never possessed. I have a third set that I will program once we're on our own.

[dll932]

u change its were notoriously easy to goof during a change. I took them out whenever I could and put in interchangeable core.

[dll932]

Some how I just posted on the wrong list. Not sure how it took me to that one.

I have a crazy, dumb question. I've started to notice an increase of people locking them selves out of their smart key lock.
I have the tumbler reset and it works fine, but I have also be asked lately to re-key them for people. Ok, no problem there
until I was told they use a different Kwikset key.

The question, How do you tell the difference between a Smart key and a regular Kwikset key used for re-keying?

I can't tell the difference. The ones sent to me that are suppose to be Kwikset smart key doesn't have any different markings or cuts than the regular Kwikset keys I use now for re-keying.

Thanks
Bob

I doubt there is any difference, but your friends may be using worn or improperly copied keys.