Locks 'n Keys

Needs For A Locksmith

Traditional wisdom says there's no point in putting a good lock on a flimsy door. This is not true. In most cases you must prove forcible entry to collect insurance. If you have a poor lock, your cylinder can be picked in seconds. You're inviting your insurance company to give you a hard time.

The best strategies: • If you have a wooden door, get what the in­dustry calls a police lock. This is a brace lock with a bar that goes from the lock into the floor about 30 inches away from the base of the door. Our favorite: Magic Eye. Its new model can be locked from the inside like the old model, but you can get out easily in an emergency. Also: Get a police lock if your door frame is weak. It keeps the door from giving because of the brace in the floor. Even the best regular locks won't protect you if the whole frame gives.

• If you're buying a door, buy a metal flush door without panels and get an equally strong frame to match it. What makes a good frame: A hollow metal construction, same as the door. • On a metal door, I like a Segal lock on the in­side and a Medeco on the outside with a Medeco Bodyguard cylinder guard plate. If it's a tubular lock, get Medeco's D-ll. It gives you the option of a key on the inside, and you don't need a guard plate. • If your door opens out instead of in, get a double-bar lock—one that extends horizontal­ly on each side. With a door that opens out, the hinges are often exposed on the outside, allowing a burglar to remove the door from its hinges. With a double-bar lock he can't pull the door out.

Other important devices:

Plates: Pulling out the lock cylinder is the burglar's easiest and most effective way of get­ting in. Most people put a plate over their lock and think that will take care of it. But most plates have bolts that are exposed on the out­side. With a hollow metal door, the burglar can pull that plate away from the door with a wedge and simply cut the bolts. If the head of the bolt is exposed, he can pull it out slightly with pliers and snap it right off. Remedy: Medeco's Bodyguard. A cylinder and plate combination, it's a drill-resistant, one-piece unit with no exposed bolts, a sleeve to prevent burglars from chiseling the bolts, and a hardened plate to protect the keyhole. • Jimmy bars: Don't bother with them. They're psychological protection only. If you have a metal door, a good lock is sufficient protection. With a metal door, we recommend a jimmy bar only if the door has been damaged through a forcible break-in and is separated from the frame. In this case, the bar will straighten out the door and hide some of the light shining through. If you have a wooden door, a jimmy bar can actually help a burglar by giving him leverage. He can put a crowbar up against it, dig into the wood, and break through the door. • Peepholes: Get one that's as small as possible. Large peepholes use a one-way mirror that doesn't permit you to see around corners. And if someone hits that mirror while you're look­ing through, it could damage your eye. Small peepholes use a double lens, making it possible to see around corners. And if the small peep­hole is knocked off the door, it won't benefit the burglar. If a big one is knocked off, it creates a weakness in your security. Recom­mended: If you already have a large peephole, remove it. Have the locksmith bolt two plates on the door, with a smaller hole in the center to accommodate a small peephole. • Closets: Let's say you want to protect a closet —not necessarily against burglars but against someone who might have a key to your house or apartment. Locking the closet isn't suffi­cient because most closets open out and have hinges on the outside, making it easy to re­move the door. Remedy: A door pin. This in­volves putting the pin on the hinge side of the door and through a receiving hole in the frame. Anyone who cut the hinges off or re­moved the pins couldn't lift the door out. • Window locks: The best window locks use a key, which makes them difficult to manipu­late from the outside. Without a key, any win­dow lock is vulnerable. Best: Try one with a heavy pin, which allows you to drill holes for either complete locking or three- or six-inch ventilation. Our favorite: Lok Safe. • Window gates: In New York and other cities, the fire laws prohibit window gates that lock with a key. Remedy: Gates with keyless locks. They allow you to get out easily, but a burglar can't put his hand through the gate to open it. Our favorite: P-A-G window gates.

Choosing a locksmith:

Go to locksmiths' shops to size them up. Make sure the store is devoted exclusively to the locksmith business and isn't just doing locksmithing on the side. Ask to see the lock­smith's license if it's not displayed. There are a lot of unlicensed people doing business ille­gally. Best: Locksmiths who belong to an asso­ciation—they keep up with the latest develop­ments. Look for a sticker in the window indi­cating membership in a local or national lock­smiths' association.

Source: Menasche Sofer of Ail-Over Locksmiths, Inc., 1189 Lexington Ave., New York.