3 Reasons Why Most Locks Are Obsolete
This may sound controversial, but as a professional locksmith in Vancouver, I say that 90% to 95% of all locks in the North American market are obsolete and do not provide any meaningful security beyond a visual deterrence. This is due to the rise of the following trends/tools:
- Electric Pick Guns
- Battery Power Tools and Cutting Bits
- Decline of Quality Locks
While we will discuss each factor separately, these factors have given even the average person/thief the ability to defeat the vast majority of locks currently on the market. Whether you have a knob/lever, deadbolt, or a mortise lock, you are vulnerable to an amateur with only the most rudimentary knowledge and experience. Armed with tools easily ordered online and access to YouTube, these perpetrators can quickly dismantle your sense of security in your own home or business.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call/text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Our Downtown Vancouver Key Store located at 555 West Hastings St is open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. Mobile Locksmithing Services is available 7 days a week 8am to 11:30pm.
Pin and Tumbler Locks
Pin and Tumbler Locks were invented about 4000 years ago in Ancient Egypt and are still in use today. Ancient versions used wood keys, cylinders, and pins. Modern pin tumbler systems use brass or metal keys with brass springs and pins. Basically, the right key would create a shear line which allows the cylinder to be turned to the left or right.
This principle governs the design of pretty much all modern mechanical locks with the exception of products like disc detainer locks. Even if you have an electronic lock, there is a good chance that you still have a pin and tumbler cylinder for a mechanical key override should your batteries fail.
Evolution of Electric Pick Guns
Ever since the first pin and tumbler lock was designed, people have been looking for ways to defeat them. The very first lockpick was probably an Egyptian armed with a small curved piece of wood or bronze to manipulate the wood blocks inside the lock.
During the Renaissance, an enterprising European created a device that literally squeezed locks to pieces to defeat them. The nobility promptly made the possession of the device illegal for the commoners.I guess they did not want a tool that made their possession vulnerable to theft be circulated among the “have-nots”.
By the 20th century, we have thieves and lock hobbyists using the lockpicks and tension wrenches that are ubiquitous in TV and Films today. This eventually leads into the technique of bumping the pins. Basically, shear lines can be discovered by gently tapping the bottom pins which will jump up and hopefully land in the ideal position.
Of course, this is not quite that simple as it sounds as the Law of Probabilities dictate the chance of hitting the shear line by bumping just once. So, the more times you can bump, the greater the chance of success.
So rather than bumping by hand, people created the Pick Gun. A device that simplifies the bumping process to the squeeze of a trigger. There will eventually be even Pick Guns with double actions where one trigger squeeze equals 2 bumps vs the usual one.
Death of the Pin and Tumbler Lock
The natural evolution of the mechanical pick gun was to an electric pick gun with the advent of electric power tools. The first electric pick guns (EPG) were tethered to a wall outlet via a power cord. As a result, their mobility was severely restricted. The commercialization of Nickel Metal Hydride (Nimh) batteries allowed the development of well known pick guns like Wendt’s Elektro Pick V1 which provided better power and performance.
These days, there are several well known electric pick gun brands, but we won’t discuss them or their uses in any great detail for security reasons. However, the public can take assurances that EPGs are not a magical tool that opens every lock. Like any tool, it does take a certain amount of experience and knowledge to use properly.
Regardless, once mastered, an EPG can defeat the vast majority of Pin and Tumbler Locks currently on the market. As a result, it is important to safeguard your assets by upgrading your locks by doing one or all of the following:
- Get a locksmith to install security top pins to your existing key cylinder
- Upgrade to a High Security Lock Cylinder (Abloy, Medeco, etc)
- Rekey key cylinder with more extreme bittings
- Install lock guards to impede standard tension wrenches
- Install keyless lock systems (Nest Yale, FOB Access, etc)
Evidence of EPG Attacks
Sometimes we get asked by clients if their locks have been picked open. It’s usually hard to tell if someone has handpicked a lock open with a lockpick or via a Single Pin Picking tool like the Lishi. There are forensic methods to find the tiny scratches on the bottom of pins or the key cylinder plug, but that’s a job for Law Enforcement.
On the other hand, it’s fairly easy to tell if someone has used an EPG on your lock. Most modern EPGs are so powerful that they basically shave away the walls of the cylinder. As such, unless it was picked very easily, there will be brass shavings inside the keyhole.
