Today I want to go over a few really good easy ways to help decide what kind of lock you want to use on your home.
When you’re buying a lock at the store. Say a big-box store, it’s really all about packaging and marketing. They don’t really tell you what you need to know.
The first thing I want to point out is you want large heavy-duty screws that are used to hold this lock together. People try to put clamps on locks to rip them off. That is just one method to get a lock off the door. When you use heavy duty screws the chances of this being possible diminish dramatically.
The other thing that you want to look at is the actual inside of the lock. If you see a lots of hollowness it’s not a good sign. As that empty spaces is all that’s really holding your lock together. Whereas if you take a big lock with a solid body it’s stronger overall. To add to that locks made of solid brass are going to be strong. Try to avoid cheap ‘metal looking’ locks that might be plastic with metallic paint or aluminum.
Third up is to look for a lock with an anti-drill plate. Not that many locks have this but if you can buy a lock with an anti-drill plate you’ll be a lot safer than not having it. People envision being about to take a drill and drilling into the lock were the screws are so the lock falls apart. The average drill that a thief trying to break into your home will have is going to stop drilling right away with an anti-drill plate. The thief would need an industrial grade drill to make it through. Is it possible someone could have that? Sure, anything is possible. Is it realistic, no it’s not.
The fourth aspect to look at is the deadbolt. This is actually what goes into your door frame. The deadbolt itself shouldn’t just look strong it should be strong. Just like I mentioned before you need to avoid cheap metals like aluminum. You want something solid like brass. Also look at the latch that goes into your door-frame. It needs to have a solid housing that has big screws that go into the door-frame. If the housing is weak then no matter how good the rest of the locks is, it’s almost useless.
That wraps it up. If you would like to speak to us and get professional advice from a locksmith on what lock to install in your home please fell free to call us on 01202 287055. My wife Debbie generally picks up the phone. And I’ll be the one coming out to your property to install your new locks. I will also do a free security audit of your property when there.
Phil
Head Locksmith @ Abacus Locksminths
Looking for a fun and new hobby? Have you every wanted to learn to pick a lock? Maybe you’re a natural. Read the article to learn how.
