self-service key duplicating kiosks

[Günter VögelBerg]

I went to Lowes yesterday to get a couple of duplicates of my house key to give to a house sitter and a neighbor. At the desk where they normally duplicate keys I was told that no one who is trained on the machine was at work that day and instead I would need to use the self-service kiosk. I first put my key in and am told that it is an odd key and the machine will not be able to make it. It's from a schlage handset and is probably literally the most common house key type there is. I re-insert it and the machine decides it can make my key after all. Normally at a hardware store it costs $2-3 to copy a key. This one is $9 for the cheapest option, but there are numerous more expensive options, you know, in case you want a key that is blue with polka dots on it. Annoyed but needing the keys I order 2. After about 5 minutes of screeching sounds and numerous prompts encouraging me to sign up for their mailing list it spits out two keys that are easily the thinnest, flimsiest things I have ever felt. But hey, they are a cool green color, so they have that going for them. I am annoyed by the whole process but relieved to have keys before I head out of town.

So I head home and try them...AND THEY DO NOT WORK! I tried them in all four handsets. I held them up against my actual key and the profile looks slightly off in multiple places. In a way this may be good because I am afraid that they are so thin they would break off in a lock.

Is my experience unique or are these machines terrible?

I guess I will head to Ace. It's a little bit out of my way but the one here is usually staffed by people who express some interest in doing their jobs.

[Dave Cav]

I can't comment on the self service key machines, because I don't even do self service checkout. We gave up on hardware store key cutting long ago and take all of our key business to the local locksmith.

[Stan Calow]

I have avoided the machines because I don't trust them, but was never too sure with the kids running the machine either. I too go to a nearby family-owned locksmith for all this stuff now.

[Günter VögelBerg]

I can't comment on the self service key machines, because I don't even do self service checkout. We gave up on hardware store key cutting long ago and take all of our key business to the local locksmith.

I have literally only one locksmith within three miles of my house, and in that radius I have a Lowes, two Home Depots, two Ace Hardwares and a pretty good local hardware store. I went to that one locksmith and he told me I'd have to leave my key and come back the next day to get the copy. I decided I have better options.

[Lee Schierer]

They have a similar Kiosk at our local Lowes, I have never used it. I did need some new keys made for our church and the machine at the hardware counter digitally scans the key and then makes multiple copies. All three keys I had made worked perfectly.

[Erik Loza]

Interesting. I have used that kiosk at our local Lowe's for extra keys on more than one occasion and they always worked fine. Out of curiosity, did you try dressing those keys at home on a wire brush wheel?

Erik

[Günter VögelBerg]

Interesting. I have used that kiosk at our local Lowe's for extra keys on more than one occasion and they always worked fine. Out of curiosity, did you try dressing those keys at home on a wire brush wheel?

Erik

Interesting. I have never done that. Is this standard practice with new keys?

Yeah, I am not taking issue with the concept. Copying a key is a simple enough thing that surely can be easily and efficiently automated. I am generally fond of self-service and automation, mostly because I do not like interacting with people, but I expect some kind of cost or efficiency gain from it, and in this case I got neither.

[Jim Koepke]

The first clue should have been the machine changing its statement about not being able to duplicate your key.

When a machine does the same thing twice with different results, there is something wrong with the machine.

To the best of my recollection every time one of my keys has been duplicated the person doing the work has given it the wire brush treatment to clean off the burrs.

jtk

[Günter VögelBerg]

Yep. Should have walked away at the first red flag.

Trying to convince my wife I need a machine shop setup at home so I could just make all our keys by hand. She is skeptical.

[Jim Koepke]

Yep. Should have walked away at the first red flag.

Trying to convince my wife I need a machine shop setup at home so I could just make all our keys by hand. She is skeptical.

It can be done with a small vise and files. All you need are the correct key blanks.

jtk

[Günter VögelBerg]

It can be done with a small vise and files. All you need are the correct key blanks.

jtk


shhhhhh. It requires a mill and a tig welder.

[Jim Koepke]

shhhhhh. It requires a mill and a tig welder.

Okay, LOL!

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

I used one of those machines at Menards once a few years ago. I don't recall it being more than $2 or $3 for the key.

[Bill Dufour]

I had the machine at Lowers make one a few years ago. It does wire brush the cut key before it spits it out the slot. It did work for me. There are no locksmith shops in this town of 200,000. There are some trucks but I bet they charge $100 for a house call plus any work they do for you.
Bil lD

[Jeff Body]

I use one of those machines a few weeks ago to make some duplicate storage unit keys. Base key was only $3 and the most expensive was $10 (College football team logo key)

Worked perfectly.

[James Waldron]

I have literally only one locksmith within three miles of my house, and in that radius I have a Lowes, two Home Depots, two Ace Hardwares and a pretty good local hardware store. I went to that one locksmith and he told me I'd have to leave my key and come back the next day to get the copy. I decided I have better options.

Has it occurred to you that the locksmith may be so backed up with other work for the same reason your "better options" failed in the first place? Maybe he's that busy because he's that good. And maybe all your "better options" are that bad. Fast, cheap, good: at most pick any two.

[Günter VögelBerg]

I clearly just chose the wrong machine.

Anyway, I went to home depot and got 2 keys for $4 in under 5 minutes. I also noticed that the guy who made the keys DID use a wire brush.

[Jon Nuckles]

At my Home Depot, there is an automated key duplicator, but an employee "operates" it. All the employee does is insert the key blank that the machine tells her to and then put the newly made key into the wire brush slot after it is made. The keys were reasonably priced and work well. The machine was probably intended to be self-service, but the customers couldn't be trusted to do even those minimal tasks correctly in all cases!

[Roger Feeley]

At my local Home Depot, a guy basically operates the kiosk for me. But they always tell me to try the keys and remake any that don’t work without argument.

But my HD may be exceptional. We bought a fridge there that was jus a lemon. After a number of service calls and some lost food, I spoke to the manager. I just told him that I bought the fridge there a bit over a year prior, I wasn’t happy and could he help me. Honestly, I didn’t expect much. He issued a full refund. I had all sorts of documentation but he didn’t seem too interested. He also offered a refund on the extended warranty if I wanted. I chose to buy another fridge there in the store and they transferred the extended warranty to the new unit.

fyi, this store was at 7 corners in Falls Church,va.

[Phil Mueller]

Hmmm, just went to my local ACE yesterday to get two duplicates made. Good quality blank. $1.99 each. Both work.

[Joe Hendershott]

Just 2 weeks ago had several made at the kiosk in Lowes. Seem like good quality keys and all worked fine.

[William Chain]

I've also used these kiosk things at the local Lowes with no issues. It duplicated Schlage and Kwikset keys with zero issues for us in the past. Same gauge metal, no issues with the dupes, and they all work. And I've never paid anything near $9 for a key. You found a bad machine; these things generally work. I've never found any humans at the borgs that cut keys in the recent past, only kiosks. ACE on the other hand always has a human working the key cutters.