Best Secure-but-Simple Euro Lock

[Beardy]

Ive found a couple of suppliers who are selling the Brisant Ultion online but after the comments above by LocksportSouth I suspect they might be taking the proverbial. The first quote was for £60 each with no keying alike (3 locks) and the second quote is slightly cheaper at £174 for three keyed alike with 8 keys in total.

Any one got any thoughts on the matter?

[RashidKhaled]

Dear All,

did not want to open a new thread, as my question would fit into this one hopefully.
Living in eastern-Europe, I would be looking for a new lock cylinder for my flat's security door.

type: euro profile
budget: around 100 USD max
threat level: flat, in a big city's quiet neighborhood (but still, burglaries happen; not much people go by around the doors) no diamonds or Monet paintings however
special requirements: none that I know of, won't lend/give the keys to nobody

Also, I do not think there might be any 'hard' or 'brutal' attacks on the lock, rather soft, quiet ones, but you never know in these kind of houses...

Looking for a primary lock (next to an Abloy Boda 428 as a secondary).

So I have already searched for some locks, if you could do the justice and tell me which to choose, or recommend other ones:

Abus Bravus 3000MX
mul-t-lock mt5+
Abloy Novel
Mauer NW5
Mauer Redline Elite 2
(also Kaba locks might be available nearby)

Many thanks for any suggestions!

[ltdbjd]

I think any on the list are fine. Once you start getting up into that category of lock for home security, there isn't much of a difference. It just a matter of finding out which ones you can get for your budget. I'm not very familiar with high security euro cylinder costs in Europe (of in the US for that matter), so you'd have to price them out in your area.

[LocksportSouth]

As ltdbjd mentions, any of these are pretty resilient locks - I guess it comes down to whether you are 100% definitely sure that manipulation (picking) is the only thing to worry about, since in that case I'd say just go for the Abloy, since (aside from the Classic and High-Profile, and even those require specialist tools) no Abloy cylinder has ever proven to be picked. Along with the EVVA MCS that makes it pretty unique in that category as pretty much all other locks have been picked at some some - on or off camera. For a good idea of what locks are easily pickable, simply pop the name of the lock into YouTube with the word "Picked" and see how many successful videos there are and how long it takes each person to pick them (as well as factors such as - are the cylinders positioned in a vice, at an ideal angle, in good lighting, with the right tools to hand and no stress on the picker? Because all of those variables are likely to be worse in a real-world situation).

However realistically you'll also face the possibility of things like snapping, drilling and other moderately violent forms of entry - in which case make sure that the outermost portion of your lock is hardened (either made of a special hardened material or includes things like ball bearings or ceramic rods to thwart such attacks) and/or is snap-resistant using either sacrificial front sections or a hardened bar that connects the two Euro halves together.

I won't actually recommend any specifically as I don't have any experience personally with most of these, however these are all worthwhile points to keep in mind when you're lock shopping.

Best of luck!

[GWiens2001]

As far as snapping resistance, the biggest thing is making sure the lock properly fits the door. From what I hear, the lock should not extend beyond the face of the door (or guard) more than 1 mm for best snap protection.

Gordon

[LocksportSouth]

As far as snapping resistance, the biggest thing is making sure the lock properly fits the door. From what I hear, the lock should not extend beyond the face of the door (or guard) more than 1 mm for best snap protection.

Gordon

That would be the ideal if you can manage it, yeah - it depends on the exact door thickness as at least here in the UK there are some doors that don't perfectly fit the 5mm increments that are available but the closer you can get, the better. Also having snap-secure handles or very thin bezel plates (or whatever they're called) can help since as it often shown in these "Your home is in danger" type infomercials it's easy to snap off the cheapie handle covers which extend 1cm or do from the door, giving an attacker that much more space to work on.

[ARF-GEF]

High security:
Abus Bravus 3000MX
mul-t-lock mt5+
Abloy Novel
Mauer NW5

All of them are good IMO. Abloy novel might be the hardest to pick but not necessarily the most resitant to forced attacks. (and seriously which criminal picks good high securty locks like these on doors?) MTL mt5+ is darn close to unpickable, but the stupid spring in the key causes a lot of issues. It may casue the key to be stuck in the lock or just simply breakes and then it's no longer working. I know some people say it's not as bad but where I worked had couple of issues. And with al ock this fancy and pricey there should be no issues TBH.

