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BEST 3C Series 6-Pin Cylinder Core for 8E Applications
Model: BES-3C6
BEST 3C Series 6-Pin Cylinder Core for 8E ApplicationsProfessional Cylinder Core Component for 8E SystemsThe BEST 3C Series 6-Pin Core is specifically designed for use with 8E cylinder applications,...
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BEST 1C Series Standard 6-Pin Cylinder Core
Professional Standard Core Solution for Commercial Applications
The BEST 1C Series Standard 6-Pin Cylinder Core delivers proven security and durability for commercial lock systems. Engineered to the same strict tolerances and high manufacturing standards as BEST patented systems, this standard core provides reliable performance across a wide range of applications. With nearly 100 years of BEST innovation behind it, the 1C Series offers the precise, carefully managed masterkey capabilities that have made BEST an industry leader in commercial security hardware.
Professional Features & Benefits
- Precision Manufacturing: Engineered to the same strict tolerances and high standards as BEST patented systems for consistent quality and reliable performance.
- 6-Pin Configuration: Standard 6-pin design provides proven security with compatibility for comprehensive masterkey systems.
- Masterkey System Compatibility: Supports precise, carefully managed masterkey applications with BEST’s industry-leading masterkeying capabilities.
- Durable Construction: Built to BEST’s high manufacturing standards for long-term reliability in commercial applications.
- System Flexibility: Part of the comprehensive BEST Standard core family including 1CD drill resistant, 1CDP drill resistant premium, and 1CP premium options.
- Continued Support: Backed by active support for new and existing BEST Standard systems ensuring long-term serviceability.
- Commercial-Grade Performance: Designed specifically for commercial applications requiring dependable security and operational reliability.
Technical Specifications
- Collection: Standard Cores
- Commercial/Residential: Commercial
- Department: Door Hardware
- Parts and Accessories Type: Replacement Parts
- Product Attribute: Parts and Accessories
- Product Category: Mechanical Locks
- Product Group: Parts and Accessories
- Product Subgroup: Cylinders
- Product Type: Cylinders
- Series: Standard & Premium Cores
- Subcategory: Parts and Accessories
Installation & Operation
This cylinder core is designed for use with compatible BEST lock systems. Refer to the parent device installation instructions and manufacturer documentation for proper integration. Ensure compatibility with existing hardware before installation.
Professional Applications
- Commercial Office Buildings
- Educational Facilities
- Healthcare Institutions
- Government and Municipal Buildings
- Industrial and Warehouse Facilities
- Multi-Tenant Residential Properties
- Retail Establishments
Why Choose BEST Quality?
BEST Standard key systems have provided security, durability and performance for nearly 100 years across a wide range of commercial applications. The 1C Series cylinder cores are manufactured to the same strict tolerances and high standards of excellence as BEST patented options, ensuring quality and performance you can trust. With active support for new and existing BEST Standard systems, you can depend on continued serviceability and professional-grade reliability for demanding commercial security requirements.
Manufacturer Resources
Premium Cores and Keys
Product Specs
- Product Group:
- Parts and Accessories
- Series:
- Standard & Premium Cores
- Product Subgroup:
- Cylinders
- Product Type:
- Cylinders
- Subcategory:
- Parts and Accessories
- Commercial/Residential:
- Commercial
- Collection:
- Standard Cores
- Parts and Accessories Type:
- Replacement Parts
- Product Attribute:
- Parts and Accessories
- Tags:
- best ic cores
- Product Category:
- Mechanical Locks
- Department:
- Door Hardware
BEST BES-1C6A1605 – Frequently Asked Questions
1) Is the BEST 1C a complete cylinder or just the core?
Core only. The BEST 1C Series 6-pin is the interchangeable core itself, the keyed plug assembly that drops into a lock or housing already prepped for a BEST-format core. It has no mortise body, no rim housing, no cam and no tailpiece, so it will not go into a lock built to take a conventional threaded cylinder. If what you actually need is a complete cylinder, that is a different part: a mortise lock takes something like the Corbin Russwin 1000 Grade 1 mortise cylinder, 1-1/2 inch length with an A02 straight cam, and an exit device takes a rim cylinder such as the Schlage 20-021 6-pin with a vertical tailpiece cam. Order the 1C when the housings are already in the door and you are replacing or rekeying the cores.
