“What kind of key is this?” is the first thing we ask on almost every call, and the answer decides everything: whether we can copy it in the van in two minutes, whether it has to be cut by code, whether the car needs to be programmed, and what it’s going to cost. This is the guide we wish customers had before they called. It covers every type of key we handle in Phoenix, how to recognize each one, what it takes to duplicate or replace it, and the few that can’t be copied at all.
It’s long on purpose. Use the headings to jump to your key.
House and business keys
Standard pin tumbler keys (Kwikset, Schlage and most door locks)
The flat brass or nickel key with a row of jagged cuts along one edge. If you own a house in the Valley, nine of ten keys on your ring are this. The two big families are Kwikset (the KW1 blank, a rounder bow, five pins) and Schlage (the SC1 blank, a squarer bow, five or six pins), and they are not interchangeable — a Schlage key will not go into a Kwikset lock. Other common blanks on Phoenix doors: Weiser (WR5), Baldwin, and the builder-grade locks that use Kwikset or Schlage keyways anyway.
Copying: any hardware store can duplicate one, and so can we, but a duplicate is only as good as the key it’s copied from. A copy of a copy of a worn key is why “the new key sticks.” If your key is worn, we cut a fresh one to the lock’s factory depths instead of tracing the worn one. Lost it: we can make a key to the lock without a sample, or, cheaper and safer, rekey the lock so the lost key no longer works.
SmartKey keys (Kwikset SmartKey)
Looks like an ordinary Kwikset key, but the lock has a small slot next to the keyway. SmartKey locks can be rekeyed by the homeowner with the learn tool, which is handy — and also why we get calls after a rekey attempt goes wrong and the lock accepts no key at all. We reset those. The keys themselves copy normally.
Double-sided and “dimple” keys
A key with cuts on both edges, or with round dimples drilled into the flat sides rather than cuts along the edge. You see these on better residential locks and a lot of commercial doors: Mul-T-Lock, Medeco’s dimple lines, some Schlage Primus, and the imported locks on newer apartment complexes. They copy on a different machine than a standard key, so a hardware store usually can’t. We can, as long as the key isn’t a restricted design (see below).
High-security and restricted keys (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, ASSA, Schlage Primus)
These keys often carry a stamp like “Do Not Duplicate” and have angled cuts, a sidebar groove, or a moving element in the blade. The blanks are controlled: the manufacturer sells them only to authorized dealers, and the dealer records who is allowed to order keys for your system. That’s the whole point — an employee can’t walk into a kiosk and make a copy. Copying: only through the dealer that set up your system, with your signature on file. If you inherited a building with these locks and don’t know who the dealer is, we can usually identify the system from the key and tell you who to call, or replace the cylinders with a system you control.
A note on “Do Not Duplicate” stamped on an ordinary Kwikset or Schlage key: that stamp has no legal force and the key copies anywhere. If you want real key control, you need a restricted keyway, not a stamp.
Interchangeable core (IC) keys
Common in offices, schools and government buildings. The key operates a small core that slides out of the lock with a special “control key,” so a whole building can be rekeyed by swapping cores instead of taking locks apart. Small-format IC (Best, Falcon, Arrow) and large-format IC (Schlage, Medeco) keys look like regular keys with a slightly different bow. We service both and can set up a master key system on them; see commercial locksmith services.
Master keys
Not a type of key so much as a way of pinning locks. In a master-keyed building, each door has its own key, and one master key opens all of them. Lose the master and the entire building is exposed, which is why a master key system should be rekeyed, not just re-copied, when one goes missing. We design and rekey these for apartment buildings, offices and churches across the Valley.
Mailbox, cabinet and padlock keys (cam lock keys)
The small, flat key for a mailbox, filing cabinet, desk, or cheap padlock. Most have a code stamped on the lock face (a number like “C415A” or “SL405”) and we can cut a key from that code without a sample. For USPS cluster mailboxes, the Postal Service owns the box and we replace the lock rather than make a key; see mailbox lock replacement.
Tubular keys
The round, hollow key for vending machines, bike locks, some tool chests, older laptop locks and lots of display cases. They have seven or eight small cuts around the rim. They copy on a special tubular machine, which we carry. The ones with a tiny chip (some bike and alarm locks) are a different story and are usually replaced, not copied.
Skeleton and bit keys
The old-fashioned key with a long shank and a flag on the end, for warded locks on antique furniture, old interior doors in historic Phoenix neighborhoods, and some gate locks. Modern copies are made from a blank by filing, not by machine. For a historic home we’d rather fit a new rim lock than make keys for a warded lock, because a warded lock can be opened by almost any key of the right shape.
Safe keys
Safe deposit boxes, gun safes with a key override, fire safes and older hotel safes use keys that range from a small flat double-bitted key to a long lever-lock key. Most can be duplicated if we have a sample; without one, a safe usually has to be opened and the lock changed. More on our safe locksmith page.
Car keys
This is where the type matters most, because the key is only half the job — the car’s computer has to accept it. We cover prices and the full process on car key replacement; here is how to tell what you have.
Basic metal car keys (no chip)
Mostly cars from before the late 1990s, plus some trucks, fleet vehicles and work vans into the mid-2000s. A plain metal key with no plastic head, or a thin plastic head with nothing inside it. Copies like a house key. If your car started with a plain metal key and it’s lost, we can make one from the door lock or the ignition. Old GM and Ford keys with a double-sided blade still fall in this group.
