Looking for lock reccomendation for apartment.

[thecorporateman]

Hey. I live in a NYC Walk-up built just before the 1900's. My apartment resides at the end of a short hallway with 3 inches or so space between the door frame and the hallway walls.

The door is metal. The landlord has given me permission to install any sort of lock I want.

Could someone recommend a lock that cannot be bumped or picked easily? How should I get this sort of lock installed? Would something like popalock suffice? Thanks guys!

[globallockytoo]

IMO most popalock guys dont know their heels from their toes. You want bump proof? Install Abloy or Bilock. There are both dealers in NYC.

[datagram]

You have many choices for good high security locks. To name a few:

Bilock
Medeco m3
Abloy
Mul-T Lock

Very surprised that the landlord said you can pick your own cylinder +_+

dg

[cppdungeon]

dg, i see what you have done there...pick your own cylinder, thats a good one.

I would recommend a Medeco as well. mainly because i have seen them around, getting abused, and i have a few myself that i cant pick.

[jpb06080]

In nyc, you're best bet is going to be medeco or mul-t-lock. Given that its new york, you might want to think about the medeco bodygaurd rim cylinder with a segal lock on the inside. Medeco and mtl are the two biggest names in new york city, so it should be easier to find them at a good price.

[globallockytoo]

I disagree on the pricing statement. Medeco and Mul-t-lock are grossly overpriced. Whilst true that they are probably more readily available in NYC.....there are also many more devices and tools for exploiting them too. And the facts remain that where there are more people with that product, there are more opportunities to find devices to bypass them.

Abloy and Bilock definitely do not have the same depth of penetration that the other two have....but often this contributes to their security.

As for Bilock, the cost for superior security bump proof products is significantly cheaper than the already proven "NON-BUMP PROOF" Medeco or Mul-t-lock products!

[jpb06080]

You're probably right about the development of manipulation techniques for medeco and mtl vs bilock/abloy/other. However, in nyc, not many people use deadbolts. Most locks are surface mounted or mortise. While i'm sure there are locksmiths in the city selling abloy or bilock, i think theres alot more products available for medeco than any other lock that would specifically suit you're needs. Medeco was practically developed for new york. Besides, medeco is alot more affordable than abloy. Bilock i know very little about, but from what research ive done, there appears to only be a few distributors in all of north america. that doesn't bode well for the longevity of the product: if something goes wrong with it, replacing any parts or fixing any problems could be difficult. Besides, crooks don't pick locks/bypass. a medeco bodygaurd is pretty much as safe as you're gonna make an apartment.

[globallockytoo]

You're probably right about the development of manipulation techniques for medeco and mtl vs bilock/abloy/other. However, in nyc, not many people use deadbolts. Most locks are surface mounted or mortise. While i'm sure there are locksmiths in the city selling abloy or bilock, i think theres alot more products available for medeco than any other lock that would specifically suit you're needs. Medeco was practically developed for new york. Besides, medeco is alot more affordable than abloy.

Abloy is deliberately priced at a higher price point than Medeco or MTL because it is so much better quality a product. Abloy is sold in far more countries throughout the world than Medeco because of it's longevity and it's proven superior security. Medeco does make numerous styles of cylinders for many products but so do many other manufacturers.

Bilock i know very little about, but from what research ive done, there appears to only be a few distributors in all of north america. that doesn't bode well for the longevity of the product: if something goes wrong with it, replacing any parts or fixing any problems could be difficult.

True. There are about 30 dealers across the entire USA. about 3 in NYC, I think. But the product has been in existence since the early '70's and has been available in the USA for at least the last 15 years. The product uses much less parts that "other" manufacturers, so there is less that can go wrong. Bilock is manufactured under license in Connecticut. All cylinders for the US market are manufactured in Connecticut - true parts and raw materials are sourced elsewhere - but it is "made in America"
I am a dealer (not in NYC) and have been involved with the product for over 25 years. The QCC cores are all interchangeable, there are only very few other parts to a cylinder other than the body and connecting screws that all other products including Medeco have, hence the reason that parts replacement is simpler and more cost effective.

