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1

Our owners corporation has recently ordered new keys for our apartment building main doors.

We've just received the keys and it's obvious these keys are smaller than the previous keys. The new ones look like regular house keys. The previous ones looked more like what you might find for a commercial door lock.

I'm certainly no expert on these things. However it would seem reasonable to assume that a longer, more complex key ought to be more secure.

I expected that we would be getting keys at least as secure as what we've had in the past.

I'm wondering now if we should go back to the locksmith and tell them these aren't good enough.

Can someone tell me if my concerns are reasonable? Should an apartment building have commercial type keys and locks, or does it actually not make any difference?

lock

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edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

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asked 6 hours ago

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1

Our owners corporation has recently ordered new keys for our apartment building main doors.

We've just received the keys and it's obvious these keys are smaller than the previous keys. The new ones look like regular house keys. The previous ones looked more like what you might find for a commercial door lock.

I'm certainly no expert on these things. However it would seem reasonable to assume that a longer, more complex key ought to be more secure.

I expected that we would be getting keys at least as secure as what we've had in the past.

I'm wondering now if we should go back to the locksmith and tell them these aren't good enough.

Can someone tell me if my concerns are reasonable? Should an apartment building have commercial type keys and locks, or does it actually not make any difference?

lock

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

44.4k53484

asked 6 hours ago

user1751825user1751825

1062

New contributor

user1751825 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

Our owners corporation has recently ordered new keys for our apartment building main doors.

We've just received the keys and it's obvious these keys are smaller than the previous keys. The new ones look like regular house keys. The previous ones looked more like what you might find for a commercial door lock.

I'm certainly no expert on these things. However it would seem reasonable to assume that a longer, more complex key ought to be more secure.

I expected that we would be getting keys at least as secure as what we've had in the past.

I'm wondering now if we should go back to the locksmith and tell them these aren't good enough.

Can someone tell me if my concerns are reasonable? Should an apartment building have commercial type keys and locks, or does it actually not make any difference?

lock

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

44.4k53484

asked 6 hours ago

user1751825user1751825

1062

New contributor

user1751825 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

44.4k53484

asked 6 hours ago

user1751825user1751825

1062

New contributor

user1751825 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

44.4k53484

asked 6 hours ago

user1751825user1751825

1062

New contributor

user1751825 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

44.4k53484

edited 4 hours ago

Michael Karas♦

44.4k53484

asked 6 hours ago

user1751825user1751825

1062

New contributor

user1751825 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

asked 6 hours ago

user1751825user1751825

1062

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4

The length of the key often corresponds to the number of pins in the lock. All else being equal, more pins makes it harder to pick the lock.

However, all else is seldom equal!

There are standards put out by ANSI/BHMA (the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association) which allow residential locksets to be graded on their security, longevity, etc. Grade 1 is the best; Grade 3 is the worst (although it still meets minimum standards). These cover ease-of-picking, but also other aspects such as brute force (such as shearing the pins with a simple screwdriver, or just kicking the lock.)

There are other assorted standards out there. You generally have to buy the standards to read them, but many websites have summarized them. Here is a webpage from doorware.com that talks about the different grades and standards. You could ask your locksmith how yours are rated.

I spent a lot of time selecting locks for my new home. I became convinced that nobody picks locks anymore! It's become too time consuming, it requires skill, you have to carry incriminating picks. Instead, a thief will generally kick in the door or break a window, get in and out quickly, and be gone before anyone can respond.

I'd recommend keeping the existing locks and putting the saved money towards an alarm system :)

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922

add a comment | 

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4

The length of the key often corresponds to the number of pins in the lock. All else being equal, more pins makes it harder to pick the lock.

However, all else is seldom equal!

There are standards put out by ANSI/BHMA (the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association) which allow residential locksets to be graded on their security, longevity, etc. Grade 1 is the best; Grade 3 is the worst (although it still meets minimum standards). These cover ease-of-picking, but also other aspects such as brute force (such as shearing the pins with a simple screwdriver, or just kicking the lock.)

There are other assorted standards out there. You generally have to buy the standards to read them, but many websites have summarized them. Here is a webpage from doorware.com that talks about the different grades and standards. You could ask your locksmith how yours are rated.

I spent a lot of time selecting locks for my new home. I became convinced that nobody picks locks anymore! It's become too time consuming, it requires skill, you have to carry incriminating picks. Instead, a thief will generally kick in the door or break a window, get in and out quickly, and be gone before anyone can respond.

I'd recommend keeping the existing locks and putting the saved money towards an alarm system :)

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922

add a comment | 

4

The length of the key often corresponds to the number of pins in the lock. All else being equal, more pins makes it harder to pick the lock.

However, all else is seldom equal!

There are standards put out by ANSI/BHMA (the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association) which allow residential locksets to be graded on their security, longevity, etc. Grade 1 is the best; Grade 3 is the worst (although it still meets minimum standards). These cover ease-of-picking, but also other aspects such as brute force (such as shearing the pins with a simple screwdriver, or just kicking the lock.)

There are other assorted standards out there. You generally have to buy the standards to read them, but many websites have summarized them. Here is a webpage from doorware.com that talks about the different grades and standards. You could ask your locksmith how yours are rated.

I spent a lot of time selecting locks for my new home. I became convinced that nobody picks locks anymore! It's become too time consuming, it requires skill, you have to carry incriminating picks. Instead, a thief will generally kick in the door or break a window, get in and out quickly, and be gone before anyone can respond.

I'd recommend keeping the existing locks and putting the saved money towards an alarm system :)

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922

add a comment | 

The length of the key often corresponds to the number of pins in the lock. All else being equal, more pins makes it harder to pick the lock.

However, all else is seldom equal!

There are standards put out by ANSI/BHMA (the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association) which allow residential locksets to be graded on their security, longevity, etc. Grade 1 is the best; Grade 3 is the worst (although it still meets minimum standards). These cover ease-of-picking, but also other aspects such as brute force (such as shearing the pins with a simple screwdriver, or just kicking the lock.)

There are other assorted standards out there. You generally have to buy the standards to read them, but many websites have summarized them. Here is a webpage from doorware.com that talks about the different grades and standards. You could ask your locksmith how yours are rated.

I spent a lot of time selecting locks for my new home. I became convinced that nobody picks locks anymore! It's become too time consuming, it requires skill, you have to carry incriminating picks. Instead, a thief will generally kick in the door or break a window, get in and out quickly, and be gone before anyone can respond.

I'd recommend keeping the existing locks and putting the saved money towards an alarm system :)

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922

answered 4 hours ago

bitsmackbitsmack

7691922