Best Deadbolts Under $100 in Vancouver

When money is tight, every dollar counts. As a child of immigrant parents who came to Canada with nothing in their pockets, I know the value of a dollar. Plus, sometimes the value choice is the best option as perfection is too expensive. So here are some of Vancouver’s best deadbolts in terms of value. All of these are under $100.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Our Gastown Key Store is located at 555 West Hastings St on the bottom floor or the SFU/Harbour Centre. We are right across the hallway from the BC Liquor Store. 

Our regular Key Store hours are Monday to Friday 10 am to 5 pm. Our Port Coquitlam location at 2345 Rindall Ave is mobile only and is not a Key Store.

Best Retail Deadbolt Under $100

In my professional opinion, the best Grade 3 Residential deadbolt under $100 is probably the Schlage B60 Deadbolt. I call it a Retail Level deadbolt as it’s easily found at most DIY hardware stores like the Home Depot located at 900 Terminal Ave in Vancouver or the Port Coquitlam store located at 1069 Nicola Ave. As of the time of this article, Home Depot are selling these for about $63 plus taxes.

So why make these such a great value? Here are a few reasons why:

1. Schlage brand name and quality
2. Spool Security Pins
3. Hardened Face Armour

Schlage Brand Name and Quality

First of all, Schlage is well known in the lock industry for its brand name and associated quality/performance. For a time (before the Pandemic and massive inflation), I only installed Schlage and other brand-name products because of the quality of their products and the superior manufacturer’s warranties.

Since then, I think the quality of a lot of Schlage products, especially their Grade 2 and Grade 1 deadbolts, has decreased significantly. However, the quality of the Schlage Grade 3 B60 deadbolt has remained fairly consistent and has gotten only better. 

Mind you, it costs 100% more than it used to 5 years ago, but it’s still the best choice in this category at that price point given the additional security features like spool security pins and hardened face plates.

Spool Security Pins

The Schlage B60 Deadbolt comes with a 5 pin cylinder with 4 spool security pins. These security top pins essentially make lockpicking more difficult and negate the use of bump keys. Due to their shape, they create “false gates” where the pin catches on the lip of the cylinder plug or the “bible”. An experienced lockpicker can defeat spool pins eventually, but it will make things much harder.

Anti Drilling Plate

In addition, the Schlage B60 Deadbolt is equipped with a hardened metal plate to defeat attacks on the side bolts that hold the lock together. In my personal experience, the hardness of this plate is about the same as most HSS drill bits which makes it very difficult for even a professional locksmith to drill out without the use of expensive carbide bits.

So does this mean that a professional locksmith cannot unlock a door with a Schlage B60 Deadbolt? Maybe. While I can defeat this deadbolt fairly easily, lesser-equipped locksmiths may have more difficulty most likely because I have some very specialized tools.

Cons of the B60 Deadbolt

For a deadbolt under $100 that can be found widely in both online and at physical retail stores across the Vancouver area, it is a great lock but it has a few flaws that make it so cheap compared to its Medium Duty and Heavy Duty cousins. Here are a few:

1. Poor quality key cylinder
2. Lack of Security Shield and Steel Mounting Plate
3. Brittle metal parts

Poor Quality Key Cylinder

The Schlage B60 Deadbolt shares the same 5-pin cylinder with the rest of the Schlage Residential Mechanical and Electronic Locks. It is immediately recognizable by its grayish cylinder plug.

Good locks use brass components especially for the key cylinder plug and housing as it has great corrosion resistance and a lower friction coefficient. The type of brass typically used in better-quality locks is called High or Red Brass and contains about 65% copper. It’s visually recognizable with its yellow/gold colour.

Unfortunately, the grayish Residential cylinder used by Schlage has no brass at all. It’s some sort of aluminum or a soft metal alloy. This softness results in a reduced life and decreased performance. These cylinders will never be as smooth to use or last as long as higher-quality cylinders. 

This is also the reason why I never recommend master keying Schlage B60 deadbolts and other Residential locks in the category. The master pins (made of brass with harder finishes) will eventually wear down the key cylinder and cause deformations in the cylinder plug. This will eventually lead to performance issues and lock failures.

Lack of Security Shield and Steel Mounting Plate

Schlage’s Medium Duty and Heavy Duty Deadbolts both incorporate a Security Shield to protect against ice pick attacks and a steel mounting plate to protect against kinetic and drill-out attacks. I won’t describe how these attacks work for security reasons, but long story short, it makes the Schlage B60 vulnerable to certain types of entry techniques. 

Regardless, at its under $100 price point, it is still a good value regardless. If you want or need a higher level of security, you should step up to Schlage B560 or B660 Deadbolts.

