Best Locks - An Overview

Rekeying a conventional pin tumbler lock typically involves removing the entire lockset from the door, or at the very least removing the outside handle if it is a keyed lever.  This can become a time consuming experience due to any number of reasons ranging from stuck bolts to removing multiple coats of paint that have sealed the lock to the door.  Because of this, many businesses, universities and other large institutions use locks that accept what are known as Interchangeable Cores (Abbreviated I/C).

The first type of I/C was the Small Format Interchangeable Core (SFIC), invented by Frank Ellison Best around 1920.  Shortly after, Best Lock Corporation was established to manufacture SFICs.  Because the patent on SFICs has now expired, other manufacturers such as Arrow and Falcon also produce them.  SFICs are not brand-exclusive, meaning that an Arrow can be used to replace a Best and vice versa.  Large Format Interchangeable Cores (LFICs) however, are brand exclusive.

 

Older Best SFIC with its operating key in use

What’s unique about I/C locks is that they do not need to be rekeyed on site.  Instead, they are removed from the lock's housing using a special key, known as a control key.  Rotating this key 15 degrees clockwise allows the user to remove the entire core through the front of the lock.  A new core is inserted into the front of the lock using either the same or a different control key.  The new core has been rekeyed beforehand to accept a different operating key.  An operating key only locks and unlocks the lock—it cannot be used to remove the core.  The old core can be taken to a locksmith (or shipped back to the supplier) to be rekeyed for future use.

Best SFIC, partially removed from a mortise cylinder housing.  Notice the slight angle of the control key

Because SFICs can be rekeyed without the need to summon a locksmith to the location of the lock, they are the preferred choice for many large businesses and universities.  For this reason, SFICs are typically shipped to a site and not serviced by a local locksmith.  The exception to this practice would be universities and large hospitals, which typically employ an in-house locksmith to pin their SFICs.

Unfortunately, if the control key is lost or misplaced, the core will usually have to be destructively removed.  It is very difficult to pick an SFIC to the control position because one will most likely pick it to the operating position instead, thwarting attempts to nondestructively remove the core.  Wooters Lock Company, LLC uses a minimally destructive method for SFIC removal, which allows the core to be removed while still keeping the pins intact.  By keeping the pins intact, they can later be removed from the core and decoded, allowing for a replacement control key to be originated by code.  Generally most SFICs in a system use the same control key.  From there, other cores in the system could then be removed without the need for any further drilling.

My personal collection of Best SFICs

SFICs are a good investment for users expecting high rates of turnover.  Landlords for example, may benefit from having these on their properties, as they would not have to call a locksmith out each time the locks on a property need to be changed.  This would save them any trip charges or after-hours fees depending on the urgency of the situation.  Homeowners however may find these to be impractical, as the upfront costs are typically higher than having their existing door hardware rekeyed just once.

Common Lock Functions

A lockset’s function determines what steps must be taken to secure, unlock and open a door secured by that lockset.  This may necessitate the use of a key to retract a latch each time one wishes to gain access, or it may only necessitate the rotation of a lever or knob.  This article will cover the most common lockset functions found on cylindrical lever and knob locksets on the market today.

            Converting a lockset’s function requires replacing internal parts, which can be expensive.  Some manufacturers may not have replacement parts readily available so replacement of the entire lockset can sometimes actually be more affordable.  Therefore, it is important that you select the proper lockset when you develop your initial security plan.  For this reason, I will also be providing examples of where you will most likely encounter these locksets.  Below I have compiled a list of the five most common types of cylindrical lock you will likely encounter.  Next to the name of each function is the corresponding code developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI):

Passage Latch (F75):  Rotation of either the inside or outside handle retracts the latch bolt.  No key is required.  This type of a lockset is only used to keep a door closed and not intended in any way to secure an area.  It is generally used in conjunction with a latch bolt that does not deadlock, as loiding would not be a concern

Privacy Latch (F76):  In the center of the inside handle is a button.  When pushed in, the outside handle becomes locked.  The outside handle may be unlocked either by rotating the inside handle or by inserting a small screwdriver or emergency key universal to that lock’s model (e.g. all Schlage AL40S levers can be opened using the 35-250 privacy key).  This lock is commonly found on restrooms and areas where one is protecting themselves against someone inadvertently walking in.  It should not be used to secure property against theft.  Closing the door will typically cause the inside button to pop out, preventing a lockout.  This type of lock is commonly sold with a latch bolt that does not deadlock

Classroom Lock (F84):  Rotation of the inside handle will always retract the latch bolt, allowing for egress at all times.  On the outside handle is a keyed cylinder.  Rotation of the key 360 degrees clockwise will unlock the outside handle and allow for the removal of the key.  Rotation of the key 360 degrees counterclockwise will lock the outside handle and also allow for the removal of the key.  This type of lock is sold with a deadlatch to keep the lock from being loided.  There is no button or thumb turn on the inside handle.  Therefore, if the door is unlocked one must have the key in order to secure it.  This lock is commonly found in schools and universities where students may try to lock their instructor out of the classroom, hence the name for this function

