Locks have been produced for ages and the art of mastering locks is called locksmithing. In recent times, locks act as the first line of defense against petty thieves, and high-security locks can delay or defeat even the most sophisticated burglar.
Locks are critical to making your house safe and secure. However, if you have selected the wrong lock for your door type, it may not deter the burglar but rather invite him to try his luck.
In this post, Jose Mario Hernandez Jr., a Chicago Locksmith who owns and operates Omega Locksmith, gives his thoughts on different types of locks and when to use them.
High-Energy Locks
Magnetic Locks
A magnetic lock is a locking device that consists of an electromagnet and an armature plate. It is also known as electromagnetic lock or maglock. These types of locks use an electric current to produce a magnetic force stronger than that of just the north and south poles. Electromagnetic locks are reliable, secure, and easy to install. You may see them being used in hotels and offices.
Electrical Motor Locks
Electrical motor locks convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and use it for locking purposes. These locks combine the virtues of electric rim locks and electromagnetic locks. However, electrical motor locks/electric motor locks also overcome the loud noise that electric rim locks cause and do not consume as much power as electromagnetic locks.
Traditional Locks
Padlocks
Padlocks are locks that have a shackle that can be passed through an opening. They are one of the most common types of locks and are used for safes, mailboxes, and homes. They are used over door hasps in homes, either at the front door or for locking individual doors within the house.
Chain Locks
Chain locks are made up of a series of hardened steel links (usually inside a protective nylon sleeve) and a lock. The lock can be integrated into the chain, or it can be a separate padlock. These locks are usually used for bicycles. They are rather heavy and still offer good security. The other type is the keyed chain door lock, which is small and used for locking homes from the inside.
Spring Bolt
A spring bolt is a type of lock with a spring-loaded bolt that requires a key only to open it. Spring bolts are also called spring bolt locks, spring locks, spring latches, or night latches. The bolt is held in place by a spring clip until unlocked when it snaps open. Spring-loaded latch bolts are common in farms, warehouses, and backyards and provide additional safety. Doors with spring bolts usually lock automatically and require the spring’s tension to first be released before they can be unlocked.
Deadbolt
A deadbolt differs from the spring bolt as the only way to open a deadbolt is by unlocking it with a key. They are also called deadbolts or deadlocks. The deadbolt is kept in place by two screws and is the components are attached to the home or office door. Rotating the key from the opening enables the person to lock or unlock the deadbolt. There are single cylinder, double cylinder, and vertical deadbolts. Single cylinders can only be locked from the outside while double cylinders can be locked from both sides. Deadbolts are popular in households.
Childproof
Refrigerator Locks
The refrigerator lock helps secure the fridge while ensuring it has been properly sealed so the food inside stays fresh. Latch-based locks are used to make the fridges at home childproof. However, advanced refrigerator locks are used at pharmacies, medical offices and labs to help protect medicines, food, and beverages, or to comply with mandated security.
Oven Locks
Ovens are fitted with a special safety system that enables the oven’s control panel to be locked so that anyone unfamiliar with it cannot operate it accidentally. The control panel of an oven can be locked. Homes use oven locks to make the ovens childproof. Oven locks are especially useful in hotels and restaurants.
Office Locks
Cabinet Locks
Cabinet locks are used to protect cabinets. They ensure the cabinet doors in your home or office are safe and secure. Offices may store potentially sensitive information in files and folders. With a cabinet lock, only the person who holds the key can unlock the cabinet and access the information.
Furniture Locks
Not all locks are used for doors. A furniture lock is a lock predominantly found on desks, drawers, and cupboards. There are two major types of furniture locks: the bolt style and the push button style. Furniture locks are typically used in offices to improve workplace security.
Modern Locks
Handlesets
A handle set lock is present on the handles of doors. The locks can be shifted and activated (usually by turning a switch) so the door can’t open even when the handle is turned.
Hand Lever
Hand lever locks have the locks on the lever of the door. They are most commonly seen in a commercial setting due to their compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and are generally only used on interior doors. They have a lever that serves as the rotatable turn knob on one side and a key cylinder on the other, much like a knob lock but is even less secure than knob locks because they can often be opened by brute force.
