Active keyways

[dll932]

I guess we are back to a variation of " locks keep honest people honest". My rough math: 16k to 150k pin combinations. About 12 to 18 major lock brands. I guess it is not that likely anyone's circle is likely to include any "accidental" lock openings.

I was just surprised how many keyways in that catalog.

I would worry how many keyed alike locksets Home Depot sold their neighbors.

People should be more concerned about getting their new house that is construction keyed changed and the master pins dumped out as soon as they move in. A set of 5 keys will open any lock in a new neighborhood that hasn't been rekeyed.

Out here in Arizona one key can often work all the houses in an entire subdivision.
Years ago when I was having a slow day, while rekeying a client's house in a big subdivision,
I went ahead and made a master key from the pins in one of his locks. Then I went up & down
the block, knocking on doors, asking permission to try 'my' master key in homes--It fit everybody's
locks, everyone who had not rekeyed their homes, that is...

I wound up riling up all the neighbors in the community & they all swore they'd make that evil builder pay to change their
locks & I never heard from any of them again. I also didn't wind up drumming up any extra business that day, either

Far as the home centers selling 'keyed alike' locks, they are only keyed alike in groups of 4--Nothing like you're thinking

We used to set up and ship CASES of Kwikset 400's to a company that repoed GI takeback homes...all on one key. I cut one for myself to take on the road. Saved me a fair amount of time opening houses.

I have seen it where a whole case worth of locks at Home Cheapo are KA.

[dll932]

Regarding the OP, it is probably something like the Pareto rule--20% of the blanks by part number are 80% of the ones sold each day. Could even be 5% of blanks are 95% of sales, but someone with a locksmith shop would be able to say for sure.

If you do a web search, Ilco put out a list of the top 100 selling blanks several years ago. Also, some vendors sell top 50 (or 100, or whatever) sets of residential or commercial keys, you could get one of those lists to get an idea of what the more common blanks are. Of course it varies by region, and even within neighborhoods.

One reason for the proliferation of blanks is that some blanks fit into a hierarchy of key ways to prevent cross-keying in large masterkey projects. So even if two change keys were cut the same, they would only work on their own locks because they could only be inserted into their keyways, yet one masterkey could go into both locks. Corbin-Russwin, Best, Sargent, and Schlage (and others?) did a lot of that. So instead of one key blank there are a dozen or more instead.

The Ilco catalog carries blanks that go back maybe 120 years. Many you will never see, some you will depending on where you are. The last shop I worked in, we cut a lot of Sargent older series, because there was a community near us that was built 90 odd years ago with all Sargent locks.

To me, part of the trade is learning what you can substitute or modify. Y11 fits a LOT of locks, for instance. I used to carry an assortment of smaller blanks composed of popular blanks from Yale, Chicago, Corbin and National that would fit into most desk and cabinet locks.

[gumptrick]

Regarding the OP, it is probably something like the Pareto rule--20% of the blanks by part number are 80% of the ones sold each day. Could even be 5% of blanks are 95% of sales, but someone with a locksmith shop would be able to say for sure.

That is certainly true! From what I remember from my old job I'd say our key duplication was 90% KW1, SC1, and three car keys whose designations I no longer remember (the single-sided GM key, and dual sided for Ford and Toyota). Even among those the KW1 was by far the biggest seller.

[jeffmoss26]

Regarding the OP, it is probably something like the Pareto rule--20% of the blanks by part number are 80% of the ones sold each day. Could even be 5% of blanks are 95% of sales, but someone with a locksmith shop would be able to say for sure.

If you do a web search, Ilco put out a list of the top 100 selling blanks several years ago. Also, some vendors sell top 50 (or 100, or whatever) sets of residential or commercial keys, you could get one of those lists to get an idea of what the more common blanks are. Of course it varies by region, and even within neighborhoods.

One reason for the proliferation of blanks is that some blanks fit into a hierarchy of key ways to prevent cross-keying in large masterkey projects. So even if two change keys were cut the same, they would only work on their own locks because they could only be inserted into their keyways, yet one masterkey could go into both locks. Corbin-Russwin, Best, Sargent, and Schlage (and others?) did a lot of that. So instead of one key blank there are a dozen or more instead.

The Ilco catalog carries blanks that go back maybe 120 years. Many you will never see, some you will depending on where you are. The last shop I worked in, we cut a lot of Sargent older series, because there was a community near us that was built 90 odd years ago with all Sargent locks.

To me, part of the trade is learning what you can substitute or modify. Y11 fits a LOT of locks, for instance. I used to carry an assortment of smaller blanks composed of popular blanks from Yale, Chicago, Corbin and National that would fit into most desk and cabinet locks.

Pretty sure most of those Sargent blanks are still collecting dust

[cledry]

As she left she turned and said, "I learned something today; I never knew locksmith shops cut keys". This wasn't a young woman, she was in her 40s or 50s!

Amazing. Did you happen to ask her what she thought a locksmith did?

Sometimes I get people who really have no idea what a locksmith does. They have never called one or gone to a shop. Everyone seems to know that a locksmith exists as a profession, but some people really seem not to understand why they exist.

Fascinating.

I get a few calls that are like, "excuse me but do you come out or do I bring the doors to you?"

I get people that come in and ask, "how's business?" I tell them we are super busy. Then they will be like, "lots of people locked out of cars?" I would reply, probably but we mostly do commercial work, so I explain that we do access control, door operators, delayed egress, and things like that. They really seem amazed as though to them a locksmith only opens cars.

