Broken Key Stuck In Your Lock?

Broken Key Stuck In Your Lock?

Have you ever experienced that gut-wrenching feeling when you stick your key in your door, give it a twist, and SNAP, it breaks in half?

Unfortunately, this happens from time to time and often when you least expect it, but you shouldn’t panic. There are 9 easy ways to remove the broken key from the lock using various tools and common household items without ever having to call 24/7 car locksmith services. However, Mr. Rekey is always available to help you with any problems you may have with your locks or keys.​

The method that will work best for you depends on the type of lock you’re dealing with, how far into the lock your key is wedged, what you have on hand, and how much time you have to devote to your key-extracting endeavor.

One thing that will simplify your job significantly, regardless of which approach you decide to take, is spray lubricant (like WD-40). Whatever brand you might already have should do the trick, though graphite or some other form of dry lubricant will be less likely to gum up the key services. Just apply it directly around the portion of the key that is stuck in the lock to help it slide out more easily.

Another helpful tool to have is a pair of needle nose pliers. If you are able to work the key far enough out of the lock to get a good hold on it, you can grab the end and pull it the rest of the way out with the pliers. If there is already a remnant of the key sticking out when it breaks, you may be able to remove it with the pliers and forgo the time and energy of using one of the following methods.​

STOP! Before You Try to Remove the Key

​Before you unintentionally cause yourself additional trouble, there are a few things you need to know before attempting to remove a broken key from a lock.

Many people’s initial reaction is to try and use the remaining half of the key in conjunction with the broken half to try and open the lock even after the key breaks. DO NOT DO THIS. The further you push the broken piece into the lock, the more difficult it will be to remove, and some methods may not work at all if the key is lodged too deeply within the lock.

While you will not need the remaining half of the key to open the door, you do want to hang on to it. Once you extract the other half, you can take the two pieces to a locksmith or local hardware store to have a new key made.

Finally, remember that every scenario is slightly different, and this is not an exact science. You can use similar methods with different tools based on what is available to you, and you may have to use trial and error to figure out what will work best in your specific situation.

Pioneer DJ DDJ-WeGO4 Review

Pioneer DJ has consistently churned out controllers yearly, starting with the groundbreaking DDJ-SX that took bigger four-channel controllers mainstream. Since then, we’ve seen the company run the controller gamut from beginner models (DDJ-SB / DDJ-RB) to professional ones (DDJ-RX / DDJ-RZ), to even flagship niche models like the DDJ-RZX meant for video DJing.

The Pioneer DJ DDJ-WeGO4 is an all-plastic two-channel controller that comes in two colours – black and white. It’s got a two-band EQ and a filter knob, along with two channel faders and a crossfader. There are two small jogwheels (think around Traktor Kontrol S4 size), each with four switchable hot cue / sampler buttons, and transport controls at the bottom. At the top of either jogwheel are loop on/off buttons with 1/2 loop and 2x loop size buttons, plus three Pad FX buttons, which are like instant effect buttons.
The DDJ-WeGO4 has RCA jacks for the Master output, a 1/4″ and an 1/8″ jack for headphones, and a USB connector for hooking up your iOS device via Lightning or your Android device via USB On-The-Go. It also has a USB jack for connecting to your laptop, and a power receptacle for the included adapter. There are knobs for the headphone cue volume, the Master output, the mic level (it has a 1/4″ mic input), and library browse. There is no headphone cue / Master knob here. At the top of the unit is a slot for docking in a smart device as large as a 9.7″ iPad.

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The DDJ-WeGO4 is compatible with a number of different DJ apps in a handful of platforms – for mobile devices, it works with djay 2 on both Android and iOS, and on a laptop it’s got mappings for Rekordbox DJ, djay Pro, and Virtual DJ. New to the DDJ-WeGO4 is compatibility with Pioneer DJ’s new WeDJ software, a streamlined app for iOS that’s easy to use.

One of the main differences between the DDJ-WeGO4 and its predecessor the DDJ-WeGO3 is the EQ section – instead of the DDJ-WeGO3’s three EQ bands (low, mid, and hi), the DDJ-WeGO4 has a two-band EQ (low and hi) plus a filter knob. The other difference is the DDJ-WeGO4 ships with a Rekordbox DJ licence apart from Virtual DJ LE. The DDJ-WeGO3 only ships with djay and Virtual DJ LE – if you want to use it with Rekordbox DJ, you’ll have to purchase it separately.

IN USE

For this review, I opted to use the DDJ-WeGO4 with Rekordbox DJ on my laptop, so I hooked it up via USB, connected the power brick, fired up Rekordbox DJ, and got working.

Central to any DJ controller experience are the jogwheels (or lack thereof). The DDJ-WeGO4 has jogs that are on the smaller side as far as controllers go, but they are reponsive. They have a slight tension to them, which is nice when you’re scratching. Cueuing up tracks in Rekordbox DJ was a breeze, and feels refined, and it should be – this is the fourth version of the controller in the series, after all.

The DDJ-WeGO4 has the same four hot cue / sampler buttons as its predecessors. A button to the right lets you change the functionality of the four buttons from being hot cues to sampler triggers, the sounds of which can be loaded onto the software sampler in Rekordbox DJ. The loop controls are also the same here, with a dedicated loop on/off button flanked by 1/2x size and 2x loop size buttons. The three effect buttons let you engage Pad FX, which are customisable effects that you can select from within Rekordbox DJ.

Design

The WeGO series got some flak in the past for looking like a “toy controller” thanks to its chunky design, jogwheel lights, and quirky button layout. While the jogwheel lights and buttons have stayed on, Pioneer DJ has opted for a mature, sleeker design that looks more pro. If looks matter to you (and to a certain extent, they should), I personally think this is the best looking model out of the whole WeGO line.

The DDJ-WeGO4 has a two-band EQ like its predecessors, along with a dedicated filter knob. It has buttons for cueing the left and right decks, as well as the Master output. The two volume faders, pitch faders and the crossfader are short throw, so you don’t get a lot of resolution when adjusting levels or BPM, but they work just fine.

As mentioned, the DDJ-WeGO 4 works with a slew of DJ apps on different platforms, making it one of the most versatile DJ controllers in the market right now. For mobile use, it’s compatible with djay 2 on iOS and Android, vjay on iOS, and Pioneer DJ’s new WeDJ software. It’s got a slot near the top of the unit for docking your tablet or phone, and has a USB jack in the back for connecting your Lightning or USB to Go cable.
You can also use it with your laptop – it ships with both Rekordbox DJ and Virtual DJ LE, and can be used with Traktor Pro 2 long as you’ve got the mapping for it.