Post Revisited - November 25, 2008 - Safes - How To Choose

The post below was first published here November 25, 2008 and has racked up a great many views during that time.

Explaining the attributes of safes can be a chore to the uninitiated. The CDOJ (California Department Of Justice) put together their own list of attributes to consider when purchasing a safe.

Today, many of the items advised herein, still apply, It is up to the end user to decide for themselves, the attributes required to suit their individual needs...

Pictured above is just a random image selected online of a safe.

Choosing a safe is often difficult. 

I have been asked many times over the years to make a recommendation to customers wishing to purchase a safe.

Before making a recommendation, I feel it necessary to ask some specific questions to a customer to help in determining a suitable product to recommend.

Many people do not understand the ratings systems for safes, probably because there is no written industry standard.

In the early 1990's, I worked for one of Australia's oldest manufacturers of quality safes, Kelly Safe Co PTY LTD. (they closed down in 1995, I believe). Kelly safes were considered a staple of the Australian landscape for about 100 years previously. They manufactured impressive quality safes for many of Australia's institutions, banks, high-society clubs, hotels etc.

The increasing competition from foreign products combined with the significant increase in raw materials cost, saw Kelly become less competitive in later years.

I learned much from my short time with them about how to grade safes.

There are many classifications of safes that are determined by each individual country/locallity as suitable for local conditions. The leading tester in the world (most respected) is known as the Underwriters Laboratory.

The questions I like to ask my clients are:

1. What approximate cash value of personal documents, jewellery, bank notes etc are you looking to secure?

This determines what grade of safe would be suitable for the contents.

2. Approximately how big (dimensions) would the individual pieces of content be for storage?

This determines the necessary internal dimensions of the recommended safe.

3. Are you looking for Burglary Protection, Fire Protection or both?

4. Would you prefer a bolt down facility, free-standing, on castors, wall-mount, floor mount, vault etc?

5. How much are you looking to spend?

The most important question is question #1, because this separates the designations of safes from each other and directly guides a professional to make the most suitable recommendation.

In California, the CDOJ (California Department Of Justice) uses the following terms:


California Department of Justice Burglary Rating (CDOJ)
Regulatory Gun Safe StandardsDOJ regulatory standards require a gun safe to meet either: 
All of the following requirements:

1. Shall be able to fully contain firearms and provide for their secure storage.
2. Shall have a locking system consisting of at minimum a mechanical or electronic combination lock. The mechanical or electronic combination lock utilized by the safe shall have at least 10,000 possible combinations consisting of a minimum three numbers, letters, or symbols. The lock shall be protected by a case-hardened (Rc 60+) drill-resistant steel plate, or drill-resistant material of equivalent strength.
3. Boltwork shall consist of a minimum of three steel locking bolts of at least ½ inch thickness that intrude from the door of the safe into the body of the safe or from the body of the safe into the door of the safe, which are operated by a separate handle and secured by the lock.
4. Shall be capable of repeated use. The exterior walls shall be constructed of a minimum 12-gauge thick steel for a single-walled safe, or the sum of the steel walls shall add up to at least .100 inches for safes with two walls. Doors shall be constructed of a minimum of two layers of 12-gauge steel, or one layer of 7-gauge steel compound construction.
5. Door hinges shall be protected to prevent the removal of the door. Protective features include, but are not limited to: hinges not exposed to the outside, interlocking door designs, dead bars, jeweler’s lugs and active or inactive locking bolts.

or All of the following requirements:

1. Is listed as an Underwriters Laboratories Residential Security Container;
2. Is able to fully contain firearms;
3. Provides for the secure storage of firearms.

BURGLAR SAFES:
Burglar safes are usually made of solid steel plate or a combination of solid steel and composite fill material such as concrete. These safes are divided into categories based on the level of protection delivered and the testing endured. Here we will discuss only seven classes: B-Rate, U.L. RSC Rating, B/C Rate, C-Rate, U.L. TL-15, U.L. TL-30 and TL-30 X6.

B-RATE SAFES (ALSO U.L. RSC, RESIDENTIAL SECURITY CONTAINERS):
B-Rate is a catchall rating for essentially any box with a lock on it. The safe industry had an unwritten standard of ¼ inch body, ½ inch door. As steel prices (and shipping costs) increased manufacturers tried many things to reduce their costs. No tests are given to provide this rating. When buying a B-rate safe, look at things such as lock work, hard plates, and relocks.
U.L. Residential Security Container rating (RSC) - This UL rating is based on testing conducted for a net working time of five minutes, on all sides, with a range of tools. See U.L. TL-15 and TL-30 descriptions below for "net working time" description.

B/C-Rate Safes

This is a catchall rating for safes with at least a 1/4" steel body, 1/2 inch door PLUS additional 10 or 12 guage metal layers where composite fire resistant material is also deployed. No tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other features when making your decision.

C-Rate Safes

This is defined as a ½ inch thick steel box with a 1-inch thick door and a lock. As before, NO tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other features when making your decision.


