The Ultimate Lock--Decent buy at $60?

[ilovebrownies]

Hello everyone,

About a month ago I started doing some extensive research on basic personal security and no idea just how behind I was. (I also had no idea that communities such as this existed--and have changed from horrified at the existence of this hobby to completely fascinated and wondering if I might start a new hobby in the future )

I would love to put some Abloy deadbolts on all exterior doors, but given all of the other upgrades (fixes) being made now the budget will not allow for it. But I understand why these contractor Kwiksets must go ASAP.

I live in a suburb with houses (too) close together and there are always people home (lots of small children in neighborhood). I need something not easily / discreetly bumped by your typical opportunistic thug looking for a soft target. My concern is fully focused on family safety, so it's most important to keep people out while someone is home (though someone sneaking in and waiting inside is not exactly better)--hence the budget diversion to fixing windows, door frames, etc.

All that being said, is The Ultimate Lock deadbolt worth considering here on sale at $60 each? I found some bad reviews from 2009 on this site. The current advertisement is that there are 6 mushroom pins in the cylinder--is this the same version that was criticized years ago? Was it that the Ultimate Lock is no more secure than big box store locks when it comes to bumping, or just that its overblown marketing and price north of $100 that created the bad taste?

I've read elsewhere that another economical option is to buy a Schlage B60 deadbolt and take it to a locksmith to replace the pins with security pins. Does this actually help at all with bumping, or just increase difficulty for picking? Could / should I request other modifications, like stainless steel hollow driver pins / springs per Alexei Toropov's academic paper on lock bumping in case it makes a difference--and what is reasonable to ask a locksmith to do on a low price point lock for a fee?

I'm happy to receive any and all advice on this piece. I did look at retrofit cylinders from Security Snobs, but at over $100 each and when added to a Schlage B60 I'd still be looking at $140+ per door (not too far from the $175 price for the Abloy deadbolt itself).

Thank you in advance. I have been slowly reading through the wealth of information on these forums, but I really do need to remedy my current situation ASAP

[billdeserthills]

Ilco makes a 'Bump Stop' kit that is supposed to render a standard pin tumbler lock 'bump proof'
However I have never tried them myself. I think it is just a heavier spring with a special top pin

[Squelchtone]

Before you go down the road of pick proof and bump proof cylinders, consider the most common attacks will be a size 12 boot kicking your door in.

Unscrew and examine just one of your front door's hinge screws, if i is a 3/4 inch brass screw, I recommend starting there, and replacing the short brass screws with DeckMate brand screws. Then, once the door and frame are not just cheap pine with 3/4 inch brass screws, then you can get better locks. Otherwise just putting a pick proof lock on your door wont matter to most common crooks.

You may not want to replace all 12 of your hinge screws with 3 inch deck screws, but at least 2 screws per hinge should be 3 inch. Inside the home remove the door frame trim and see if there is a big gap between the door frame and the actual studs of the house, if it is just open air or some insulation, its good to shim/fill this air space with some wood so when you install longer hinge and strike plate screws they aren't just going into air and are actually biting into wood. Remove a screw from the deadbolt strike plate/strike box and see if it is 2 to 3 inches already or just a 3/4inch screw. You'll want long screws on this plate as well.

You may want to consider a brass door wrap from DonJo which will protect your door from splintering out if kicked open, or just look at something like Door Jamb Armor from Amazon or Lowes. It's protective metal plates for the hinges and deadbolt areas of the door. Making kicking attacks a ton harder.

What brand of lock do you have on the doors right now? Kwikset or home depot grade Schlage? Earlier this year a locksmith I know turned me onto Arrow E61 deadbolts, they feel solid and well made and can take retrofit high security cylinders down the road as well. I wrote a post about them, check it out here: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=60460 You'll notice my dislike of short brass screws, and the fact that all manufacturers seem to include crap mounting hardware even if their lock is actually well made. One word of advice, when screwing in the longer screws, dont go hardcore on your cordlesss drill, it will know your frame out of being plumb and the door may not shut as nicely as it did before the long screws, or the deadbolt / knob strike may be out of alignment, so be aware of this as you go into it.

good luck with your project,
Squelchtone

[ilovebrownies]

I genuinely appreciate all of the advice--so thank you! I have quite a bit a of work ahead but am well motivated now that I know.

Unfortunately I have those wonderful durable reliable contractor Kwikset locks right now

I had not run across the Arrow E61 in my novice google searching, but I read the thread from your link and if you like that more than the Schlage B60 or the Ultimate Lock (only considered on sale) then I'll look at those. Is there a simple option for immobilizing the thumbturn while at home?

For the door jamb armor--am I going to run into any geometry issues with my now-standard door that is wood sandwiched between two sheets of metal?

Thank you again.

[MBI]

For the door jamb armor--am I going to run into any geometry issues with my now-standard door that is wood sandwiched between two sheets of metal?

If you're talking about one of these kits:

https://securitysnobs.com/Door-Reinforcement/

Then it shouldn't be a problem.

Measure your door to be sure, but most doors are a standard thickness, for which the door armor kits are designed to work. Depending on which kind of reinforcer you order for the area of the door surrounding the lock and knob, make sure you measure the distance from the edge of your door to the center line of the knob and lock. There are two standard distances and some types of door reinforcer are made specifically for one or the other.

I agree with what Squelchtone said though. While high security locks are awesome to have, if your budget is limited then get the door armor first as statistically it's the bigger threat. Then, instead of buying a half-measure like some kind of ultimate lock just bide your time and save up until you can buy a proper high security lock to further enhance your armored door. If it were me I'd rather wait a few months extra and get a proper high-security lock, instead of being in a hurry and buying an over-hyped one with a few added features that aren't present on your Kwikset, but in reality isn't functionally much different from it, when it comes right down to it.

On a final note about door armor: In some cases, if you have a very tight fit between your door and jamb, you may have to do some minor sanding, planing or chiseling to inlet the wood a tiny bit to allow clearance for the door armor. But, on most doors you shouldn't need to do that. Also I recommend the E-Z Armor as it's much easier to install, instead of the Platinum armor. I'd only bother with the Platinum kit if it's new construction or you're doing a major remodeling job. The Platinum kit has a MUCH more involved installation process and the E-Z armor is, for all practical intents and purposes, just about as strong anyways.