Are Schlage locks considered inferior now?

[Tommy2000GT]

I'm looking at front entry handle sets and they have low customer reviews everywhere I see. Are they no longer made in USA?

Kwikset now seems to have high reviews.

 

[x26]

In for Replies.

 

[gururu2]

Are there any specific rsecurity easons for being regarded as lower quality? I use schlage a lot because I know them well enough to do a lot of rekeying.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I think they use a smaller diameter cylinder for their latches. There should be one friggin standard size ffs

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Schlage lost a patent lawsuit a couple of years ago, I know it impacted how their locks are made. I have Schlage locks they work fine, I do recommend a keyless lock they are enormously convenient.

 

[boomerang]

What are you looking for OP? Looks, security, longevity?

Locks keep honest people out. Crooks bash in the door breaking the jam. The lock holds, the door jam gives way. Having a lockset with an additional dead bolt just makes them work a little bit harder although your insurance company may want you to have deadbolts.

Personally, I would pay the extra money for something with a lifetime finish guarantee that you find attractive. It will limit the number of finish choices available but it will be one and done.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

What are you looking for OP? Looks, security, longevity?

Locks keep honest people out. Crooks bash in the door breaking the jam. The lock holds, the door jam gives way. Having a lockset with an additional dead bolt just makes them work a little bit harder although your insurance company may want you to have deadbolts.

Personally, I would pay the extra money for something with a lifetime finish guarantee that you find attractive. It will limit the number of finish choices available but it will be one and done.

Smart advice changing locks sucks I want to do it as infrequently as possible.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

Are there any specific rsecurity easons for being regarded as lower quality? I use schlage a lot because I know them well enough to do a lot of rekeying.

I haven't bought any new locks in more than 10 years. But I have always gotten Schlage in the past and they always felt tight and never failed on me.

However the recent reviews people complain about them being loose and locks failing to lock/unlock.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

What are you looking for OP? Looks, security, longevity?

Locks keep honest people out. Crooks bash in the door breaking the jam. The lock holds, the door jam gives way. Having a lockset with an additional dead bolt just makes them work a little bit harder although your insurance company may want you to have deadbolts.

Personally, I would pay the extra money for something with a lifetime finish guarantee that you find attractive. It will limit the number of finish choices available but it will be one and done.

Looking for all of those things actually. I know the door jamb is usually the weakest point but I still want a strong lock so I'm looking at Grade 1. The contractor sandwiched 3x 2x4 studs together so hopefully that helps.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

I got back from looking at Schlage locks at Home Depot. All were either made in China or Mexico. Can't buy made in USA Schlage anymore?

 

[x26]

I got back from looking at Schlage locks at Home Depot. All were either made in China or Mexico. Can't buy made in USA Schlage anymore?

I was looking for Schlage locks at Home Depot the last few years.
It seems the Inventory they keep in Store is miserable and that you need to order the Better locks online.

 

[DrPizza]

What are you looking for OP? Looks, security, longevity?

Locks keep honest people out. Crooks bash in the door breaking the jam. The lock holds, the door jam gives way. Having a lockset with an additional dead bolt just makes them work a little bit harder although your insurance company may want you to have deadbolts.

Personally, I would pay the extra money for something with a lifetime finish guarantee that you find attractive. It will limit the number of finish choices available but it will be one and done.

Maybe I'm incorrect, but whenever I install locks, I've replaced the screws that come with them with 3 1/2" hardened steel screws. The door jam is generally against two 2x4's - so instead of the 3/4" screw that comes with the lock set, you can actually get into the 2x4. There are also metal plates that can be used to reinforce, if you're putting the screws all the way into both 2x4's. Likewise, at least the last time I read the directions, you were supposed to replace one of the screws at each hinge with a much longer screw that went into the framing. Screws come in boxes of plenty, I see no reason not to spend all of an extra minute or two replacing all nine or twelve screws on the hinges. (Impact drill helps a hell of a lot, along with Robertson (square) or torx head screws.)

Personally, I rarely lock my doors, unless there's a reason. But, if I have a reason, I prefer they be more secure than being held with the 3/4" screws that come with many lock sets.

 

[boomerang]

Maybe I'm incorrect, but whenever I install locks, I've replaced the screws that come with them with 3 1/2" hardened steel screws. The door jam is generally against two 2x4's - so instead of the 3/4" screw that comes with the lock set, you can actually get into the 2x4. There are also metal plates that can be used to reinforce, if you're putting the screws all the way into both 2x4's. Likewise, at least the last time I read the directions, you were supposed to replace one of the screws at each hinge with a much longer screw that went into the framing. Screws come in boxes of plenty, I see no reason not to spend all of an extra minute or two replacing all nine or twelve screws on the hinges. (Impact drill helps a hell of a lot, along with Robertson (square) or torx head screws.)

Personally, I rarely lock my doors, unless there's a reason. But, if I have a reason, I prefer they be more secure than being held with the 3/4" screws that come with many lock sets.

