Start with a master from day one. it will save you a ton of time. Use kwiksets not defiants or the other crap brands. I learned the hard way and had to go back and master 50 units after a few years of hauling a safe with all my keys around.
Let me give you my prospective after owning Smart Key locks on my private home. THEY SUCK! I once had the front door lock stop working and was locked out at 11PM, I called my neighbor and sawed a hole in my side garage door to get in my home. The door was bared from the inside, it was cheaper than a locksmith and I needed to replace the door anyway. Since then I have had four different locks stop working, after the second time I purchased the reset tool. Right now the garage side of my door going in the house has a lock that can't be reset with the tool and needs to go back to HD.
I would never put these on a rental because I don't want a service call at 1AM or while I'm on vacation with a tenant locked out.
I was at Lowes today and they said they don't sell the rekey kit for kwickset locks, but they will rekey them for $5 per lock if you bring them in. I am going to look at Menards or Home Depot tomorrow.
I have been using several of the kwikset smartkeys for years and I think they are great. I don't have tenants that would have any reason to rekey them, nor would they even notice that they are rekeyable. The only knock I have on them is that the inside latch for the deadbolt tends to jiggle loose over time. Nothing a few twists of an allen key can't fix.
The one problem with Kwikset SmartKey that has not yet been mentioned is: the door knob locks aren't "programmable", only the deadbolts are. So you re-key the deadbolt, then what do you have to do with the door knob lock?
Myself, and many of my landlord clients and associates rekey our own. We use kwikset, and all have the same master. Works out well as we invest in the same areas and can help each other out for lost key issues or letting service people in.
I bought my kit on sale on Amazon for $88 and can rekey a house in 10 minutes. It's paid for itself many times over.
Joel,
You kwikset and defiants are both masterable. I would get rid of the defiants when you are getting the rest mastered. It is really not worth doing it yourself but it seems like everyone here seems to think it is worth learning this skill to save a few bucks. The big box stores are not where you go for a master system. You just go to the local locksmith and have them set it up for you.