Rekeying Prices?

you have 3 issues.. its ONLY as strong as the weakest link.. the below is MY observations IN MY AREA.. they may or may NOT apply to your situation..

door..how cheap can I get and put on a $150,000 house..(you would be surprised) door frame.. they arent worth a crap..

installation?? lets not go there..

where is the NEAREST glass that is 'hidden from view'?

a Medeco gets you pick proof AND copy proof.. this may be an overkill FOR YOUR NEEDS.. there are others available as well, that might be less $$$ --Shiva--

My front door has a Titan, and it seems solid. Once glass is broken, my Ademco glass break sensors will sound the alarm. I'm just look for a little extra piece of mind in the side garage area and garage-to-house doors where the builders skimped.

--Shiva-- wrote:

the garage door got an alarm sensor on it? the CAR door.. I would stick TItans on as well, BUT, reinforce the frames.. several methods come to mind for them, depending on the actual build you got.

--Shiva--

I can give you what I charge which may or may not differ from what you could expect to pay in your geographic area.

S/C $55

Rekey cyl $12 - Double cyl deadbolt (keyed inside and out) counts as two cyls.

New Lori H/D dead bolt (all the average residence needs):

S/C brass $44 D/C brass $51

Drive-in (round-faced) bolt for metal doors +$3

Install deadbolt (fresh installation - no existing holes) $35

Replace deadbolt (no re-drilling of any holes) $15

Replace deadbolt (existing holes but still have to break out the drill) $25

Deadbolts purchased from me keyed alike no charge.

Lori deadbolts can be keyed alike with almost any other existing locks so you can have your existing knob locks keyed to match the new deadbolts.

They have (when installed properly) heavy duty strikes with a steel plate attached to the frame with 3" long screws that go all the way into the sub frame (if there is one). Then the normal brass strike place is mounted over that. The door needs to be unlocked and open to remove the lock.

I'm so confident in these locks that when I install them on a *residence* I guarantee them for as long as the person owns the house. (That's my guarantee. Not the manufacturer's)

You (probably) don't need Medeco.

Bobby

-AND-

First off, it seems like you wish your locks REPLACED and not rekeyed... Major difference in price there...

Secondly, why you would spend money on Medeco for residential construction baffles me when most breaking and enterings to residential dwellings involve brute force entries rather than someone picking the lock...

Doors used on houses "seem" solid, yet they can and will break easily with the right size sledgehammer... In order for your "investment" in Medeco locks to be worthwhile you will have to reinforce the deadbolts as others here have described, as well as replace your exsisting door hinges with security type hinges that are more resistant against brute force attacks...

As suggested by Bob DeWeese, Lori makes a deadbolt that works quite well and can come in just about any keyway you could imagine including Medeco (the lock uses a mortise cylinder)... For a lot less money than a Medeco deadbolt... You can slightly improve the security of a standard cylinder by asking that your locksmith use top driver pins that resist picking (spool pins, serrated pins, etc.)...

I am a bit concerned that you have some misgivings about your alarm system... i.e. your wanting "better" locks... Perhaps you should invest in an upgrade to the alarm system rather than the locks on your doors... It is wonderful that you have glass break sensors however, such sensors are useless if someone doesn't smash the windows in order to gain entry... Each opening in the perimeter of your home must be individually alarmed... With a contact and/or magnetic switch, relying on glass break sensors won't help you if your home is violated by a smarter thief... Interior motion sensors that also detect thermal differences are a good thing to invest in as well...

Good Luck...

Evan, ~~formerly a maintenance man, now a college student...

Well really,

My 2 cents worth is, alarm? If not then that could be money better spent. But it does depend on your location.

A house is hard to secure totally.. I think I will have support here, as strong as the weakest link as said. Window, Roof. Locks stop people openning a door, Not gaining entry.

Spriteah.

Well all I can say here is what a great reply. Evan has a clue.

Yes, but if I buy 4 new deadbolts, I'll need to have them keyed all the same.

