The Importance of a Pin Tumbler Lock for Your Front Door
Translated from German by Abha Vardhan (2019)
It is imperative to have an efficient pin tumbler lock for your front door to keep uninvited guests away. Homeowners give the utmost importance to the appearance of the front door; however, it is also vital that they have the right pin tumbler lock to ensure safety.
When you have a secure lock on your front door, you can rest assured that no intruders can easily pick it and that your family and valuables remain safe. In the past few years, burglaries have been on the rise and we hear more and more news about it every other day.
With an increase in theft, homeowners are taking action to replace their regular front door locks with a highly secure one. It is a great step towards ensuring safety since burglars often attempt to break in from the front door.
Burglars had often found access to flats or houses through windows, but homeowners are now using precautionary measures to keep their windows locked. What they often don’t consider is the security of the front door, which burglars are taking advantage of.
The latest statistics have revealed that the number of burglars entering homes through the front door has quadrupled over the past five years. But how can we prevent this and keep ourselves safe? A pin tumbler lock is the best solution here. Let’s learn more about it.
A Pin Tumbler Lock for Your Front Door
Most burglars are quite smart these days. If your new front door doesn’t have a pin tumbler lock, or if your front door is old and has a normal lock, most burglars are able to pick the lock and get into the house. They will apply just a few of their lock picking techniques to unlock the door and enter your home.
They usually make use of a simple tool to remove the protective fittings from the door lock and then they break off the protruding lock cylinder and open the front door.
Burglary can happen to anyone and if you think you are safe, you are wrong. It is important that you take precautionary measures to improve the security of your front door. The first step towards better security to your home is by installing a high-quality pin tumbler lock on your front door. In addition, you can use special door fittings for added protection.
What Is A Pin Tumbler Lock?
After you have decided to make your house a safer place and keep intruders at bay, you need to choose the right pin tumbler locks that best suit your needs. With so many different types of pin tumbler locks available, finding the right lock can be overwhelming.
In general, all locks that serve to secure the front door of a house or apartment are called profile cylinders. This special cylinder is the main component of a pin tumbler lock and ensures that the door cannot be easily broken.
In the cylinder lock, the key moves a cylinder or a plug, which moves the fixed cam. When you turn the plug a certain way, the cam pulls the bolt and unlocks the door. When you turn the plug the other way, the cam releases the bolt and springs come back into its place so that the door doesn’t open.
There is a type of puzzle inside the cylinder lock which can only be solved with the right key. The main difference in the types of cylinder locks is the nature of this puzzle. A common cylinder lock is the Pin and Tumbler Lock.
These profile cylinders are available as a double cylinder, half cylinder, and knob cylinder and they consist of a latch and bolt, which are the most important elements of a lock.
The most popular locking system is the mortise lock. This can be easily inserted into a door and then fixed with a few screws. The mortise is a collection of numerous diverse pieces that are placed in a pocket (also known as a mortise) in the door.
Before choosing a cylinder, it is necessary that you select the right size. Nowadays, ABUS models, which are considered popular, are available in many different designs. The thickness and strength of the door also play a role in choosing the pin tumbler lock for the front door.
What Should You Know About Security Classes for Pin Tumbler Locks?
It is imperative that you protect the locking cylinders against forces and attacks as it is the main component in a locking system. Burglars can forcibly open the lock using a drill. Thus, locking cylinders that are available without drilling protection are at risk of getting easily destroyed.
Burglars often destroy or manipulate the exact mechanism of the lock in a way that it is cracked. Another forcible technique to destroy the locking cylinder is to break it off. If the cylinder comes out of the door by a mere 3 mm, it can be taken out with pliers. Another way to break the lock is by pulling. Here, the burglar forcibly pulls the cylinder core out of the door.
In such cases, the use of a burglar resistant door plate can offer protection against burglary attempts. This type of door plate is made of solid steel and offers great resistance and protection to the cylinder.
However, cylinder locks should be able to tolerate ‘intelligent’ attacks in which thieves break the cylinder without using extra force. The manufacturers of locks add exclusive protective devices to them to prevent it from unlocking with picking tools. The locks undergo extensive testing to make sure that they are sufficiently protected against burglary attempts.
Locking cylinders are assigned several classes to measure their anti-burglary resistance. There are numerous models in specialty stores, so it is advantageous to look more closely at the classifications.
The different resistance classes range from 1 to 3 and the locks with class 0 have no burglar-resistant effect while class 3 security fittings are considered almost unbeatable.
The cost of these different classes of anti-burglary locks varies widely. It is highly recommended to invest more money in a pin tumbler lock and not in accessories because the disadvantage of this is that it is ineffective if the door lock itself is not high quality. In contrast, it is not necessary to spend more money on a designer lock but rather on a highly secure lock.
Pin Tumbler Lock with a Security Card
If you have decided to purchase a pin tumbler lock for your front door, you should opt for a variant with a security card because only then can you ensure that the key cannot be copied by anyone who is not authorized to do so.
A security card is used to ensure that a locksmith only makes a copy of the key with this template. Thus, the card is another factor that can be used to make a pin tumbler lock even safer.
There are now numerous features that ensure that lock cylinders are even safer, such as protection from drilling and manipulation, and resistance from forced picking. Therefore, before deciding on the right lock model, the pin tumbler locks should be considered in more detail.
The Most Famous Lock Brands
When you are searching for a suitable pin tumbler lock, it is always the same names that appear when high quality is in demand. By far, the best-known manufacturer is ABUS, which offers high-quality locks at an unbeatable price. Different versions of the particularly burglar-proof armored locks are also offered by ABUS. Other popular brands are as BKS, Evva, or Winkhaus
The Installation of Pin Tumbler Locks
It is recommended to leave the installation of a pin tumbler lock to an expert, but many homeowners want to save money and therefore refrain from getting professional assistance, which usually costs on average about 150.00 euros.
Many people, therefore, decide to install or remove new door locks by themselves. The replacement of the locks is actually quite simple and fast and often takes only a few minutes.
All that needs to be done is to loosen the screws of the old lock on the side and then wiggle it with the key in the lock until the lock comes loose from the door. Then a new pin tumbler lock is installed in the hole and the screws are tightened again.
Before buying the lock, however, it is important to make sure that the correct screws are included for the installation of the new lock.
In addition, the correct removal and subsequent installation of the lock must be carried out correctly because, in the event of a burglary, many insurance companies only operate if a pin tumbler lock was available and was properly installed.
The Latest Trend: The Armored Bolt Lock
As mentioned before, it is important for more people to install a stable burglar-proof lock on their front door. Nowadays, the popular one is the armored lock, which consists of a metal latch and two additional boxes, which are anchored in the wall.
When locking an armored lock, the security bolt is pushed into the lockbox and break-ins are therefore nearly impossible. The special feature of an armored lock is that it secures the entire door.
No matter which pin tumbler lock is chosen, make sure that it is highly secure with suitable anti-burglary features. Before buying, compare the lock prices of several manufacturers and then choose the right one. By comparing the costs, you can always buy the best lock at the best price.
Source: riegelprofi.com