Newbie here, parents moving to home, lock suggestions please

[desidude]

Hello friends,

Great forum!

My parents are moving to a new home, which has a lot of windows. They need to change the locks on the home, as it was lived in by the previous owner.

This is what the existing look on the front door looks like:





There is also another door in one of the rooms, which has the following locks:





I am located in the Houston, TX area. My budget for the locks is about $300 or less for the locks with access to outside the home.

I am looking for a premium or nicer lock. I would also like to control the access of keys, i.e. make it hard to duplicate at any key vendor.

The threat level is medium, the house is on some land, so the neighboring houses are not a few yards away.

There are no other special requirements, e.g. dirt etc.

Can anyone please also recommend door barriers and deadbolts, to complement the locks?

Thank you so much!
Oxonian

[Jacob Morgan]

Locks are only part of security. Most burglars are not likely to try to open locks. They are more likely to kick in doors. First suggestion would be to reinforce the door jams and strike plates (for example, pry off the trim then glue strips of wood between the door jam and the adjacent stud, then sink 3 or 4" wood screws from the strike plate all the way to the stud). Same for the hinges. Make sure the dead bolts fully extend when locked.

If I were worried about burglary I would not have glass doors. If they can't be replaced with solid wood due to cost then put some security film on them to make it more messy and time consuming for someone to break through.

As to locks, the locks you have appear to be of a brand that is at the low end of pick resistance. There are locks out there that are practically impossible to pick, but my suggestion would be to go with a mid-market Schlage and have a locksmith shop install an Ilco anti-bump pin in each one. That will give you locks that are pick resistant (Schlage comes with spool pins) and bump resistant. That leaves money left over for the security film or new doors. Have the locksmith cut some "neuter bow" keys for you. People you loan them to will have a harder (but not impossible) time duplicating them. Can't hurt to stamp them "do not duplicate" either.

If you are really concerned about people copying keys then talk to a locksmith about restricted keyways--but that will cost more.

Don't do a google search and go with the first locksmith that shows up, some are fly by night. Find someone with a shop or someone you can verify has been around for a while.

These are just the simple things, I'm sure other people here will have more advanced ideas, especially if you are interested in high end locks.

[MBI]

If you want security that's better than what you'll get at a hardware store, try Security Snobs.
https://securitysnobs.com/

They are about your best option for high security locks and other security accessories. The high security locks they sell will both help you control who can get copies of keys, but will also be stronger locks and more difficult to bypass, pick, etc.

But like Jacob said, locks are just one part of security. With that giant glass pane in the door, high security locks won't help much if they break a window. I understand working within a budget and if you're having to replace the locks now, you'd might as well do it RIGHT. Just understand that over time as budget permits if you really want to improve the security of the home you should really consider adding additional security measures like door armor to reinforce the door and frame, security film for the glass, motion sensor outdoor lighting, security system, etc.

Good quality high security locks are expensive, it's just a fact, but the prices at that place I linked are competitive for what you get. Shop around and you'll see.

Even if you don't buy anything from there, they set up information pages to educate the consumer so you can make an informed choice with what you decide to use for your security. And no, I don't make a single dime off it if you buy from there. I recommend it because it's the best place I know of to buy proper locks. There are many brands of locks that they specifically won't carry, simply because in this community those products are known to be pickable or have other holes in their security that the general public might not know about. You'll be hard pressed to find locksmiths who will tell you the good AND the bad like they do.

[jbrint]

What part of Houston are you in? Don't need a street address but a general area, some parts require different security for different burglars. Judging by the surroundings outside in the photos if I had to guess North Spring or Northeast outside the beltway.

[desidude]

Hi Jbrint, did you get my PM?

Hello friends, thank you for the replies.

Does anyone know a good locksmith in the Houston area?

I'll write more shortly.
Thanks,
desidude

[cledry]

Locks are only part of security. Most burglars are not likely to try to open locks. They are more likely to kick in doors. First suggestion would be to reinforce the door jams and strike plates (for example, pry off the trim then glue strips of wood between the door jam and the adjacent stud, then sink 3 or 4" wood screws from the strike plate all the way to the stud). Same for the hinges. Make sure the dead bolts fully extend when locked.

If I were worried about burglary I would not have glass doors. If they can't be replaced with solid wood due to cost then put some security film on them to make it more messy and time consuming for someone to break through.

As to locks, the locks you have appear to be of a brand that is at the low end of pick resistance. There are locks out there that are practically impossible to pick, but my suggestion would be to go with a mid-market Schlage and have a locksmith shop install an Ilco anti-bump pin in each one. That will give you locks that are pick resistant (Schlage comes with spool pins) and bump resistant. That leaves money left over for the security film or new doors. Have the locksmith cut some "neuter bow" keys for you. People you loan them to will have a harder (but not impossible) time duplicating them. Can't hurt to stamp them "do not duplicate" either.

