Specialty Products Pinning Kits?

[1mrchristopher]

Has anyone used the Specialty products pinning kits? I have a Lab .003 professional that I use for most things, but master keying in Schlage always seems to work better with actual Schlage style pins, and the Specialty Products Schlage kit is an order of magnitude less expensive than the Lab. There's probably a reason for that, but I thought I'd get some input.

[Sinifar]

It should not make any difference if you use factory pins, or after market. Lab or Zipf pins will work just as well as any other. If you are having problems getting your MK work to roll like factory, you need to look at how you are generating the original and duplicate keys. If you are not making your original keys on a HPC 1200 or equivalent, a Framon FRA 2, or one of the punches, then your MK work will have clicks and binds in it due to tolerances walking.

We also make all of our change keys, the whole stack of them as originals for the same reason. The roll like glass. As an OEM custom pin shop we work with and load out about 800 cylinders a month, and thousands of keys. All work like they came out of the factory.

Specialty Products, like Lab is just another pin and keying kit maker. Just for you to KNOW - LAB makes the pins for most manufacturers.

SInifar

[Dan82]

I have one of those! Its a lot easier to read the pin sizes than the LAB kit.

[1mrchristopher]

Thanks for the info. I have a duplicator, but I only turn it on every once in a while, and mostly to make sure that it's still in working condition, everything else is cut on a 1200.

[billdeserthills]

Has anyone used the Specialty products pinning kits? I have a Lab .003 professional that I use for most things, but master keying in Schlage always seems to work better with actual Schlage style pins, and the Specialty Products Schlage kit is an order of magnitude less expensive than the Lab. There's probably a reason for that, but I thought I'd get some input.

If you like the actual Schlage bottom pins better, why not just start refilling your .003 kit with real schlage pins in the schlage sizes, instead of the lab pins? Gotta be cheaper than buying another pin kit plus you'll save room in your van.

[1mrchristopher]

That would have been a good thought. It isn't anything against Lab manufactured pins, it's the feel of the universal pins in a Schlage cylinder vs. Schlage spec. pins, especially when master pinning. I ended up buying a Specialty Products kit, it's Schlage & Kwikset both in one box, and while it is one more thing in the van, it doesn't take up much room. I looked at the Lab Schlage kit and this was about half the cost. I'll probably refill it with Lab though, because that's what's easy to get direct from any of the suppliers I am on account with.

[cledry]

The main problem I have with using Lab universal pins is in systems that do not use depths that directly correlate to a Lab depth. This is mainly an issue with masterkeyed systems. By the time you put a bottom pin that might be a thousandth off and then add a top pin that might also be a thousandth off, then multiply that possible by 6 pin stacks there can be issues even when code cutting the keys. Now if that customer goes and gets a duplicate that may be within tolerances but might be on an aftermarket blank or the + or - tolerance compounds what we already have in our pin stack then we have issues.

Of course we cannot guarantee these duplicates but often the customer will use these keys which in turn prematurely wears the pins in the lock which we do warranty.

Therefore I prefer to use NS original or OEM spec pins on new MK systems. I have especially noted improved performance and life in Yale, Sargent and Corbin/Russwin systems. More so with Sargent and Corbin LFIC cylinders.

The downside is these pins aren't cheap, so when we design a system we will know how many of each depth approx we will need. We buy enough plus a bit of spare for the job, and we charge extra for the original pins.