How to Properly Choose a Door Lock

There is a huge variety of door locks available for your residential or commercial property. They can range from deadbolts to keyed entry knobs or from front entry handle set to keyless entry access systems. So how do you know which one would be the best for the specific purpose you need it for? Whether it is for your front door, your bedroom or the patio door, it is important to give thought to the type of lock that will best suit your need. So basically, the first step to choosing the proper lock is to figure out where you are going to place it.

The level of security locks provide can vary. But basically there are three grades of security:

1     Grade 1: this is the highest grade security. It is the strongest grade you can get for your residential or commercial product.

2    Grade 2: this grade is intended for higher residential security. It is designed and built to offer excellent security as well as durability. It is mostly used for residential applications but it can also be used in some light commercial applications.

3      Grade 3: This is basic residential security. It is the lowest grade of security and the minimal acceptable quality for residential door locks.

When you hire a residential or commercial locksmith, I recommend that you let him know where you want your lock to be. Then you should ask what the best grade lock for that application would be. I think that for any door inside your house (like the door to the bathroom or the kitchen) you can use grade 3 but if it is for a lock that will be exposed to others or the environment (like the front door) you should go for at least grade 2 for a residential home and grade 1 for a door at a commercial place.  Of course the lowest the level of security, meaning grade 3, the cheaper it will be but remember that going for the cheapest products will often times lead to risk exposure and the chances of someone breaking into your home or business will increase. The best you can do is ask for your commercial or residential locksmith’s opinion and do as he advises but also make sure that he is qualified for the job. 

Locks Facts

New technology develops year to year and whenever a product is launched we might feel the desire to buy it, but not the feeling of actually needing it. However, if a new product or service is launched and we acquire it, we use it for some time and get used to it, we would feel desperate and we would feel a huge need to get it back if it were taken away from us.

Just think of the internet or cell phones. They haven’t been around for that long but we have become so dependent on those two things. If you leave the house and realize you forgot your phone, you go crazy! Or if for some reason the internet is off, you can’t find what to do all day and you get frustrated.

As we get used to things, we begin to take them for granted. Just like phones or the internet, imagine what our world would be like if locks didn’t exist! When you think of locks, technology isn’t exactly what comes into your mind. But what if nobody had ever invented them!? Before they existed, people were used to not having locks. But now that they do exist, if they were ever to disappear we would get a terrible feeling of being unsafe and we would never want to leave our house in fear that someone would break in and steal everything.

The oldest lock was discovered about 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. The lock was one of the most important inventions in Ancient Egypt. While that was the first actual lock found, there were also other attempts at securing items. People would use knots in rope like the thief knot to secure their belongings. The first combination lock was created by an American called James Sargent who came up with it in 1857. I think it’s safe to say that life would be so much different if nobody had ever invented the lock. Now you can easily contact a locksmith and you will have a wide variety of high-tech locks available! 

Types of Locks

There are several types of locks you can choose from and they also serve different purposes so when you go out to buy one, you need to consider several factors. First you need to think what kind of lock you would like: a combination dial, a keyed lock, or other type of security device. Then you need to consider where that lock is going to go, if it’s going to be used indoors or somewhere it will be protected, or if it’s going to be used outdoors in a front door where it will be exposed to the weather, or if it’s going to be used in a harsh, industrial environment. Another thing you need to consider is the value of the property or equipment that the lock will be protecting. Of course, the higher the value, the better quality lock you need to acquire.

If you are looking for a lock to a store unit, storage locker, workshops or garage then a combination dial is a good option. If you are looking for a lock to your business then you should definitely go for a keyless lock. There are different kinds, for instance you can go for one in which you have to insert the right code so it unlocks or you can go for something even more sophisticated: a fingerprint lock. Nowadays, many businesses are going for the fingerprint lock because it’s easier. It takes less time than inserting a code and your employees won’t have to spend days trying to memorize the code. Also, if an employee resigns or is fired, you don’t have to change the code for everyone because you just erase his fingerprint access. That’s what makes fingerprint locks such a popular choice. If you are not sure what kind of lock is the best, you should contact a locksmith to help you out and advise you on the different options. 

Master Key

I think most of you will probably know what a master key is but just in case, it is a key able to operate a set of several locks. They are quite functional and save a lot of time for those who use them. For instance, there are hotels with hundreds of rooms and every room has to be cleaned. People in charge of cleaning need to access several rooms and imagine having to look for the particular key to the 50 rooms they are supposed to clean! It would take hours finding the right key in a huge pile like this!