Transponder (chip) keys
A metal blade with a thick plastic head, with a tiny glass or carbon chip inside the head. Standard on nearly everything sold since around 2000. The car reads the chip every time you turn the key; the right blade with the wrong chip will turn the lock but the engine will crank and not start. Copying: the blade is cut and the chip is programmed to the car. Some makes let us clone an existing chip; others require a programming session with the car present. Lost it: we cut the blade by code and program a new chip, at your car. On some models all the old keys are erased in the process, which is a plus if one was stolen.
High-security (laser-cut or sidewinder) keys
The blade has a wavy groove milled into the flat side instead of cuts along the edge. Common on Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Ford and most vehicles from the mid-2000s on. These need a special cutting machine and can’t be done at a hardware store. We cut them in the van. Almost all of them also carry a transponder chip, so they’re programmed too.
Remote head keys (key with buttons)
A transponder key with the lock, unlock and panic buttons built into the head. Two jobs in one: the chip must be programmed for the engine, and the remote must be programmed for the doors. They’re separate systems and sometimes one works while the other doesn’t. If only the buttons died, it’s often just the battery or the remote needing a re-sync, which is cheaper than a new key.
Flip keys (switchblade keys)
The blade folds into the fob and pops out with a button. Same technology as a remote head key, different packaging. Common on Hyundai, Kia, Chrysler, Dodge and Chevrolet. The common failure is the blade pivot wearing loose; we can often rebuild the key with a new shell and keep your programmed electronics, for far less than a new key.
Smart keys and proximity fobs (push-to-start)
No blade in the ignition; the car starts with a button while the fob is in your pocket. Standard on most new cars. The fob holds a transmitter and usually a hidden emergency key blade that slides out of the fob to open the door if the battery dies. Lost it: this is the job people most often think only the dealer can do. For the makes we work on — Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Ford, Lincoln, Chevy, GMC, Cadillac, Nissan, Infiniti, Hyundai, Kia, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, Mazda, Subaru and more — we program a new smart key at your car, cut the emergency blade to match, and you don’t need a tow. Spare: if you have one working fob, adding a second is faster and cheaper than a lost-key job, which is why we tell everyone with a push-to-start car to get a spare made while they still have one.
Fobik and “slot” keys
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram from about 2008 to 2017 used a rectangular fob that pushes into a slot in the dash and twists. It’s a smart key in a slot-key body. We handle them on our Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler & Ram key page.
Valet keys
A plain or stub key that starts the car and opens the driver’s door but not the trunk or glovebox. Older luxury cars and some trucks came with one. Useful to keep in your wallet; if it’s your only remaining key, we can still make a full key from it.
Motorcycle keys
Range from a plain metal key (most older bikes, many Harleys) to chip keys (Honda HISS, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki immobilizers) and, on the newest bikes, proximity fobs. Details on our motorcycle locksmith page.
Keys we don’t make
Tesla key cards and phone keys are dealer and app only. If you’re not sure whether your car is one we handle, call and ask; the answer takes ten seconds.
How to tell which key you have in thirty seconds
Look at the head. All metal, or thin plastic with nothing in it: a basic key. Thick plastic with no buttons: a transponder key. Buttons on the head: a remote head key. Blade folds away: a flip key. No blade at all and the car has a start button: a smart key. Then look at the blade. Jagged cuts on the edge: standard. Wavy groove down the middle of the flat side: laser-cut. Round and hollow: tubular. Dimples on the flat sides: a dimple or high-security key. Now look for a stamp — a blank number like KW1 or SC1 tells us the keyway, a code like “C415A” on a small key means we can cut it blind, and a brand like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock means a restricted key that must go through its dealer.
What it costs to copy or replace a key
Standard house keys are a few dollars each. Dimple and high-security keys run higher because of the blanks and the machine time. Car keys are the wide range: a basic chip key spare is a small job, a laser-cut remote key is more, a smart key for a push-to-start car is the most, and “all keys lost” on any chip car costs more than making a spare while you still have one. Exact ranges by key type are on our car key replacement page, and we give you the price on the phone before we drive out. Cash or card (card carries a 4% fee).
Key types FAQ
Can you copy a key that says “Do Not Duplicate”?
If it’s an ordinary Kwikset or Schlage key with that stamp, yes; the stamp is just a request. If it’s a restricted key such as Medeco or Mul-T-Lock, no, and neither can anyone else except your system’s dealer.
Can you make a car key without the original?
For the makes we service, yes. We cut the blade by code from the VIN or the door lock, and program the chip or fob at the car. You’ll need ID and proof of ownership.
Can a hardware store copy my laser-cut car key?
Almost never. The blade needs a different machine, and the chip needs programming. That’s a locksmith or dealer job.
My key turns the lock but the car won’t start. Which key is it?
A transponder key whose chip isn’t programmed to the car, or one whose chip has failed. Either way the fix is programming, not another cut key.
Which type of house key is most secure?
A restricted high-security key on a grade 1 or grade 2 deadbolt. For most homes, though, the bigger win is simply knowing who has copies — which is why we rekey more houses than we upgrade.
Not sure what you’ve got? Text a photo of the key to (602) 301-5243 and we’ll tell you what it is, whether we can copy it, and what it costs.