How To Make Your Van/Truck Virtually Impregnable - Meroni UFO+

We have talked about the fabulous Meroni UFO+ security product a number of times in the recent past and shown installation videos and operations.

The above video is a short version of the extended test display, that demonstrates the prowess of this kind of lock system, especially designed in consultation with commercial truck/van manufacturers over a few years.

The Meroni UFO+ is a unique and stylish lock product that prevents malicious entry to your property, while in your truck/van. The interior release cable, allowing for quick and simple egress/escape from inside, separates this product from many competing brands that simply lock the outer doors.

Having an interior release function prevents an occupant from being locked inside easily.

The product is incredibly secure, using high-security virtually pick proof, virtually bump proof and virtually copy proof keys.

Able to be master-keyed in groups, like for fleet vehicles, the Meroni UFO+ is the most sought after van security product and the strength and reliability is just one factor that FEDEX and TNT and UPS have chosen as their "go-to" security product for their delivery trucks and vans across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

First released to the USA market last summer, the product is hard to keep in stock because of the demand for better van/truck security.

Definitely not a cheap "fix" product, the Meroni UFO+ sells for about $325.00. Installation is straightforward, although we do suggest a professional installer complete the project, to maintain warranty.

Entr - Yale Introduce a Family Friendly Smart Lock

Yale is known worldwide as one of the oldest lock manufacturers in the lucrative North American Market. Yale products have been continually built since Linus Yale patented his original pin tumbler mechanism back in 1865.

In recent years, the advent of "The Internet Of Things" has opened up many industries to the technological revolution. The large technology behemoths like Apple, Google, Microsoft to name a few, have capitalized on this technology boom with products like the iPhone, Android etc to make all people lives a little more "connected".

Many industries including, thermostats, alarm systems, web cameras, lighting switches and door locks have seen the new IOT "smart tech" be embedded in their products. Virtually allowing most of the devices and gadgets that surround our lives, to work together seamlessly.

There are already a great many options to choose from in the $30 Billion home security market with many "new-age" smart locks already gracing the shelves of locksmith shops, hardware stores and online e-commerce websites.

The Entr by Yale, looks like yet another entrant to this crowded market. The video above shows the product developed for the standard European market, but I am lead to believe that similar models are being produced for the North American market too.

I think the product looks pretty good. Dont you?

(source...)

Why Is Re-keying Your Home Locks Vital And Important For Home Security?

Pictured here is a typical front door entrance set found commonly across the United States.

Many customers we visit, ask us to re-key their locks. It is one of a locksmiths principal service offerings.

But why is it a vital and important project upon buying, renting or moving to your new home, to re-key locks?

In our vast 35+ years of experience across four continents, we have re-keyed a great many lock systems for our customers. The obvious reason for re-keying your locks, is to lock out a key holder.

We attend many customers who rarely think to re-key their locks when they first move in to their new home or office. Many seem to think that previous owners or tenants have returned all the operating keys and that full disclosure indicates there are no additional operating keys "out there".

But time and again, we find that many homeowners are unaware that many of their new locks, installed by the building contractor, are in fact master-keyed. The reason their locks are master-keyed is often a building contractor or home construction company, will build more than one or two or three houses in a new locality and to minimize the number of different keys that each of their tradespeople are required to carry, to access each different property, the builder will order direct from the manufacturer, all their locks keyed to their master system. The builder will obviously hand over the individual operating keys for each new property to the new owner or agent, but many new homeowners are unaware that their new locks are actually master-keyed and will often delay or forget altogether to ensure no-one but they have keys or copies to their new home. Perhaps they are lured into a false sense of security that their new home is secure because they have original keys in their possession?

There are some builders who operate with integrity and install Construction Keyed locks to doors. And these builders will also instruct the customer to insert their individual operating key to all their new locks and in so doing, their construction keyed cylinders will naturally and automatically "switch off" the construction keying function.

We just came from another customer where we re-keyed their locks. In dismantling the cylinders we discovered master pins in multiple chambers, indicating (most likely) that these locks have never been changed, since original installation.

Now, here is the rub!

How Do You Prevent Being Locked Out Of Your Home?

As a practising locksmith for almost 35 years across the planet, I have attended a great many "lock outs", rescuing stranded customers who are locked out of their homes or office buildings.

The skills that a professional locksmith brings to bear, include the special training in learning the art of picking locks.

These days, with the advent of online video sources, more and more videos are appearing daily showing people, including locksmiths and hobbiests displaying their prowess at picking locks.

There are few brands of locks available that are particularly difficult to pick/manipulate, presenting increased challenges to would be lock pickers. Some of these brands include (but are not limited to) Abloy Protec, Assa Twin, Multilock, Bilock, Medeco, Primus and others. Few are bump proof and virtually pick proof like Protec or Bilock and the industry is constantly evolving to produce better mechanical "mousetraps" aimed at increasing the security of our homes or offices.

But, the pain felt when you accidentally lock yourself out and the sometimes long wait for the professional locksmith to attend and rescue you, can be mitigated using a hidden key safe.

There are a number of versions available in todays market and one worth considering is pictured above. A simple water sprinkler with a cavity and screw on cap, that can hold a couple of spare keys is a painless and inexpensive method that would be so helpful to some people.