I have serviced Medeco products in a few other countries, over the years, but it is rarely considered for applications outside the USA. The market is fairly limited for Medeco hence why they price their product so highly....the USA is pretty much their only market presence. I am not saying it is a bad product, just that there are equally good or better quality products available at lower price points than Medeco that actually stand up and deliver what they are designed for. (Bump proof/pick resistance)


[

Perhaps....but the statistics reveal different results. Forced entry is still the most likely method of entry, although covert entry techniques like bumping and picking are not flying under the radar any longer.

I live in the second highest crime rate city in the nation. Larceny is actually increasing annually. The current economic crisis is putting more pressure on people, hence the increase in desire for bump proof and pick proof - affordable products.

[globallockytoo]

You're probably right about the development of manipulation techniques for medeco and mtl vs bilock/abloy/other. However, in nyc, not many people use deadbolts. Most locks are surface mounted or mortise. While i'm sure there are locksmiths in the city selling abloy or bilock, i think theres alot more products available for medeco than any other lock that would specifically suit you're needs. Medeco was practically developed for new york. Besides, medeco is alot more affordable than abloy.

Abloy is deliberately priced at a higher price point than Medeco or MTL because it is so much better quality a product. Abloy is sold in far more countries throughout the world than Medeco because of it's longevity and it's proven superior security. Medeco does make numerous styles of cylinders for many products but so do many other manufacturers.

Bilock i know very little about, but from what research ive done, there appears to only be a few distributors in all of north america. that doesn't bode well for the longevity of the product: if something goes wrong with it, replacing any parts or fixing any problems could be difficult.

True. There are about 30 dealers across the entire USA. about 3 in NYC, I think. But the product has been in existence since the early '70's and has been available in the USA for at least the last 15 years. The product uses much less parts that "other" manufacturers, so there is less that can go wrong. Bilock is manufactured under license in Connecticut. All cylinders for the US market are manufactured in Connecticut - true parts and raw materials are sourced elsewhere - but it is "made in America"
I am a dealer (not in NYC) and have been involved with the product for over 25 years. The QCC cores are all interchangeable, there are only very few other parts to a cylinder other than the body and connecting screws that all other products including Medeco have, hence the reason that parts replacement is simpler and more cost effective.

I have serviced Medeco products in a few other countries, over the years, but it is rarely considered for applications outside the USA. The market is fairly limited for Medeco hence why they price their product so highly....the USA is pretty much their only market presence. I am not saying it is a bad product, just that there are equally good or better quality products available at lower price points than Medeco that actually stand up and deliver what they are designed for. (Bump proof/pick resistance)

Besides, crooks don't pick locks/bypass. a medeco bodygaurd is pretty much as safe as you're gonna make an apartment.

Perhaps....but the statistics reveal different results. Forced entry is still the most likely method of entry, although covert entry techniques like bumping and picking are not flying under the radar any longer.

I live in the second highest crime rate city in the nation. Larceny is actually increasing annually. The current economic crisis is putting more pressure on people, hence the increase in desire for bump proof and pick proof - affordable products.

[spoolspanker]

many of the locks that people said below are very good...check on ebay though before you spend a grip buying new!

[JK_the_CJer]

I recently put a Biaxial deadbolt on my apartment door, but that was more of a principle thing than anything. I consider it very overkill, but the folks recommending bump-proof/bump-resistant locks are right-on. In this respect (protection from burglars that are not also locksporters), just about any high-sec lock including Medeco and Mul-t-Lock are likely "bump proof" enough in my opinion.

[datagram]

many of the locks that people said below are very good...check on ebay though before you spend a grip buying new!

I would actually advise against this. The problem I've found on eBay is that locks are usually not factory original. Sometimes bottom pins are used as top pins, sometimes security pins are excluded, sometimes chambers are empty, etc etc. You can't always blame the seller, as many of them don't even know what they are selling.

Better to just eat the extra 20$ and buy new.

dg

[spoolspanker]

well, yeah I didn't think about that....better take datagrams advice!

[lunchb0x]

I personally would go for Bilock, its a lot cheaper than other high security locks and will last a long time before you will have to worry about getting the lock serviced, also the QCC cores make it very easy to change the locks for if you loose a key or what ever reason, if there arn't many Bilock dealers in your area and you decide to go for it, it might be worth getting a cylinder with the QCC and getting a spare barrel keyed differently incase you do need your lock changed quickly.

[fjardeson]

Definitely be careful buying used locks. I got stuck with $80 worth of Assa/Abloy cylinders with no sidebars. Went back to the guy's profile and got Not a registered user. Ouch!