Many homeowners have it right in wanting to select the best deadbolt for their budget. However, the process of doing so isn’t exactly simple. The market is so full of a plethora of deadbolts, all with different specifications, that it can be quite difficult for the average person to decide on which deadbolt works best for their security needs. In this blog entry, the expert home security technicians at Top Locksmith will give you some information regarding the process of choosing the best residential deadbolt.
Best Features for Residential Deadbolts
Bumping and Picking Protection
You need to get a deadbolt that has the most recent technological updates to protect your home from criminal bumping and picking attacks. One option is the Kwikset Smartkey or Mul-T-Lock lock range, which provide high quality protection far superior to that of their foreign, knock-off competitors.
Material Durability
You want to make sure to purchase a deadbolt made of the strongest possible material. Less trong deadbolts have popped up on the market at lower prices, comprised of plastic materials and a way reduced amount of metal. Make sure to buy a deadbolt that offers a high quality metal construction – we recommend the Schlage 560p deadbolt series that marries a mid-range price with a high metal content. As a general rule, locks that locksmiths carry and sell directly to customers are usually far superior than the same type of lock bought online directly by the consumer. And as another constant rule, high security deadbolts will offer you the best amount of protection.
Lock Bumping
Lock bumping is a type of criminal entry that’s less well known than lock picking. Lock bumping is a way to access a lock without the key, and without having your criminal entry attempts detected. Deadbolts need to have lock bumping proof features directly built in. Products like the Kwikset Smartkey protects you from bumping with a waiver lock cylinder instead of a pin cylinder. Other locks like the Schlage 560p are complete with anti pickin gand anti bumping pins.
Why High Security Deadbolts are Worth the Investment
High Picking, Drilling, and Bumping Protection
Typical lock cylinders are controlled with a key that is only protected by the pins that raise or descend their shear line with the key when it is inserted into the lock. However, high security locks utilize additional shear lines through creation of dimple cuts inside the key, and/or sidewinder grooves down the key’s side – and even magnetic protection. High security deadbolts are additionally constructed to destroy drill bits, protecting you from criminal drilling attempts.
Material Durability
High security deadbolts utilize the strongest and thickest materials and construction on the market. You can easily tell this by holding a high security deadbolt in one hand and a regular deadbolt in the other – the high security deadbolt will be much heavier due it it’s construction out of much more, and much higher grade metal components.
Key Copying Resistance
High security keys cannot be duplicated by unscrupulous criminals or even employees unless by a professional lock and security company, and only then, when presented with the unique verification card that was presented to the lock owner upon original purchase.