Those are all good suggestions, I agree they are wise procedures and I have seen them done. But it is not possible in every case.

Many homes have sidelights adjacent to the doors. Mine does. That means that to beef up the stiles between the door and each sidelight to put in longer fasteners, etc., that area between becomes massive. It can be unattractive or it can not suit the house architecturally, or it can make the assembly too wide for the space that can be allocated for the opening. I'm sure there are probably other reasons why it can't be done.

The answer in my case, after my second break-in, was to let in the structure that makes up the stiles such that a piece of angle iron could be inserted into it to take any thrust. This greatly strengthened the assembly and architecturally, once trimmed out it appears as it would without any angle iron being present.

Thieves can enter a home several ways. Through an entry door is about the easiest for them. They can bash, and they can pry or they can do both. In my case the angle iron will both greatly inhibit both. They have learned that on older homes that they can just pry the jam away from the door and bash it a bit and it will open. They are loathe to go through windows, not wanting to deal with the broken glass. I have also read that they are now using sawzalls. They drill a hole with a cordless drill, and with the sawzall make the hole larger such that they can reach their hand in and unlock the door. They are both going through the door and sometimes through an adjacent wall. If of course, construction materials allow for it.

I live in what I term a semi-rural area. We are all on a minimum of 2 1/2 acres. There are few paved roads. I live on a curve on one of those paved roads. I can only see one neighbor adjacent to me when the leaves are off the trees and then, only partially. Lots of heavy woods surround me and many of those in the area. There are no homes across the street from me. I explain all this because these are the contributing factors for why I was broken into twice. Thieves can park in my circular driveway, (good for an escape) break through the front door and no neighbors will even be remotely aware. The light traffic going by at 55 mph will not take notice. It's an ideal situation for them to steal what they can to then sell for pennies on the dollar to fuel their drug habits. I'm glad you can leave your doors unlocked. It's not the best of plans for me. I am glad you live in an area that does not experience much in the way of break-ins. That used to be the case for me. Now, we experience it in waves with a number of years in between.

Anyway, I'm glad you brought this up because now I got to explain what I was going to follow up with for the OP. I didn't, because he's convinced that a mega lock is the best path for security. It's not, but I can only lead the horse to water.

 

[gururu2]

The answer in my case, after my second break-in, was to let in the structure that makes up the stiles such that a piece of angle iron could be inserted into it to take any thrust. This greatly strengthened the assembly and architecturally, once trimmed out it appears as it would without any angle iron being present.

I like this idea a lot. Can you give more detail on how you inserted it?

 

[boomerang]

I like this idea a lot. Can you give more detail on how you inserted it?

The diagram is a section cut through the two 2x4's that make up the vertical member between my door and the sidelight adjacent to it. The black outline is the studs, the yellow represents the angle iron. I have not included any trim or the door jamb itself to make it simpler for me to create.

You can use a piece of angle iron as long as you desire. The longer it is, the more the load will be spread out. I believe there will come a point of diminishing return though so making it the height of those studs is probably overkill. It's important to remember that the angle iron could interfere with the path of fasteners. So it either must be sized such that they bypass it or holes must be drilled to allow them to pass through. This is going to especially be important with a dead bolt. Some of the bolts these days are very long and are designed to enter into the second stud.

If you have just 2x4's and there is a clearance hole for the deadbolt, that part of the 2x4 becomes weak from the perspective of thrust. There is very little wood left to deal with that thrust and it will break out easily. The angle iron provides a backing and a means to spread out the load if someone is beating on the door to gain entry.

 

[Humpy]

Thieves can enter a home several ways. Through an entry door is about the easiest for them. They can bash, and they can pry or they can do both. In my case the angle iron will both greatly inhibit both. They have learned that on older homes that they can just pry the jam away from the door and bash it a bit and it will open. They are loathe to go through windows, not wanting to deal with the broken glass. I have also read that they are now using sawzalls. They drill a hole with a cordless drill, and with the sawzall make the hole larger such that they can reach their hand in and unlock the door. They are both going through the door and sometimes through an adjacent wall. If of course, construction materials allow for it.

I simply drill straight into the key cylinder with a 5/16" bit and a cordless drill. Even the "hardened" cylinders only take a few seconds to drill out. Most of the time I can get through without damaging any thing else and repair is as easy as popping in a new cylinder and tail piece.

 

[SparkyJJO]

You speak like you have experience with being a thief breaking and entering :hmm:

 

[Humpy]

You speak like you have experience with being a thief breaking and entering :hmm:

The breaking and entering, yes. Not the thieving part though.

In a prior life I've installed thousands of doors and locks. A dozen or so times I've needed or been asked to get into those or other locked doors. Since I've never learned lock picking (I still hope to find the time one day) I've found the next best method with the least amount of damage is to just drill it out.

When your typical dumbfuck crook gets a drill all they can think to do is sell it for meth money rather than using it to increase their productivity.

 

[NetWareHead]

When your typical dumbfuck crook gets a drill all they can think to do is sell it for meth money rather than using it to increase their productivity.