The Underwriters Laboratory information:
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) Ratings
http://www.ul.com

TL-15

Safes given a U.L. TL-15 rating have all passed standardized tests defined in UL Standard 687 using the same tools and usually the same group of testing engineers.Construction Requirements

• U.L. listed Group II, 1 or 1R combination lock.
• 750 lbs. minimum or comes with instructions for anchoring in a larger safe, concrete blocks or on the premises where used.
• Body walls of material equivalent to at least 1" open hearth steel with a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 P.S.I.
• Walls fastened in a manner equivalent to continuous 1/4" penetration weld of open hearth steel with minimum tensile
  strength of 50,000 P.S.I.
• One hole 1/4" or less, to accommodate electrical conductors arranged to have no direct view of the door or locking mechanism.

The label means that the safe successfully resisted entry (i.e. opening the door or making a 6" square opening entirely through the door or front face) for a NET working time of 15 minutes using "…common hand tools, drills, punches hammers, and pressure applying devices." Net working time means simply "when the tool comes off the safe the clock stops". There are over fifty different types of attacks that can be used to gain entrance into the safe. Usually they will try only 2 or 3 based on what they know about the product, and they know a lot.

TL-30

Construction requirements are identical to the TL-15 above. Tests are essentially the same as the TL-15 tests except for the net working time. Testors are allowed 30 minutes and a few more tools (abrasive cutting wheels and power saws) to help them gain entrance. The label signifies the testors were unable to open the door or make a 6" square opening entirely through the door or front face within 30 minutes. Keep in mind these engineers have the manufacturing blue prints and can disassemble the safe being tested before the test begins to see how it works. They know their stuff. TL-30 x 6 - The TL-30 (30-minute) test is conducted on all six (6) sides of the safe.

Other Considerations

When you begin the search for a safe it is a good idea to speak to your insurance agent and see if a particular type of safe will reduce your insurance costs. Many times you can justify the additional expense of a higher security safe because of the premium reduction. Remember no safe is burglar proof, you are buying time. The longer it takes to break in the greater the chance to be caught, and thieves don’t like to get caught.

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10 Things You Didn't Know About UL's Safe Testing

1. The best safecrackers in the business never steal a penny. They work for UL.
   
2. UL has been testing and certifying safes for more than 80 years. The first safe tested for burglary resistance was in 1923 and the first bank vault in 1925.
   
3. Chisels, wenches, screwdrivers, power saws, cutting torches, crowbars, abrasive cutting wheels, jackhammers, even specified amounts of nitroglycerin are just a few of the "tools" UL technicians use during a safe attack. The idea is to test safes to worst-case scenarios. They use tools that could be found at any construction site or hardware store. They also analyze blueprints as if the burglar might have blueprints of the design and attack its weakest points to evaluate the safe for certification.
   
4. UL's safe attack tests are conducted by a two-person crew. The object is to create an opening large enough to withdraw "valuables" (anywhere from 2- to 6-square-inches on a safe and up to 96-square-inches on a vault), activate the locking mechanism so the door opens or to cut as many bolts from the door as necessary to pry it open before the time specified in the rating requirement expires.
   
5. Safes are rated for their resistance to attack against specific tools for a set period of time. There are a dozen different ratings, everything from ATM machines, to gun safes to bank vaults. For example, a safe that bears a Class TRTL-15X6 rating, which might be found in a jewelry store, should resist a hand tool and torch attack for a minimum of 15 minutes. A TRTL-30X6-rated safe, which would protect important documents or store money, should withstand an attack for 30 minutes. The ultimate safe rating-a TXTL60-should withstand an hour's worth of attack that includes the use of 8 ounces of nitroglycerin.
   
6. Because of the size and weight of certain safes and vault doors, it is not always practical to have the product shipped to UL's laboratory locations. UL's burglary protection staff has traveled to destinations such as Japan, France, Israel, England, Finland, Taiwan and India.
   
7. In addition to burglary protection ratings, UL also rates safes for their fire resistance protection. Class 350 safes protect paper documents, Class 150 safes protect magnetic tape and photographic film, while Class 125 safes protect floppy disks. In addition to the Class Rating, safes obtain an hourly rating for fire resistance-anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours.
   
8. Another cool test UL runs on safes is an impact test. This test simulates a safe falling though multiple stories of a building-resulting from a fire that has weakened the structure. After the safe is heated to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a furnace, it's raised three stories and dropped onto a pile of bricks. In order to meet the requirement, the safe can't pop open. Temperatures inside can't rise to above 300 degrees Fahrenheit and sample papers left inside have to be readable.
   
9. The specialized suits you sometimes find technicians wearing are not just for show. Their entire ensemble, including protective coat, helmet and gloves, protects the crew against the adverse effects of sparking. After all, safety can't be taken for granted, even within the walls of UL.
   
10. Safes are just one of the 19,000 product categories that UL tests and certifies. While UL's burglary protection team cracks combinations, shatters glass and fires .44-caliber bullets at body armor, other UL engineers and technicians keep busy testing everything from TVs, coffee makers and holiday light strings to fire extinguishers, medical CAT scan equipment and building materials.

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Post Revisited - August 20, 2007 Lock Bumping By Master Lock

A little over 11 years ago we posted the following article here in our blog.

Since then, a great many products have come and gone from the marketplace, claiming to be bump proof, bump resistant, pick proof, pick resistant etc.