Door Top
A door top lock is a lock that is located at the top of a door. They are usually not the main lock and are only there to offer additional security. They are used in both homes as well as offices. Plus, the lock’s high location means that it is out of the reach of children.
T-Handle Locks
T-handle locks are locks in the shape of a T. They are often called vending locks because they are most often used on vending machines. When you open one of these locks, you are actually removing the lock from the device, meaning it is extremely easy to replace.
Multipoint Lock
Unlike most locks that have a locking mechanism at only one point, multipoint locking systems have locking mechanisms at multiple points, offering additional layers of security. There are long strips that bolt to the side of the door and lock at multiple points along the doorframe. They are usually used for the front and back doors of homes.
Cam Locks
Cam locks consist of a base and a cam, the base being the part into which the key is inserted and the cam being the tail part that acts as the latch. They work by having a cam rotate 90 degrees at the back end to secure the door or drawer. They are simple, low-security locks most commonly found on filing cabinets and mailboxes.
Cylindrical Lock Type
Cylindrical Lever Locks
A cylindrical lever lock is a lock with a latch on both sides. The lock latches on to both sides of the door and retracts when the lever is turned. Cylindrical lever locks are quick and easy to install and are used for doors in both homes and offices. These types of locks are also offered as an economical cylindrical tube for use on low-security doors in a higher safety system.
Pin Tumbler Locks
The pin tumbler lock mechanism works by using pins of different sizes and lengths. The lock can only be opened with the correct type of key. Otherwise, not all the pins will be opened. Cylinder locks usually use pin tumblers. Common pins located in traditional pin tumbler locks are really solid against brute force attacks and physical strikes such as twists applied with a screwdriver from thieves who want to force open the lock.
Mortise Locks
Mortise locks need a pocket into the edge of the door so the lock can be inserted in it. This hole or groove is known as the mortise. Mortise cylinder locks are considered to be more secure than deadbolts and are used for both commercial and residential security. Mortise locks are popular with commercial doors, glass entry doors, and apartment doors.
Combination Locks
Combination locks are locks that require a combination to open. A specific sequence of numbers or letters is used in order to unlatch the locking mechanism. These can have either a single dial or multiple dials. Single dial locks are most commonly seen on school lockers and safes, while multi-dial locks are often used to secure bikes and briefcases. The lock combination varies from lock to lock and the owner usually has it memorized.
Hybrid Locks
A hybrid lock is a blend of other locks. This way, there are 2 or more levels of security that need to be bypassed. For example, a mortise cylinder lock is a hybrid of the mortise lock and the cylindrical lever lock. Hybrid locks typically have different locking components (mechanical and electronic). These locks require two-factor authentication (2FA) to open.
Others may use a single key, but have two different types of components inside the lock. Some car door locks require the frequency operated button (fob) to be pressed, then the key to be inserted in order to unlock and open the door.
Rim Latch Locks
A rim latch lock has a rim latch on one side of the door and a latch lock mounted on the surface of the other side. When the latch is turned, the door gets locked. These locks are also known as rim locks. Some require a key to unlock while some are manually operated. They are often seen in homes and apartments.
Keyless Entry
High-Security Locks
With keyless locks, there’s no need to worry about lost, stolen, or broken keys. The latest models of clever locks deliver things like voice activation, geofencing, and also auto-locking components. These locks offer a higher level of security as they are personalized to the user. Simply tell your phone to “open the front door,” and the lock will certainly release. With geofencing, you’ll never ever panic if you secured just before you left your house; simply use the mobile phone app to specify up a boundary around your house, and utilize your phone’s site services to determine your precise location. These locks are gaining popularity in both the home and the workplace.
Electronic Locks
Electronic locks rely wholly on technology for security. Keyless touchpads and forced entry alarms are electronic locks. Other examples include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, security tokens, and locks requiring passphrases. Sometimes, the electronic locks can be connected to an access control system, which is popular in corporations.
Smart Locks
Smart locks are the new age of security. Some locks integrate with other connected home gadgets, like the Google Nest Shield smoke alarm system, and also services, like Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and If This Then That (IFTTT). For example, you may order your doors to unlock when smoking cigarettes or deactivate the smoke detector. or make particular lights switch on when a door is unlocked. With smart speakers, smart locks can be activated for any door in the home. There are also downloadable smartphone apps that allow you to approve or deny entry from a remote location and are used in many American homes.
