Craig Redland invents CR Key Checker

How many times have you needed a spare key for your car or your front door, had it cut and got all the way home, only to find that it doesn't work?

Well, once the CR Key Checker hits hardware stores and locksmiths around the country, that frustration will be a thing of the past.

Hot Springs County native Craig Redland, owner of CR Locksmith, has invented a small device that will check the newly cut key against the original key to verify if it will work or not.

Redland says sometimes its just a matter of the key cutting machine being a little off, just enough to make your key unusable. With the CR Key Checker, whether is is usable or not can be verified before you even leave the store.

Keys are one of the most important things a locksmith does, and Redland said he's always trying to figure out something better.

After securing his provisional patent on the device, Redland contacted the first company on his list, and to his surprise, they jumped on the idea and want every one he has in stock.

Redland came up with the idea for the device but just didn't know how he was going to make a prototype that would be feasible. Then he started driving the high school robotics team to their various competitions and that exposure to the robotics kids made him realize he didn't need a manufacturer.

The robotics kids introduced him to 3D printing and he knew he could do this on his own.

"This wouldn't have happened without them," Redland said. They recommended a 3D printer, taught him how everything works, and he was off and running.

Redland wants to keep things very hands-on and hopes that he'll be able to keep up with demand for the device right from his home.

"I want to keep that personal touch," he said, "unless things boom out of control, and then I might have to look at manufacturing parts elsewhere."

For now, the 3D printers are humming away at his house, making all the parts necessary.

Redland has a history of coming up with great ideas since his graduation from Hot Springs County High School in 1981.

He worked for Nintendo in Seattle for several years. Not just "for" Nintendo, but with the owner's son, Katsu Yamuchi. Redland suggested to Yamuchi the company needed a way to connect everyone to the television for gaming and the next thing you know, Super Game Boy was launched.

Redland was also responsible for opening the various Nintendo retail outlets in the U.S. and eventually Canada. In fact, he owned four of his own retail stores at one time.

"I loved being a business owner," Redland said, "but I would never do retail again."

Redland decided to leave Nintendo and began working for electrical companies before returning home to Thermopolis in 2008. While working for the electric companies, Redland was spending his weekends, working for free for a locksmith. He spent two years learning the trade without making a cent.

Once back in his hometown, Redland started CR Locksmith and has been handling everything from school locks and bank locks to folks who have locked themselves out of their cars.