by locksmistress » 11 Nov 2004 13:41
Unfortunately there is another factor in the security business other than security. Many lock manufacturers are actually in it for the money.
Classic example - Schlage. The Schlage C keyway is pretty dominant in American residential and commercial lock hardware markets. Unfortunately, Schlage has no active patent on the product so it was picked up by a variety of aftermarket manufacturers who proceded to undersell Schlage with their own product.
Unable to compete with aftermarket - consider the R&D and marketing budget a national company supports for it's product - Schlage introduced the patented 'Everest' keyway. What's more, to ensure that the Everest keyway would find it's way into the market quickly and thoroughly they restructured their distributor buying programs so that the new Everest keyway was the default stock item, therefore making many Schlage C products 'special order' items with longer lead times and higher prices.
Schlage Everest is by no means ubiquitous at this time, but it's getting there. It does boast some enhanced 'pick resistance' - but the biggest deal is the patent.
Medeco does the same thing - all of their major new product introductions are timed to conincide with the expiration of their prior patent. Just as one product enters aftermarket distribution they come out with something bigger and better to keep people hooked. Part of their selling point for locksmiths is exclusivity - no one else can get in on someone elses system or Medeco will cut them off. Once the product hits aftermarket it doesn't matter one way or another if Medeco won't sell to you any more.
So no, it's not about the actual security. The appeal to the general public is a facsimile of security and the seductive quality of 'additional features'. The appeal to the locksmith industry certainly includes the marketability that appeals to their customers but also extends to owning an exclusive keyway that can't be copied or serviced outside of the owners business.
That's not to say that locksmiths who sell high security or factory originals aren't interested in security - the products are good. But you get a lot more security from a decent door and a latchguard than you get from the newest Medeco cylinder.
It's also worth mentioning that patents = key control. A patented keyway ensures that employees/tenants won't be distributing copies of your building keys indiscriminately. It also allows complete accountability for existing keys; knowing that only one grand master key could possibly exist is pretty sweet when you fire the person who's carrying it (as long as you get it back).
Whew. Sorry for going on. I work for a contract hardware distributor and the particular subject hits a nerve.
Beside that point, I do know 2 people personally whose houses were broken into by someone who picked the lock in the past couple of months. One was a Kwikset knob, the other was a no-name garage door handle (wafer lock, ugh). No damage whatsoever to door or lock.