Locksmiths would probably prefer i didnt mention products like these, because these types of products could reduce the calls for professional locksmith services.

I dont really care all that much as i am in the business of "Securing America - One Door At A Time" and the interests of my clientelle and their families are more important that a few quibbling locksmiths.

And if i can save you a couple of bucks and some extra time and inconvenience, then why the heck not?

These dummy sprinkler heads can be purchased just about anywhere but Amazon have them fairly cheap.

(source...) 

Fire Rated Nightlatch - New Product From Assa-Abloy Asia-Pacific, Lockwood Australia

Lockwood Australia recently released their new fire rated nightlatch, the Lockwood 507.

Designed to withstand 4 hours of fire and rated accordingly, this new product is constructed using high-quality 304 Grade Stainless steel.

Installation is simple and straightforward and a perfect solution for utility cabinets, service cupboards, janitors closets, etc.

The 507 Rim/Surface mounted nightlatch conforms to a standard 60mm/2-3/8" backset (the standard distance between the edge of the lock body and the center of the keyhole)

The latch mechanism is also fire rated and also constructed from 304 Grade Stainless Steel, as is the lock body/case and strike plate.

The product is supplied without an external cylinder ensuring the ability to use with an existing master key system.

The lock mechanism has been tested and certified to 500,000 operations and is corrosion resistant for up to 168 hours, neutral salt spray ( that means testing involved direct spray of seawater for 168 hours). This makes this an ideal product for use in coastal regions, river-side buildings etc.

The product is of sufficient quality that the manufacturer warranties the product with a 25 year mechanical warranty.

Available soon by special request to North America.

(source...)

Meroni Pigio 1 Installed To High Traffic Doors In An Upmarket Car Dealership

A couple of weeks ago, we completed an installation of some Meroni Pigio 1 Passage Sets to high traffic doors in a car dealership

Before

After Installation - external

  Here is an image of the issue we faced. The existing mortise lock handle hardware kept falling off due to overuse.

After Installation - internal

After Installation - edge

Before Installation - internal

Before Installation - external

After Installation - external

The install was painless and straightforward. We used Don-Jo renovator kits to modify the edge fittings.

We also installed Rockwood Push Plates to cover the existing holes left by the old hardware.

These Push-Pull handles are made from high-quality materials and require very little effort to operate. They look good and are easily used by management and also mechanics in the workshop who can often be a little heavy handed with handles they use. (you can see the make-shift tape they had put into use because of the problem they were facing)

Now, they dont even need to use a dirty hand to operate these handles. they can pull the doors open with their arm easily and push them open from inside, even when their arms are full of parts from the supply shop.

Here is a little video that shows how the product looks and operates...

Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock - New Inventory Just Arrived And Available For Purchase Now

UPDATE: Our fabulous and in-demand product, the Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock is now back in stock, with new inventory having just arrived.

We just updated the purchase page and thank our  customers for their patience.

The new model, tailored to suit thicker doors of 1-3/4" (45mm) has not been released yet, although we are informed that they will be available about August. We expect to have new supply of this new model shortly thereafter.

The quantity of inquiries we are continuing to receive for the in-stock Lockwood 7444 continues to surprise us. The recent inquiries for the new 1-3/4" door model is exceeding our expectations.

Many customers across North America have 1-3/4" thick doors and some have purchased the 1-3/8" version, thinking they could just adapt it to suit the thicker doors. They can, although installation requires a little modification to your door for perfect fitting.

Until the newer model is released, we suggest purchasers who wish to install to the thicker doors, countersink the crossbore holes about 3/16" from each side. This will enable the lock body to seat correctly in your door and make connecting the screws simpler, with the activation mechanism correctly activating the bolt mechanism.

To purchase, simply click on the product image at the top left of this page and be directed to our sister site with purchase and shipping options.

Thanks again for the continued interest and your patience.

Bilock Exclusive - New Updated Bilock High Security, Bump Proof And Virtually Pick Proof Key System.

These are the color ranges of the new Bilock Exclusive key system. We previously mentioned that Bilock would be releasing their new product that offers increased patent protection right through to 2035, in a December article.

The new product dramatically increases the security of the system, while doing away with the trigger system in the New Generation system.

The New Generation system used a single side-bar blocking pin and 13th pin to increase the pick resistance of their previous offering. The patented Quick Change core removal system has been completely overhauled and is now way more effective than the previous iteration.

There is a video in the source below that explains all about this new and improved system.

Essentially, Bilock have replaced the trigger system with a more effective double-action trigger system that does not require a separate trigger. The new system uses specifically coded side pins that engage the side-bar in a unique fashion and directly increases the pick protection.

Previously, any key could have been converted into a core removal key. The new style makes a purposely designed control key to remove and replace cores.

Master keying is still available with up to 17 million potential key changes in a system.

The older New Generation system is still available for purchase and still being produced and we continue to build these systems for our discerning customers.

The other updated component of Bilock Exclusive is the addition of MiFare chips that can be embedded into the key-heads to operate effortlessly with many modern electronic access control and alarm systems.

For an in-depth explanation of the new Bilock Exclusive product, click on the source below and watch the video at the bottom.

(source...)