Key cutting in Northland
House keys, car keys, padlock keys and the odd ones nobody else can match - cut on site, because the van is the workshop.
The van carries the cutting equipment and a wide range of blanks, so key cutting happens at your kitchen table, your reception desk or beside your car - not after a drive into town.
We cut and duplicate keys across the whole Northland region: house and door keys, car keys including transponder and remote keys, padlock keys, window keys, cabinet and desk keys, letterbox keys, and the assorted ones that turn up on a ring with no idea what they open.
Why a copy sometimes does not work
Nearly everyone has had a key cut somewhere that then did not turn properly. It is usually one of these, and it is worth knowing:
- You copied a copy. Every duplication carries a small error, and copying from a copy stacks them. Three generations in, the key is measurably wrong. Always duplicate from the original where one exists.
- The blank was close but not right. Many profiles look near-identical and are not. A blank that is nearly correct produces a key that nearly works.
- The original was worn. Copying a twenty-year-old key faithfully reproduces twenty years of wear. Sometimes the right answer is to cut to the lock's original code rather than to the key in your hand.
- The lock is the problem, not the key. If every key is stiff, the cylinder wants servicing.
"Do not duplicate" is not a technical restriction. Those words stamped on a key are a request, and any cutting machine will ignore them. If you genuinely need keys that cannot be copied without your say-so, that is a restricted key system - and it is the only thing that actually achieves it.
Keys we cut
Beyond the obvious, we regularly cut the ones people struggle to get done elsewhere: roof rack and canopy keys, toolbox and ute deck locks, boat and trailer keys, filing cabinet and desk keys, garage door keys, and older or unusual profiles on heritage hardware.
Keyed alike, while we are there
If you are having keys cut because you are carrying too many, say so. Most homes can have the front door, back door, garage and sleepout keyed alike so a single key runs the property. It is a small job and it is one of the things people are most pleased with afterwards.
Proof of ownership
For vehicle keys, and for restricted keys, we will ask for identification and evidence that the vehicle or property is yours. That is entirely the point - the same check that occasionally slows you down is what stops somebody else having a key cut to your car.
Keys we cut
- House and door keys
- Car keys, transponder and remote
- Padlock keys
- Window and joinery keys
- Letterbox keys
- Cabinet and desk keys
- Filing cabinet keys
- Garage door keys
- Roof rack and canopy keys
- Toolbox and ute deck keys
- Boat and trailer keys
- Motorbike keys
- Older and heritage profiles
- Restricted keys on written authority
- Keyed-alike sets
- Keys cut to code where the original is lost
Related
Talk to a locksmith
Tell us what you need and you will know what it costs before we start.
Cut where you are
The van carries the machines and the blanks. No trip into town, no leaving the key with anyone.
Cut from the original
Copying a copy stacks small errors. We will tell you when the key you have is the problem.
Get in touch
Tell us what has happened
We will tell you what the job needs and what it costs before anyone sets out.
Mobile across all of Northland, from Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Paihia and Russell down to Whangarei, Ruakaka, One Tree Point and Marsden Cove - see all 55 areas we cover.
Questions
Common questions
Do I have to come to you?
No. We are mobile and the cutting equipment travels with us, which is the whole point of the service.
Can you cut a key if I have lost the original?
Often, yes. Depending on the lock we can cut to code, decode the lock itself, or take the cylinder apart to read it. It costs more than a straight duplicate, but it is usually far cheaper than replacing the lock.
My new key sticks. Why?
Most often the original was worn or was itself a copy, so the error was reproduced. Bring the oldest and least-used key you have. If every key sticks, the lock rather than the key needs attention.
Can you cut a key stamped "do not duplicate"?
Technically anyone can - it is a request, not a restriction, and that is worth understanding. If you want copying genuinely controlled you need a restricted key system.
Can all my doors take one key?
Usually. Keying alike is quick, inexpensive and one of the most popular things we do.
Locked out, or want it sorted properly?
One call reaches a mobile locksmith in Northland who will tell you what it costs before any work starts.
0800 243 503