Unfortunately, ensuing years have proven many of these claims to be untrue, except for the leading Australian designed Bilock Extreme Security, bump proof and virtually pick proof high security key and lock system, among few others including Abloy and in later years Multilock MT5.

The advent of many electronic lock products has not prevented many of them being vulnerable to bumping or picking and many customers still appear to be accepting the advice of untrained and unknowing sales assistants at leading big box hardware stores over the tried and true experience of the second oldest profession on Earth - Locksmiths. 


August 20, 2011

Latest Bumping Video from Master.







Bilock is the only fully 100% guaranteed bump proof pin tumbler lock cylinder available. Bilock has been available since 1980's with technology that is many years ahead of others.

Locks210.com is a proud Bilock Extreme Security exclusive dealer.


(source...)

Language Barriers Once An Issue Of The Past, Are Simplified And Eradicated With Google Translate

Multiculturalism has become a very large and important part of society and business life today, with a great many people living here and across the world who may speak little to none of the native language of the land.

I was called to a client last Friday, to survey and estimate for a door and lock repair project, where the customer who had filled out the online lead form, obviously didnt understand much English.

I contacted them immediately (as i try to do with all leads) and noticed the difficulty in understanding them and they in understanding me.

By speaking very slowly and enunciating my words, I was able to get my message across and determine some of their needs. I arranged a suitable time (in the following hour) to attend and provide a free onsite survey and estimate, like we offer to all our clients.

Upon arrival, ringing the door bell and waiting, the clients daughter answered the door and invited me in.

She spoke very little English and after a few minutes I managed to get her to tell me that she was Nepalese. She pointed me in the direction of the project request and toward her father and mother.

The difficulty in communicating, to determine their needs was perplexing until I remembered that Google produced a fabulous app, a few years ago called Google Translate.

Having traveled abroad, a number of times in recent years and me not speaking the native language of some of my destinations, I have successfully used the Google Translate app on my cellphone a great number of times. From reading menus to understanding street signs, the Google Translate app has quickly become one of my most prized app's. I remember traveling from Italy, through Switzerland to France, a few years ago and we stopped over in Bern, Switzerland for a few hours while waiting to transfer trains. We decided to look for a bite to eat but very few of the signs had English translations, so understanding where to go and what to do was difficult without the app.

The app includes a microphone feature that enables you to speak in your language and it will automagically translate into the desired language for which you want to speak. Then you can play the translated phrases for your subject to hear and understand. they can then respond in their language, again into your cellphone and the app will translate into English. then I press the play button and a Google created synthetic voice will speak in English.

While abroad another time, we were staying in Madrid, Spain for a few days and wanted to go to the oldest restaurant in the civilized world, Sobrino de Botín and eat from their unique menu. The taxi driver that picked us up at the hotel, did not speak any English at all and I immediately pulled out my phone and spoke our request into the Google Translate app. When the driver heard the synthesized voice, he lit up and smiled and understood perfectly. he responded in Spanish and thanked us for introducing him to such a fabulous tool that would help him to earn substantially more money in future.

......back to the subject of the post here... the customer was able to communicate their needs in their native Nepalese and to understand my responses after translating from English.

We have arranged the project completion for next week and chalk up another satisfied client.


If you run your own show, or even if you dont, you will most likely run into communication issues in your life and sometimes your daily travels. using the Google Translate app will help you to communicate easily with almost anyone and provide top notch customer service for which you will be remembered and referred  because of. I highly suggest you download the app from your OS app store and start capitalizing on income opportunities from customers, whom in the past, you may have had difficulties talking to and with. 

Below find links to the app in Apple App Store and Google Play.


Google Translate For IOS

Google Translate For Android 

Post Revisited - How To Repair Door Closers

This post originally appeared in May 2009. It has become one of the most widely viewed posts on our website.

Repairing door closers is not too difficult, even if you are only slightly mechanically inclined.


Blogging often involves many labor intense hours of writing and researching, especially if you are composing your own original works.

I try to acknowledge the source of my reference in most if not all articles written here.

This next post is actually by well respected Author and Locksmith Tom Rubenoff and the source of this article is from Hubpages.

Door Closers

This article is primarily about surface mounted door closers, but the ideas herein can be applied to other kinds of door closers as well.

Door closer adjustment is an art that requires knowledge, patience, and an ability to climb up and down a ladder several times, but with these attributes and the appropriate wrench, hex key or screwdriver, you can do it yourself.

Most of the adjustments are implemented through the opening or closing of hydraulic valves. When it comes to turning the screws that operate these valves, a little goes a long way. A turn of 5 degrees can significantly increase or decrease closing speed.

CAUTION: DO NOT COMPLETELY UNSCREW DOOR CLOSER HYDRAULIC ADJUSTMENT SCREWS OR YOU WILL RUIN THE CLOSER AND VOID THE WARRANTEE.

Also, hydraulic fluid will leak out of the closer and make a mess. This will make you unpopular.

A door closer is a mechanical device designed to close a door slowly, but firmly enough to latch. It accomplishes this by using spring tension modulated by hydraulic fluid. As the user opens the door, hydraulic fluid passes from one reservoir to another, and as the spring pushes the door closed again, the hydraulic fluid passes back to the previous reservoir through a series of valves that control the speed.