[billdeserthills]

As she left she turned and said, "I learned something today; I never knew locksmith shops cut keys". This wasn't a young woman, she was in her 40s or 50s!

Amazing. Did you happen to ask her what she thought a locksmith did?

Sometimes I get people who really have no idea what a locksmith does. They have never called one or gone to a shop. Everyone seems to know that a locksmith exists as a profession, but some people really seem not to understand why they exist.

Fascinating.

In most of the TV shows and movies I see, a locksmith is usually portrayed as a tinker--
some kinda glorified handyman, I guess -

[billdeserthills]

[="Lelandwelds"]I guess we are back to a variation of " locks keep honest people honest". My rough math: 16k to 150k pin combinations. About 12 to 18 major lock brands. I guess it is not that likely anyone's circle is likely to include any "accidental" lock openings.

I was just surprised how many keyways in that catalog.

I would worry how many keyed alike locksets Home Depot sold their neighbors.

People should be more concerned about getting their new house that is construction keyed changed and the master pins dumped out as soon as they move in. A set of 5 keys will open any lock in a new neighborhood that hasn't been rekeyed.

Out here in Arizona one key can often work all the houses in an entire subdivision.
Years ago when I was having a slow day, while rekeying a client's house in a big subdivision,
I went ahead and made a master key from the pins in one of his locks. Then I went up & down
the block, knocking on doors, asking permission to try 'my' master key in homes--It fit everybody's
locks, everyone who had not rekeyed their homes, that is...

I wound up riling up all the neighbors in the community & they all swore they'd make that evil builder pay to change their
locks & I never heard from any of them again. I also didn't wind up drumming up any extra business that day, either

Far as the home centers selling 'keyed alike' locks, they are only keyed alike in groups of 4--Nothing like you're thinking

We used to set up and ship CASES of Kwikset 400's to a company that repoed GI takeback homes...all on one key. I cut one for myself to take on the road. Saved me a fair amount of time opening houses.

I have seen it where a whole case worth of locks at Home Cheapo are KA.

I will believe that it has happened, but with the stigma against trying keys in other people's homes & property
I can't see it being a real problem. Most locks are unfortunately really only there to keep 'honest people honest'
not that a truly honest person needs much deterrent.

[Lelandwelds]

I am one of those people who never thought about a locksmith's capabilities. Y'all gotta admit, as a group, y'all are a bit paranoid (suspicious?) and curiously against advertising or self promotion. Compare your advertising to car commercials or any trade show open to the public. Even this site, which is promoting free and open discussion, has topics where " we don't go there". ( Just saying. Not complaining.)

[Lelandwelds]

Does a professional locksmith trade group promote the trade? AMPI does it for milk. Anita Bryant did it for Florida OJ. The news people spread fear to sell newspapers.

I picture a spot with 90 tradesman and sales people standing shoulder to shoulder. The voice over says" While your subdivision was being built, these people had a master key to fit your house and 250 of your neighbors. Have you changed your locks?"

And another: 150 people in background. " Since your house was built, all these people had a key. Were your locks changed?"

A series of 3 second clips with a single guy in a different hoodie: kicking in door jamb. Extraordinarily loud electro pick at front door. Mother with kids and breaking glass. Voice over "Your safety is important. We do security audits".

Not my favorite tactic but I dont think "rich Corinthian leather" and "smooth, quiet ride" would work well.

[tjohn]

If some random person (regardless of company name, logo etc) knocked on my door to show me they have a MK that fit my door I would call ANYONE except for that person. As a long time locksmith, I would never pull a stunt like that.
Now, rekey your scheduled customers house and advise them about the situation and to tell their neighbors that it would be a good idea they call a locksmith to take care of it & leave a few extra cards, that would be the "non sketchy" way to handle that and would probably gain you more business.

[Lelandwelds]

I really believed bypassing or picking locks was a Hollywood thing. Grossly exaggerated like inaudible silencers or every car in a wreck either exploding or flipping ten feet in the air. Or, my favorite is disconnecting a semi's air brakes so the hero cant slow down.

[GWiens2001]

... Or, my favorite is disconnecting a semi's air brakes so the hero cant slow down.

Don't forget that James Bond movie with a tractor (semi-truck for the non truck people out there) that James Bond made do a wheelie.

Gordon

[Lelandwelds]

Billdeserthills and tjohn said some things in passing that reminded me of my customer "Ron". For the 20 years I knew him, Ron was always three bad months away from going broke. He was talented, pleasant, and basically honest guy who couldnt keep from shooting his own foot.

He would charge double if you wore a tie, drove an expensive car, or weren't one of "his" customers. If you had a mixed marriage, spoke proper English, or had a bumper sticker he didnt like, he was " too busy". He had strong opinions about religion, race, politics, and the government.

Worse yet, he worked much of this into conversation each time he met anyone.

[Lelandwelds]

I am Bond fan since childhood. I remember a convertible with a radio telephone in it. Magic! No wires!

Remember the Lotus submarine?

[Jacob Morgan]

Or the GPS unit in Goldfinger.

Regarding Hollywood silliness, defibrillating someone who has flatlined. Or saying "lock and load" when dealing with any firearm other than an M1 Garand. Or saying "over and out," well, is it over, or is it out?

More to the OP, I have an Ilco blank catalog from 1989, the part with key blanks is about forty pages long. The latest edition is larger than some big city phone books. Outside of automotive, I suspect that 90% of keys cut these days could be found in the 1989 catalog. The new catalog is more of a reference, or perhaps what Ilco could make if there is demand?