Master keys are important in places like hotels because customers are always losing the one that was assigned to them and when they go to the lobby and ask for assistance, they expect to be helped immediately and imagine how unprofessional it would look if the receptionist took out a huge pile of keys and started looking for the right one. In addition, you are just as likely to lose it as the customer because there are so many! Oh, if only you had a master key things would be much easier.

If you run a business that has several rooms and you need certain employees to enter most rooms then I recommend getting a master key to facilitate the workload and make the process faster. All you need to do is contact a commercial locksmith and he will be able to help you out. But of course you will need to provide some sort of document that shows you have the right to get a master key because you are the owner of the business.

P.S. If you still have a keychain and you have to constantly add or remove keys, I found this great tip! 

Break-in Repairs

Imagine someone breaking into your house when you are away and taking your most expensive belongings like your TV, your laptop, and the money you had put in your nightstand. You come back from work and realize the door is open and you can tell someone broke in; then you see your house has in fact been robbed. Not only have you been robbed, but you are also now exposed because they have broken the lock of the front door but since it’s late at night then you think it’s best to wait till the next day to get it repaired, plus what are the chances of being robbed twice in one day?! Well, they might be higher than you might think, so don’t risk it. 

The smartest thing to do when you realize someone broke into your house and ruined the lock is to contact a locksmith no matter the time. Most locksmiths offer 24 hour service and will most likely show up in just a few minutes. However, you should be careful about whom you hire because not all locksmiths are legit. In order to avoid even more inconvenience and trouble you should always contact a locksmith who you know is licensed.

If you ever go through something like that then the best thing to do is to step up the security system in your house. A more expensive, state of the art lock might suffice but you can also request your locksmith to install an alarm system in your house so that you and your family are kept safe. Remember that no price is too high when it comes to your life and the lives of those you love. 

Associated Locksmiths of America

It’s no news that many of the locksmiths you find online are people trying to rip you off but I guess it’s up to you if you want to be taken for a fool or not. Everyone has gotten locked out at least once, some from their cars, others from their house, and the most unfortunate from both. You should always keep a locksmith’s business card in your wallet. If you have never contacted a locksmith you probably don’t have the number so what you have to do right now is to look for one near your area. Go to www.findalocksmith.com and get the number of a locksmith in your phone or wallet. Finding a locksmith in that page instead of any random site on the internet guarantees that your locksmith will have a license and that he is part of the Associated Locksmiths of America. In order to be part of the Associated Locksmiths of America, the locksmiths have to go through a background check and anyone with a criminal history will not qualify.

Something many locksmiths tend to do is provide an estimate over the phone and then they show up and after they finish the job, they tell the customer there was a problem with the lock and the only option was to drill it and they end up charging hundreds of dollars, which obviously is just an excuse to get a lot more of your money. That’s why you need to make sure that before the locksmith performs any job, both of you sign a paper that contains the specific amount you will be charged. Also, a trustworthy locksmith will usually wear a uniform from the company he claims to work for, and something very important is checking his car. They will often have a van that has the name of the company on it. But of course always make sure you request to see their locksmith license and if they don’t have it, it’s better to contact someone else.

Trust Your Locksmith

I know we are all grateful to the locksmiths who have served us in the past because they have probably saved us from a big inconvenience. But not all locksmiths are the same and you have to be careful with the one you choose. First of all, try to get a locksmith that has a license because then you know you can probably trust him. If you already have a locksmith you know and you like then great. On the other hand, if you have already gotten a locksmith service and everything related to the job he performed was alright but the service itself was poor and you were not comfortable with the attitude of the locksmith then you should probably consider looking for another one.

If you get locked out of your house in the middle of the day you can easily contact a locksmith and they can go and let you in. But service is also important because your locksmith should be someone you can trust and someone that you can feel comfortable with. Why? Because it is a whole different story being locked out during the day than at 3am. Getting bad service sucks, even if the job is right, we want people to be nice to us and that create confidence in us. If a grumpy locksmith makes you uncomfortable during the day, imagine being stuck with him in the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep and there’s no one around to help you if something goes wrong. The guy might not be bad and maybe he’s in no way trying to hurt you but a bad attitude is enough to freak you out.

Furthermore, it’s better to get service at night from a locksmith that you already know because there are many locksmiths out there that are just trying to rip people off and take advantage of the situation they’re in. For instance, if you are in an area where there aren’t many 24 hour locksmiths around and you finally find one, he may want to overcharge you. And I’m not talking about $50 but try $300 or a similar price. If you go online you’ll see how many different stories exist about locksmiths trying to get people’s money.