Copied keys don't work at all
The keys produced by the KeyMe self-service kiosk did not work at all. Even if they had worked, both the material as well as the cut is quite obviously extremely poor quality.
I needed a copy of our house key, and Google suggested a KeyMe kiosk at the RiteAid nearby. After scanning my key, the machine offered various styles, and I chose "Titanium Green". I assumed that this was just a fancy name for a particular shade of green and expected a regular brass key with a greenish coating (I did not expect a titanium key, lol, though I can see that customers might be misled to expect that). The machine said that if I ordered a second key, I'd get a third one free, so I figured, what the heck, let's do that. The machine went to work, and after a few minutes they first key came out. To my great shock and disappointment, the key was made from aluminum (!) and light as a feather (we're talking soda can quality aluminum). I knew immediately that this would not work, because the lock for which the key was intended was old and somewhat sticky. It could occasionally require a bit of force, and that key looked like it would twist or snap in an instant. I've never seen a key out of such inferior material. Nevertheless, I had to stick around for ten more minutes to wait for the other two keys being produced. I was about 24 bucks out of pocket at that point, and I knew I wouldn't even attempt to put any of those cheap keys into my door lock. So, I started another transaction at the kiosk, this time selecting the "brass" style (and sincerely hoping that it wouldn't mean "brass-colored aluminum"). This time the machine presented a $2 up-sell for a "precision cut" that would supposedly provide a much smoother experience. Sucker that I am, I fell for the up-sell. A few minutes later I received my fourth key, and I was immediately disappointed. The key was indeed made from brass, but it had significant burrs and rough edges. It made me wonder what I would have received if I had not selected the "precision cut", because this key seemed to be cut as sloppily as it gets.
Anyway, I was almost 40 bucks out by now, but I had at least one key that should work.
Imagine my surprise when I came home to try the key, and the lock wouldn't even turn. Absolutely no cigar. I gingerly tried one of the aluminum keys, only to get the same result. I visually compared the copied keys to the original, and even with my bare eyes I could see that the shapes were not identical. The copies seemed, at best, a rough approximation of the original, but it was very obvious that some ridges were missing and some sharp forms of the original appeared very blurred and rounded in the copy.
I spend almost 40 bucks and none of the keys were usable. I don't think that the KeyMe self-service kiosks work at all. Whatever is happening inside those machines, it's definitely not ready for prime time. I highly recommend to have your keys copied elsewhere. There are kiosks from other companies that work just fine, or you can always have a real human copy your key for a few bucks.