The illustration at right shows the effects of the common hydraulic adjustment controls available on most commercial grade door closers. Controls for swing speed and latching speed control how fast the door closes, and many closers also feature a hydraulic control for back check that controls the last few inches of the opening the door so as to prevent the door from being slammed into an adjacent wall.

• Swing speed adjustment controls how fast the door closes from fully open to within about 5 degrees of closed
• Latching speed adjustment controls how fast the door closes for those last few inches
• Back check adjustment controls the amount of resistance to opening the door past a selectable point

The illustration below shows the various hydraulic control valves. These might be located in many configurations, but you will usually see the back check control located somewhat away from the latch speed and swing speed controls.

There are also door closers equipped with an additonal valve for Delayed Action. Delayed action closers hold the door open for a longer period of time to allow persons with disabilities more time to get through the door.

Also notice the Spring Tension Adjustment in the illustration above. Spring tension controls the "size" of a closer. The term is misleading, because it does not actually have anything to do with the physical dimensions of the closer. Size is determined by the width of a door. "Sized" closers, that is, closers that have a factory pre-determined spring tension for a particular door width, have no spring tension adjustment. Many door closers today are "non-sized", indicating that spring tension can be field adjusted to fit the size of the door.

It is tempting to use the spring tension adjustment to solve problems, for example, in positive pressure situations where air flow is preventing the door from closing properly. However, the tighter you make the spring, the harder it will be to open the door. It is possible to tighten the spring tension to the point that some people will not be able to open the door.

Adjusting the Door Closer

To adjust the door closer, bring a step ladder tall enough so that you can easily reach the door closer from the second or third highest step. Climb the ladder and examine the closer. If you can't see adjustment screws, chances are the closer has a cover. Usually the cover is plastic, but it could also be metal. If you see no fasteners holding the cover on, that means the cover is held on by tension. Pull it off. If you do see fasteners, usually you can loosen, but not remove, the fasteners and the cover will slide off.

If you find that there is oil in the cover or oil on or leaking from the closer body, you can stop right now. You need a new door closer. If, however, it is not leaking, you can proceed.

Now that you have the cover off, you should be able to see the adjustment screws. If you are lucky, they will be marked on the closer body as to what they are or there will be a diagram inside the cover. If not, you may have to experiment a little to see which is which. Remember, when it comes to turning door closer adjustment screws, a little goes a long way. Start with no more than 1/8 of a turn. Turn the adjustment screw clockwise to slow the door closer down, counter-clockwise to speed it up. then get down off the ladder and observe the effect.

Open the door and watch it close. If it closes right the first time, check it 10 more times. If it closes correctly every time, you're done. If not, go back up the ladder and make another adjustment, etc., until the closer is doing what you want it to do. When it closes the way you want it to 10 times in a row, it will probably continue to do so.

Ideally a non-delayed action door closer will close and latch the door in 7 to 8 seconds.

Problems

If you expect a door closer to consistantly close the door, as a prerequisite the door must close properly. If there is a hinge problem, a warped door, or the door must swing uphill to close, a door closer will only go so far in solving the problem. Sometimes a door must be repaired before it will close and lock automatically with a door closer.

In vestibule conditions, where you have an exterior door, a small space, and then an interior door, the trapped air between the inside and outside door can be a factor. You may have to adjust both closers to get both to work correctly. Wherever air pressure is a factor, including negative or positive pressure situations, I have have gotten door closers to close and latch the door consistantly by adjusting them to a slow swing speed and a somewhat fast latch speed. The slow swing speed seems to give the air a chance to get out of the way and the fast latch speed gives it a very slight slam at the end to make sure it latches.

Trouble Shooting

• If oil is leaking from your door closer, throw it away and buy a new one.
• If your door closer is slamming the door and cannot be adjusted to do otherwise, either the fluid has leaked out or the valve seals are worn out. Either way, your best option is to replace it.
• If the closer stops closing the door before it's closed all the way, or actually spings back when you try to manually shut the door, the arm is probably installed on the shaft incorrectly. Download the instructions from the door closer manufacturer's web site and see if it is installed correctly.
• If the arm makes noise and bounces up and down while the door is in motion, tighten the fasteners that hold the arm to the closer, to the header, and at the knuckle that holds the two parts of the arm together.
• If the door closer has no spring tension and the spring tension adustment turns round and round with no effect, the spring is broken the door closer must be replaced.

More about Tom Rubenoff

Kwikset Smartkey Problems.... (Update)

8/23/2018 UPDATE: We just updated the video above to a better video from our colleague Terry Whin-Yates.

The original post, including many comments from viewers can be found here.

The post in the link above is by far, the most popular and frequently viewed post on this website.




Came across an interesting blogpost today that has several comments by product users, all complaining about similar problems shortly after installing Kwikset Smartkey locks.

One such comment by a poster....

"Our smartkey failed this evening. We locked both deadbolt and door as we left, came home to locked out. I called kwikset and after working with them on the phone trying to wiggle the key to the 1/4 turn position to try and get it to the learn position – nothing worked. The customer support person said since we had keys duplicated using the grinding method instead of having a locksmith stamp them out the keys had made the cams in the lock out of alignment. I asked CS how we will get in if we are on the OUTSIDE wanting in and he said we would have to either find another way in or drill out the cylinder. They are sending a replacement cylinder. No thanks – I don’t want to take the chance."

