Making the Grade: Not all locks are created equal

Locks are a long-term investment, dont cheat your family out of security.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that one lock is as secure as the next. And coming from the standpoint of the consumer, it may look like  the only real choices fall into the categories of color, brand and style. The appearance will be a factor but the primary focus of any lock purchase should be: will this protect me, my family and our property? And in that respect some locks don’t cut it. Does it really make since to try to protect your $150,000+  house with a $10 lock?

Materials and contruction makes your security truly secure.

ANSI (American National Standards Institute)and BHMA (Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association) are two companies that regulate and test lock hardware to verify that the manufactures  can live up to their claims with regard to strength and usage (cycle) promises. The companies issue 3 Grade levels: Grade 1 (Heavy Commercial), Grade 2 (Light Commercial/ Heavy Residential) and Grade 3 (Light residential.) The cycle requirements for the Grade 3 status is 200,000, which means it should withstand 200,000 cycles before failure. The Grade 2 requirement is 400,000 cycles and the Grade 1 requirement is 800,000.

Along with the cycle standard there is also a strength standard. The strength standard regulates how much pressure or force the lock is designed to withstand during use before failure. The Grade 3 requirement for a door knob is 120 lbs of force and for a lever set 180 lbs. The Grade 2 knob is 150 lbs and the lever set is 225 lbs. And the Grade 1 knob is 300 lbs and lever set 450 lbs. The strength standards are designed to provide minimum levels of durability to guard against rough usage and vandalism.

Most of the locks sold at hardware stores are of the Grade 3 variety designed for residential use, quite often in a construction version with a part-plastic latch. So even within the Grade rating there is a variance between one Grade 3 and the next. For instance: A lock that’s made out of pot metal could meet the minimum strength and cycle standards. But who wants a lock that fails on the finish line when for a little more you get a Grade 3 lock made out of higher quality metal that can meet and exceed the minimum standards; and look good doing it?

Many locksmiths carry the higher quality locks that will better secure your home or business, and yes they tend to cost a little more. The question isn’t: “Can I afford better locks?” the question should be: “Can I afford not to have them?”

Justin McGuire from McGuire Lock & Safe

Computer Chip Keys

More and more cars are coming out equipped with theft control systems in them.  It gives you piece of mind when it’s working for you, but when you need extra copies of your keys it seems like it works against you.  With dealership prices towering above you for these keys you might feel overwhelmed or helpless, but don’t because there is a cheaper alternative: a Locksmith.

A Locksmith with the proper equipment can make and program these keys for less, and in some instances WAY less than the dealer.

Neatly embedded into the head of the key.

What is a computer chip doing in a car key in the first place?

First things first the chips are called “transponders”,  and they are installed on newer cars because the insurance companies are requiring them. The goal is simple enough: make vehicles hard to steal. And less ways for the would-be thief to steal your car is less risk to insure to the companies.  Your vehicle’s computer communicates with the embedded transponder and verifies that the keys value is already programmed into its database.  If the key is known – programmed in – then your car should start, and if not it won’t.

The Transponder came onto the scene in Ford vehicles back in 1996 as  a security option, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.  Here is a few things you the car’s owner should be aware of:

• Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep (1998+) have a system in place that requires you to use 2 currently programmed keys to add an additional key into the system with out the aid of specialty equipment.

That Means that it takes 2 already programmed keys to access your car’s “learn mode” feature.  If you only have 2 keys its advisable to get a 3rd key soon because if you lose 1 then you can’t access that learn mode and you will have to take it to a professional to program, which can get expensive.   If you only have 1 key to begin with, it’s a good idea to get 2 keys made so you have 3 total.  Three or more is the magic number with these keys.

• General Motors family Vehicles have a different system in place.  They only require one working key to start programming, and most models don’t require a special machine to program.

If you have any questions about what the sequences are for your specific car, they are included in your vehicle’s manual.

Justin from McGuire Lock & Safe