Basically, I had to replace the door knob on the door going out to my garage this weekend because the mechanism broke and the door wouldn't open. When I took the old knob off, I couldn't believe how shoddy it was. It is a hallway type knob (no lock) with a separate deadbolt above it. The inside mechanism was mostly plastic. Well, I happened to find a clearance on a Baldwin knob and found it to be a big eye opener. The Baldwin just reaks of quality. So I got to thinking that my deadbolts are probably equally shoddy, and just got to thinking that it made sense to upgrade.

Right.

They are.

I know.

Got a few.

Thanks.

Well, you have been given some good answers to your question, but you haven't been given the logic behind or all of the potential answers.

Your choice of Medeco is a good one as is the Lori also suggested. I am continually surprised though when someone is sent in a direction that may not be as secure in all ways. For example, another school of thought says that you should buy Medeco, ASSA, Primus, Multilock, etc. for the key control offered as well as for the high security features.

Many people don't realize that when you use a valet to park your car you are giving him your house keys and your address at the same time. It is a simple matter to copy the key and copy the address info from the registration or insurance papers in the glove box. With that done they can burgle you at any time. With good physical security you can stop the break and enter guy and with key control you can stop the more sophisticated thief.

You also don't really have to invest in a high security cylinder to get key control as there are many options that can easily fit that Lori deadbolt along with the ability of all of those high security brands. There are a few IC models like Everest, Keymark and Peaks and non-IC models from Peaks, Everest, and a new one from American Lock called EDGE.

As for the alarm, they serve a valuable purpose in that they may deter a burglar from attempting entry but they may also make one think that you have something of value that might be worth the risk. The most important thing to remember about an alarm though is that it really just tells you that someone has tried or succeeded in gaining entry. Burglars are very aware of the local response time in a given area and if it is slow enough they are more than willing to do the entry if they feel safe from capture.

Just a little more food for thought. BBE.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Probably Kwikset. Believe it or not, those plastic latches hold up very well when use in most residential situations, (for which they were intended.) They've been redesigned twice since that version.

Baldwin makes a very nice ***looking**** lock, but IMVHO, their construction... well... it just ain't worth the money. (Apologies to the Baldwin shill lurker that posts here every now and then (but only about the wonderfulness of Baldwin)

Personally, Id never sell one to one of my customers (unless they insisted). I sell security. "Looks" is secondary.

I suppose comparing it to Kwikset (which - for the record I think is a good lock for the money), would make the Baldwin hardware look good, but there are better choices as far a durability.

I don't normally use valet parking; when I do they get only the car key (and only the valet key at that, not that there's normally anything of value in my trunk.)

The glove box lock, if you have one, is supposed to discourage snooping for the address info. Not that anyone ever uses it, or that most glove boxes are particularly secure, but this is in the "if you may it more difficult, he may go pester the next guy instead" category.

Very true. High security and key control are independent features. High security cylinders generally also offer good key control (why would they not?), but if all you want is a key that can't easily be duped without your permission you can get that less expensively.

I gotta agree.. LOOKS?? yep.. security and good construction? there is better, and at the same time its better than some.

I installed one for a lady once-it was on sale- like almost half off, and she liked the looks

want worse? IMO. Weiser and Weslock.. WAY too much plastic parts..and lets NOT get into Arrow, which I have replaced a LOT of.. does Arrow even MAKE a good lock set?

--Shiva--

Best Locks. Find them on Ebay. Bob AZ

Yep Kwikset. My last Kwikset for sure. 4 years of everday use and it broke.

Well this was just a non-locking door knob. The door also has a separate deadbolt. So I'm not sure the knob itself poses any security risks.

Was your suggestion Lori? I couldn't find any online retailers for Lori. Do they make "lifetime" finish knobs and locks?

Thx

There's a widget sold -- can't remember its name -- which installs into the lock opening on a metal door to brace it against being compressed inward. Might be an answer to this problem.

I get $50 for the local house call. And $15 per deadbolt to take them apart and change the tumblers. $20 per, if double cylinder deadbolts.

Now, if you want Medeco, I can't rekey Kwikset and turn them into Medeco. We'd have to replace, not rekey.

Joe, I think this is what you are referring to:

Joe Kesselman wrote: