Change Keys

[Relic]

I have been looking to buy a set of change keys.
They will not see much use but will be nice to have when I need them.
So far I have looked at a couple Keedex sets, seems like the rolls-royce of change keys, expensive.
HPC world has an assortment of individual keys, at this stage I think I will go this route.

What is a good price per key? Are there any other manufacturers I should look at?

[Squelchtone]

[EDIT: Moved from This Old Safe to Locksmith Supplies]

[2octops]

It depends on what you are working on and what you see most often.

Many can get away with just a standard Lagard, S&G and Mosler, while others need much, much more than that. They come with new locks when you buy them or you can pick them up for a reasonable price on Ebay.

The Keedex K-18 set is a handy tool to have in your bag and pays for itself in it's first use. You do NOT need the GSA set unless you are working on GSA containers.

[billdeserthills]

I have been looking to buy a set of change keys.
They will not see much use but will be nice to have when I need them.
So far I have looked at a couple Keedex sets, seems like the rolls-royce of change keys, expensive.
HPC world has an assortment of individual keys, at this stage I think I will go this route.

What is a good price per key? Are there any other manufacturers I should look at?

That Keedex set is cheap if You compare them to anybody else's change keys & You get quite a few different keys in their set too
If You think that is high, You might not be cut out for doing safe work...

[billdeserthills]

I just saw a Keedex #18 set of change keys on Ebay, only $59.95 and that includes shipping
ebay# 331512249202

[cledry]

I prefer individual keys instead of the Keedex set. I have about 8 or 9 keys that have done every safe I have worked on in 30+ years.

[billdeserthills]

I prefer individual keys instead of the Keedex set. I have about 8 or 9 keys that have done every safe I have worked on in 30+ years.

You could unscrew the two screws, throw away like 11 of the change keys and hang the rest from a shoelace

and that would still cost less than buying 8 or 9 change keys from the manufacturer and figure out a way to keep them altogether
in a very small, very convenient little package.

[cledry]

I prefer individual keys instead of the Keedex set. I have about 8 or 9 keys that have done every safe I have worked on in 30+ years.

You could unscrew the two screws, throw away like 11 of the change keys and hang the rest from a shoelace

and that would still cost less than buying 8 or 9 change keys from the manufacturer and figure out a way to keep them altogether
in a very small, very convenient little package.

Yeah perhaps, but I have a zippered pick case for the safe change keys and they cost me nothing or a few dollars at most. Most came with locks or safes I sold. I do see the ridiculous prices people are charging for them these days. They used to cost about $4-$5 now I see people online asking $25 for the same individual key.

[Relic]

Thanks for the comments, I do like the keedex just a big expense for taking care of friends and family. This is not my day job.

Surprised there is not an overseas knock-off available that would be suitable for occasional use.

[cheerIO]

Thanks for the comments, I do like the keedex just a big expense for taking care of friends and family. This is not my day job.

I'm curious, how often does changing a dial safe combo come up in friends and family situations?

If you want to be prepared, just find out what dials all your friends and family safes have. Then go to ebay and buy some used dials that have change keys included. Most common ones you can find for $40-60. Then you can mount them up and practice using them and practice changing the combos.

$60.00 for the keedex kit isn't bad if you run across a lot of safes. But as a hobbiest, who needs all those?

Personally I haven't seen many safes. And the ones I have seen are S&G or variants. The one that I was asked to change a combo on was kind of like a 6730 but everything was backwards and the wheels were on the back plate. I couldn't insert the tool from the back to change it in the conventional manner. It took some finagling with the cover on an off to get it done. If I hadn't had a lock to practice with, I wouldn't have had an understanding of how to get it done.

[Relic]

Ya, the ebay one is pretty reasonable at $60. Much better than the $160 I was quoted for a new one.

[billdeserthills]

Ya, the ebay one is pretty reasonable at $60. Much better than the $160 I was quoted for a new one.

Somebody was pulling Your chain, they retail for $80 +shipping

[Relic]

Ya, the ebay one is pretty reasonable at $60. Much better than the $160 I was quoted for a new one.

Somebody was pulling Your chain, they retail for $80 +shipping

I did some online searches... found a place listing for $90 but not $80 yet.
Either way that is getting to a more reasonable price for me. Thanks

[billdeserthills]

Ya, the ebay one is pretty reasonable at $60. Much better than the $160 I was quoted for a new one.

Somebody was pulling Your chain, they retail for $80 +shipping

I did some online searches... found a place listing for $90 but not $80 yet.
Either way that is getting to a more reasonable price for me. Thanks

Dood Why pay $80?
The same set is still on e-bay & nobody has put in a bid yet, so the are still under $60
ebay item#361262404029