Another...

"My husband just bought this and installed it yesterday. While “rekeying” to our key, it stopped working! Now both the key that came with it doesn’t open the door nor the new key. I was looking for the company’s website for troubleshooting the problem and found this! Glad we kept the receipt as this installation is not continuing! Thank you all for commenting! You are saving more people from getting ripped off with this lock!"

Another...

"What a nightmare.My baby boy moves out to his first house and buys the kwikset smartkey to assure his security.comes home one night,pouring down rain and 28 degrees outside cant get in the house the key doesnt fit the lock .He has to sleep out in the car all night long.what a nightmare.never again will a smartkey be bought especially $80.00.there needs to be a recall on the kwikset smartkey.what a let down."

Another...

"What a joke, installed YESTERDAY, worked perfectly fine until coming home today with groceries and a 6 month old, to find out our key no longer worked. Was told by customer service that this is NOT an issue and people do not have this problem (Obviously I told him to check this website, because he was wrong)

Option one, I can take the deadbolt off my front door to bring to Home Depot and have them fix the lock, which would leave my house unsecure as there would be NO lock on my door. The other option is to wait 5-7 days for a new lock from them. He said the new lock they will send me is more efficient then the one month old lock already installed and he guarantees it will not have this problem.

In the meantime, how the heck am I supposed to get in and out of my house if my lock doesn’t work?

WHAT A JOKE! Take these stupid things offffff the market"

Another...

" I received the new smart key cylinder from

Kwieset and installed it on the front door. From the get-go I had problems, only some of the existing keys worked. Bought new keys and they seemed to work better for a short time. Now they are giving me problems. I have to jiggle them inside the lock to unlock the door and even now they are giving me problems. Finally I had enough: no trust in the lock and never knew when I would be locked out again. I took the smart key cylinder out and installed the old lock, which is a non smart key. At least now I have peace of mind that it will always work. I am keeping the old smart key locks, because I know with all the problems that everybody is having, there has to be a recall and maybe I can get my money back, but I will not hold my breath. Keep complaining to Kwikset about the so called smart key. I wasn’t very smart to buy it in the first place."

Many people seem to think that locksmith services are too expensive. In fact locksmith services are often cheaper than purchasing the DIY products from the big box hardware stores, because locksmiths have taken the time and training to master their product lines. Installation, service, maintenance all taken care of by a true technician with experience in the field.

I understand the perception that DIY is often cheaper, but realistically the locksmith (one of the oldest professions) has deliberately trained to service, advise and protect consumers from the poor advice and suggestions often received at the big box stores from untrained, unknowing part time sales assistants.

I regularly see both Kwikset Smartkey and Schlage Securekey products in the field. Often they are purchased by consumers at the big box hardware stores because most locksmiths refuse to stock them.

I can easily reset the tumblers for clients, often because they have lost the reset tool for the Kwikset or are simply unaware that the process is uncomplicated. The Schlage Securekey is a little more complicated process to re-key, but this is because many customers no longer have access to the blue reset key.

For the better (and often cheaper) products, visit your local locksmith today and find out the why's and how's behind purchasing suitable functional and correct locking systems and products.

See also Kwikset Smartkey Locks - Making Keys

Kwikset Smartkey Fault

Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock - Inventory Dwindling

Perhaps our best selling product of the last 8 years, the Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock and it's siblings, the 7410, 7400 and 7450, Privacy, Passage and Passage Latching versions continue as an in-demand and sought after offering that is easily installed and aesthetically pleasing.

The simplistic design allows for easy modification of a standard 2-3/8" (60mm) backset prep, with a standard 2-1/8" (52mm) cross bore hole.

The two connecting screws are stainless steel self-tapping screws that carve the threads in the outer casing for a solid/tight fit, requiring little to no maintenance over time.

As with any hardware product you install, natural movement of your house will effect how your doors move and lock/operate. It is important to periodically maintain your products to ensure continuous normal operations.

Take a look at the animated installation video and a marketing video that explain the products and the simple installation procedure, at our sister site locksmiths-st-louis.

Competitively priced and fast shipping ensure you receive product quickly.

Click on the picture at top left of this page to purchase and/or learn more.

Sinji - A Competitive Option To Ring

Sinji Wireless Doorbell and Camera System offers alternative to the Ring doorbell system.

This inexpensive alternative differs from Ring because it is not taking video and consuming significant storage.

We have reported about Ring products a number of times in recent years

This product is quite different in that it takes a snapshot of the door bell ringer and sends it over your home wifi system to users of an app.

Storage of pictures occupies significantly less storage than you need using the Ring product, yet offers similar security, albeit for much more competitive prices.

