Learn me - home door locks

This thread from 2016

As GRM knows everything, and I can't tell the good information on the Internet from the bad one. We need a new lock for our front door. I don't think we ever got a second key for it when we bought the house, plus it's old and worn enough that you can probably open it with a broken toothpick. We don't need Fort Knox level security. If someone wants to get into the house badly enough they will, after all we have windows like every other house. But I'd like to have enough of a deterrent that makes people think twice. From what I've learned(?) on the Internet so far: - The usual Lowes Depot locks are the cheapest option and will likely give up when looked at hard enough - Proper bump proof locks might just be overkill - No smart locks, there have been too many incidents when the smart part pretty much allowed just about anybody in the door

Just buy a Medico and be done with it. Don't berkeley around.

I buy Schlage locks. They'll key them for you. Have you looked at those?

I have Medeco locks, but they are pretty expensive. Also, the weakest point is going to be the door jamb, your typical burglar is just going to kick the door in. So, reinforcements to the jamb are a good idea.

Locks are only there to show your insurance company signs of forced entry.

Buy whatever fits your budget and looks half decent.

I worked for the company with the contract to turn over 1/2 of all of the Freddie Mac repossessed homes in Phoenix during the down turn. For a large majority of them it meant drilling out the existing locks to get in and start the replacements.

All of the basic store brands were done in 30 seconds, with 2 exceptions. The ones without a name on them would unlock about the 3rd drill rotation and was a pain because they would be done and bind on the bits. Schlage locks would take minutes and if you didn't hit them right in the middle the first time you would be fighting to hog them out and make them fail.

They are also the most often specified lock I deal with in the commercial setting and have never had a problem with them. Even the lower level lines.

Reference for a data point, we had 5 guys who only drilled out and changed locks for 2 years 4-6 houses a day minimum, up to 10 if they were geographically close.

I like Schlage, but mostly because I have a pin set and can re-key them myself. If you can get someone to re-key them for you the answer I recommend is to get a quality commercial one for the door you actually use coming and going, and then get less expensive ones for the rest of your doors. I actually got tired of carrying so many keys and re-keyed my house and my mother's when she needed a new lock to be the same as my in-law's cabin. Now I have only one house key and I like it.

Don't use double cylinder deadbolts (locks that need a key to get out). They can lock you or your loved ones inside the house in the event of a fire.

I had a friend die in a fire in her own home. Her body was found by the back door. The key was hanging on a hook next to the door. She couldn't find it in the confusion.

That's all I got.

A schlage grade 1 deadbolt is all the lock you need. The rest of the door is no stronger than the lock at that point. I had my house broken into once; they kicked in the door. The deadbolt didn't fail, the door itself failed and allowed the deadbolt to pivot. Don't bother with a big buck lock on a standard residential door.

Something like this, choose the finish you like: http://m.homedepot.com/p/Schlage-Single-Cylinder-Aged-Bronze-Deadbolt-B60SK-V-716/202562476

Thieves are good at identifying your weakest security link. If your weakest link is a back window, they will use it. If the weakest link is the frame, or the door, they will use it.

Even most of the cheapest locks available generally exceed the security characteristics of the door and frame.

Any suggestions for keypad locks? Any system that doesn't use keys? There are non-house doors around that I would lock more if I didn't have to carry a key.

I'm a locksmith. At work we use super heavy duty, commercial grade stuff and it's excellent but far too expensive and truthfully overkill on residential.

On my house, I have Kwikset. That's right, the cheap stuff from HD, it works and will deter you random burgler. If someone actually wants in your house they'll just smash a window. Locks are there to keep honest people honest, unless you build you home into a fortress. Just get something that looks good and fits your budget.

mazdeuce wrote: Any suggestions for keypad locks? Any system that doesn't use keys? There are non-house doors around that I would lock more if I didn't have to carry a key.

I like the Schlage 10-button keypad locks. We have them on 2 doors fo the house and the rest of the doors match the garage. I really want to put a keypad lock on the garage too. A plus for the keypad locks is you can set a combination for a guest on just one door... and you can remove it when not needed. And you can deactivate codes... much easier than finding every copy of a key.

SVreX wrote: Don't use double cylinder deadbolts (locks that need a key to get out). They can lock you or your loved ones inside the house in Athens event of a fire. I had a friend die in a fire in her own home. Her body was found by the back door. The key was hanging on a hook next to the door. She couldn't find it in the confusion. That's all I got.