If you are really concerned about people copying keys then talk to a locksmith about restricted keyways--but that will cost more.

Don't do a google search and go with the first locksmith that shows up, some are fly by night. Find someone with a shop or someone you can verify has been around for a while.

These are just the simple things, I'm sure other people here will have more advanced ideas, especially if you are interested in high end locks.

Pretty sure you can't put the anti-bump pin and spring in the knobs and levers but you can put it in the deadbolt.

[desidude]

Hello friends,

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Can anyone suggest some specific locks that I can purchase from securitysnobs?

Also, do you have an idea of how much the 3M or equivalent screen film would cost?

Thank you so much,
desidude

[Jacob Morgan]

Pretty sure you can't put the anti-bump pin and spring in the knobs and levers but you can put it in the deadbolt.

Ilco does sell kits for key-in-knob as well as for mortise cylinders. My house has deadbolts, not key-in-knob so I can't speak from experience on how well they work for key-in-knob. I think that there may not be much if any difference between the cylinder for deadbolts and key on knob for Schlage, but I could be wrong.

Looks like the OP is interested in a better grade of lock that would not need this modification. I threw out the idea of spool pins and the anti-bump kit in case money was real tight.

[cledry]

Pretty sure you can't put the anti-bump pin and spring in the knobs and levers but you can put it in the deadbolt.

Ilco does sell kits for key-in-knob as well as for mortise cylinders. My house has deadbolts, not key-in-knob so I can't speak from experience on how well they work for key-in-knob. I think that there may not be much if any difference between the cylinder for deadbolts and key on knob for Schlage, but I could be wrong.

Looks like the OP is interested in a better grade of lock that would not need this modification. I threw out the idea of spool pins and the anti-bump kit in case money was real tight.

There is a big difference. Knobs and levers for residential locks use collapsible bibles and special t-pins because a standard pin and spring would not allow the bible to collapse and likely push it completely off of the cylinder.

I don't think they sell anything that will work on Schlage residential locks specifically. If they do I would love to see it.

[Squelchtone]

Also, do you have an idea of how much the 3M or equivalent screen film would cost?

3M is nice but expensive, here's a few alternatives:

30 inch wide x 12 feet long
http://www.amazon.com/VViViD-Clear-Safe ... m+security

60 inch wide x 9 feet long
http://www.amazon.com/Security-Window-F ... urity+film

[jimu57]

Get something from Lowes. With all the glass in that door, no burglar with a brain will fool with the lock. Locks keep honest people out.

[desidude]

Hello friends,

Thank you for your replies, I appreciate them.

I was thinking of changing the locks with outdoor access to the Abloy Protec2 lock is this a good option?

Or can you recommend any other equivalent or better ones?

If I go with one of these locks, what other fortification tools can I use, in addition to the security film?

For example door barriers, etc.

Are there any consultants on here who would provide more personalized advice for a fee? I apologize if this is against the forum rules.

Thanks,
desidude

[desidude]

Thanks for the reply Jimu57,

Do you suggest getting the security film from Lowes? Or were you recommending something else?

I really appreciate your help.

Thanks,
desidude

[Squelchtone]

In case it has not been mentioned yet in the thread, look into something like Door Jamb Armor, that's a brand name, it is sold under a few different names like EZ Armor and speaking of Lowe's it's available there.

If your folks might have contractors over and they dont want them making copies of the keys, then yeah it makes sense to get something with restricted keys, a local locksmith could sell your folks a cheaper option than Abloy or Medeco that offers the high security features of Grade 1 hardware and the key control you need. the company Marks offers key control and is a well known name amongst locksmiths, the locksmiths here may offer other brands as well. I'm thinking about the Marks CX-5 model, which was also known as the Scorpion CX-5 back in the day.

You could blow your entire budget on a deadbolt and knobset from Securitysnobs, and I'm a fan of that company, but with security film, locks, and reinforcing hardware, you may have to make some compromises.

This kind of thread comes up every so often, and everyone has a different opinion on how to secure a house. I like buying ADT lawn signs and window stickers on ebay, and then actually installing a monitored alarm (doesnt have to be from ADT) motion lights in the back yard, side of house and garage/driveway are always smart.

let us know what you end up beefing up and installing. take out a few hinge screws and see if they are just dinky 3/4 inch brass screws, if they are, replace some of them with 3 inch deck screws.

Squelchtone

[jbrint]

Hi Jbrint, did you get my PM?

Hello friends, thank you for the replies.

Does anyone know a good locksmith in the Houston area?

I'll write more shortly.
Thanks,
desidude

I did and have just replied. Please let me know if you have any questions about the long response.