Small Business Brief

Safety & Loss Prevention

The 10 Most Reliable Lock Brands to Protect Your Office


Protecting your office building is important, so you need to make sure you have a trustworthy lock on your doors. Here are the 10 most reliable lock brands for your office.

Security at the office is important, and the door locks you choose are your first line of defense against intruders. There are many lock brands on the market to choose from, yet they are not all made equally.

Deciding on the best door lock brand for your company can often be confusing. With so many options available at your local big box home improvement store, it’s hard to know which brands are the most trustworthy.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few locks that you should consider for keeping your business safe and secure.

The 10 Most Reliable Lock Brands to Protect Your Office

Protecting your office building is important, so you need to make sure you have a trustworthy lock on your doors. Here are the 10 most reliable lock brands for your office.

1. Medeco

Many consider Medeco one of the best lock brands available to the general public. Many people claim these locks are unpickable. The only real problem with Medeco locks is that maintaining patents has required updating their design over the years, and with each update the locks seemed to become a bit less secure.

The company addressed this issue, and once again improved their design in 2011. So our suggestion is to get a version made in 2011 or after.

2. Evva

This brand of locks is very trusted by security experts, yet most people are likely unaware of them. The MCS model has a complicated magnetic key system that has never been picked. These locks are uniquely constructed with a keyway that features magnetic pins.

3. Kwikset

Take a walk through any neighborhood in your community and you’re likely to see Kwikset locks on nearly every home’s door. This brand is very cheap, and you pretty much get what you pay for.

It’s human nature to be frugal, but when it comes to office security, we recommend spending a few extra dollars on a more reliable lock.

Even though Kwikset does offer a more expensive “SmartKey” cylinder, it’s still very vulnerable to someone trying to bump or pick the lock, so thus probably not worth the investment.

4. Yale

Yale locks really are pioneers of the industry. After all, they are widely recognized as the creators of our modern pin tumbler lock. In fact, many modern companies own the design of their locks to the work of the founders at Yale.

Yale locks have been around for so long, and have been so successful over the decades, that the name itself has become the colloquial term for household locks in the same way that Kleenex is for facial tissue.

5. Schlage

Schlage is one of the most common brands that can be found at any home improvement store. You’ll pay a little more for a Schlage than a Kwikset, but they are sturdier, harder to pick and bump, and offer better overall construction.

6. Baldwin

Much like Schlage and Kwikset, Baldwin locks are available at most any home improvement store. Baldwin locks are not the best or the worst on the market, and a tremendous amount of people still put their trust in them.

These are thick, heavy locks, but the cylinders can be bumped and easily picked.

7. Corbin Russwin

The Corbin company has been around since the mid-1800’s. For years they were known mainly for making cabinet locks and padlocks, then merged with Russwin and the joint venture was renamed Corbin Russwin.

These locks have become extremely popular in high traffic institutions like schools. They are easy to service and replace, so that’s a huge convenience, and it’s also a strong selling point due to the fact that as these locks age they become easier to pick.

To see an example of a company with a tremendous knowledge of locks, check out Positive Security.

8. Mul-T-Lock

Mul-T-Lock is a brand that is known for being very secure. Though these locks are definitely pickable, it’s a challenge because of the solid construction, good cores, as well as the active element that requires some advanced knowledge and experience to pick.

One important detail to keep in mind if you’re considering buying a Multitude-T-Lock, is to not install a thumb turn. This is because a thumb turn on this type of cylinder makes the core much more easily bypassed.

9. RR Brink

You know these locks must be very good because they are used for keeping many of the most dangerous people securely locked away behind bars. RR Brink has made locks for United States prisons for many years.

A prison lock is designed with a keyway in the mortise cylinder that takes a key that is nearly twice the size of a normal key.

RR Brink locks might not be perfect, but any lock that can be trusted by the prison system to keep dangerous criminals locked away must be extremely reliable.

10. ASSA-Abloy

Here’s a little-known fact that you probably aren’t aware of: ASSA-Abloy owns and manufactures most of the major lock brands available on the market. This includes Yale, Corbin-Russwin, Medeco, and Mul-T-Lock.

Are you surprised? Well, it’s true. This single company is responsible for the successes of each of those brands. And this is only a partial list of the brands they own.

Because popularity is often equated with trust and a good reputation, ASSA-Abloy brands are among the most trusted in the industry. They build a wider variety of locks for nearly any use you could imagine. This enables them to build up your office security to any level that you desire.

It’s a Matter of Trust

There are a lot of door lock brands to choose from. And though they range from cheap to expensive, we recommend making price only one factor in your decision-making process.

The best lock brands for your office don’t have to be the most expensive, but as with anything else, you often get what you pay for. Keep in mind that it’s very possible to stay within your budget and still get a quality locks for your company.

Click here to read about how to choose the right location for your business.



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