2) Which keyway do I order for a BEST 1C core to work with my building's existing keys?
It has to be the same keyway your current BEST keys are cut on, because a key will not enter a core of a different keyway even when the cuts are identical. The 1C 6-pin core is offered in A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, R, TB, TC, TD and TE. The letter is normally stamped on the face of the core you are pulling out or on the bow of your key. Pick the wrong one and the core seats fine and your master key still will not turn it.
3) What is the difference between a combinated and uncombinated BEST 1C core, and which one should I buy?
Combinated means the core arrives pinned and keyed, built to the keymark and marking number off your existing system, so it works with the keys already in your people's pockets the moment it goes in the door. Uncombinated means it ships without a combination set, for a locksmith who pins it in house from their own kit and depth keys. Both are offered on the 1C 6-pin. Facilities and property managers extending an existing BEST system almost always want combinated, since that is the only way the new core lands inside the existing master key hierarchy. Buy uncombinated only if you or your locksmith are doing the pinning.
4) Will a BEST 1C core fit the locks I already have on my doors?
Only if those locks are already prepped for a BEST-format interchangeable core. The 1C is a replacement core, so it goes into the same housing the old core came out of, whether that is a knob, a lever, a mortise housing, a rim housing or a padlock built for it. A lock designed around a conventional keyed cylinder has no core cavity and no control key path, so the 1C has nothing to seat into. The quick check is to look at the lock face: if the existing core lifts out with a control key rather than unscrewing, the 1C is the right family of part.
5) The housing on my door takes a full size interchangeable core - will a BEST 1C six-pin core drop into it?
No. The BEST 1C Series standard 6-pin core is a BEST core, combinated in BEST keyways A through TE, and it seats in hardware built for BEST cores. A full size interchangeable core housing takes an FSIC core, such as the Schlage 20-057-C full size interchangeable core in the Schlage C keyway. If the opening is a rim exit device on the FSIC side, the Schlage 20-057 is a 6-pin FSIC rim cylinder with a convertible tailpiece cam and 2 keys. Confirm which core format the existing housing was prepped for before ordering, because the two are not interchangeable with each other.
6) My mortise lock has no interchangeable core prep - what cylinder do I order instead of a BEST 1C core?
A lock body without core prep needs a conventional mortise cylinder rather than the BEST 1C Series 6-pin core. The Corbin Russwin 1000 Grade 1 series mortise cylinder is a 1-1/2 inch length with an A02 straight cam. The Corbin Russwin 1070 Grade 1 series is a 1-1/4 inch 6-pin mortise housing with an A01 cloverleaf cam. The Detex MC65 is a 1-1/8 inch 6-pin mortise cylinder in the Schlage C keyway. On any of these three, the length has to match the depth of the cylinder pocket and the cam has to match what the lock body wants to drive, so measure the existing cylinder and identify the cam before you commit.
7) I need to rekey a rim exit device and the device does not accept a BEST core - what rim cylinder works?
A rim exit device that was never prepped for a BEST core needs a rim cylinder rather than the BEST 1C Series 6-pin core. The Schlage 20-021 is a 6-pin rim cylinder with a vertical tailpiece cam and 2 keys; the Schlage 20-022 is the same 6-pin rim cylinder with a horizontal tailpiece cam and 2 keys. The Corbin Russwin 3070 is a 6-pin rim cylinder housing with a 1-7/8 inch tailpiece. Tailpiece orientation and length are what decide the fit here - a vertical cam will not drive a device expecting a horizontal one, so identify the device before ordering.
8) What is the difference between a BEST 1C core and a Corbin Russwin 1080 LFIC mortise cylinder?