Battery Power Tools and Modern Cutting Bits
Before the widespread use of cordless power tools, drilling a lock open was quite the challenge. If the client did not have to have a power wall outlet nearby, we would need to deploy a very long heavy gauge extension cord to the nearest power source.
Even when battery power tools became affordable, they were pathetically weak and the batteries drained quickly. I remember having to change my batteries on a construction site once every 30 minutes or less. This caused the batteries to overheat and we would have to stop work or find something else to do while the batteries cooled down.
These days, everyone can buy or rent powerful 18V or 24V battery power tools with brushless motors which can punch through virtually any material including hard metals like stainless steel. 20 years ago, drilling holes in stainless steel or harder metal alloys on-site was virtually unthinkable. It would take forever and burn out your motor..
In addition, anyone can now go to Home Depot or specialty hardware stores and purchase fast cutting drill bits made from materials like High Speed Steel (HSS), Cobalt, Tungsten, Carbide, etc. Combined with modern drill profiles, you don’t even need cutting lubricants to drill out deadbolts. Just pop a drill bit in your high power drill driver and just “start drilling”.
Why you should not drill your own lock open
We get at least one call a month from a locked out client who would prefer to drill out their own lock vs paying for a locksmith. Not what we would recommend. First, a locksmith will always try to pick a lock open; thus, saving you time and money. Second, not only should a locksmith have the proper tools, he/she knows where and how to drill for maximum effect.
For example, the Fairmont Residences in Downtown Vancouver is a fairly upscale luxury condo tower with very expensive and unique mortise locks imported from Germany. Not only are these FSB mortise locks very expensive, they are almost impossible to find as they have no Canadian distributor. Their North American Rep is a half-retired gentleman in Florida. So, it takes about 6 to 9 months to get an order from this guy.
My client had a tenant who lost their keys and decided the best way to gain entry would be take a ⅜” drill bit and drill several holes through the door and lock. As a result, not only did the tenants fail to gain entry, the landlord had to replace the whole door and get a new lock. Suffice to say, the client had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get a matching door and door hardware.
Even with cheaper locks, a lot of manufacturers are using hardened steel plates to hinder drilling. A professional Vancouver Locksmith will quickly realize that and deploy other entry methods. You might go through virtually every drill in your arsenal and still be locked out.
We advise not to make things harder or complicated. Paying for the services of a professional locksmith can save you a lot of time and headache.
Decline of Quality Locks
We have all heard the old adage that “they don’t make them like they used to”. It’s basically true for most Grade 3 Residential Lock Hardware. This category was always the Value category so lock companies have focused on making things cheaper than ever before.
However, we also find that even some Grade 1 Commercial Lock Hardware has seen some declines in quality. For example, everyone knows my thoughts on the Schlage B600 Series Deadbolt and its recent decline. Combined with price hikes from the U.S. tariffs, it’s not a recommended product unless you absolutely need one.
Fortunately, most well-regarded mortise locks like the Schlage L Series or the Sargent 8200 Series still provide great quality albeit at a really high price point. However, even the best mortise lock is still vulnerable to cutting and EPG attacks if a standard mortise cylinder is used.
Why you need a High Security Lock
So how can you best protect yourself?
If you can afford it, we recommend you upgrade to a High Security Lock or Cylinder. It’s the best way to protect yourself from thieves armed with an EPG, power tools, or other burglary tools.
Beyond the obvious security benefits, High Security Locks are designed and manufactured to a higher standard. Not only will it deter people from even trying to break-in, it will also last longer and provide problem-free operation.
The different brands and features of High Security Locks are too long for this article and will be discussed in another.
Conclusion
Contrary to the marketing of most lock manufacturers, 90% to 95% of the locks in the Vancouver and North American market are vulnerable due to their reliance on an ancient design principle. However, with the advent of modern High Security Locks and Keyless Entry Systems, you can protect yourself albeit at a higher price point.
If you want more advice on which High Security Lock or Keyless Entry System is right for you or your business, please call/text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Or feel free to drop by our Downtown Vancouver Key Store located at 555 West Hastings St between Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. As always, our Mobile Locksmith Services are available everyday from 8am to 11:30pm.