• Keep tabs on who comes to your door straight from your smartphone via app
• Easily install w/ zero wiring or professional installation required
• Monitor visitors at all hours w/ night vision support
• Anti-theft device alerts you if the doorbell is tampered with

Specs

• Dimensions: 3.3"H x 2.2"L 0.5"W
• Infrared night vision
• Snapshot function when bell is pressed
• Fully wireless
• Easy-install
• Resolution: 408 x 320
• Transmission distance: 98'
• Image sensor: 1/4 CMOS
• Lens: 80°, F2.8 aperture
• Power supply outdoor unit: 2 x AAA battery
• Power supply indoor unit: EU plug 100V-240V AC
• Outdoor transmission: 2.4G RF
• Indoor transmission: RF + WiFi

Compatibility

• Works with various IP camera apps, including Eye4 and EyeCloud
• Eye4 app requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android: varies with device
• EyeCloud app requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.4 or later

Includes

• Outdoor unit
• Indoor unit
• User manual

Shipping

• Ships To Contiguous US
• Expected Delivery: Sep 13 - Sep 16

(source...)

Yale Confirms Connectivity Agreement With Comcast Xfinity Home

Yale Assure Locks with Wifi, Zigbee or Z-wave are now able to use the Xfinity Home Connectivity Service provided by leading communications provider Comcast.

Yale are well known across the globe for their longevity in the lock manufacturing industry.
their products are found in just about every country in the world.

The booming digital technology security products market continues to see massive growth and big players like Yale have not made their intentions secret. The number of products they make that already communicate with your home communications networks continues to amaze.

In such a crowded market, having a name like Yale is sure to be a game changer and finding competitive value remains a challenge. At least you can be assured that Yale continues to bring to market quality products at competitive prices, based on their 150+ years of continuous operations.

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Tariffs On Chinese Steel Cause USA Based Safe Manufacturer To Close Shop And Move To Mexico

Stack-On Safes, a Chicago based manufacturer of high quality safe and storage solutions, that has been offered through locksmiths for many years, has decided to close it's two local manufacturing facilities. The closures will eliminate almost 150 local jobs and move the companies manufacturing operations to Mexico.

The decision has not come lightly for Las Vegas based parent company Alpha Guardian, who believe that the recent introduction of tariffs on Chinese metals is a large contributing factor to the decision.

The tariffs announced in June, are making local USA based metal products manufacturers at odds with the federal government, who are attempting to bring back local metal manufacturing to this country.

Unfortunately, local based metals manufacturers cannot produce the quantities of metals, at sufficient cost points, to enable companies like Stack-On to continue to be competitive in the marketplace.


 Stack-On produce some innovative and high quality safe and storage products that are recommended and demanded by swathes of local locksmith companies, sporting goods suppliers, gun clubs, among others in the wider marketplace.

Critical to their business model is the cost of raw materials, chiefly steel. The recent introduction of 25% tariffs has turned their business model from a profitable venture into a loss.

Whatever your chosen political affiliation, it is important to understand the pros and cons of tariff applications and be aware that many countries can be economically affected by ignorant policies that cause upheaval to businesses, communities, employment and consumers.

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Identity Theft Continues To Be A Real Problem. How Would You Protect Yourself?

Identity theft continues to be a big problem affecting many people across a wide range of society.

You already like to protect your homes and families from unwanted intruders by installing quality (hopefully) security products and getting them installed by trained and qualified locksmith technicians.

But what do you do to better secure yourself from identity theft?

An article in Readers Digest recently appeared that discusses 26 Secrets An Identity Thief Doesnt Want You To Know.

Essentially, there are many little things you can be doing to minimize the chances that these opportunists attempt, to interrupt and destroy your peace of mind, your security, your financial security and those of your family and friends.

Being aware of these secrets might help (in some small way) to better protect you as you move forward.

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Controversial Opinion In New Article Suggests Why NOT To Recommend Or Buy An Amazon Echo Smart Speaker

A new article has appeared that discusses the authors reasoning about why you should think twice before purchasing an Amazon Echo smart speaker.

A group of hackers at the recent hacker convention Defcon Security Conference in Las Vegas, presented a discussion about the ease in hacking the Amazon Echo and using it to "listen" (spy) on anyone speaking within it's vicinity.

Apparently (and reasonably), the researchers informed Amazon in advance about their findings, prior to making the presentation at the conference.

Amazon had implemented a patch for their top selling product after being informed and a spokesperson for Amazon advised that the vulnerability required physical access to the product, to enable the hack. The security patch was released in July.

Of concern, is the fact that the researchers DID NOT have physical access to the devices in question. They only had access to the LAN (Local Area Network).

The article appears in the source below.

The reason we include this article in our site, is because Amazon Echo devices and other smart speakers are increasingly being used to operate smart home product including (but not limited to) electronic door security products, deadbolts, alarm systems, cameras.

Personally, I feel that the article should have been worded differently and that authors should think hard before directly vilifying another company's product offering.

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ZoreX - Gun Security At It's Finest.

We first wrote about this sensational product about 2 years ago when the Israeli startup first designed and produced their working prototype. Read the article we wrote here.

A recent article in Policemag.com is showing the wide acceptance and support of this unique security product that is simple, secure and functional.

It is very well known that the USA suffers from almost unequaled gun crimes compared to many other countries. The SCOTUS (Supreme Court Of The United States) even rewrote the second amendment to the Constitution of The United States of America in 2003, to reflect a contested opinion as to the meaning of the words therein. The modification to the amendment relocated a comma in the statement and in so doing, altered the complete meaning of the statement. The decision was voted 5-4 along political party lines. The ensuing years have seen greater gun sales and an almost prohibition of other laws or attempts to increase gun control rules in the USA.