Storeroom Lock (F86):  Rotation of the inside handle will always retract the latch bolt, allowing for egress at all times.  On the outside handle is a keyed cylinder.  Rotating the key will retract the latch bolt temporarily, allowing the door to be pulled open.  The outside handle cannot be used to retract the latch bolt at any time and only exists to pull the door open or closed.  This type of lock is sold with a deadlatch to keep the lock from being loided.  This lock is commonly found paired with an electric strike on access controlled doors.  Users would gain entry through the use of an access credential, such as a keycard, and then the door locks behind them after they enter.  The keyed cylinder mostly acts as an emergency override in the event of panel or strike failure.  This type of lockset alleviates any concern a client may have about their door being left unlocked

Entrance lock, inside view.  Notice the button/thumbturn

Entrance Lock (F109):  On the inside handle is a button/thumbturn.  Pushing the button in will lock the outside handle.  On the outside handle is a keyed cylinder.  When the lock is in this condition, rotating either the key or inside handle will retract the latch bolt and cause the inside button to pop out, unlocking the outside handle.  If the button thumbturn is pushed in, then rotated 90 degrees clockwise, rotating the key or inside handle will retract the latch bolt, but it will not unlock the outside handle.  To unlock the outside handle, turn the thumbturn 90 degrees counterclockwise, then rotate the inside handle.  This type of lock is sold with a deadlatch to keep the lock from being loided.  You will find this lock on individual working or living areas such as offices or apartments where there is little concern about someone maliciously locking others out and where a user may wish to leave their area unlocked temporarily

Not all locks on the market conform to the ANSI standards, but many do.  Knowing what the common lock functions are will allow you to be better prepared as a consumer and know what options you may have.

How to Avoid Fly By Night "Locksmiths"

Within the past fifteen years the locksmith industry has become plagued with fly by night operations.  These operations rely heavily on bait-and-switch tactics, they subcontract all of their work to unskilled staff and are next to impossible to track down when something goes wrong.  These operations typically rely on flooding the phone books and online listings with multiple phone numbers, business names and websites that all forward to a call center in one central location.  They are notorious for inflating their prices to three to four times what a legitimate locksmith would charge for the same work.  Further, being that they are typically unskilled, the work they perform is often questionable and may need to be fixed by a skilled professional.

1) When calling them, ask for their full business name:  When you call most legitimate locksmiths, their greeting includes the name of their business.  For example, our company’s scripted greeting is “Thank you for calling Wooters Lock Company, LLC this is [insert name of employee] speaking, how may I help you?”  By contrast fly by night operations tend to answer the phone with a very generic greetings such as “locksmith services”.  When calling, ask for the full legal name of their business.  If they become evasive and refuse to provide this information, advise them that you will not be needing their services and call a different locksmith instead.

2) When browsing their website, there should be more than just stock photos or clip art:  Most legitimate locksmiths that are online love to show off their storefront or service vehicle and post a brief bio of themselves, how they got into the locksmith trade and how they started their business.  Fly by night operations on the other hand typically use generic photos that they have pirated, or they rely on royalty-free images.  The webpage of a legitimate locksmith should contain photos of at least one of the following: employees in company uniform (with company name or logo to ensure they haven't pirated the image), a marked company service vehicle or a photo of the company's storefront.  This can usually be found on the website's About Us page.

Photo taken from our About Us page
Notice the lettering on my shirt.

3) Pay attention to how they provide their price estimate:  What often happens is one price is either printed in an advertisement or given over the phone, such as $19 for the service call.  As for the services they perform, they almost always add the words "...and up" to their estimates.  When they arrive that's when the price goes up...way up.  By contrast, legitimate locksmiths will give an estimated price range and advise of any increases in price before any work is performed.  A legitimate locksmith will typically ask questions ahead of time to try and determine what type of lock they will be dealing with.  A legitimate locksmith will say something along the lines of:  "based on what you told me, you can expect to pay between $110 and $130 to have your home rekeyed."

By being aware and knowing what to look for, you can better protect yourself against these bait-and-switch tactics.  Many of these companies operate as “locksmith referral services” so even when they are tracked down, it is difficult to hold them responsible for the damages you may have incurred.  Knowledge is power and by looking for the identifiers listed above, you can better protect yourself as a consumer.

What is Impressioning?

Impressioning is the process of generating a key for a lock entirely from scratch without disassembling the lock or having beforehand knowledge of the working key’s depths.  This process involves taking a key blank and making “impressions” on the blank.  These marks can then be used to gain knowledge of the lock’s pinning scheme and from there generate a working key.