Mauer NW5 is not a bad lock though slightly less good in many respects than MTL, apart from the reliability issue with the MulTlock key.
Abus is good quality, as well, not a bad choice at all IMO.
If I were you I would go to abus bravus or mauer nw5 if they are meaninfully cheaper than the others. If you can afooord it abloy novel but only with hardened steel case! Otherwise it's not particularly recommended wherethere is high rick of physical attack.

red line 2 is good but basic lock comapred to the ones above. That would be my budget option.

Breaking off: gordon said what's there to say. Strong steel handles wich cover the lock are also good.

[RashidKhaled]

these are superb ideas, you helped a lot more than I would have expected, I really appreciate it.
I will definitely need a new handle/lock cover (I am not sure what are they called exactly) too.

I guess the best choice then would be the abus bravus,(or the abloy novel) with a strong, good front panel/cover.

many thanks for your help guys, I hope this could help some other fellows as well, looking for the same specs

[Hedgehog]

Interestingly, the Yale Platinum cylinder gets a top rating in this locksmith blog. Other cylinders appear to lose out because of reliability. Also, it's written by a locksmith in the UK, so snap resistance is the highest priority for home security.


Best Lock For My uPVC Door? | Locksmith Blog

Friday, 16 September 2016

There are an awful lot of locks available for uPVC doors, ranging from nasty aluminium cylinders that barely work from new, up to the all singing and dancing three star cylinders, which again come with such a range of additional gimmicky security features that it could easily confuse a total novice looking to get the best lock for their uPVC door.

I've posted a few times with comparisons on budget lock ranges and anti snap cylinders and as a locksmith i feel it's important to REALLY test the products I supply and recommend as the best locks for the job. When locks that locksmiths have supplied start failing it is an inconvenience to be called back to repair the problem but also damages a hard earned reputation.

I am asked on a daily basis "What is the best lock for my uPVC door?" ...Well firstly let me give you a run down on the obvious contenders.


Yale Three Star Platinum

The Yale brand is the benchmark by which all cylinders are compared and a name everyone knows. Regular readers of my blog will know that I've tested this cylinder thoroughly in all of its forms and am frankly astounded by the strength and reliability of this lock cylinder. The evolution of this cylinder started with the initial British Standard anti-snap lock, turned one star cylinder and now offered in the current three star platinum form. There are no gimmicky keys to cause problems and uses a traditional 'yale style' key. What impresses me most with this lock however is its reliabilty. I can't recall one story of a Yale anti-snap lock cylinder failing let alone encountered one myself. It's clearly a well manufactured product with high tolerances that will not let you down. If I had to be picky and name one issue with these locks it would be the micro allen bolt securing the thumbturn which can be a pain to remove when installing the locks. In my opinion the Yale three star cylinder is the best lock for your upvc door and ticks all of the boxes; security, longetivity and quality.

Best lock for your door rating 5/5

[ARF-GEF]

I don't know that particular yale lock, and from the looks of it it seems to be a good lock.

However I think Yale generally makes decent (not top-notch) and maybe slightly overpriced locks. At least that's their selection in Easter Europe. (Mostly simple locks of very common designs, made well but not outstandingly so.) So while that lock seems to be a good one for sure, I wouldn't unreservedly recommend all Yales.

[maia]

Good evening everyone!

I'm looking for 4 Euro cylinders and instead of opening a new thread, I thought I would ask here.

Regarding the Abloy Protec2 system, does anyone know where to get it online (I'm in the EU)? I would like 4 CY332 hardened cylinders that use the same key (keyed-alike?) and roughly 8 keys.

I've been searching online stores but availability seems very weak! Does anyone have any experience with any seller within the EU?

Regards!

[GWiens2001]

Security Snobs has a warehouse/shipping location, IIRC

Gordon

[maia]

Security Snobs has a warehouse/shipping location, IIRC

Gordon

Thank you for your answer. Isn't Security Snobs US-based? I would incur in import taxes then, not to mention expensive shipping.
Does anyone know any trustful european dealers?
Thank you and regards.

[Squelchtone]

Security Snobs has a warehouse/shipping location, IIRC

Gordon

Thank you for your answer. Isn't Security Snobs US-based? I would incur in import taxes then, not to mention expensive shipping.
Does anyone know any trustful european dealers?
Thank you and regards.

You should contact them, I believe they have an office in Europe and your order may ship from that office instead of Seattle Washington.

[GWiens2001]

Information copied directly from their website lists a location in the Netherlands:

Tilburg, Netherlands, Europe Location
European sales and servicing
Complete Abloy and Geminy product line
Abloy/Geminy cutting services
Europe installation service
Worldwide security consulting
For more details, see http://HanFeyLockTechnologies.com

Gordon