Biometric Locks
Biometric locks are locks that grant access based on a unique body trait of the person (biology) trying to open it. This includes the retina or your fingerprint. Some biometric locks use facial-recognition software to approve. The thumbprint or entire hand is placed on the screen. The system then scans and approves or denies entry. This is mainly used to safeguard government bases or large corporations but can be used in homes as well.
Burglar Proof
Mailbox Locks
A mailbox lock is a lock used to keep your mailbox safe and secure. These locks usually have keys that the owner uses to open them. While the mailbox has an opening allowing the mailman to deliver the mail, the mailbox must be opened to retrieve it. This prevents burglars from gaining access to private and valuable material.
Vending Machine Locks
Vending machines have locks to prevent the snacks and drinks inside them from being stolen. Vending machine locks are pin tubular locks. These machines require payment from the user for access to the goodies inside which uses a currency detector to activate the spiral. The key to the vending machine is usually owned by a security guard and the machine is only opened to restock the candy, chips, and drinks when no one else is around before being locked again.
Safe Locks
Safes contain precious valuables like jewelry and cash. As such, safe locks help secure the safe to prevent it from being opened with no resistance. Safe locks may use combination dials, keypads, pin tumbler locks, or hybrid locks to safeguard valuables from theft. Banks also use safe locks to safeguard their vaults from thieves.
Bolt Type
Spring Bolt
A spring bolt is a type of lock with a spring-loaded bolt that requires a key only to open it. Spring bolts are also called spring bolt locks, spring locks, spring latches, or night latches. The bolt is held in place by a spring clip until unlocked when it snaps open. Spring-loaded latch bolts are common in farms, warehouses, and backyards and provide additional safety. Doors with spring bolts usually lock automatically and require the spring’s tension to first be released before they can be unlocked.
Deadbolt
A deadbolt differs from the spring bolt as the only way to open a deadbolt is by unlocking it with a key. They are also called deadbolts or deadlocks. The deadbolt is kept in place by two screws and is the components are attached to the home or office door. Rotating the key from the opening enables the person to lock or unlock the deadbolt. There are single cylinder, double cylinder, and vertical deadbolts. Single cylinders can only be locked from the outside while double cylinders can be locked from both sides. Deadbolts are popular in households.
Office Locks
Cabinet Locks
Cabinet locks are used to protect cabinets. They ensure the cabinet doors in your home or office are safe and secure. Offices may store potentially sensitive information in files and folders. With a cabinet lock, only the person who holds the key can unlock the cabinet and access the information.
Furniture Locks
Not all locks are used for doors. A furniture lock is a lock predominantly found on desks, drawers, and cupboards. There are two major types of furniture locks: the bolt style and the push button style. Furniture locks are typically used in offices to improve workplace security.
Modern Locks
Wall Locks
A wall lock is a lock that is mounted to a wall. It is used for holding sensitive equipment and securing personal property like keys, money, and guns to make them difficult to obtain. These are generally used as a miniature safe. The Knox Box or fireman’s box is the most commonly used style of wall-mounted locks. Wall locks are common in fire departments and police stations and are often utilized by large businesses to provide emergency access to their buildings.
Dial Locks
A dial lock is similar to a combination lock in that it requires dialing to open the lock, usually turning the dial in a certain way to unlock it. There may not be a specific combination of digits or a sequence required to open the dial lock. Just turning the spindle the right way might work. As they are not as secure as some of the other door lock types, dial locks may be used as a secondary or tertiary lock or a hybrid lock. Some bicycles are secured with dial locks.
Warded Locks
A warded lock uses a set of obstructions to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted into it. A warded lock is also called a ward lock, and the obstructions are also known as wards. The correct key for the warded lock is the only one that has notches or slots corresponding to the obstructions in the lock, allowing it to rotate freely while inside and allowing it to open the lock.
Locksmith Services in Chicago for All Door Lock Types
Our expert has explained several different kinds of door lock types and whether they are used to improve security in the commercial, residential, or automotive setting. Omega Locksmith has over a decade of experience with unlocking and installing all the above locks for offices and homes in the Chicago area. Call us at (773) 277 5625 or visit our locksmith shop at 4346 W 51st St, Chicago, IL 60632 if you need help with your locks.