Schlage D-Series Key-In-Knob lock impressioned

Impression marks generally have to be taken many times to form a working key.  However, taking impression marks can be done quickly and discreetly.  If one walks by a door on a daily basis, they can take impression marks within a matter of seconds and then proceed on their way to work more on their key later.  Depending on their skill level and the pinning of the lock, by the end of several days or weeks, they will likely have a working key, permitting them entry to that door at their convenience.  This technique is therefore very practical in the field of security auditing/penetration testing.

Impressioning should not be done in instances where a consumer has purchased a home and there is a door they do not have a key to.  In instances such as these, picking open and rekeying the lock to an entirely new key is preferable.  Rekeying the lock is generally much more cost-effective, and it eliminates anyone who still has the keys to that door from returning to illegally gain entry.

Impressioning is however beneficial in instances where a consumer has purchased a non-rekeyable padlock without keys (e.g. from a flea market or antique store).  It can also be a suitable alternative to lockpicking in some instances.

Not all locks can be impressioned, or are very difficult to impression.  Kwikset locks for example use pins that make it very difficult to create and observe impression marks.  However, if a Kwikset lock has been rekeyed with aftermarket pins, this will likely make the lock easier to impression.  Also, some high security ASSA locks utilize special tumblers that are designed to provide deceptive readings if someone attempts to impression one of these locks.

This skill takes a long time to learn, so the concern of a criminal learning this skill and using it to commit a burglary are minimal.  Generally, criminals gravitate toward the path of least resistance, such as looking under doormats for hidden keys, using bump keys, or gaining entry forcibly.  Also, the investment in tools and time would likely dissuade the common criminal.

A locksmith however, specializes in creating keys for locks and therefore is often willing to invest the time and effort in their craft to learn this skill.  I, personally have been working on learning this skill for a considerable amount of time, but the results are now showing.

How to Identify & Rekey SmartKey Locks

Around 2007 Kwikset released a new type of lock cylinder known as the SmartKey*.  Unlike a conventional pin tumbler lock, the SmartKey can be rekeyed without having to remove the cylinder from the door.  This is especially convenient for homeowners, who will no longer have to hire a locksmith every time they need their lock rekeyed.  In this article you will learn how to identify and rekey a SmartKey lock and also be provided with some information regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using these locks to secure your home.

This lock is purely mechanical and should not be confused with Kwikset's Kevo* electronic deadbolt.  The Kevo can be programmed to use Bluetooth-enabled devices (such as smartphones) to unlock it, but also uses a SmartKey cylinder for purposes of providing users with a mechanical override.  The takeaway from this is that SmartKey has nothing to do with your smartphone.


Identification:  Is Your Lock a SmartKey?

These locks can be identified by a small vertical slot on the plug, located to the left of the cylinder's keyway**.  These locks will also be marked "Kwikset" or "Weiser".  U-Change brand locks may look similar, however the slot in the plug is horizontal instead (U-Change locks utilize a completely different mechanism and are similar in construction to conventional pin tumbler locks).

SmartKey deadbolt (left) next to a conventional Kwikset pin tumbler cylinder (right).  In this photo the rekeying slot has been circled in red.  Both cylinders pictured are capable of being keyed alike despite the fact that they are mechanically different

Rekeying Instructions:

You will need the following:

• A Working Key (Key A):  If you do not have a key that works on your lock, the lock will need to be removed from the door and reset by a locksmith (we provide this service)
• SmartKey Learn Tool:  Use Kwikset Part #83283.  This tool has a red protective sheath to prevent the tip from becoming damaged or poking the user.  If you would prefer the basic tool without the protective covering, use Kwikset Part #83282 instead
• New Keys (Key B):  These are the keys you wish to operate the lock instead of your current set

To rekey your SmartKey lock follow these steps:

Step 4 shown using Kwikset Part #83283

1) Make sure your door is open so you don't get locked out

2) Insert Key A completely into the plug

3) Rotate Key A 90 degrees clockwise to the three o'clock position

4) Insert the tip of the Learn Tool into the rekeying slot, which will now be horizontal.  Apply forward pressure to the Learn Tool until you hear a click

5) Remove the Learn Tool from the plug.  DO NOT rotate the plug at this time

6) With Key A still horizontal you may now remove it from the plug.  If you are unable to remove it, repeat the last two steps

7) Insert Key B fully into the plug

8) With Key B fully inserted, rotate it counterclockwise 90 degrees to the 12 o'clock position and remove it from the cylinder

9) Test your work:  Key A should no longer rotate when inserted.  Key B should now rotate, operating your deadbolt or handle

Advantages & Drawbacks

One advantage of using these locks is that they are substantially more difficult to pick than a conventional Kwikset pin tumbler lock due to their serrated wafers.  Further, unlike Kwikset's pin tumbler counterpart, this lock cannot reliably be "bumped".  This reduces the chances of one gaining entry to your premises without leaving evidence of destruction behind.

