Choosing new locks for your home can be exciting and whether to have them all match can be a tough decision. Putting aside the aesthetic of having your locks match, it’s the keys that we are most concerned with at the end of the day. There are a ton of opinions out there as to whether all your locks should match, so the team here at Ambassador Locksmiths has come up with a list of the pros and cons, to help you decide for yourself.
Matching All The Locks On Your Property: The Advantages
- When your locks match, it can save time as you’ll not have to look through a bunch of keys to find the right one. This can especially be handy when you’ve come home in the dark or you’re in a rush to get inside.
- Instead of having to buy multiple keys, you can save money by purchasing only one key for all your locks. This is a great option if you’re buying directly from a locksmith.
- Save space on your keyring by having all your locks on one key. Many people keep their house keys on the same ring as their car keys and the extra weight can cause strain on your car’s ignition.
- If you’re good at losing your keys having just one for a lot of locks means you just need to get the one replacement key. It’s also helpful for having a hidden key as you’ll only need to hide the one to get inside your home instead of hiding multiples for your multiple locks.
Matching All The Locks On Your Property: The Disadvantages
- Not all locks can be keyed alike such as your window and security screen locks. Lock size, pattern, and tumblers can vary from brand to brand.
- The downside to losing your keys and having just the one key is that if you can’t find it, you will need to get all the locks rekeyed. Whereas if you have multiple keys, you’ll only need to get the lost one rekeyed.
- You lose privacy as you’re not able to keep some areas of your home or property private from others with a key. One key to open all the doors can be problematic if you want someone to place your parcels in a safe place but not have access to inside your home.
What To Consider If Using The Same Key For All Locks
Have some locks using the same key, some locks using another
If you want to have all your locks match, but also want an extra layer of security, you can make sure that you have different types of locks that must be keyed differently. For example, if your front door has a deadbolt and doorknob lock, consider having the doorknob locks all match but have a different key for the deadbolt.
You will find that security screen locks and sliding door locks are similar but will usually have to be keyed differently as well.
Keyways
Not all locks will have the same keyways, which means those locks cannot be keyed to match others with a different keyway. A keyway is the raised and lowered pathways on the sides of the keys, for example Kwikset locks will have a different location for their keyway than Schlage locks do, thus making it impossible to match the keys.
Bulk locks
Many hardware stores get locks in bulk where a group of locks all have the same key type. This means that other people may have the same key type as your locks, so while this may be a cheaper option for purchasing new locks you do run the risk of someone else having a key to your home.
In these instances, it’s a good idea to have the locks rekeyed either at the store you purchased them or through a licensed locksmith.
Master key systems
If you like the idea of having one key to rule them all, but don’t want everyone else to have access to all the different parts of your home you can always investigate getting a master key. As we discussed in our post “Are Master Key Systems Still Worth It Today?”a master key system allows you to have different types of keys involved in the system.
You can give a neighbour a key to your veranda door in case parcels need to be left in a safe place, while also knowing that that key won’t open any other door. Similarly, landlords could have a master key to the units they own yet have different sets of sub-master keys for the tenants who will only be able to access their property.
Lifestyle
While there is no right or wrong answer to our question, deciding on what to do for your lock systems all comes down to your lifestyle and the total number of locks in question. Some people may feel safer having 10 different keys to sift through every time they need to unlock something, and in that case will employ a coding system such as colours or labels.
Other people prefer to minimise the number of keys on their keychains and may choose to go with having as many of the locks matching as possible, again most likely using a coding system to tell them apart. This is best for those with multiple properties, employing the master key system will save a lot of time and make life easier in this complicated world.
Speak To Your Local Locksmith
It all boils down to deciding which is right for you and if you’re not sure what the right decision is, the team at Ambassador Locksmiths is happy to help guide you in the right direction for your situation.
Our expert team is skilled in electronic access control, key cutting, car keys, safes sold and serviced, strata lock management, master key systems, and one key systems, to name a few. So, if you’re interested in the locksmith services we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today to discuss how we can help you.
Call the team on 0407 452 424 or (02) 4942 2202, or email us at info@ambassadorlocksmiths.com.au. Alternatively, click here to send us an online message and we will be happy to help.