This unique product has been carefully thought through and easily provides much sought after security for gun owners who desire to keep their arms protected from their children or burglars, without costing a fortune and without any difficult process to engage or disengage the lock.

It uses a simple combination mechanism to unlock, while allowing a gun to maintain it's loaded magazine. The gun owner can operate the weapon quickly and expertly without sharing the combination (easily). This in itself maintains the security of the weapon and complies with the second amendment right for all citizens to bear arms.

This next video shows how simply the product works.


Locksmiths and Gun Smiths (2 closely related trades) continue to offer security solutions to meet the needs of gun owning customers. Everything from especially constructed high-security gun safes, to trigger locks, to padlocks and chains. But with all these available solutions, there is still too much gun crime.

Zore provides a new unique and ultra-secure product that provides unparalleled protection of your firearm. The unique combination mechanism is virtually foolproof and completely able to be reset by the gun owner quickly and easily.

Read some of the reviews in the source below.

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Price Drop On Keyed Pocket Door Lock - While Stock Lasts

As the original importer and distributor of the Lockwood 7444 Keyed Pocket Door Lock in North America, we have decided to clear our shelves and discount the product.

We drop the price today to $120.00 from the previous price (12% less).

Shipping and handling has not changed.

While stocks last!


New Pricing Exclusively available at the link in the source below.

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The Locksmith Business Is Really A Global Business - Enjoying Globalization

Pictured here are some statistics showing the depth of penetration, our website has experienced globally over the last 8 years.

This chart shows the countries that lead the world in pageviews for our business.

Our business has been going a little under 13 years now but records available through our blog platform can only provide statistics since May 2010. Having started the website in 2007, we naturally have significantly more pageviews than reported in these charts.

Naturally, the United States leads the chart and by quite a significant amount. Obviously viewers in the USA are somewhat interested in what we have to say.
But you can see that many other viewers across the world also appear interested in our opinions and writings with increasing pageviews by many other countries too.

Listed herein are the top 10 countries and number of pageviews since May 2010,

 Here is a chart of the last weeks pageviews, to show that other countries are also showing interest in our articles too,

These are just the pageviews for the top 10 countries listed, as reported by our blog administration and just for the last week to Saturday 6/23/2018.

Writing a blog, I have found is the simplest method for new original content to fuel our exposure to the world wide web.

We have written well over a thousand articles since inception, on many products, services and locations that offer merchandise and expertise to help consumers, businesses, residents, governments, builders, building managers, real estate agents, aged care centers, hospitals and medical clinics, churches, temples, synagogues, universities and colleges to gain quality services and products at competitive costs.

Interesting too, is the amounts and types of differing operating systems that have found their way to our website.

Here is a chart that shows, over the last 8 years Windows operating system is by far the most popular choice for our visitors.

Obviously a Windows user still enjoys the full benefits of the modern day computer user interface, significantly more than other operating systems, but you can see that mobile operating systems are also putting in a good show too.

Interesting to note in the chart, is the prevalence of iPhone over Android. This may be due to significantly more iPhones used in the USA (and our other charts above showing USA as the largest geographic group viewing our pages)

It is quite well known that Android OS is far more widely used and adopted outside the USA, probably because it is more competitively priced than the Apple options.

Our final chart here depicts the usage statistics of pageviewers by browser choice.

You can see the period in the upper left of the image, May 2010-June 2018.

As mentioned above, we have been operating our business since December 2006 and the website since June 2007, so we are actually missing data from the early years (before 2010). We expect that our numbers will be significantly higher than what is shown,

You can see that Chrome enjoys a significant lead in market share, of pageviewers seeing our pages.

The number of browsers is an interesting statistic too. I had not heard of some of them (and I consider myself quite informed).














So, why do I post these images of the charts displaying readership of our site?

I post this details to show potential advertisers and post sponsors the value of your advertising or post sponsoring through our website and blog.

Restaurants require bums on seats and plates of food sold.

Cinemas require tickets sales of films and cartons of popcorn sold.

Locksmiths and hardware manufacturers require eyes and ears on their offerings and a dedicated site that offers almost 7,500 pageviews a month and across the world, can provide you and your offering a wide readership.

Contact us to learn about our sponsored posts and how (for a small fee) you can enjoy additional direct marketing for your product or service too.








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Morpho - Contactless 3D Facial Recognition Interface

We first discussed this product, way back in February 2008.

The Vision Access 3D Facial Recognition Interface was subsequently acquired by Idemia, a French company specializing in biometric access control devices. 

Under the company's brand name Morpho, they offer some different products tailored to the financial, telecommunications, identity, security and IoT (internet of things) industries.

With modern day technological products continuing to evolve, the market is flooded with many styles and types of devices to whet our appetites.

Morpho are part of a €3BN annual turnover company that has been around for many years and has earned a reputation for quality and longevity.

Based in France, they employ over 22000 people worldwide, with representation in about 55 countries, including the USA.

With customers desiring more efficient and higher quality access control systems, Morpho are the cutting edge industry leader in biometric products.

The Morpho 3D Face Recognition Interface (pictured above) works like shown in the video below...

