By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

A customer wants a knob and deadbolt rekeyed and does not want to buy new locks. You pull the old cylinder, and now you have two Ilco combination cylinders on the shelf that look nearly identical: the 15995KS and the 15996KS. The difference is one pin. That one pin decides whether the customer's existing keys work, so it is worth two minutes before you order.

What these two cylinders are

Both are Kaba Ilco combination knob/deadbolt cylinders in the Kwikset keyway, machined from brass, sold keyed different, and shipped with 2 keys. Ilco lists them as drop-in replacements: pop the old cylinder out of the lockset and put the new one in, with no disassembly of the lock. The catalog page for the 15995KS is the 5-pin version. The 15996KS is the 6-pin version.

The catalog lists both under the Kwikset (1176) keyway. I am not going to decode that further than what the page says. What matters on the job is the pin count of what is already in the door.

The one rule: match the pin count

A key cut with five bitting positions will not operate a six-pin cylinder, and a six-position key does not fit a five-pin plug in a useful way. So the question is never "which is better." It is "what does the customer's key have, and what am I keying to?"

Two ways to answer it:

1. Look at the existing key. Count the cuts along the blade, from the shoulder to the tip. Five cuts, order the 5-pin. Six, order the 6-pin.
2. Look at the old cylinder. Pull the plug out of the lockset and count the pin chambers in the plug face. If it is a full-size cylinder and someone has already rekeyed it, count again. A worn key with rounded cuts is easy to miscount, so count the pin chambers as the tiebreaker.

If you are keying an entire building to something new and nobody has a working key, either pin count will work, so long as every cylinder in the set matches. Mixing pin counts across one keyed-alike group is how you end up with a key that opens the front and not the back.

Why you would choose the 6-pin

Here is the general locksmith reason, and it is not specific to Ilco. Each extra pin position multiplies the number of possible key combinations, and it makes the lock harder to pick or bump by chance. If you are re-securing a rental or a small office and you are free to pick, the 6-pin gives you more room to work. But that only helps if the customer accepts new keys, since it will not fit their old ones.

The 5-pin is the right call when you need the customer to keep their existing key style, or when you are matching another lockset on the same property. Neither is "better." Match the door.

What is in the box

The satin chrome 5-pin, 15995KS-26D-KD, lists 2 keys, 6 tailpieces and a retainer clip. The tailpieces are 3 rigid, 1 lazy single deadbolt, and 2 lazy double deadbolt. That kit is why one cylinder works across the different lockset brands you meet. Check the product page for the exact contents of the finish and pin count you order, since I only have the kit listed for that one.

Ilco says it works with most major brands of cylindrical lever and knob locks, including Schlage, Arrow, Yale and Corbin Russwin. For Sargent locks, use the Sargent 6-line specific cylinder instead. That one is a real trap, and it is stated right on the product page.

Finish and keying

The cylinder face is visible, so finish matters. The 15995KS is listed in several finishes, including satin chrome (US26D / 626) and satin brass. Check the finish code in the SKU suffix against the lockset it is going into. Keying is keyed different on every listing I checked, meaning each cylinder ships with its own random keying. If the customer wants one key for the knob and deadbolt, use a combination cylinder. That is the reason the combo exists.

For a job where you must match an existing master key system, a keyed-different cylinder is a start, not a finish. You will need to key it to the system. For the rim and mortise sides of the same rekey, our guides on the Ilco rim cylinder and the GMS R118 Kwikset retrofit cover the night latch case.

Where to find them

The whole family is grouped in our Ilco KIK cylinder category, and the wider Kaba Ilco page has the other Ilco cylinders and cores. A reasonable van stock is a few of each pin count in the two finishes you see most, so a rekey is done in one visit.

Common questions

Can I use a 6-pin cylinder with a customer's existing 5-pin key?

No. The key has to match the pin count of the cylinder. Count the cuts on the customer's key before you order.

Is the 15996KS better than the 15995KS?

It has one more pin, which gives more key combinations. That only helps when the customer is getting new keys. If they want to keep their old ones, order the pin count that matches.

Do I have to take the lockset apart?

Ilco describes the satin chrome 5-pin version as a drop-in replacement: pop the old cylinder out and put the new one in, with no disassembly of the lock. Check the listing for the exact model you buy.

Will it fit a Sargent lockset?

No. The product page says to use the Sargent 6-line specific cylinder for Sargent locks. It lists Schlage, Arrow, Yale and Corbin Russwin as supported.

Do these ship keyed alike?

The listings I checked are keyed different, with 2 keys. If you need several cylinders on one key, call us before you order and we will check what is available.