OT - locksets.

Just a couple of thoughts here. If you look at the Medeco or Best brands, you will find that a lockset or deadbolt will run about $200 for each unit. i have installed hundreds of the Medeco, but no Best branded locks. The Medecos are top flight, but they retain a definite commercial appearance as that is their market.

If you go the commercial route, make sure you check out the installation instructions. Most of them are box style locks, and you will either need some real time and patience to install them, or rent/ buy a deep mortise machine. For the most part these are not locks that you remove the old lock and simply screw a new one of them in the old holes.

Through all the years of installing Schlage, Kwickset, Baldwins, Ball, Yale and a slew of Chinese stuff, I like the Schlage for their price point. As I have said before, I used to have a contract with a local company to install their doors, and I have put a lot of Schlage product on. Never had a service or warranty call. Their newer finishes on their polished brass (starting about 5 years ago) hold up great.

The upper line has a good finish on it in polished nickel, oiled bronze, etc., that lasts well. The mechanicals are solid on their hardware. Make sure you get a deadbolt that has a 1" throw.

I put Schlage on my house about 27 years ago, and the front door lock still works smooth as silk. The only maintenance I have ever done on the lock was to take it out and clean it and re-oil it after every ten year mark.

The most important thing with any lock is the installation. I get good service out of the stainless steel generic brands ("Defender", "Titan" and such) for sheds, landlord repairs, etc., because I take the time to adjust the lock to work properly.

A lock is working properly when you can close the door easily with one finger and all you get is a "click". The deadbolt works correctly if you turn the key and can barely feel the plunger assembly move.

The best additional security I do for my clients is to change out the screws in the jamb side of the mortise. Instead of using the 5/8" supplied screws, I get 2 1/2" screws in cadmium to install the strike plates for both locksets and deadbolts. It takes an incredible amount of energy to get those out of the jamb with brute force.

Good luck!

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41
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I have a little sticker on the most obvious front window that says, "Protected by Smith & Wesson". It's next to the alarm co. sticker. The Smith & Wesson is a 40 S&W. It's kept loaded. (no kids at home) I'm not deeply concerned with a home intrusion while I'm here but we travel quite a bit.

Max

Reply to
Max

Bingo!! Just the sort of info I was seeking. Robert, you are a treasure.

Sometimes a guy comes here looking for advice when he has already made up...well somewhere between 50 and 90 percent...of his mind but would really like some confirmation. My many thanks,

Max

Reply to
Max

Did a job a few months back where the owner did extensive research on Locks and windows. Most of the Alarm Companies said most of the burglaries occurred at the front door, specially double doors with window. Kick in the door or break the window. Second windows opened and only protected by a screen. The owner is an engineer and he himself developed a screen that has very small signal wires running through it. When the screen is removed or cut it breaks a very small current and triggers the alarm. His concern was at night when it was cool and he wanted to leave his windows opened, also didn't want the window to trigger alarm every time you opened and closed windows. Think he's in the process of patenting it.

Reply to
Evodawg

------------------------------------------------ How difficult is it to enter your locked home with the universal house key, a 16# sledge or a well thrown concrete block?

Would be a much higher priority than a lockset IMHO.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

A good, current, insurance policy is a higher priority, IMO.

Reply to
krw

Um..... Am I being presumptuous to assume that you're about to tell me how to overcome those other deficiencies? I would be willing to re-prioritize. At this point, I feel as if I've done about all I can do with the windows and walls. Wrought iron window guards are ubiquitous in this town so as unsightly as they might seem, we have them. Also on the doors. But a chain hooked to a vehicle would likely overcome those. And a 16# sledge, as obvious as it might appear to neighbors, would wreak havoc on my brick veneer (actually "slump block") walls. I can only hope a neighbor, friend, relative, passerby or the police might wonder why someone is trying to dismantle my humble dwelling. Especially if the vibrations happen to set off the alarm. As Balderstone cleverly pointed out, "If someone wants in, they're coming in." I'm not really worried about them "coming" in. Not while I'm there. I can take care of that. It's when we're gone and they want to "get" in that concerns me. Seriously, all I'm looking for is a replacement for the cheap hardware that is on the house at present. And I'd rather not replace it with something just as cheap. Did you catch Robert's comments? Perfect.