Perhaps just not use the double key deadbolt when home? Once when my home was burglarized they took everything in the house other than the cars in the garage right out the front door after they unlocked the deadbolt from the inside. If I'd had a double keyed deadbolt then they might have only taken small valuable things and not come back with a big truck and cleaned the house out. Having the thumb knob inside for the deadbolt allowed them to easily open the door and take all the big furniture, appliances etc. I can tell you from experience that it's a real surprise to return from a trip, open your front door, and find nothing in your home but a couple inches of water.

In reply to NOT A TA:

I can pretty much guarantee you will never convince the average wife to leave the deadbolt unlocked while the children are asleep in the bedrooms. Personally, I do not want my children locked in a house in the event of a fire.

Additionally in your situation, anyone can get OUT of a house. You can break the door if you must, but a deadbolt can be dismantled with a screwdriver from the inside.

As far as I am concerned, there is no good reason to used a double cylinder deadbolt in a residence, except for unjustified fears which are not actually addressed with the double cylinder lock. They just make people feel better, but they do not fix the problem.

Usually people will say, "But a burglar can break the sidelight and reach in an unlock the door". Right. But if they are already prepared to break glass, they can get in through any window.

...with nothing more than a screwdriver, from the inside I can remove a deadbolt, remove the tang so it is no longer functional, and replace the deadbolt cylinder in the hole in the door so it looks perfectly normal but does nothing at all, in less than 30 seconds. I could then spend as much time as I want sorting through your stuff.

You can't keep a thief from leaving once he's in your house.

SVreX wrote: Don't use double cylinder deadbolts (locks that need a key to get out). They can lock you or your loved ones inside the house in Athens event of a fire. I had a friend die in a fire in her own home. Her body was found by the back door. The key was hanging on a hook next to the door. She couldn't find it in the confusion.

Last time the wife and I were buying a new front door lock set, I could not convince her to not get the double keyed deadbolt. They didn't have what she wanted in the store, but it still took the Lowes salesman to convince her to buy what they had on hand. I had no shot at it. It helped that he was in a wheelchair. As we were leaving I turned around and gave him a visual high five.

Thoughts on the kwikset "smartkey" system? We need to rekey a house/garage sets worth of doors and I'm wondering if there's a better option, even if just a more traditional tumbler core.

In reply to KyAllroad:

For the win!

bluej wrote: Thoughts on the kwikset "smartkey" system? We need to rekey a house/garage sets worth of doors and I'm wondering if there's a better option, even if just a more traditional tumbler core.

These are what we have used the last two times we needed locks. One has failed, but if we had kept the receipt, they would have replaced it.

Failed how?

I was originally curious from a security standpoint.

bluej wrote: Thoughts on the kwikset "smartkey" system? We need to rekey a house/garage sets worth of doors and I'm wondering if there's a better option, even if just a more traditional tumbler core.

I bought them when we put new doors on the back of the house and the garage. Was very nice to be able to key them to match the front door key without much fuss. Might get one for the front door since as SWMBO pointed out that if she looses her key again we could just use one of the keys that came with the new locks and rekey them ourselves.

I agree with KyAllroad that the fancy locks aren't needed. According to one of my LEO friends 90+% of home break-ins around here are "kick it in" types. The rest are when the door wasn't locked any how. Advice I got was to reinforce the door frames, get solid wood doors, and use long screws on hinges and lock plates.

bluej wrote: Thoughts on the kwikset "smartkey" system? We need to rekey a house/garage sets worth of doors and I'm wondering if there's a better option, even if just a more traditional tumbler core.

My current gig we use all quickset (auto correct) for all openings. We use the smart key for all entry deadbolts or handsets as required. We flip apartment complexes and buy them by the pallet.

We key them to construction key when installed and then they get switched to tenants when done. Very rare to have failures, re keys in seconds, can't say anything about them long term, but non of the maintenance guys ever say anything about them. You should be just fine with them.

My input: Basically any door you find at the hardware store is going to be weaker than any lock you can install in it. I saw this first hand when my door was kicked in and stuff stolen from my house.

That's not to say you shouldn't get a quality lock, but the strength of the door jamb where most locks/deadbolts go through is laughable at best. They make reinforcement kits for these that look like garbage. I'd suggest if you ever have the jamb trim off or a new door installed, you reinforce this area from behind the jamb.

In reply to ProDarwin: Yeah, the doorjamb is typically 3/4" soft pine and the screws attaching the strike plates are 3/4" as well. A paraplegic could kick that in. The first thing I do whenever I work on residential locks is replace those stumpy screws with 3 1/2" deck screws which tie into the double 2x4 framing. Even my cheap locks become pretty sturdy then.

Oh, and I would never have a keyed exit in my house for the exact reason stated. Fire. As I said, if a baddy wants in seriously enough they will get in. But if I want out with my kids in tow and fire nipping at my heels, I DO NOT want to be looking for a key.