Rekeying a lock is when you remove the cylinder, remove the current pins inside, and replace them with new pins. This means that the lock will no longer work with the old keys and you will receive new keys. This also means that anybody who previously had a key to the locks will no longer have access because their keys will not work. Typically customers who request to have their locks rekeyed are moving into a new home or are in a commercial setting and had an employee leave. Usually customers ask locksmiths to rekey multiple locks to work with the same key. This saves time by allowing access to every lock with 1 key in opposed to sifting through multiple keys to find the right one.

Changing a lock means replacing an existing lock with an entirely new lock. The technician will remove the interior and exterior of the existing lock, exposing the bare door hole. Then, they will install a completely different lock with new keys. Hopefully after reading this blog post you will have a better understanding of the difference between the terms rekey vs changing locks. Contact LockBusters if you would like to schedule an appointment to rekey or change your locks.