Max

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Reply to
Max

wrote

Fully covered but I don't think it would replace a lot of personal items, i.e. pictures, collectibles, etc.

Reply to
Max

A sign in the front lawn pointing out the neighbor who doesn't believe in second-amendment rights and indicating that you will respect his wishes and not to use guns on his property, might work too.

Reply to
krw

Few thieves want your pictures. Collectables should have insurance riders. In most areas, and all I'd live in, fire is a bigger risk than burglaries. That said, I have been burglarized once but have never had a fire loss.

Reply to
krw

One guy I knew added a fired target. A human torso shaped target with the groin shot out.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Then add the appropriate rider.

Reply to
J. Clarke

That was a particularly useful response, wasn't it?

I saw a video years ago called B and E A to Z, all about how to get into places you don't have a key for. What an eye-opener, it showed most residential locks to be a complete joke so far as even a slightly experienced burglar is concerned. In addition a series of businesses I worked for were burglarized and that was highly educational as well--a steel-clad door barred from the inside doesn't matter much when they pry off a vent cover into the phone/electrical room and then cut through the wall with a battery-powered saw.

The thing about burglars is they look at a locked door in a totally different way than a law-abiding citizen. If you don't have a key you think you can't open that door, but a burglar thinks of the five ways he knows to open that door without a key. One of the simplest is to cut a chunk out of the door frame around the bolt so the door can be opened still locked with the bolt uselessly still in place--a hammer and chisel or a reciprocating saw renders even the best deadbolt pointless in moments if the door frame is that easy to get through.

As others have suggested whether or not the lock is pick-resistant is of less importance than how well the door and windows resist simple brute-force methods since you're far more likely to encounter a meth-head with a pry-bar than a cat-burglar with safe-cracking experience. In that regard your alarm is already your best defense, as even a meth-head will see the alarm sign and keep on going.

Reply to
DGDevin

All too true. I am a retired Fire Chief. I spent 33 years on the job and as a rookie I rode a ladder truck. We were the guys with the axes. But in order to keep damage to a minimum, believe it or not, we tried a variety of different ways to gain entry other than extreme measures. There are ways the average homeowner would never imagine.

Max

Reply to
Max

------------------ Not at all, but locks keep honest people honest.

Beyond that, they are about as useful as a set of breasts on a boar hog.

If somebody wants in, they are coming in.

If it takes them more than 5 minutes to rob you blind, they are probably going to get caught.

Plan accordingly.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

wrote

I have "scheduled" coverage for the collectibles but most of them are irreplaceable. And most burglaries result in damage to furnishings. Most of our furnishings are products of my workshop. Need I say more. I live in El Paso, TX. We have a Class 1 FD (the highest rating) I'm not worried about a fire. The burglary risk is higher. Juarez, Mexico is just across the river....er..... the stream...er.....often just the river bed. In truth, the burglary risk is relatively low, especially considering the location/environment. El Paso has a very low crime rate. But: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Max

Reply to
Max

"J. Clarke" wrote

LOL. A mannequin might be a good idea too.

Max

Reply to
Max

wrote

LOL. This thread has resulted in some very interesting information.

Max

Reply to
Max

Put the good stuff close to the front door?

Max

Reply to
Max

Why do you want to do this?

  1. Protect your property while you're gone;
  2. Protect yourself while you're there;
  3. Both #1 and #2;
  4. Cosmetic.

If #1, consider burglar bars and doors. If #2, a 12-gauge would be cheaper.

Reply to
HeyBub

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