Brittle Metal Parts

If you remember your high school science lessons, you may recall that the hard materials are more brittle while softer materials are more malleable. This is why you mix metals into an alloy to gain the best of both worlds.

While the Schlage B60 uses a soft metal in its key cylinders, the exterior face of the lock uses a harder material. However, this material tends to be a bit brittle. Apply enough force, and things will start to shatter. For security reasons, I won’t say more than that.

Best Non-retail Deadbolt Under $100

In my professional opinion, the best non-retail deadbolt under $100 would be the Dorex TLA Grade 2 Series Deadbolt. For me, non-retail locks and door hardware are things usually in the Grade 1 and Grade 2 category not sold online or in brick-and-mortar stores. It’s the higher-quality parts that are supplied to you by a Professional Locksmith in Downtown Vancouver, like myself!

Dorex is a pretty popular brand used by contractors and locksmiths. Their products meet ANSI and BHMA standards and are cheaper than brand names like Schlage, Sargent, and Von Duprin. 

So why are they cheaper? Here are a few reasons why:

1. Lack of brand premium
2. Lack of R&D into new product lines
3. Lesser quality materials

Lack of Brand Premium

Over the years, especially during the recent high inflation period, I’ve seen the prices of brand name products from companies like Schlage, Sargent, and Von Duprin explode upwards. Some items now cost two to three times more than what they used to cost two to three years ago. 

Dorex, Canaropa and other similar OEM brands have increased their prices as well, but nowhere near the levels that the major brands have. We used to be a brand name-only shop and rarely installed any of the OEM hardware. Now, it makes up a significant portion of our business as only large and high-end corporate clients usually go for the good stuff.

Does the lack of brand recognition affect the quality of the part? Yes and no. It really depends on your budget and what you are looking for.

Lack of Research and Development

Off-brand manufacturers like Dorex and Canaropa basically copy the design of standard brands like Schlage with minute differences to get past patent and copyright laws. So locksmiths do not generally expect the latest and greatest from these brands.

Since they do not have to invest heavily in Research and Development of new products, they can keep their costs low. When a better-known brand releases a new product, they simply reverse engineer it and produce a cheaper, albeit slightly different, copy of it.

This also means that they do not have the breadth of scope in their product lines like companies like Schlage and Sargent. If you are looking for unique locks or something more institutional, you will need to switch to a more recognizable name brand.

Lesser Quality Materials

One thing I’ve noticed that is different about the Dorex stuff is the quality of materials they use. There are definitely less of the more expensive alloys and more of the cheaper ones. For example, instead of using ¼” hardened steel bolts, they will use ⅛” or 3/16” galvanized metal screws. It functionally does the same thing, but they are easier to drill out or break off.

This sort of product design decision leads to more corrosion and decreased performance over time. However, you do end up with a cheaper lock.

Another thing I have noted is that the Dorex deadbolts are heavier than Schlage deadbolts but are easier to drill. It’s probably because they are using softer alloys with greater density. For example, lead is a very dense and heavy metal but is quite soft and malleable.

Why choose a Dorex TLA Grade 2 Deadbolt?

So then why do I think this is a great value lock? For starters, it still meets the ANSI Grade 2 standards and comes with a UL-listed deadbolt. The certification standards are a bit of a bore so I won’t discuss or list them here. Nevertheless, theoretically, the worst Grade 2 lock is still better than the best Grade 3 lock.

However, the most pertinent thing most of my clients are interested in is that Grade 3 hardware is certified to last an average of 200,000 uses/cycles while Grade 2 hardware is certified to last an average of 400,000 uses/cycles.

So getting a lock that lasts twice as long as a Schlage B60 Grade 3 Deadbolt while remaining under the $100 price ceiling is a great deal!

Final Thoughts

In my professional opinion, the Schlage B60 and the Dorex TLA series deadbolts are great value deadbolts under $100. They offer a great balance of quality, performance, and cost that most clients appreciate. Plus, they can come in a variety of different finishes to meet most homeowner’s needs though the TLA will have less finishes to choose from compared to the Schlage.

I know that a lot of customers get hung up on the Grade 1, 2, or 3 classifications of deadbolts. While it is an important measure, there is a wide variety of choices within each class. So if you are ever unsure which one to choose, make sure to consult your local Downtown Vancouver Locksmith before making your purchase.

If you have any questions or comments about deadbolts or any hardware, please call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Our Gastown Key Store is located at 555 West Hastings St on the bottom floor of the SFU/Harbour Centre. We are right across the hallway from the BC Liquor Store.