For many of us the thought that our door lock is not REALLY that secure would come as a huge shock. We like to think that the locks that protect our families and belongings from the outside world are all created equally and that the one we have on doors is as secure as the neighbors or that guy down the street who is clearly more security conscious than the rest of the community.
The fact is though that all locks are NOT created equal. In essence, it is like anything else in life, you get what you pay for!
Does this mean that you have to pay a small fortune for your locks and hardware or you will be unsecured? Not really. But you do have to do some homework to find the best possible lock in your price range.
Just as there are in many other devices or things, locks have a rating system to tell the consumer what level of security to expect from their locks.
This system is not just for locks and is used for a variety of other products as well. The system is called ANSI and stands for the American National Standards Institute which is a non-profit organization that grades the hardware that home builders use when building a home in the U.S. The Canadian equivalent would be the C.S.A.
ANSI ratings for door locks found in homes and businesses are typically categorized in 3 classifications.
Grade 1 Certification is the absolute highest rating a door lock can receive from ANSI for any commercial or residential door lock.
Grade 2 Certification is the second highest rating and the one found to offer excellent security and durability is any product with this rating.
Grade 3 Certification is the lowest grading and is considered the absolute minimum standard for any residential door lock or hardware.
Why is this information important? When you purchase a lock for your front door or any door leading into your house for that matter you would expect it to be the highest quality that can be manufactured, but as the ratings above show, that is not always the case.
Many home builders use the Grade 3 locks and hardware on their homes simply because they are much cheaper and offer the minimum standards required by law and building codes.
Needless to say that the locks that have a Grade 3 rating are much less secure, and are much easier to pick or break then locks with a Grade 1 or even Grade 2.
Many of the locks offered by Pre-Lock are made by Schlage a very reputable company that has been manufacturing locks for generations.
All Schlage deadbolt locks are rated at Grade 1 ANSI standard which tells you that they are of the finest quality in materials and manufacturing standards available on the market today.
You would never tell your car manufacturer to not install seatbelts to save a few bucks and the same should be true for the security of your family at home and when you are away.
Insist on the finest quality and craftsmanship and choose Schlage or another ANSI GRADE 1 lock and we will happily come to your home and install it for you!
Buying security is easy, buying peace of mind is a little harder, get Schlage and get both at the same time!
