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Posted 18th September 2015

Lock Snapping – clearer or more confusing?

Lock snapping has been in the public domain for 4 or 5 years now. With new standards, TV coverage, more marketing and awareness, and a glut of new anti snap locks at various levels hitting the market this should raise the level of security given to the homeowner right!

Not necessarily!


There is no doubt that in some areas the level of cylinder being fitted has been raised and more of the public are aware and getting upgrades. Yet most double glazing companies are still fitting standard locks, in fact many are moving to aluminium euro cylinders instead of brass because they are cheaper! Many Locksmiths also fit standard locks because the public will not accept the price of higher spec locks and/or still have no awareness of lock snapping.

Also many hardware companies have introduced pseudo security locks by merely adding basic sacrificial cuts to standard locks which as seen in the video below offer no real protection.

In a good routed door a good anti-snap lock will stop the opportunist burglars, and there are good anti snap locks available. The problem is how do you tell good anti snap lock from a bad one?

You would think testing and accreditation would be the answer!

We see non-accredited locks that stop burglars every day in our area because of their quality and design. We also see accredited locks fail to stop burglars in our area. Public advice has been handed out as per the TV short in the previous post, that locks with TS007 3 star standard are safe. Yet locks are passing the standard, that when tested to the criteria specified at a later date, fail dismally! That’s not to say that these locks do not offer good resistance in a real life, good routed door situation.

With thousands of locksmiths offering hundreds of differing products based on their own reasons for doing so, is it a uphill struggle to gain clarity and does it ultimately come down to marketing and salesmanship?

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