Vancouver Locksmith Key West Security Services British Columbia, Canada

Common Features:

Door cylinders can be easily unscrew to facilitate re-keying by KA, KD, Master keying system or Grand Master Keying or common entrance suite system

Cylinder may contain any of a variety of locking mechanism including:

Pin tumbler: Used pins of varying lengths to prevent lock from opening without correct key

Pin Tumbler Unlocked Pin Tumbler with key

Wafer tumbler lock: Used set of flat wafers to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. Similar to pin tumbler but the wafer is a single piece. The most common use wafer tumbler lock is single-bitted, five-wafer configuration used on desk & cabinet locks. Some wafer tubular locks utilize a stack of closely-spaced wafers designed to fit a specific contour of a double sided key and works on the principle of a carpenter's contour gauge

Wafer Tumbler locks can utilize single bitted keys or double-bitted keys. Though wafer arrangements within the plug may vary, such as automotive locks, where the wafers are arranged in opposed sets, requiring a double-bitted key, the operating principle remains the same.

Wafer Tumbler Locked Wafer Tumbler Unlocked Wafer Tumbler with Key

Disc Tumbler Lock (Abloy Disklock): A lock composed of slotted rotating detained discs. a specially cut key rotates these discs like the tumblers of a safe to align the slots, allowing the side bar to drop into the slots, thus opening the lock. Thus this mechanism doesn't use springs. The lock is difficult to pick & sold as High Security. The locking mechanism can be also disabled destructively by drilling into the lock to destroy the side bar. Anti-drilling plates can be installed to prevent this.