Lol....


Good info in this thread. I never liked sidelight windows on doors for privacy reasons and you also cant reinforce them as well (although the angle iron suggestion is interesting). Good suggestions by DrPizza.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Locks keep honest people out. Crooks bash in the door breaking the jam. The lock holds, the door jam gives way. Having a lockset with an additional dead bolt just makes them work a little bit harder although your insurance company may want you to have deadbolts.

Very true. My house was broken into after I moved out. (I suspect the thieves were tipped off by someone "on the inside" when I changed my billing address.) The doors withstood their first attempt, so they just came back again and broke the glass in a window to get in.

That said, I did decide to go with something a little better than the typical Schlage and Kwikset options you find at Home Depot or Lowes when I replaced my (25 year-old) locks last year. I went with the Schlage's (Everest) Primus line, which are touted as being more durable and more tamper resistant; they also use key blanks that are unique. I had a locksmith do all the ordering and rekeying; I did the installation.

OP, if you want to take it a step further, look at Medeco.

Here's a helpful link on locks:

http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page

 

[DrPizza]

Very true. My house was broken into after I moved out. (I suspect the thieves were tipped off by someone "on the inside" when I changed my billing address.) The doors withstood their first attempt, so they just came back again and broke the glass in a window to get in.

That said, I did decide to go with something a little better than the typical Schlage and Kwikset options you find at Home Depot or Lowes when I replaced my (25 year-old) locks last year. I went with the Schlage's (Everest) Primus line, which are touted as being more durable and more tamper resistant; they also use key blanks that are unique. I had a locksmith do all the ordering and rekeying; I did the installation.

OP, if you want to take it a step further, look at Medeco.

Here's a helpful link on locks:

http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page

That said, why a more expensive lock, if a great lock is just going to result in thieves breaking in through a window?

A break in method that I'm surprised you hear very little about - I'd think you could go right through a wall fairly effortlessly, given a cordless circular saw & a good blade, or a reciprocating saw with a good blade. Interior is merely drywall, exterior is usually just OSB plus whatever covering is on the house - e.g., vinyl siding. I suppose the other methods are simply good enough.

 

[PowerEngineer]

That said, why a more expensive lock, if a great lock is just going to result in thieves breaking in through a window?

A break in method that I'm surprised you hear very little about - I'd think you could go right through a wall fairly effortlessly, given a cordless circular saw & a good blade, or a reciprocating saw with a good blade. Interior is merely drywall, exterior is usually just OSB plus whatever covering is on the house - e.g., vinyl siding. I suppose the other methods are simply good enough.

While I'm agreeing that a competent determined thief can break into any house regardless of the locks or other security measures (and I've heard about the reciprocating saw idea somewhere...), I like to think that better locks, cameras, and security systems will deter the less competent and/or less determined thieves (at least in my suburban neighborhood).

 

[gururu2]

While I'm agreeing that a competent determined thief can break into any house regardless of the locks or other security measures (and I've heard about the reciprocating saw idea somewhere...), I like to think that better locks, cameras, and security systems will deter the less competent and/or less determined thieves (at least in my suburban neighborhood).

agree with that. most thieves (99%?) have never owned a home much less performed wall repairs so they wouldn't have a clue how to open up a wall. windows are too messy and too loud, not to mention that todays windows are damn near impenetrable (have you ever tried to bash a storm window in with a brick?). the greatest thing I fear are home invasions, and I think a great lock (and possibly security system) offers the best protection.

 

[SparkyJJO]

That said, why a more expensive lock, if a great lock is just going to result in thieves breaking in through a window?

A break in method that I'm surprised you hear very little about - I'd think you could go right through a wall fairly effortlessly, given a cordless circular saw & a good blade, or a reciprocating saw with a good blade. Interior is merely drywall, exterior is usually just OSB plus whatever covering is on the house - e.g., vinyl siding. I suppose the other methods are simply good enough.

1) noise
2) risk of electrocution from cutting power lines in the wall
3) time
4) did I mention noise?

Just the noise and the time alone would make it less than appealing. Even with a good blade and know-how (how many people really can start a cut with a circular saw in the middle of something?) it will still take some time to chop that hole. You're attracting a lot of unwanted attention doing it that way.

 

[DrPizza]

1) noise
2) risk of electrocution from cutting power lines in the wall
3) time
4) did I mention noise?

Just the noise and the time alone would make it less than appealing. Even with a good blade and know-how (how many people really can start a cut with a circular saw in the middle of something?) it will still take some time to chop that hole. You're attracting a lot of unwanted attention doing it that way.

Not that it matters much in this thread, but power lines generally would be at a greater depth - the depth of a circular saw is very easy to set. Starting it is very simple in the middle of a wall or piece of plywood - just as simple, if not simpler, than starting it on the edge. In my neighborhood, if I heard a different sounding vehicle pull into my neighbor's driveway, I'd look. If I heard a circular saw, I'd be thinking my neighbor was up to some project and wouldn't look.