Homeowners are going to run into this dilemma every once in a while. Do you decide to rekey or replace your locks? Most people haven’t even heard of the term “rekeying”, which is why they get puzzled when presented with their possible options.
It’s not so much of a straightforward decision, considering the fact that both of these methods are perfectly viable solutions to any problems you might have with your locks. Whether you lost your keys or simply require better protection, you can count on one of them to fix it. If you want to think about it, here are some arguments for and against both.
Replacing It
There are lots of reasons someone might want to replace their lock. If you’re tired of your old lock or you’ve simply lost every one of your keys, it might be high time to get a replacement. When you’re replacing the lock, you need to realize that this means you’re getting a whole set for your door. This means that it could end up being a bit costly.
One of the great benefits of replacing the locks on your doors is that you get full freedom to customize the security throughout your home. You also get to pick and choose the way it looks. If you aren’t satisfied with how effective your locks are, you get the opportunity to replace them. When it comes to rekeying; you get stuck with the same kind of lock you had before. Additionally, you don’t have to pick the lock to replace it.
However, you should keep in mind that the costs don’t necessarily stop at the place you buy locks. Installing them could cost you a lot of time or a lot of money. It’s feasible to do on your own, but replacing every single lock is a time-consuming endeavour.
Rekeying the Lock
Luckily, it’s not exactly an ambiguous term. As the name suggests, rekeying the lock means changing the lock mechanism to fit another key without compromising the security of the lock itself. You get to keep the wonderful lock you picked, while also making it more secure by picking another key. It sounds pretty straightforward at first, so what’s not to like? Well, there are a couple of complications that can arise from rekeying the lock.
First of all, how do you do it? Anyone that is slightly familiar with how locks work could have a go at it without too many issues, but how reliable is the result if you try to DIY it? The truth is, doing it yourself properly requires a lot of things to go right. For starters, you need to have the original key available. If you don’t have it, you will have to pick the lock manually.
Worse yet, getting all the components in place requires some extra precision that you wouldn’t expect from a layman. It would be best if you sought out help from an experienced locksmith in Sydney to do it for you. If and expert rekeys it for you, you can rest easy knowing that your lock is in safer hands and that you don’t have to worry about it failing.
The Verdict
It seems that picking the way you want to deal with your lock depends on a couple of factors. You first need to ask yourself a couple of key questions. How much money are you willing to spend on the whole job? Is it just one lock that is problematic or are you dealing with several malfunctions or issues? Do you want to upgrade the locks or simply get the safety benefits of a new key? Do you want to do it yourself or let an expert deal with it?
Either way, you’re going to get a level of protection that you can be satisfied with. There’s no inherently “better” option, which means that it’s entirely up to you and your budget.
Conclusion
Picking the right way to deal with your lock isn’t an easy decision. You have a lot of factors to consider and both of these options are presenting themselves as effective. If you aren’t sure, you can always ask your local locksmith for advice in making the right decision.
