What to Expect During a Professional Key Cutting Appointment

If you ever need keys cut, the best thing you can do is contact a locksmith. Sure, key-cutting services exist outside of a locksmith, but why rely on anyone but the experts? A locksmith can have your keys cut in minutes. Even if you need something more specific, like a safe key, a locksmith should still be able to use a machine for cutting keys and have your replacement/new keys with you in 30 minutes.

When you arrange to have keys cut with a locksmith, you usually get an in-person appointment. That could be at their local depot, or it could be done directly at your home if they are a mobile locksmith. To help you understand what to expect when you arrange to have keys cut, we contacted Lock & Key Leeds for advice. With their years of experience in key cutting, we wanted to know what customers should expect if they use their service, or a similar key cutting service, to get new keys created.

Why Does The Key Cutting Service Process Matter To You?

Throughout the course of any given day, we can use many different professional services. Most of the time, we simply let the experts get to work, right? Why do we need to understand the process? After all, is that not why we hire the professionals in the first place?

Still, when it comes to getting keys cut, it does help to understand what is going on. Key cutting is a service offered by many different people. From professional locksmiths to general service providers across the UK, key cutting is a commonly offered service. Sadly, there are many non-experts who offer this service through back channels and tend to cut corners or even make secondary copies.

That’s why we want you to understand the key cutting service process. If you book a proper key-cutting service, the appointment should follow a pretty specific pattern. Knowing what to expect when you book a key cutting service makes it easier to feel prepared for what comes next. It also helps you to feel confident that the person you have hired is an actual locksmith, and not just a rogue key cutter.

You would be surprised how many people offer “cheap” key-cutting services in the UK. Sadly, the money you “save” often comes back in the form of cheap, brittle keys or, worse, secondary copies made that the key cutter can then use to get into your property! 

This quick guide should give you a rundown of what a typical key-cutting appointment will look like.

Step-By-Step: How Locksmiths Cut Keys Professionally

So, as we have addressed, a key cutting service should follow a very specific process. What does that process involve?

Initial Inspections

When you arrive for your appointment, the locksmith will ask to see the key that you wish to have cut. If the appointment is taking place at your place of residence/work, that is even better. They will review the key and look for any potential damage or imperfections that need to be taken into account. 

If there is no key to use as a template, you need a more experienced locksmith who has the right kind of machine for cutting keys. Most of the time, though, if there is no key template to use, a locksmith will recommend re-keying your lock and creating new keys from scratch.

Cutting The New Key

Then, the locksmith should load the key into their machine for cutting keys. Most locksmiths use a semi-automated or automated key-cutting machine. While manual key-cutting machinery is still in use, we do caution against using a locksmith that relies solely on cheaper manual key-cutting machines; there is a much higher bar for error with manual key-cutting. 

They will then use their machine for cutting keys to trace your current key. Once traced, they will then cut the base metal used for the duplicate key using this outline. Automated key cutting does this for the locksmith, so the process takes even less time. For a standard house key, this should only take a couple of minutes. For more precise keys, like safe keys, it could take around 25-30 minutes to cut.

Precision Checks & Perfections

A trusted locksmith will then check any keys cut for potential issues. Even automated key-cutting machines can make mistakes, so they will check carefully to look for any potential signs of damage. This could include little metal shards left over or imperfections from the cut. A locksmith will then brush down the key and remove any of these little pieces of hanging debris.

This stops the excess or imperfections from coming off when the key is in use, making sure your new keys do not cause your locks to jam, etc.

Final Testing

With the key adjusted and any imperfections removed, the locksmith will then test the key on the lock. This is another reason why we recommend you get a mobile locksmith; this means they can test the key on the lock for you there and then. 

Once the locksmith can confirm that the key works, they will hand you the new key as well as the original template key and at this point, the job is complete. Easy, right? 

Professional Key Cutting Should Be A Painless Process

If you hire one of the UK’s many trusted and verified locksmiths, like those at Lock & Key, the process should be quick. It should take next to no time, unless you are getting a more specific key type cut. At the same time, the duplicate key you get back should be identical to the old key. 

Always take the time to compare the quality of the work you get back. A professional key-cutting service will ensure that your new key is accurately designed but also safe to use in your locks. Cheaper, quicker services might cut corners, leaving you with keys that do not work and/or cause damage to your locks.

When it comes to hiring a key cutting service, never cheapen out – hire reputable, verifiable experts.