to Medeco or not/

[BobCov]

Dear Group,
I am responsible for security for a significant non-profit organisation. Once we learned about lock-bumping, we've been thinking of changing over to Medeco locks , until we heard/saw a medeco lock being bumped/picked a week ago.
we have also been looking at the Bi-lock system, and wondered of you professionals have opinions on this. Talking to two local locksmiths, including my local Medeco dealer, it was obvious that they were more interested in moving their stock than my security problems. I can understand this, but only up to a point...
Any ideas?
Richard Medway Los Angeles

Hi, Richard
I live in LA, too and just installed four Bilock deadbolts after reading about bumping. It was super easy, took me about 20 minutes and I'm not a locksmith. The place where I bought them from in San Francisco on line offered great service. The guy called me within two hours of receiving an email inquiry, answered all of my questions and then FedExed everything to me and called to follow up and help with the install.

I sent him pictures of my existing locks. Based on those and a few questions he had, he was able to send exactly what was needed.

I would highly recommend Bilock based on the security, the price and in the case of my vendor, the service. I can be reached at my forum name at yahoo.com if you have further questions.

bob

[zeke79]

Yes, that was Dennis at Bay Area Locks. He is a great guy to do business with. I would recommend him to anyone.

[BobCov]

Yes, that was Dennis at Bay Area Locks. He is a great guy to do business with. I would recommend him to anyone.

I didn't know if it was permissible to give his name and company. Some forums go ballistic when you do that. It's Bay Area Locks dot com and indeed Dennis is The Man. Great service, great prices.

[BobCov]

Yes, that was Dennis at Bay Area Locks. He is a great guy to do business with. I would recommend him to anyone.

I didn't know if it was permissible to give his name and company. Some forums go ballistic when you do that. It's Bay Area Locks dot com and indeed Dennis is The Man. Great service, great prices.

[globallockytoo]

Dennis is a great guy. I had the pleasure of meeting him in SF about 8 months ago. For the length of time he's been in the trade, he indeed brings a rarely seen attitude to it.

There are a few other companies dotted across America who also offer similar exceptional service and are also Bilock exclusive dealers.

Dennis did try to pick my brain when we spoke but I was happy to assist him as much as I could, he wanted to know some more about the history of Bilock and the Australian market.

Great guy, great service, great product, great competitive price.....need i say more?

[sterry20]

i too am having a security problem and before i fork out big bucks on a medeco or any other lock i want to do my home work and so far i dont know what to put on my home or what kind of pad locks to buy just know im loseing tools and what ever this ass wants in my home im just an old man in a wheel chair and know medeco would not help me even after talking to them and getting a work order wrote up i just wanted to choke the guy on the phone even after i told him i couldnt get a dealer in the springs area to help after he made a few phone calls i got hendly here to talk to me but his 400.00 dollar pricing is equal to the same as no help this is on a sec.1 grade m3 single door lock that i know has issues and it was the same with his pad locksso after being pissed off for hours im still not sure what to put on my door and the only thing i know foe sure is medecos help sucks and my friend that is is entering my home nde style will be back! pissed in colorado?

[cledry]

First of all you aren't going to bump a Medeco unless you have a blank that enters the lock and even then it is much more difficult than bumping a normal lock. Secondly, your average thief isn't going to be picking your Medeco locks. I've been in the locksmith business for over 30 years and have never seen a break in on a Medeco lock by picking or bumping. As has aleady been mentioned in this thread; have a locksmith that is knowledgeable and reputable walk your property looking for flaws in your security.

The best way is to eliminate as many exterior options as possible, so no exterior control on all but the minimum number of doors. Doors should be secured with properly installed locks that can resist physical attacks. Windows should have film applied to keep the bad guys out longer, and all roof or basement access must be cut off.

[billdeserthills]

i too am having a security problem and before i fork out big bucks on a medeco or any other lock i want to do my home work and so far i dont know what to put on my home or what kind of pad locks to buy just know im loseing tools and what ever this ass wants in my home im just an old man in a wheel chair and know medeco would not help me even after talking to them and getting a work order wrote up i just wanted to choke the guy on the phone even after i told him i couldnt get a dealer in the springs area to help after he made a few phone calls i got hendly here to talk to me but his 400.00 dollar pricing is equal to the same as no help this is on a sec.1 grade m3 single door lock that i know has issues and it was the same with his pad locksso after being pissed off for hours im still not sure what to put on my door and the only thing i know foe sure is medecos help sucks and my friend that is is entering my home nde style will be back! pissed in colorado?

While it is entirely possible that door is being picked or bump keyed open, I generally find the perp has made entry in another fashion. Check all your windows, especially any with missing or loose fitting screens. Buy some t-turn window locks and drill a hole in the frame so the screw goes through the frame. I like to check attic openings & fasten them shut, I use a slide bolt& sometimes two, one opposing the other makes a secure lock. The Medeco, Assa, Bi-Lock, etc that you choose should be the last thing you install on your doors. Even though I carry Medeco & Assa you might find bi-lock to be cheaper than my $125 Assa deradbolt gr 2 or my $197 Medeco gr 1 deadbolt. I'm sure you can install the deadbolt yourself, that will save you at least $200+

[cledry]

Yes, that was Dennis at Bay Area Locks. He is a great guy to do business with. I would recommend him to anyone.