Also, as stated earlier these locks are convenient.  They can be rekeyed quickly and without extensive knowledge or tools.  While these locks cannot be master keyed, Kwikset offers a special SmartKey cylinder that utilizes two plugs to allow for a similar effect:  A "Master" key may be inserted into one plug to operate the lock or a different key may be inserted into the other plug, also operating the lock.

While the SmartKey is certainly a convenient design, there are some risks that should be noted.  SmartKey locks are made out of some plastic components, which makes these locks extremely vulnerable to the use of common power tools.  Also, there is a destructive technique that involves using a specialized tool that will not cause noticeable damage to the lock's face.  A burglar could use this tool to gain entry to a residence secured by a SmartKey lock and upon the homeowner's return, their key would work normally as if the lock had not been destroyed.  By contrast, destructively opening a pin tumbler lock would require leaving a substantial hole in the face of the lock, which a homeowner would notice.

One should also be aware that there have been claims of the tumblers coming apart inside these locks, causing a lockout.  This is most likely due to the use of fragile tabs that interface with the lock's wafers.  If these tabs break off, the key can no longer elevate the wafers to their proper position and therefore not open the lock.


Conclusion

The SmartKey lock is a convenient and cost-effective alternative for homeowners and renters, who wish to have their locks rekeyed on a frequent basis.  Unfortunately, because this lock is built to be cost-effective, both quality and security have suffered.  U-Change locks for example are generally considered higher quality and less likely to experience mechanical failure, although they have their own share of security vulnerabilities.  It may be some time before a user-friendly rekeyable mechanical lock hits the market that is of higher quality and provides greater security.  Personally, I would rather use a conventional pin tumbler deadbolt designed to resist common destructive attacks.

*SmartKey and Kevo are trademarks of Kwikset Corporation

**On pin and wafer tumbler locks the plug is the round component, which the key is inserted into

What is Lockpicking?

Lockpicking is the method of manipulating the tumblers inside a lock so that one may unlock it without the use of a key.  This is different from impressioning or sight-reading, both of which involve decoding a lock’s tumblers in order to originate an entirely new key.  For the purposes of this article, we will be referring to lockpicking as it pertains to opening pin tumbler locks, which are the most common type of lock used in the United States.  We will also cover what measures may be taken to make common household locks more difficult to pick.  I will not be covering how to pick locks, as that topic is outside the scope of this blog.

            Lockpicking is commonly used by locksmiths to assist customers who have locked themselves out of their residences.  It is also one of several options for a locksmith who is called to rekey a customer’s newly purchased home but the customer was never provided with keys to one or two doors (this is more common than you might think).

Schlage Key-In-Knob lock picked open for customer.  If you look closely, you will see that the lock's plug (part the key goes into) has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise as if the correct key has been used

Motor vehicles often use a different type of lock cylinder (typically a wafer tumbler lock) and are generally easier to bypass than to pick.  For this reason, many locksmiths and roadside assistance personnel use bypass tools (e.g long-reach tool) instead of lockpicks when serving customers who have locked their keys inside their vehicle.

            To pick a lock, a degree of skill is required.  That skill can only be acquired and maintained through practice!  For this reason lockpicking is a less preferable option for most common burglars, who typically look for the path of least resistance such as kicking in a door or by gaining entry through the use of a bump key.  Lockpicking generally takes longer depending on the type of lock and the skill level of the lockpicker.

            Also, one must have the proper tools at their disposal in order to pick a lock.  Paper clips do not provide sufficient tensile strength to manipulate the tumblers inside a lock and other common household items are typically too large to fit inside the lock’s keyway.  Specialized tools, known as lockpicks are instead.  These tools may not be acquired from your local hardware store, but have become increasingly available to the public within the past 15 years.  For this reason, a customer may express concern about their locks being picked.

            If a customer is concerned about their locks being picked, there are several options they may take that do not necessitate purchasing new locks.  Even a common Kwikset deadbolt or key-in-knob lock may be retrofitted with special tumblers known as serrated pins or spool pins.  Serrated pins are designed to trick a lockpicker into thinking they have manipulated tumblers into their proper position.  Another type of tumbler is known as the spool pin.  This type of pin allows the lock’s plug to rotate just enough to make it difficult to raise any stacks containing these pins.  Most Schlage deadbolts come equipped with multiple spool pins.

            In conclusion, most locks on the market can be picked.  However, simply having the proper tools is not enough.  One must constantly practice this skill if they wish to become proficient and for that reason many criminals lack the discipline to master such a craft.  However the possibility of a criminal learning lockpicking is not out of the question and for that reason there are relatively low-cost measures homeowners may wish to take to make their property more secure.