Sourcing a good quality Euro lock

[amfisted]

Advice on the relative merits of Euro locks, please.

When changing locks after moving house I've got into the habit of buying the kitemarked Yale Euro locks with what I've always believed to be small magnets on the keys, though they may be nothing of the kind.

The other day we had a composite door fitted, and because there was no kitemark on the Euro lock I asked the window company to contact the manufacturer and request a better quality lock. They've come back to me with the dimensions of the cylinder, which I knew already, and they obviously expect me to source the lock myself.

Question is this: when sourcing the most secure lock that I can afford, do I look for kitemarks, the number of pins, phrases such as "anti bump", "anti snap", all the above or is there something else?

TIA

 

[blup]

This advice is as good as any

What is Most Secure Lock To Prevent Lock Snapping? ( 3 Best Ways )

Here are 3 best ways to stop lock snapping & how to find the best anti-snap lock for your front & back door in 2019. We recommend a euro lock cylinder is one of the following lock standards.

www.locksmiths.co.uk

Blup

 

[JohnD]

If you want a lock that resists bumping, snapping and corkscrewing

A 5-lever BS3621 deadlock will do it better than any Eurocylinder.

£25 and up.

 

[crank39]

Yeah but that's not going to happen is it when the door has already been routered out for an MPL and a euro cylinder, the OP asked for the best euro lock NOT the best mortice deadlock in case you missed it John

 

[crank39]

@amfisted, look for a lock that is 3 star and TS007 rated

 

[JohnD]

... the most secure lock that I can afford...

 

[amfisted]

Thanks all for the replies. It is a Euro cylinder lock that I require because the door is set up for that option.

We had a new back door fitted with an Avocet lock in a previous home and they do appear to rate highly with professionals ( plus the fact that the keys are very attractive). So I'll probably spend a bit more and go down that route, bearing in mind the specifications provided above.

Thanks again.

 

[phatboy]

We have Orion locks. They are 3 star and not too expensive. Purchased online from lockandkey, and got some keyed alike, too.

 

[robinbanks]

Is defeating the lock cylinder the most common way unauthorised persons gain entry to property these days?

 

[^woody^]

Look for conformity with the TS007 standard (aka the 3 star rating) and build up the security by combining star-rated cylinder, handles and escutcheon. Combine with BS/EN rated locks and multi point mechanisms.

Miscreants look for the easiest route, so whilst cylinder snapping or plastic burning may be common, good old glass smashing and door/ casement levering are still acceptable.

 

[crank39]

Having worked for the UK's largest emergency glaziers/locksmiths and then their competitor for 16years combined some years ago I never once came across a job where a euro cylinder had been picked, snapped, bumped or drilled......NEVER and that was when euro cylinders were not even 1 star rated, just cheap £10 jobbies. However and I've told this story before some years ago so you can look it up if you can be bothered but I once went to a police callout job one day to replace a lock in a timber back door, when I got there and went round the back the back door was in two halves, bottom half was on the lawn and the top half was left dangling on its top hinge, the mortice lock fell out the door and was on the floor

 

[JohnD]

Is defeating the lock cylinder the most common way unauthorised persons gain entry to property these days?

Round my way, they usually walk in through an open door, sometimes an open window, otherwise kick in a door or lob something through a window or pry open a patio door, especially if a large tool shaped like a spade is nearby.

Crack heads, teens, or people moving around the country. No evidence of lock picking or electronic countermeasures.

 

[amfisted]

Thanks for the further and fascinating replies. I eventually opted for this lock, which seems to tick most if not all of my boxes. https://www.safe.co.uk/products/avocet-abs-3-star-euro-double-cylinder-35-35-70.html?ACODE=search

In another life I worked for the fire service, and in the course of that work I often came across half glazed timber back doors which had decent quality mortice locks, but a thin panel of plywood in the bottom half of the door that a five year old could kick through. So as stated above, security is something that needs to be considered "in the round" rather than concentrating on one aspect of security and neglecting others, as when putting an expensive lock in a flimsy door.

 

[phatboy]

Thanks for the further and fascinating replies. I eventually opted for this lock, which seems to tick most if not all of my boxes. https://www.safe.co.uk/products/avocet-abs-3-star-euro-double-cylinder-35-35-70.html?ACODE=search

In another life I worked for the fire service, and in the course of that work I often came across half glazed timber back doors which had decent quality mortice locks, but a thin panel of plywood in the bottom half of the door that a five year old could kick through. So as stated above, security is something that needs to be considered "in the round" rather than concentrating on one aspect of security and neglecting others, as when putting an expensive lock in a flimsy door.

A good lock. As someone formerly in the fire service, I'm surprised you didn't opt for a thumb turn for the inside though, I thought the fire service were the biggest advocates of this?

 

[amfisted]

A good lock. As someone formerly in the fire service, I'm surprised you didn't opt for a thumb turn for the inside though, I thought the fire service were the biggest advocates of this?

A fair point, though I left the service more than 15 years ago, and as far as I can recall, at that time the benefits of thumb turn locks had never come up in discussions about the kind of fire safety advice we should provide to the public.

In our case we're old fashioned and we tend to keep the key in the lock on the inside of the door during the daytime, and in a cupboard next to the door at night, so there'd be no need to go hunting for it in an emergency.