They are two different interchangeable core formats. The BEST 1C Series standard 6-pin core is a BEST core supplied combinated or uncombinated in BEST keyways A through TE. The Corbin Russwin 1080 Grade 1 series is a 1-1/2 inch large format interchangeable core mortise cylinder, 6-pin, built for Schlage L9000 mortise locks with an A01 Schlage L cam. A large format housing will not accept the smaller BEST core and the BEST hardware will not accept the 1080 assembly, so the choice follows whichever core system the building is already keyed on.
9) What is the difference between the BEST 1C, 1CP, 1CD and 1CDP cores?
They are four tiers of the same BEST Standard core family. The 1C is the base standard core. The 1CP is the premium version. The 1CD adds drill resistance. The 1CDP is drill resistant and premium. The 1C is the one to specify when you want the standard BEST key system and the opening does not call for drill resistance or the premium option, which covers most interior commercial doors. If you are securing a cash room, a pharmacy, an IT closet or an exterior opening that has already been attacked, step up to the 1CD or 1CDP.
10) Is the BEST 1C core drill resistant?
No. The 1C is the standard core in the BEST Standard family and drill resistance is what separates it from the 1CD and the 1CDP, which are the drill resistant and drill resistant premium versions. For a general run of offices, classrooms, storage and tenant doors the 1C is the normal specification. For the handful of openings in a building that need attack resistance, order those doors as 1CD or 1CDP and keep them on the same key system as the rest.
11) Can I rekey a whole building with BEST 1C cores without taking the locks apart?
That is exactly what an interchangeable core is for. A control key pulls the old core out of the lock face and the new one drops in, so a turnover, a lost master key or a terminated employee is handled by swapping cores at the door instead of pulling locks off, disassembling them and repinning. Order the replacements combinated to the new key system and in the same keyway as the rest of the building, and one person can walk a floor with a bag of cores. This is why large portfolios standardize on BEST in the first place.
12) Can I use a Schlage full size interchangeable core in place of a BEST 1C core?
No, they are not interchangeable with each other. The Schlage 20-057-C is a full size interchangeable core in the Schlage C keyway, a different core format and a different keyway from a BEST 1C, so it will not seat in a housing prepped for the BEST core and your BEST keys will not enter it. The two look similar in a catalog photo and get confused constantly. Match the core to the prep already in the door: BEST-prepped housings take the 1C, Schlage full size interchangeable core housings take the 20-057 or 20-057-C.
13) How do BEST 1C cores work for master keying an apartment building or a school?
Master keying is the reason this core exists. The 6-pin BEST format supports a managed master key hierarchy, so a maintenance tech carries one key that opens the units on their route, a manager carries a master above that, and each tenant key opens only their own door. Order every core combinated to the same key system and in a single keyway across the property, and any door can be brought into or taken out of the hierarchy by swapping one core. Keep a couple of uncombinated cores on the shelf for the locksmith to pin on short notice.
14) The lock is a key-in-lever and the core does not pull out with a control key - what cylinder replaces it?
A key-in-knob or key-in-lever lock that was not built around a removable core takes a KIK-style replacement cylinder rather than the BEST 1C Series 6-pin core. The Kaba Ilco 1539 is a key-in-knob and lever universal cylinder; the Kaba Ilco 1599 is a key-in-knob replacement cylinder; the Kaba Ilco 1579 is a knob and lever cylinder for Sargent. The Falcon A23161-05 G is a key-in-lever cylinder for the RU/T series, 6-pin in the G keyway, keyed different with 2 cut keys. Identify the lock manufacturer and series first, since these cylinders are matched to specific chassis rather than being universal across all levers.
15) Can I use a BEST 1C core to rekey a deadbolt that has a fixed cylinder?
Only if the deadbolt was prepped to take a BEST core. On a deadbolt with a fixed cylinder, the replacement is a key-in-deadbolt cylinder such as the Kaba Ilco 1549, which is a key-in-deadbolt cylinder in the 1549 series. For a residential-style single cylinder deadbolt, the Medeco 1012040 is a 6-pin lazy motion rim cylinder for Kwikset single cylinder deadbolts and the Medeco 1075127 is a 5-pin rim type lazy motion single cylinder for handlesets and deadbolts. The BEST 1C Series 6-pin core is the right answer only where a core already lifts out of the hardware.
