Testing
Assembly was quick, straightforward and simple. The exterior keypad and the interior mounting plate fit the 21⁄8-inch hole in the door perfectly. They were easy to hold in place while fitting the two mounting screws through the plate and into the threaded holes on the keypad. Lining the screws up was simple, as they could be seen through the large center hole in the mounting plate. You also have to feed the keypad plug over top of the latch and through an oversized hole in the mounting plate. I have found this process to be much more troublesome in other locksets requiring a cable connecting an exterior keypad. The inside handle also requires the 3⁄32-inch hex wrench to tighten/loosen a set screw on the bottom of the collar to remove the lever.Reversing handles is simple; you just loosen the set screws on both the inside and outside handles and swap the handles.
While disassembling the demo model, which was sent to us preassembled on a display, I had both the paper installation instructions that shipped with the lockset open and an online version from the Kwikset Web site. I noticed that the online version showed the set screw for the inside handle on the side of the collar. To reverse the handle you would remove the set screw, slide the handle off and rotate it 180°, and insert the set screw into the other side of the collar away from the latching side of the door. A call to Kwikset North American Sales & Business Development Manager Larry Goldman clarified that removing the set screw was the old way to reverse the handle. At that time there was an inside handle and an outside handle that were different and not interchangeable. In an effort to simplify the installation this has been modified and now the set screw is on the bottom of the collar and is not removable – a nice feature. If you ever had a set screw fall out of this type of installation, you know it can be an annoyance to get back in the hole and the threads started. And that is i
f you don’t lose the screw altogether.
Also shown on the online directions, the cylinder was inserted into the lockset by the installer, then the outside handle was slid over it, but before it would all lock into place, you had to use a working key inserted in the cylinder, rotated clockwise 90° in order for the cylinder and the handle to click into place so that the set screw could then be tightened. The set screw at that time was only accessible once the key was turned and held in the 90° position. As a locksmith, I am very familiar with this type of installation of knobs and lever handles, as this is a way used to prevent the unauthorized handle removal to access the cylinder for removal and illicit entry. On the current model being reviewed, the cylinder is part of the lock mechanism from the factory and not removable, even with the handle removed. The lock would be destroyed if one tried to remove the cylinder to gain access to a locked door. For obvious reasons I didn’t break out the drill and attempt a forced entry.
While I normally would be concerned about installing a lock with a cylinder that could not be removed to rekey, the SmartKey cylinder can be rekeyed without removing it from the lockset. To achieve rekeying, you simply insert the current key into the cylinder, turn it 90° clockwise, insert the Smart-Key tool (included with the original keys) into a small slot on the face of the cylinder, remove the old key and the tool in that position, insert a new Kwikset key and rotate back counterclockwise 90° and remove the new key. The cylinder is now rekeyed. I tried this and it actually took less time to do then it did to write the explanation! Kwikset has been using this SmartKey technology for a number of years now and it is a proven time and money saver. No need to remove the lockset from the door or call a trained professional. Just have a new Kwikset key cut at the hardware store and use that for your new key or use a Kwikset key that you already use on another lock, if desired. This is a wonderful patented innovation that is exclusive to Kwikset.
