Price of key cutting

[Billy Boy]

What sort of typical price does your high street key cutting shop charge for an ordinary Yale-type key?

Just out of interest!

[Angela]

I bought 2 for £5.40 a couple of weeks ago

[Frank Erskine]

Used to be two bob a while ago...

ISTR that it might've gone up to half a crown.

[Bob Mannix]

AFAICR it was a fiver-ish

[meow2222]

Must be easy enough with a die grinder. Where does one get blanks?

NT

[Andy Dingley]

Not for a Yale-like key. You have to get the cut surface exactly square across the thickness of the key blank, or else the effective height changes with any twist. Easy enough on a horizontal mill, but not something that works well freehanding it.

From a locksmith, just don't get them cut. The volumes needed for the wholesale packs are enormous. I cut my own keys for lever locks in old furniture with missing keys.

[Scabbydug]

Wher I work it's £2.50 for a yale, most other standard type cylinder keys (Unions etc) are £3.25.

[tim.....]

Last time I got one it was GBP 3.75!

I couldn't believe it. A few weeks later I was in Seville with a (Spanish) friend and he went to his local shop to get a new door key for me and it cost 75 euro cents. There's no justification for the UK price.

tim

[Rednadnerb]

Just had a Yale and a Chubb cut yesterday. =A31.50 for the Yale and =A32.00 for the Chubb from local hardware shop. The shoe repair shops will rip you off.

[meow2222]

that doesnt sound difficult. I've done keys very occasionally before. Rats tail files to finish them.

Right, I might enquire, it could save time. Cheers.

NT

[Bruce]

As long as people pay silly prices, they will continue to be charged.

What is it about British consumers? We are like sheep, passively paying whatever price is asked no matter how ridiculous.

In the USA, people would flock to the cheapest vendor, and expect outstanding customer service too. Here, we meekly pay high prices and put up with appalling customer service.

[Appin]

The message from "tim....." contains these words:

There's an element of truth in that, but it's not the whole story. We run a caravan site and charge a £10 deposit on keys to the shower/toilet/laundry block. Locks are suited cylinder locks. Not surprisingly, many of those who lose keys run along to the cheapest key cutter, having borrowed a genuine key from another caravanner. They'll then attempt to pass off the replacement and get their deposit back -- which they don't get. Our keys are marked. Poorly-cut keys on poor quality blanks cause endless problems leaving metal scrapings in the cylinder and causing damage. They also bend readily and can break in the cylinder. We have a reliable guy who uses good-quality blanks (over

4600 different blanks in stock at any given time), he's been able to cut everything we've thrown at him, including some "awkward" patterns which many don't have the blanks for or can't do, and he charges £2.50 for a Yale-type key and a little more for car keys. Never had a duff one yet from him. He does repair shoes as well, but keys are the mainstay of his business.

A good compromise, in my opinion.

In North America it's generally cheaper to get a new lock with three or four keys than to get a key cut :-( -- as was pointed out to me by a very competent locksmith who did cut keys, but pointed out the illogical nature of the economics.

[John]

Noticed (and watched in fascination) a highly automated machine in Walmart Asda last week. The girl seemed to almost 'post' the original into the machine and it took over. Presumably Asda want to drive the locksmiths out of business now. Machine had the word Laser on it - so it must be good!

[John Rumm]

A couple of quid for a key does not sound particularly excessive. How much would you charge?

[tim.....]

This is no different from throwing away a mobile phone/ipod/electric razor because buying a new one is cheaper than replacing the battery. I think it's wrong, but there you are

tim

[tim.....]

It's difficult to "flock" for something that I need once ever three years

tim

[Bruce]

The question you should be asking is how much do I pay.

Never higher than £1.70.

[meow2222]

The main difference is in the price of doing business. Town centre shop rates are enormous here, and property also much more expensive than in the US. Then there's labour, which isnt so heavily regulated (costs $$ and slower workers here) or taxed.

NT

[Jules]

Heck! Not so long ago I used to be able to take an entire car door lock assembly into a local locksmith and ask them to make me a key for it, and they'd only charge a tenner; cloning an existing key must be an order of magnitude easier.