I didn't know if it was permissible to give his name and company. Some forums go ballistic when you do that. It's Bay Area Locks dot com and indeed Dennis is The Man. Great service, great prices.

You are not allowed to name companies on here either. At least people have complained to the mods when I post a photo that is linked from my company's site, FB page or Flickr account. This is why I have stopped posting photographs on here, too many upset people.

[dll932]

High security locks of any kind will send the message to burglars that "this house ain't gonna be no picnic." Regardless of pick or bump resistance they are made of stronger materials. 99 times out of 100, burglars use hammers or crowbars.

[billdeserthills]

High security locks of any kind will send the message to burglars that "this house ain't gonna be no picnic." Regardless of pick or bump resistance they are made of stronger materials. 99 times out of 100, burglars use hammers or crowbars.

Thing is most thieves are criminals because it is easy. They don't generally have the ability or desire to practice picking locks, that takes discipline & hard work.

[globallockytoo]

i too am having a security problem and before i fork out big bucks on a medeco or any other lock i want to do my home work and so far i dont know what to put on my home or what kind of pad locks to buy just know im loseing tools and what ever this ass wants in my home im just an old man in a wheel chair and know medeco would not help me even after talking to them and getting a work order wrote up i just wanted to choke the guy on the phone even after i told him i couldnt get a dealer in the springs area to help after he made a few phone calls i got hendly here to talk to me but his 400.00 dollar pricing is equal to the same as no help this is on a sec.1 grade m3 single door lock that i know has issues and it was the same with his pad locksso after being pissed off for hours im still not sure what to put on my door and the only thing i know foe sure is medecos help sucks and my friend that is is entering my home nde style will be back! pissed in colorado?

I have sold Bilock systems across four continents for about 25 years. I have been making them here in the USA for the last 8 years. Many of my customers come from across the USA, not just my geographic area. I get a significant quantity of inquiries from people who are unhappy with their Medeco product. The amount of proof and evidence that has come about in the last 5 years that Medeco is not the product it was always touted as, is not surprising (to me at least). Yes I have seen it picked (and picked it myself) Yes i have seen it bumped although never successfully bumped it myself. And yes, I have been able to recreate a Medeco key using just a plastic credit card and a Stanley knife.

The interactive element in the Bilock key, vastly exceeds the Medeco product in security strength of the cylinder. And it is still the 1st 100% guaranteed bump proof pin tumbler product ever produced. It is competitively priced and easy to use. Is it perfect? Not necessarily, but what is?

In my opinion the Gemini cylinder guard is the best system to use because it covers the keyhole completely. Medeco, Bilock, Evva, Primus, Multilock, Abloy, who cares....if the keyhole is blocked...the lock cannot be picked or bumped.

[billdeserthills]

I know there exist a number of folks who have picked open pretty-much every type of lock around. However I find it rather doubtful that these wonder pickers are prepared to stand outside my client's door and give their picking skills a workout. Fact is if the person breaking in doesn't mind leaving a sign of forcible entry, there are likely many much faster ways to gain entry, than picking a medeco or other high security lock. I really find the windows are the usual most likely suspect for gaining illicit entry. Many windows can be opened by the removal of just two screws, if the owner has not drilled the window frame & installed a simple screw lock on the inside of the window. Many times when I have a complaint from a homeowner about suspecting someone having been gaining entry to their homes, I can quickly narrow my search down to the window(s) that seem to be missing their screens. Thing is, as I said earlier, most criminals are too lazy to apply themselves and learn the art of lockpicking. It doesn't take lots of practice to crowbar open a door. Last time my house was broken into I discovered that even with the Medeco Maxxum deadbolt I had already in place, on my door, that was no match for a teenaged brat with a hammer and a screwdriver. This guy spent G-d knows how long hammering around the latch, until it just gave up. He gave the same treatment to the Arrow leverset I had below the deadbolt, as well. When I discovered my house had been entered I carefully looked around and found little to nothing had been touched. The bottle of codeine sulphate I had in my medicine cabinet for just this reason, was untouched, even though the medicine cabinet door was left standing open(not by me). Most of the doors & drawers throughout the house were left pulled out or wide open, even though nothing appeared to be missing, which is partly why I concluded a young punk had damaged my door. I wound up having to replace the door, there was that much damage done to it with just a screwdriver.

[Alsoar]

In my opinion the Gemini cylinder guard is the best system to use because it covers the keyhole completely. Medeco, Bilock, Evva, Primus, Multilock, Abloy, who cares....if the keyhole is blocked...the lock cannot be picked or bumped.

I've been reading through the thread thinking of upgrading my security locks. Can someone provide me the link to the Gemini cylinder guard? I tried searching this on Google but it's returning me all sorts of irrelevant results.

[GWiens2001]

In my opinion the Gemini cylinder guard is the best system to use because it covers the keyhole completely. Medeco, Bilock, Evva, Primus, Multilock, Abloy, who cares....if the keyhole is blocked...the lock cannot be picked or bumped.

I've been reading through the thread thinking of upgrading my security locks. Can someone provide me the link to the Gemini cylinder guard? I tried searching this on Google but it's returning me all sorts of irrelevant results.

https://securitysnobs.com/Drumm-Geminy-Shield-Euro-Profile-Guard.html

Expensive, but really secure.

Gordon