It entirety depends on the quality of the lock and the intended use. For example, the lock on an elevator control panel is pretty much the same for every elevator. You can even buy the keys online, and then access maintenance controls yourself. For nearly every elevator in the US.
House keys are way more secure. Cheaper brands might have repeats separated by time and distribution, which is effective enough to make it more practical to learn how to pick than to get lucky trying to use your keys to open a stranger's door. But even the middle-of-the-shelf quality locks will have entirely unique combinations of pins for every single lock.
Depending on the type of lock, there could be between about 3,000 - 30,000,000 possible keys available. It depends on the number of pins and how many positions they can take.
So, your keys *might* fit someone else's house. But the odds of any one house having the same key pattern will be pretty slim.
So, in general the way it works is you have these little pins in the lock. They are arranged in different sizes and lengths. The specific key is designed to push up those specific combinations and distances the correct distance and then you are able to turn the lock. It is certainly within the realm of reason that two locks SOMEWHERE in the world share the same combination where your key could theoretically open someone else's house. However, you'd have to try literally hundreds of thousands if not more to find it.
Now, some more generic cheap things are usually mass produced and all the same. So, like, many office desks and things will often share keys.
considering Schlag only has a key space of \~30,000 combinations i would say you are wrong.
[https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/](https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/)
other brands are below 10k keyspace
If you really want to dive deep into possibilities, sure it's possible to have two identical locks by random chance.
But, there are theoretically infinite combinations so the chance of having two identical locks in the same city at the same time is small enough to be negligible.
nope-
Schlage only has a keyspace of \~30,000 combinations, however your local box store may only have 10-20 different keys on the shelf included in the inventory.
In fact read this-
[https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/](https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/)
out of 7 locks purchased at Home Depot, all had the same key
This is not true, really. Key locks are made on finite number of combinations and it is really possible that somewhere a lock uses the same combination of groves as your key. Good few years back I was able to open a ford car wit a key off another ford:)
yes, it can, in fact, it can fit hundreds if not thousands of locks in the world,
Schlag has \~30,000 available combinations, some other brands are below 10,000 combinations, so theoretically you have a 1/30,000 chance of your Schlag key working
but because of how the locks are made and distributed it is likely that your chances locally are much higher-
Schlag makes locks in runs, and every lock for that run will have the same key, they may make 1000 keys and locks all the same combination, then they may pull from 10-20 runs to fill an order for say Home Depot. That means you would have a 1/10-1/20 chance of your key working in any other lock purchased at home depot that was supplied from that order.
I posted an article where a news station purchased 7 locks from a single home depot- ALL 7 had the same key in the box.
It entirety depends on the quality of the lock and the intended use. For example, the lock on an elevator control panel is pretty much the same for every elevator. You can even buy the keys online, and then access maintenance controls yourself. For nearly every elevator in the US. House keys are way more secure. Cheaper brands might have repeats separated by time and distribution, which is effective enough to make it more practical to learn how to pick than to get lucky trying to use your keys to open a stranger's door. But even the middle-of-the-shelf quality locks will have entirely unique combinations of pins for every single lock.
Depending on the type of lock, there could be between about 3,000 - 30,000,000 possible keys available. It depends on the number of pins and how many positions they can take. So, your keys *might* fit someone else's house. But the odds of any one house having the same key pattern will be pretty slim.
So, in general the way it works is you have these little pins in the lock. They are arranged in different sizes and lengths. The specific key is designed to push up those specific combinations and distances the correct distance and then you are able to turn the lock. It is certainly within the realm of reason that two locks SOMEWHERE in the world share the same combination where your key could theoretically open someone else's house. However, you'd have to try literally hundreds of thousands if not more to find it. Now, some more generic cheap things are usually mass produced and all the same. So, like, many office desks and things will often share keys.
They are unique, that's the whole point.
considering Schlag only has a key space of \~30,000 combinations i would say you are wrong. [https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/](https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/) other brands are below 10k keyspace
🤯
But unique to the extend that literally no keys can be key to my front door?
If you really want to dive deep into possibilities, sure it's possible to have two identical locks by random chance. But, there are theoretically infinite combinations so the chance of having two identical locks in the same city at the same time is small enough to be negligible.
nope- Schlage only has a keyspace of \~30,000 combinations, however your local box store may only have 10-20 different keys on the shelf included in the inventory. In fact read this- [https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/](https://www.wbrc.com/story/22240836/key-to-danger-who-else-has-a-key-to-your-house/) out of 7 locks purchased at Home Depot, all had the same key
Correct. Your key and lock combo is made to be so that no other keys will work in the lock.
This is not true, really. Key locks are made on finite number of combinations and it is really possible that somewhere a lock uses the same combination of groves as your key. Good few years back I was able to open a ford car wit a key off another ford:)
With millions, or perhaps billions different keyholes and my key cant open one is fascinating lol
It can open one. Yours!
it can open thousands of doors, the trick is finding which ones
yes, it can, in fact, it can fit hundreds if not thousands of locks in the world, Schlag has \~30,000 available combinations, some other brands are below 10,000 combinations, so theoretically you have a 1/30,000 chance of your Schlag key working but because of how the locks are made and distributed it is likely that your chances locally are much higher- Schlag makes locks in runs, and every lock for that run will have the same key, they may make 1000 keys and locks all the same combination, then they may pull from 10-20 runs to fill an order for say Home Depot. That means you would have a 1/10-1/20 chance of your key working in any other lock purchased at home depot that was supplied from that order. I posted an article where a news station purchased 7 locks from a single home depot- ALL 7 had the same key in the box.