I charge more than hardware stores and walk-in locksmith shops! I offer this service because many can’t get good results from hardware stores and most locksmith shops are no longer open on the weekends.
I copy keys (car keys check here) only after 6 pm and on the weekends by appointment. I can duplicate many different kinds of keys, and I can do it better than most. I can say this with certainty because I calibrate my machine to within a few thousandths of an inch. I even copy finicky Best keys successfully on my duplicator, something which many locksmiths buy a special punch machine for because the tolerances are so tight. You can copy your keys for less money at the hardware store, but how much faith do you have in the machine being calibrated, the employee knowing how to select the correct blank, properly seat the key, or keep the duplicating machine free of debris?
It isn’t hard to make a good key copy. The only reason I question others’ ability to do it is based on results. A lot of people come to me for key copies because they went to a drugstore or a shoe sole repair place or a barber or even another locksmith shop and the key copy didn’t work. In some cases people have called me after being locked out because they misplaced their trust in an improperly copied key. They thought they were saving a dollar but it turns out they were actually throwing $2.00 away, or in the case of those locked out $75. It would cost the same amount as the key to drive back and ask for a refund. I am laying my argument out so that it is obvious: spend a dollar extra, get it done right the first time, and save money and time in the long run.
I have many different kinds of key blanks including house, car and motorcycle keys. I stock all of the keys that people ask me to duplicate, so I can probably copy your keys. Give me a call to schedule a key duplication. My prices follow:
Price for key duplication, each (it will cost more after 6 pm or on weekends):
- $7, tax already included: Common residential keys including mailbox and padlock keys
- $10, tax already included: Do Not Duplicate keys (I won’t copy a DND key without proof that you manage or own a building, or written permission on letterhead from a property management company or similar.
- $15, tax already included: Metal automotive keys (no transponder)
- $17, tax already included: Plastic head auto keys (no transponder)
- $10, tax already included: CX5 high security keys (make sure you have state-issued ID and the key card with you)
- $40.00, tax already included: Code cut a key for which you have the code already
- $75.00 to codecut a non-chipped key based on a high resolution picture that you send to me
- $95-150 to clone a chipped (transponder) key with 4C, T5, 4d or Phillips Crypted® 46 chips. A menu will follow to see if your vehicle’s key can be cloned.
- $185 to make a key for a vehicle without a chip
There are lots of great reasons to copy a key and most of them are so obvious they don’t need explaining here. Some reasons that may not have occurred to you: you can copy your car key onto a metal blank for $3.50 and open your car with it, but not start your car with it. This makes it great for hiding on the body of your vehicle because even if somebody finds it, they probably can’t steal your car if it was made after the mid-90’s (unless they are willing to invest a lot of work into it). That is because there is usually a transponder chip built into the key which communicates with a computer in the car. They communicate with each other with lots of radio frequencies, through 40-bit encryption usually. Without the chip you can listen to the radio and you can turn the lights on but you can’t start the engine.
Having a copy of a house key is great because it means you won’t get locked out. It also means you won’t have to pay a locksmith hundreds of dollars to come out and rekey your locks when you lose your last key. $2.50 now may save you $100-400 later, depending on how many locks your house has on it.
If you are having trouble turning your key in your lock, it may be that you have a copy of a copy of a copy of a key. Each copy introduces anomalies which crop up with each copy, and the real world result is that you have to jiggle your key around to get it to turn. All is not lost! I can measure the cuts on your key and determine the nearest factory cuts for the original key that worked with your locks and cut that key for you.