Key cutting is one of the regular services that are provided by locksmiths, stores, and even kiosks. Who has not ever lost their keys and required an extra one? They often contemplate how long it takes to get one’s key to be cut. The time that it is going to take depends on the factors such as the kind of key that is being cut, the equipment being used, and the person cutting the key. Here in this blog you will know key cutting service and the key cutting process in detail.
The following are the factors that impact key cutting time:
Nature and Kind of the Key:
The sort of key that requires duplication determines the time it will take. Blank residential keys or office keys can easily be duplicated within a short time, which could take even less than fifteen minutes. And while making the simplest keys or STEM keys, it may take less time, whereas for more complicated keys or specialty keys, the time to make them may be a lot longer because of their design.
Standard keys:
These are ordinary-looking keys; it is just that they are not used on any door we know. Slicing these usually takes 1 to 5 minutes.
High-security keys:
They have special cuttings to perform specific patterns, and this takes a longer time compared to the flat-surfaced ones. It should take roughly between 10 and 20 minutes.
Car keys with transponders: Of these, some need not only a cutting of the chip but also programming of the chip as well.
2. Key cutting method
Manual key cutting:
Old or manual typewriters might take more time to replicate the key, and this could take comparatively longer time as compared to their modern counterparts. Manual machines entail the work of the locksmith, whereby he has to use his/her own judgment, which may take approximately 5-10 minutes.
Automatic machines:
Machines are modern, and they are capable of making the process of cutting a key very fast depending on the type of key that is being made; that is, it only takes up to a minute to make one key. These are frequent in the hardware stores or self-service kiosks, for example, where time is an important aspect.
3. Shape and state of the first key
Also, the shape and the state of the original key are crucial as well. Copy keying may also take time if it is illuminated from a worn-out or damaged key being copied since the locksmith has to engrave various rooms to make a copy that will open or fit the original correctly.
4. Time of year
As mentioned above, key cutting may take more time depending on the time of the year due to a variety of factors. For example, if you are copying a slender key with an irregular profile or of some certain material, the locksmith has to utilize specific equipment, which has to be prepared for usage, and this will take time.