Newbie Questions on Kwikset

[Rusty Shackleford]

As a newbie to lockpicking in general and especially these forums I have a few questions that I hope someone can shed some light on

We were told that the kwikset locks in our newly constructed home would "reset" once we used our keys, so that the keys the construction crews had been using would no longer function. Is this possible? I understand how master keys work, but I'm not understanding how a lock can be set to disable one key set when the other is used.

Once I had replacements for the locks, I tried to pick them and succeeded after about 3 seconds. (I had no idea how bad Kwikset locks are). All locks that I picked had one odd thing happen though: our keys now only fit into the keyways about 80 percent of the way. I removed all pins and springs and still, the keys won't go all the way in. No picks/wrenches were damaged in the process of picking the locks. Any ideas what would cause this odd side effect?

Thx in advance for any insight

[fixer]

The locks are 'construction keyed'.

If you take the lock to pieces and remove the core, you will find some small ball bearings in small depressions next to the chambers.

When the construction key is inserted, the balls are in the core and turn with the key. When the homeowner key is used, the balls are in the upper chamber with the drivers and fall into the depressions as you turn the key.

The biggest problem with this system is that the construction crew sometimes install the locks upside down. Now the balls can fall out of the depressions and start siezing up the lock.

You may also have a problem with the tollerances of these cheap locks. When I re-key locks for customers, I have to adjust the pin lengths to make the key work smoothly. These poor tollerances are also the reason we are able to pick locks.

Since this is a new home, you should complain to the builder that the locks are not working correctly and get them to resolve the situation. After all, if your sink or toilet wasn't working or there was a hole in the wall, you would call them back in to repair it, so why not do it with the locks. Now when they send in a local locksmith, you have a chance to have a chat with him/her and see if they have any old locks for you to practice with.