Best of the Cheapest Deadbolts in Vancouver
Vancouver and the Lower Mainland is a very expensive place to live. We have one of the highest costs of living in the world and inflation has not helped. Recently I read that the livable wage is now nearly $26 per hour.
So to stretch your budget a bit further, let me introduce you to the best of the cheapest deadbolts you can buy in Vancouver at your local Home Depot Store. For reference, if you live near Downtown Vancouver, I have confirmed the stock availability at both the Home Depot Store at 900 Terminal Ave and at the store located at 2388 Cambie St. If you live near our Port Coquitlam location, please visit the Home Depot Store located at 1069 Nicola Ave, Port Coquitlam.
As always, please feel free to call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com if you have any questions or comments. You can also find us at our Key Store in Gastown at 555 W Hastings St. It is located at the SFU/Harbour Centre – bottom floor next to the BC Liquor Store.
Cheapest Deadbolt in Vancouver Under $50
When you are looking at the cheapest locks you can buy, there will always be trade-offs. However, there is no point in getting a lock that is so cheap that it offers no security. You still want good value for the money.
When it comes to the cheapest deadbolt I carry in my locksmith van, it would be the Halsco Grade 3 Residential Deadbolt. Halsco is like an OEM brand that only locksmiths would carry as it’s not meant for the retail market.
I like it for my clients for whom price is the greatest overriding factor. Perhaps you are renting and have an absent landlord. If your lock is broken and the landlord won’t fix it, you might just want the cheapest deadbolt as it will be on your own dime.
On the other hand, you might be the landlord and wish to minimize operating costs. In that case, the Halsco Grade 3 Deadbolt offers great value. It fits into virtually every type of residential and commercial doors. Plus, it’s easy to install and comes with a 25 year warranty. As of the time of this article, it’s a great deal at only $35. If you wish to save on labour costs, you can pick one up at our Key Store at 555 W Hastings St near Gastown. Finally, it’s cheap yet decent enough that it can be rekeyed if required. However, at that price point, you would be better off just buying a new deadbolt. Of course, this quality of lock should never be master keyed. It won’t last long if you do.
If you want to pick up something similar at Home Depot, I recommend the Taymor Professional Grade Single Cylinder Deadbolt for $35.99. Taymor is a brand that focuses on the Building Developer market. You will find their locks and door closers as the default door hardware in many new developments.
From my experience as a Professional Locksmith, Taymor Grade 3 Deadbolts have one of the best knock off key cylinders at that price level. The rest of the deadbolt is the same quality as everyone else’s but the cylinders are quite good. Depending on the model, some of them even come with brass cylinders which are usually found on Grade 2 Medium Duty locks and above.
Downside of Cheap Deadbolts
So at this price level, there are some obvious drawbacks. Here are a few to consider when weighing your options:
- Cheap deadbolts and cheap cylinders should never be master keyed with master pins
- Very little drilling or lockpicking protection
- Limited protection against forced penetration attacks
- Cheaper materials and construction means the locks will not very long
- Lower level of performance over the life of the lock
- Not worth the labour to rekey
Despite the downsides, the biggest upside is that they are cheap and sometimes can be found with a lifetime or a near lifetime product warranty from the manufacturer. If it breaks, just ask the factory to send you a new one.
Why you should never master key or rekey cheap locks
At least once a month, I get a customer who wants me to either rekey a super cheap lock or to master key a cheap lock. I am happy to do it, but I always warn that it’s often not in their best interest to do so.
When it comes to rekeying a cheap lock, it only makes sense if it’s part of a set of locks that already uses one key. In that case, it may make sense. In pretty much all others, the cost to rekey a lock will cost more than what the lock is worth.
If you only have one lock, go to your local Home Depot Store at either 900 Terminal Ave in Vancouver or 1069 Nicola Ave in Port Coquitlam and buy the recommended deadbolt.
If you have more than one lock and you want them to work all on one key, it makes sense to call a Professional Vancouver Locksmith like me to rekey the locks as the value of the combined parts is more than the sum of the parts.
If you want a type of deadbolt that you can rekey on your own, you may wish to consider something like the Weiser SmartKey system.
As for Master Keys and Master Pins, I never recommend using them on a Grade 3 Residential Grade lock. The cheap key cylinder materials and construction were not designed to take the abuse from master pins. The extra pins will grind down the soft metal alloys and significantly decrease the lifespan of the hardware.
Master Key Systems are most often found in commercial settings anyway. So I recommend using, at minimum, a Grade 2 Medium Duty lock when deadbolts and levers have to be master keyed. It will cost more, but it will definitely last longer. Plus the price jump from Grade 3 to Grade 2 is not as much as jumping from Grade 2 to Grade 1 Heavy Duty.
Lack of Protection
The exterior section of cheap deadbolts at this price level is usually a one piece cylinder with a thin metal shroud to cover the rest of the door hole. Some may have a little protrusion to protect against ice pick attacks but most will not.
At this price point, you are not really seeking anything beyond “casual” deterrence. The front armor plate is very thin and the metal shroud is not solid or made of very cheap pot metal. So the side bolts will be vulnerable to drilling attacks. In addition, the key cylinder usually does not have any anti-drilling protections at this level.
If you want real protection, you will need to upgrade at least to the next level of protection.
Best Alternatives to the Cheapest Deadbolts in Vancouver
As mentioned in previous articles, I still believe that the Schlage B560 Grade 2 Medium Duty Deadbolt offers the best value for the money. It offers decent frontal protection, has a great all brass key cylinder, large integrated ice pick guard, and the mechanism is smooth and silky.
For a Professional Locksmith, the Schlage B560 is fairly easy to install, but it has a few quirks so I do not recommend clients install this lock on their own.
Personally, I prefer the beefier Schlage B660 Grade 1 Heavy Duty Deadbolt. It does not have the quirks of the B560 and I don’t have to make the sometimes small adjustments to make it work smoothly compared to the Grade 2 or Grade 3 locks. It provides UL437 certified door hardware and does not break the bank like the High Security Deadbolts from Abloy, Medecco, or Multilock.
Final Thoughts
As they say, “You get what you pay for.” So a cheap deadbolt under $100 will not give you fantastic protection at the lowest price possible, but it does fill a niche for clients for whom price is the greatest overriding factor.
Just like a steak at Denny’s can’t be compared to a steak at The Keg, if you know what you are getting there should be no surprises. In the end, I do recommend clients get at least the Schlage B560 Medium Duty Deadbolt. I have worked on Schlage B560 deadbolts that are over 10 years old and they are still working smoothly. Plus, what is $100 compared to years of peace of mind and ease of use.
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. Or visit our Key Store near Gastown at 555 W Hastings St inside the SFU/Habour Centre. We are located on the bottom floor next to the BC Liquor Store. Our Key Store has served the Downtown Vancouver community for over 40 years and we would love the opportunity to exceed your expectations!
