Last week, I was browsing at Home Depot and looking for a new lockset. I had to change a bunch of locks and came across the new Kwikset Smart Key system. Here’s the promise. With the new Smart Key lockset installed, you can easily re-key a lock within seconds. Well, the Smart Key lived up to its promise. During the installation process, I discovered that I was short one lock. I just purchased another Smart Key lock at Home Depot, installed it, and re-keyed it in under a minute. Not difficult at all. And, if I ever needed to change the locks, I would only have to purchase a new key for $9.97 and spend 5-10 minutes rekeying all the locks. Not bad.
But, that’s not all. During the lock installation process, I’ve always encountered a frustrating hitch. The deadbolts are simple to install. The knobs? Not so easy. I’ve always wasted frustrating minutes trying to thread the screws into the hole. Again, Kwikset offers a revolutionary approach. Instead of threading the screws blind, you install the knob pre-threaded. A twist of the baseplate locks the opposing knob into place, and all you have to do is tighten the screws. Of course, if I read the instructions telling me not to remove the screws, I would have saved about 10-15 minutes of aggravation. However, I love the quick installation and rekeying process.
These locks seem like a terrific product,
Unfortunately they rekey themselves
arbitrarily. They typically start malfunctioning about three to six months after installation WITHOUT warning.
If you need more proof than my word,
google “danny lipford kwikset smartkey”
There must be over 100 complaints
on this lock at this web site alone.
Be wary of this lock………….