What to Consider When Investing In Locks
Shopping for locks can be extremely overwhelming, especially given the fact that people are spoiled for choice in today’s market.
Even though there are countless locks available, it’s important to understand that not all locks are created equal as some substandard options can compromise your safety.
To make sure that our readers never make a rash decision when investing in locks, we’ve come up with a simple guide that can help them out. We’re confident that if people follow this guide to the letter, they can make an educated decision and easily find a lock that’s perfect for them.
Here’s a list of things you need to consider before you invest in a lock.
1. The Condition of the Door:
Before you pick out a lock, you need to inspect the door it’s going to be installed on. Make sure that the structural integrity of the door isn’t compromised as this can render even the most secure lock completely useless.
Examine the door for signs of rot or termite damage. If you find them, invest in a new door before buying a lock. Also check the hinges of the door for rust. If you find any, oil them or install new ones.
2. Security Grading:
At the end of the day, the only reason people take an interest in new locks is to guarantee the safety of their loved ones. Fortunately, people don’t have to know a lot about the locks they install; they can easily gauge the security a lock offers is by viewing its security grading.
Generally speaking, the two most widely used grading schemes are the Builder’s Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHWA) grading system and the American Nation Standards Institute (ANSI) grading system.
The ANSI system assigns three grades to each lock, namely; Grade 1, 2, and 3.
Grade 1 locks are the best in the business and can withstand 10 strikes of 150 foot-pounds without cracking. On the other hand, Grade 3 locks are the weakest; they can withstand 2 strikes of 120 foot-pounds.
The BWHA grading scheme is a little more difficult to understand as it offers more information about the lock. It evaluates the performance of a door lock over three important performance metrics, namely; security, durability, and finish.
In this grading scheme, locks are given three grades (A, B, or C) according to their performance over the above-mentioned criteria. Given the fact that the highest possible grade for a lock is ‘A’, so locks with an AAA rating are the best locks commercially available.
3. The Type of Lock:
Now that we’ve examined the condition of the door,
it’s time we turn our attention to the type of lock needed.
Most people still think that there are only a few different option on the market.
What people fail to realize is that there are countless locks to choose from, each with unique features that can improve your defenses.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to decide which lock will work the best for you. This is why we recommend reading up product descriptions on the internet. Read about the characteristics of handle-set locks, deadbolts, and padlocks, and decide on what you want for your house. You can also choose the type of lock based on the application (more on that later).
4. Application:
By far, the easiest way to decide which lock to opt for is by analyzing the application of the lock. The location of the door at which the new lock is going to be installed on has a major say on which type to opt for. For example, it makes no sense to install a handle-set lock on a restricted area as these locks are the easiest to get around.
Similarly, the location of the door will also help you determine whether or not you should opt for smart locks. For example, if you’re expecting the lock to be exposed to a lot of moisture or rainfall, don’t opt for these electric locks as they can short circuit and malfunction!
5. Your Convenience:
One of the biggest misconception people have about buying new locks is that the new lock should be secure above all else. We believe that the convenience the lock offers is an equally important feature. After all, what good is an impenetrable lock if it takes you 5 minutes to lock and unlock it?
That being said, we understand the more convenient a lock is to unlock, the less security it offers. This is why we always urge our users to invest new locks that don’t compromise on security but are still extremely easy to operate.
6. Your Budget:
At the end of the day, your budget is one aspect that dictates every decision you make. This holds true in the world of locks as well because there are countless locks available on the internet that can’t be picked and offer a lot of security but can set you back hundreds of dollars!
Given the fact that it’s extremely easy to get side-tracked, we suggest creating a list of features that you want in your new lock. Arrange these features in order of priority and then scan the internet for an option that has all the features you need. You can easily find convenient and secure locks at an economical price on eBay and Amazon.
7. Are Smart Locks Worth the Investment?
After you know how much you’re willing to spend on a lock, see if you can afford to install smart locks in your home. The reason why we’re such strong advocates of these locks is because they’re much more secure than the traditional locks commonly installed in homes and offices.
Depending on your budget, you can opt for iris scanners that have negligible false positive percentage or the ever-reliable fingerprint scanner locks to seal off restricted areas. These modern locks are a feat of science and technology and can easily bolster your defenses!
8. Lock Installation:
Now that you’ve ordered a reliable lock from the internet, there’s only one thing left for you to do; install it. Depending on the type of lock you buy, the installation of the lock can take from anywhere between 2 minutes to a couple of hours!
Even though there are countless tutorials on the internet describing how to install locks in your homes, we highly recommend leaving this task up to professionals. Make no mistake about it, installing a new lock is an art form and demands time and concentration on your part. This is why we believe it’s better if a professional locksmith handles this part of the lock replacement process.
If you’re looking for reliable and affordable lock installation services, we at New York Locksmith would love to help. We’ve become renowned for the residential, commercial, and industrial locksmith services that we provide in Brooklyn, Nassau, and other areas of NY. We also provide an efficient and economical 24 hour locksmith in New York City.
If you are looking for auto key replacement in NYC? Get in touch with us today to take your security to the next level.