Advise on Secure Cylinder Choice?

[EverGreen]

Hi, I'm looking for a 6cm cylinder to secure my front door better because the current one can be easily bumped.

The thing is, I'm having a hard time finding out which cylinders are good choices for my situation. Because I don't know much about locks.
So I thought this would be a good place to ask with all the experts here.

I have a sturdy front door that I want to protect against bump keys, opening the lock by force, and lock picking.

My questions are:

Which cylinders would be good choices keeping what I wrote above in mind? I am currently considering the Evva MCS, is that a good choice?

And for securing my moms house on a budget, which cylinders have a good price/security ratio?

[Slick Pick]

I have a sturdy front door that I want to protect against bump keys, opening the lock by force, and lock picking.

That's a tall order to fill!
There are so many different ways to get pass someones security options, it would boggle your mind!

For instance:
http://www.medeco.com/index.php?option= ... &Itemid=37

That's right those numbers that may be on a key you own is the bitting code needed to cut the key!

Even the White House high security locks were not safe:
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/0 ... ynn-a-12/#

I know it looks good and fast in the movies but a thief is not going to take the time to pick the lock, they would just use destructive entry to get in, in other words, use force.

They say a lock is used to keep honest people honest.
If someone really wants to get in, they're coming in. If not through your door, then through your window, or some other way.

That leaves us with bumping. Bumping can be quick and easy.
Consider a restricted profile key, in other words something that protects you against unauthorized key duplication.

Not your everyday, run right down to the store to get lock.
Bump keys have to fit the type and make of lock that is to be bumped. A differently cut bump key is needed for every different make and model of lock.
Most thieves who bump are going to have the “common” type of keys.

Some restricted key “profiles” would be:
Lockwood Twin, OZ 1, OZ 33, Abloy, Kaba, BBG, BiLock, etc.

I know this may not be the answer you're looking for, but it's the reality of the false sense of security we have allowed ourselves to believe in.

Remember having a good lock is only part of an overall security effort to protect your family and property.
You may want to also consider an alarm system or a really big dog!

[Slick Pick]

[quote="Slick Pick"]Consider a restricted profile key, in other words something that protects you against unauthorized key duplication./quote]

I meant to say you may want to consider a restricted profile key as one of you options.

Hopefully one of the experts here will offer you better advice then this.

[Solomon]

See to be honest mate, nobody is running around out there with bump keys trying to break into houses. There are much faster, quieter and more reliable ways with basic tools which they don't have to worry about if they need to chuck them away. The hype is understandable but it's been blown seriously out of proportion.

However, if by chance there is someone out there doing it, all you need is a lock which their keys won't go into. You don't need a super high security bump proof mechanism, the majority of common locks use the yale 1A profile so anyone who wants to bump their way into houses will most likely just have a set of those keys and simply avoid anything they won't fit into. After all, probably about 70-80% of all household locks in the UK have that profile so they're not gonna carry a big bunch of keys when a set of 3 'universal' ones will get them into most places.

EVVA in general are good locks and have some interesting key profiles. You'll find EVVA bump keys but they'll be for the very basic yale-esque keyways, there are actually about 15 of their standard keyways as it is so the chances of someone getting the right key are very slim. If you buy an EVVA with a restricted section keyway then someone would need to actually have one of those locks to make a key which works, ie. a very determined bumper who is targeting your specific house. And they'd need to really know their stuff since the restricted section cylinders don't have the EVVA name on the front, so very few people would even know what the lock is.

Of course if you buy the MCS then you don't need to worry about bumping full stop, I'm just letting you know that even one of their more 'basic' cylinders is plenty fine cos the chances of someone having/getting the right key for it are so slim. Even if you bought an abus cylinder off ebay nobody would have a bump key for it, because they're just not common in the UK. Like I said, as long as it doesn't have the standard 1A keyway a person would need to either have an extensive range of keys or really really know their stuff and be targeting you specifically for some reason. In any case, they're not even gonna consider getting a bump key for your lock unless they're bump-crazy and know their profiles really well.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, by all means install good locks but you have to look at security as a whole. Just having good locks isn't enough... if someone is determined enough they'll just rip the cylinder out of the door, doesn't matter what it is. There are some very good anti-snap locks on the market but if someone is super determined they might still get in. So you need to take steps to ensure that the door won't open after compromising the cylinder aswell.

Focus on the back first. Put some good lighting outside, and install a heavy duty bolt with offset screws (or similar setup) on the back door to keep it closed if the cylinder is compromised. You should also limit the amount of cover someone has to work in the shadows as much as possible. Same goes for the front, although nobody in their right mind is gonna use a bump key on your front door unless they happen to be very well hidden while standing there. And they shouldn't be.

Hope this helps

[MBI]

Two words:

Abloy.

Protec.

[EverGreen]

Ok, thanks for the advise, appriciate it.

I'll be focusing less on the locks then and more on other security aspects.

Maybe buy lock with no brand name on it also.

Something else on the side... A locksmith told me that the MulTLock is really hard to bump.
(I told him about the youtube video where that cylinder is bumped). Is he right?
I was considering that cylinder as a budget option for my moms house.

[Solomon]

Ok, thanks for the advise, appriciate it.

I'll be focusing less on the locks then and more on other security aspects.

Maybe buy lock with no brand name on it also.

Something else on the side... A locksmith told me that the MulTLock is really hard to bump.
(I told him about the youtube video where that cylinder is bumped). Is he right?
I was considering that cylinder as a budget option for my moms house.

Just remember if you buy something with no brand on it to make sure it isn't the standard profille.

And yeah, the pin in pin MTL's like the classic and interactive are more difficult to bump than a standard dimple but it can be done. Again these locks have multiple standard profiles and even more restricted sections so they're not something which can be bumped reliably.

I'm not sure about the MT5+ though, it has a slider operated sidebar... I don't know offhand if the sidebar codes are unique to each lock or if they're area specific. They're most likely gonna be area specific though, in which case someone could make a bump key from an existing key which has the correct sidebar milling. Of course it'd need to be machine cut and it's not gonna be an easy one to bump even if someone does manage to make a key... and again, there is more than one profile.

I'm not sure how the alpha spring affects bumping, I don't see how it would because it's just a set position, but if it does prevent it, then even the standard MT5 would be a good choice. Either or, someone would need access to a cutting machine for them to actually make a bump key for one... if the MT5 is bumpable then keys will be appearing for them, although not for quite some time. You won't see keys for the MT5+ unless there is a very small amount of sidebar codes, and I doubt that's the case.