On top of this, you’d need a good stock of single-bit, double-bit and pipe key blanks in stock in order to be able to cut many safe keys. Many simply aren’t big enough (safe keys can often be very long). The Chubb-style keys are similar: while every key-cutter will own a Chubb-style copying machine, not all of these machines are able to cut non-domestic Chubb-type keys. To make matters worse, the tubes of these keys come in vastly different sizes, some too small to fit on the standard tubular copying machine. This has a lot to do with the skill of a key-cutter and the equipment available to them.Īs mentioned above, tubular keys need a special copying machine, which isn’t widely owned. Why is it so hard to get copies of my safe key? They typically have seven pins, and are mainly used as key overrides rather than anything else. These keys aren’t overly sophisticated either, but can normally only be copied by somebody who has a suitable key machine. It’s better to use it only for putting things where, say, children can’t get their hands on them. If your safe has this type of lock in it, you shouldn’t really be using it to store valuables or anything at genuine risk of being stolen. You can normally get away with producing a bad copy (sometimes even a really bad copy) of the key, and the safe will still open.
This is because such locks are unsophisticated, cheap and widely available. In my experience, only the cheaper end of the safe spectrum uses side-cut keys. A key can only go into the safe lock fully if the diameter of the pipe in the key blank is big enough. A pipe key is when the stem is hollow, like a pipe. Pipe keys: Single- or double-bit keys can both be pipe keys. You need to ensure that about 10-20 cuts are exactly perfect. Given how precisely safe keys need to be cut (there’s very little room for error), having two bits makes the key-cutter’s life even harder. A single-bit safe key just has one bit hanging from the stem, much like an ordinary, residential Chubb key.ĭouble-bit keys: Similarly, a double-bit safe key has two bits on the stem. the part that hangs from the end of the stem. Single-bit keys: The ‘bit’ is the blade of the key, i.e. The Chubb-style safe key comes in two broad forms, with one common variation. Safe keys come, broadly-speaking, in three types: Chubb-style keys (a long cylindrical stem with a ‘beard’ hanging from the end), side-cut keys (flat keys that look like Yale-style or, more often, small filing cabinet-type keys), and tubular keys (hollow cylinders with cuts around the edge). In many scenarios, you might not need the secondary protection that a keypad gives you. Mechanical safe locks tend to be very hard to pick (provided the safe is of a decent quality).
Similarly, if you manage to steal the key but don’t know the code, you’re also unable to get in.
Imagine somebody sees you type in the code to your safe. Some safes require both a key and a code number. Keys can be a secondary layer of protection.The keyhole is often concealed under a plastic cover, but it’s there just in case. If the battery that powers your safe’s keypad dies, a physical key is often there as a key override.There are three reasons safes still have keys: It seems like every safe you see, be it in a hotel or on a shelf in a shop, has an electronic keypad, and no keyhole. You would be forgiven for thinking that modern safes don’t have keys anymore. In this article we explain the different types of safe key out there, why it’s often difficult to get copies, and what your options are.
In a way, it’s reassuring that they are, because you wouldn’t want it to be too easy to get to your locked up valuables.īut what good is reassurance if you’re struggling to get a spare key copied? If you’ve already lost one key, you’re probably more worried about being locked out of your own safe after losing the second key than you might be worried about somebody breaking in.