Key Cutting Adelaide.
Spare keys, replacement keys and keyed-alike sets, cut at your door. A spare key is the cheapest insurance against a callout at midnight, and it is worth cutting it from the right source.
Why some spare keys never work properly.
Every key has a set of depths cut into it, defined by the manufacturer's code. A key cut from that code is dimensionally correct. A key cut by tracing an existing key is a copy of whatever that key has become.
Keys wear. Brass is soft, and years in a pocket against coins and other keys rounds the peaks and shallows the cuts. Copy a worn key and the new one inherits every bit of that wear, then adds the tracing tolerance of the machine on top.
Do it a few times and you get the classic result: a key that works if you jiggle it, works on one door but not another, or works for a while and then stops. People blame the lock. It is almost always the key.
The fix
Where the lock's code is known or can be read from the cylinder, cutting to code produces a key to original specification rather than to the condition of the sample. If you have several keys of varying age, bring them all: the least worn makes the better master.
It also matters that the blank is right. A blank of the correct profile and decent material holds its cuts; a generic blank of soft alloy starts wearing on the first week.
Cut to code
To the original specification where the code is available, not to a worn sample.
Keyed alike
Several doors brought onto one key so there is less to carry and less to lose.
Tested on the lock
Cut on site means each key is tried in the actual lock before we leave.
Recorded
For restricted systems, every key cut is logged against an authorised holder.
How many keys should exist?
The right number is the smallest one that stops people improvising. Improvised solutions are where security is actually lost.
Stamping those words on a key has no mechanical effect and does not prevent anyone copying it. If duplication genuinely needs to be controlled, that requires a restricted key system where the blanks are not freely available and cutting is tied to an authorised list.
Made at your door, and tested there.
Every key is tried in the lock it belongs to before we leave. A key that turns on the bench but sticks in the door is not a finished job.
What we can and cannot cut.
If you are unsure what kind of key you have, a clear photo of both faces usually settles it.
Ask about a keyCan you cut a key without the original?
Often yes. Where the lock carries a code, or the cylinder can be read, a key can be originated without any sample. This is standard after keys are lost. Proof of entitlement to the property or vehicle is required first.
Why will a hardware store not copy my key?
Usually because it is a restricted or patented profile. Those blanks are not sold openly and are only cut by an authorised locksmith against the system's holder list. That restriction is the entire point of the system: it is working as intended.
Can you cut car keys?
Vehicle keys depend heavily on make, model and year, and most modern ones also need the transponder programming to the car, which is separate from cutting the blade. Give us the make, model and year and we can tell you what is possible before you book.
My new key works on one door but not the other.
Classic sign of a copy cut from a worn key. Both locks are on the same key but have worn differently, so a key sitting between the two specifications satisfies one and not the other. Cutting a fresh key to code, or rekeying both locks to one new key, resolves it properly.
Can all my doors be on one key?
Usually, where the locks share a compatible keyway. Where they do not, changing a cylinder is often enough to bring the odd one into line: cheaper than replacing whole locksets. It is normally combined with a rekey so it is a single visit.
Do you cut keys for padlocks and filing cabinets?
Yes, including many cabinet, locker, window and furniture keys where the blank is available or a code can be read from the lock. Small proprietary locks occasionally need the part ordered, so knowing the brand helps.
Commonly booked together.
Key cutting rarely happens in isolation: it is usually part of tidying up access.
Lock rekeying
Retire every old key and start a clean set from a known point.
02Restricted key systems
When duplication needs to be genuinely controlled rather than discouraged.
03Master key systems
Different keys for different roles, all under one structured hierarchy.
04Automotive locksmith
Vehicle keys, including transponder programming where supported.
Tell us what you need secured.
Call for urgent locksmith assistance or send the details of a residential, commercial, automotive or electronic security enquiry.