The ability to enjoy hands free access control, using a local database of authorized face images offers commercial locations a superior and professional experience that is incredibly secure and very easy to manage,

Check the source below for more on the company.

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iOPEN - New Smart WiFi Operator Switch - A New Access Control Product

iOPEN is a relatively new product, currently exclusively sold by US Gate Supply of Southern California.

This exciting new product is designed to operate with about 90% of the current brands of automatic garage doors, mag locks, electric strikes and automatic gates available in today's markets.

This product is different to the wireless options otherwise being bandied about the markets, in that it is actually hardwired to your current product.

This product enables you to simply download the appropriate app from Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store.

Some pictures of it's uses include...

This is a typical residential garage door. You can see the app open on the users smartphone.

This an image of a type of gate you might find in upmarket real estate or perhaps a gated community.


You can also connect the product to your Amazon Alexa smart speaker or your Google Home smart speaker.

With the growing smart product market becoming an ever more staple of modern living, products that operate through the IOT (Internet Of Things) architecture framework are becoming the new sought after commodities.

For a professional, keeping abreast of products and industry updates, new technology and items aimed at improving our and our customers lives, is an important attribute in today's business age.

I like the idea of this new product and i think it could certainly see traction across the wider consumer marketplace.

Amazon Key, which we have mentioned a lot in recent times, purports to offer would-be Amazon shoppers the opportunity to enjoy new delivery methods from Amazon. We continue to warn consumers that using services like Amazon Key, can potentially reduce any security you may currently enjoy and even potentially increase your insurance premiums.

This new product might mitigate the threats posed by granting delivery drivers access to your home, by only enabling them to access your garage door, allowing you to keep the door connecting your garage and house, locked.

Apparently the app can allow for separate devices to operate through the one app, meaning your one smartphone now becomes the remote control operator for multiple separate entries.

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To Touch Or Not To Touch...

Yesterdays article, "Has Tapplock Collapsed?" is seeing viral circulation and obviously is hitting a nerve.

We have continued to write multiple articles over the last 10 years about pro's and con's relating to biometric and specifically fingerprint access control products.

As you can see by our above link about fingerprint products, there are many options available across the wider marketplace, hoping to cash in on the fingerprint recognition phenomena, as well as conflicting arguments i have suggested, that fingerprint access control also comes with severe limitations.

Our first foray into biometric fingerprint products was with the Bioaxxis Thumblock Deadbolt. Bioaxxis unfortunately couldnt survive the early years of the burgeoning fingerprint controlled door lock market. Their product was stellar. It worked very simply and was self preserving, even though they suffered from the debilitating issue of security control.

Specifically, the need to reduce or turn down the security of the image recognition of the scanner to enable sufficient operations of the product. This unfortunate attribute contributed greatly to the products demise and I suspect the wider market too.










The Tapplock article further reinforces the current-age issues relating to quality control. There is a penchant in recent years, especially since the beginning of the modern internet era, (Circa 1995 - And the beginning of Netscape Navigator - The beginning of The World Wide Web), to design and build new products without an element of care - but to quickly release to market to capitalize on new money. This unfortunate realization shows that the modern era, while showing significant improvements to our lives, is also moving far too quickly for our own benefits.

Bioaxxis also came out with their commercial product a year later. The Bioaxxis Thumblock Handle, with Key, Fingerprint, Proximity Pad and Digital Pad Entry, checked off multiple desires for total access control.

We installed and sold about 7 of these fabulous products until we recognized that biometric fingerprint access control technology was seriously flawed and the best market for the promising technology was in the aged care arena, where elderly users (who were constantly losing their keys and their ability to remember PIN codes) couldnt (for the most part) lose their fingers. The issues about scanner sensitivity almost killed the fingerprint market and combined with poor quality, rushed to market manufacturing from cheap manufacturing facilities abroad, has even seen stock market darling and leading technology company Apple, remove the readers from their most popular product the iPhone.

Touch control products have made their way into many aspects of all our lives, but I suggest that security is not one that we will see to continue, due to the obvious shortcomings.

I believe that facial recognition technolgy, Iris scanners and voice recognition will enter the mainstream far more rapidly and with better security features than fingerprint technology could have ever hope to achieve.

Key Cutting Across The World

Key cutting shops pop up all over the world.

The following images are of key cutting enterprises around the world. We have visited a lot of similar businesses in the different countries we have lived, worked and visited.

Feel free to add your images in the comments section. Post are subject to moderation.

If you recognize any of the locations, please mention where they are. Thanks.

You can see that key cutting goes hand in hand with hardware and locksmithing, but also engraving and other general mercantile many people require.

I have no doubt this shop in somewhere in England.

Talk about a hole in the wall!

Has Tapplock Collapsed?

Uh Oh! Tapplock reveals it's weakness!

Tapplock, the darling startup that confused the market with their bluetooth keyless product in 2016, that we wrote about in November 2016 has been found wanting.

Despite the promise and with $320,000.00 in crowdfunding was delayed until September 2017, six months later than anticipated according to a report (see source).

Despite what consumers think they want, the ages old mechanical padlock is the most cost effective and simple solution to security. Virtually maintenance free, there are many grades of security that will enhance and protect your property.

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