16) What do I order for a narrow stile aluminum storefront door instead of a BEST 1C core?
Storefront deadlocks are cylinder-specific and do not take the BEST 1C Series 6-pin core. For an Adams Rite MS1847 deadlock or deadlatch, the Adams Rite 4024 is a cylinder pull with trim plate mounting and the Adams Rite 4025 is a five pin tumbler cylinder pull with through-screws. For a wood door running the Adams Rite 5017 deadlock or deadlatch, the Adams Rite 4026 is the five pin tumbler cylinder pull. Where the opening calls for a mortise cylinder rather than a pull, the Adams Rite 4036 is a five-pin mortise cylinder, Grade 1, with a 1/2 inch minimum door thickness.
17) I do not have a keying machine or a masterkey system - is there a cylinder that arrives ready to use?
The BEST 1C Series standard 6-pin core is ordered either combinated or uncombinated, which suits a facility already running a BEST masterkey system with someone to pin and issue keys. Where there is no keying capability on site, cylinders that ship keyed are the simpler path: the Falcon A23161-05 G is a 6-pin key-in-lever cylinder in the G keyway supplied keyed different with 2 cut keys, and the Schlage 20-021 and 20-022 rim cylinders are 6-pin and supplied with 2 keys each. Those give one working set of keys per opening rather than a system that ties the openings together.
18) Is a Medeco or Emtek retrofit cylinder a substitute for a BEST 1C core?
They solve a different problem. The BEST 1C Series standard 6-pin core is a removable core for BEST-prepped commercial hardware. The Medeco 1065140 is a 5-pin retrofit cylinder for the Arrow JL interconnected lock and for an Emtek handleset or deadbolt outside cylinder, the Medeco 1065244 is a 5-pin rim lazy motion cylinder with an Emtek tailpiece, and the Emtek CY4 is a cylinder sold each. Those are tailpiece-driven cylinders matched to a specific residential-style chassis, and their five-pin stack is a different configuration from the six-pin core. Pick by what the existing lock body accepts, not by pin count alone.
19) How do I get BEST 1C cores to match the finish of the levers and locks already installed?
The core face is the only part of it that shows once it is in the lock, so match that finish to the trim around it. The 1C 6-pin is offered in 605 bright brass, 606 satin brass, 611 bright bronze, 612 satin bronze, 613 satin bronze oil-rubbed, 625 bright chrome, 626 satin chrome and 690 statuary dark bronze. Those are the standard BHMA finish numbers, and the same number on the core and on the lockset means they will read as a set. If your existing hardware is stamped 626, order 626 cores and the swap is invisible.
20) Is the BEST 1C core rated for commercial traffic, or is it a residential part?
Commercial. The 1C is built for commercial door hardware duty and gets used in office buildings, schools, hospitals, government buildings, warehouses, multi-tenant residential and retail. Multi-family sits on that list, so it is a normal choice for apartment and condo doors even though it is not a residential grade part, and it is manufactured to the same tolerances as the BEST patented core options. For a single-family house with a big box deadbolt on it, this is more core than the lock can take, since the lock has to be prepped for an interchangeable core to begin with.
21) How do I match cylinder finish across an opening where some hardware is aged bronze?
The BEST 1C Series standard 6-pin core comes in 605 bright brass, 606 satin brass, 611 bright bronze, 612 satin bronze, 613 satin bronze oil-rubbed, 625 bright chrome, 626 satin chrome and 690 statuary dark bronze, so a bronze-family opening is usually matched with 612, 613 or 690. If the opening carries a full size interchangeable core instead, the Schlage 20-057-C is listed in 643E aged bronze in the C keyway. Bronze finishes read differently between an oil-rubbed and a statuary dark tone, so match against the lever or exit trim already on the door rather than against the finish code alone.
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reach out to our support team for a return authorization or setup a return by following our return instructions.
Does the BEST BES-1C6A1605 come with a warranty?
Absolutely. The BEST BES-1C6A1605 is backed by a manufacturer’s warranty.
For full warranty terms, check the product documentation or Contact Us.
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