How to Re-Key a Defiant Lock in No Time

Three popular lock types in the United States include Kwikset, Schlage and Defiant, with Kwikset and Schlage largely dominating the residential lock market. Due to their affordable price, attractive appearance, and practicality, defiant locks are gradually gaining favor with homeowners. Read this article to learn how to rekey a stubborn lock.

Why and How You Can Re-key a Defiant Lock

Rekeying your lock is a great option when you need to change your lock but do not need to replace the hardware. It’s a more economical way to keep high security. The process changes the inner core of the lock, leaving the outside hardware in tact and requiring a brand new set of keys. You can’t open your new lock with old keys.

Rekeying locks is frequently done in cases of lost or broken keys, tenant turnover in rental properties, and recent break-ins. You may want to choose to rekey if the incorrect person obtains your keys.

You can pay a locksmith to rekey your lock for you, or you can do it yourself with a kit you can buy. Rekey kits can be found in large hardware or home improvement stores. You can rekey your lock whenever you want once you have a kit.

To rekey a Defiant lock, you will need its original key. The procedure for rekeying a safe is otherwise the same as it is for rekeying any other type of lock.

Who Makes Defiant Locks?

One of the top three selling lock brands at Home Depot is Defiant, making it one of the most popular locks in the country. It surprised me that I couldn’t find any information online about Defiant locks because I encounter them frequently in my work as a locksmith. The only retailer for the brand, Home Depot, will be the result of your search for the website of Defiant. That’s because Defiant locks are actually made exclusively for Home Depot by the Taiwanese manufacturer “Taiwan Fu Hsing Ind. Co. Ltd”, and have been for almost 25 years, according to one of the brand’s promotional videos.

Which Locks Are Made by Defiant?

A single-sided and double-sided deadbolt, three different doorknob types (entry, bathroom, and passage in two different designs), as well as a residential keypad lock are all part of Defiant’s standard line of residential locksets. Each lock is available separately or with a matching doorknob and deadbolt. They are available in one of three finishes: brass, silver, or black. If you want to change all the locks on an apartment or a small house without having to have some of the locks rekeyed, there are also double combos made up of two deadbolts and two doorknobs that are all keyed alike. The Home Depot offers a lifetime warranty on Defiant locks, but this does not necessarily imply that the locks are secure. The warranty will only cover normal wear and tear.

Technical Specifications

Since I’ve already covered the security features of Defiant locks in-depth here, I won’t go into much detail about them in this article, but I will mention them quickly. Three of the five sets of pins in the cylinder of the Defiant deadbolts and doorknobs are security spool pins. Although the deadbolt has a drill-resistance plate, making it slightly more difficult to drill the lock open, as can be seen in this video, it is fairly simple to remove. Overall, Defiant locks offer inexpensive basic security but won’t present much of a challenge to a skilled burglar.
Kwikset and Defiant locks have the same kind of keyway, so a Defiant key will operate a Kwikset lock and vice versa. You can still purchase a Defiant lock and match it to function with your current house key even if all the locks on your home are Kwikset models.

How to Unlock the Defiant Lock?

There are a few different ways to open a Defiant lock, including mechanically and with a user code.

• Defiant lock user code entry: To unlock a Defiant lock with an electronic keypad, enter either the current master code or your four-digit valid user code.
• Use a mechanical key to insert it into the keyhole and turn it to open the latch to unlock the defiant lock.

Are Defiant Locks Any Good

Yes, Defiant locks are good.

When it comes to locks, many people are looking for something that’s both affordable and easy to install. For this kind of person, the Defiant lock is the ideal product.

Its lack of battery or electrical requirements is one factor in its simplicity of use. No power is needed; all that’s needed is to turn the internal spring mechanism, which opens when you insert your key. This also means there’s no need for a battery replacement or an electrician to come out and fix anything if something goes wrong with the locking mechanism.

How to Re-Key a Defiant Lock

Remove the Lock from the Door

By inserting the wire tool into the doorknob hole, you can use the kit’s wire tool to remove the deadbolt from the door. The original lock can be opened by inserting your original key. Then, remove the key.

Extract Lock Cylinder and C-Clip

Put your old key back in the lock after removing the cylinder from the cylinder guard. Use the spanner tool to remove the C-clip, then rotate your key by about 45 degrees.

Remove Interior Plug

To remove your plug from the cylinder, insert the plug follower tool that was supplied. The interior pins and springs must remain inside the cylinder housing as long as the plug follower is present.

Replace Pins

In order to remove the pins in the bottom pin holes, remove your key. Matching the pins’ colors to those listed in the kit’s instructions will ensure proper replacement. For best results, carefully insert the pins. Tweezers may be helpful for this step.

Test Your New Lock

To test the lock, insert a fresh key. Check that the right pins have been inserted by repeatedly turning the key. After that, reassemble the lock by inserting the cylinder plug and mounting the rekeyed lock to the door.

Conclusion

We’ve described how to rekey a Defiant lock in this article in the hopes that it will help you resolve your issue and restore the functionality of your lock.

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