When purchasing a lock for your home you want to know that you are getting one that provides adequate security. To help you in this matter, we explain that locks come with lock grades that impact how secure they are.
Here are how the grades are decided and what each grade means for you.
The ANSI (American National Standards Institute) has a standard testing procedure to measure a lock’s strength and durability. The measurements are taken through the following tests to determine the overall quality of a lock.
The cycle test measures the number of times a lock can completely retract from the latch and go back into place again. Not only does this measure the durability of the lock, but also the working order of the lock.
Also known as weight testing, this test determines how much pressure a lock can survive before it breaks. A good lock should be able to survive hundreds of pounds of pressure on the lever before breakage.
The Strike test simulates a situation where someone might try to break a lock by forcing or hitting it. To be able to make a grade a lock must survive the strike test at least twice.
Starting with the lowest lock grade you have grade 3. This is the grade that you will find on most residential homes. In order to be a grade 3, it would have passed the ANSI with the following scores:
While grade 3 is sufficient for your home it is not very secure. It is recommended that you upgrade your lock to a grade 2 or take your current lock to a locksmith to improve it with anti-bumping or anti-picking measures.
A grade 2 lock exceeds what a residential home needs. It is strong, sturdy, and harder to bypass. Many homes upgrade to a grade 2 lock for added security.
In order to be considered a grade 2 lock, it needs to have passed the ANSI tests with the following scores:
Despite its strength, it is not commonly used on commercial properties as they use grade 1 for the best security and insurance purposes.
The highest lock grade a lock can receive is grade 1. This is the grade you would find mostly on commercial properties. However, as technology has improved so have smart locks. Many popular smart locks used on residential properties today are grade 1.
Grade 1 offers the highest levels of security, which is reflected in the price tag. When it comes to purchasing your locks the higher the price most often means it’s a better quality lock. A lock price is set by its security more than the cost of its parts.
To learn more about the lock grades or if you require assistance in choosing the right lock for your home, contact one of our friendly and experienced team members at Quickly Locksmiths. You can reach us at (305) 984-9922 or by using the contact us form on our contact page.
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