The Local Locksmith
Tips For Buying A New Lock
Many people nowadays are savvy enough to try their hand and succeed in some do it yourself home maintenance, which includes replacing and installing locks. Before making that little trip to the hardware store, you might want to know about the different kinds of locks in the market, aside from the high end mortise ones which can easily be damaged if not handled with care. Standard locks come in different kinds and different properties, which you have to know more about in order to choose the right one for a specific door in need of locks.
There are four basic styles that you can find among the common locks. Deadbolts are generally more secure than the other three counterparts, though it’s not uncommon to see a combination of two or more in a front door. For some bedrooms, bathrooms and any other rooms which only need enough security to make sure that the person inside has privacy, having only a simple knob lock is enough. Lever handles are also common for some bedrooms. Some front doors have either a knob lock or a handleset to accompany the deadbolt.
Most companies that produce locks employ one of two common keysets, the Schlage and the Kwikset. Aside from their appearance, there aren’t much difference between these two keys. You could usually determine which one you have since Kwikset keys usually have hexagonal heads while Schlage ones sometimes have what look like pyramids. These aren’t of course the universal rule so they might still differ on that. Some people prefer to use locks that can accept the same key to avoid having many keys.
If you’re looking for style in addition to function, checking a door’s appearance to choose the right lock finish will be important too. For doors with two or more locks, buying locks with the same finish from the same brand might confuse you when unlocking them, so try buying different finishes or buy from different brands if you have to. Check out the different finishes too and how the stand up to different weather conditions, since there are some that are prone to tarnishing and fading, while the more natural ones obviously withstand the different weather conditions much longer.
Consider the re-keying too. It might get confusing when you own a lot of keys, especially if they all look similar. It might take you some time to find the right key for a certain door, which just won’t do for emergency purposes. You could purchase some locks which are all keyed to a certain key already or you could hire someone to have them all re-keyed for you. There are also some locks that can be re-keyable by you yourself, but their strength isn’t guaranteed and there might be some problems with existing keys for some of them.
Discounting electronic and mortise locks, these are the most common things to consider for when buying new locks. Don’t think twice about calling a locksmith for help and advice. For reliable locksmith services, visit http://www.the-locallocksmith.com.