After deciding to upgrade the cheapo Kwiksets on our home, I went to Lowes to get a set of Schlage locksets. I’ve installed dozens of these in the past and they seemed to be of decent quality without being too expensive. As soon as I gripped the demo I knew something was different from the Schlages I’ve installed in the past-it felt..well, just cheaper. Fearing the worst, I picked up a box and looked on the bottom and sure enough, found the Made in China seal of (non) quality. I believe the Schlages used to be made in Mexico. So I wrote off Schlage, but I still need new locks. Can anyone offer any advice for a moderately priced lockset not made in China? I’m willing to pay more for quality, but can’t afford the high-end Baldwin stuff. Thanks
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Replies
Schlage (and most companies) makes all grades of hardware. Their cheapest is meant to compete with the likes of kwikset.
Go up one grade in their line and you'll like them a lot more. Lowes carries them too.
It's what I've had on all my doors for 6 years and I'm happy with all of them...buic
Edit to add - They're a little more money, but still alot less then baldwin.
Edited 8/4/2007 12:22 pm ET by BUIC
Kwiksets ANSI Grade 1 'UltraMax" series is a good choice. I like them better than Schlage. Country of origin is not as important as ANSI Grade and ISO of the manufacturer. The Chinese no name at HD and Lowe's is uncomparable to the Kwikset 980s UltraMax line. Entry and single cylinder deadbolt probably 60-80$ per door. I have a house full of Kwickset Titans that are 15 years old and doing fine.
PS......Very few locks under $250 will even slow down a highly motivated or marginally skilled thief. Thats were dogs, guns, and safes step in!!!!!!!
Wish I could help but wanted to jump in here just to say that I too have sworn off buying either Kwik Set or Schlage lock sets... I don't know why stores even bother to carry these items unless they're counting upon the "weekend homeowner" set to buy them. To my way of thinking, it's almost a sign of distinction between a low quality and high quality store. The better retail and wholesale places may carry them but will offer the higher priced, better quality, lock and passage sets as an alternative. The low ball stores push the junk and bypass even displaying the better quality material because their customers aren't that well informed about locksets and won't buy them. They're looking for the "deal."
I've been doing a job on a home in a higher end neighborhood. House is 3 years old, owner contracted, now for sale. Besides doing their own paint, tile, etc. (which is a whole other bunch of horror stories), the homeowner did most of their purchase of finish materials at HD and Lowes. This is a 4000 sq. ft. house full of 'Defiant' locksets. Total POS Chinese junk. The house is listed at $785,000.
Repeat after me:
One NEVER, EVER buys locksets from a big box. NEVER, EVER!
Buy commercial grade from a locksmith. Yes you pay more but they know the junk from the good stuff. There are anumber of wholesalers here in Denver, but by the time I run around to them it is less $'s to use the locksmith. I love my locksmith!!!
Take a look at Emtek. I've used them several times and been pleasantly suprised at the quality.
Been through a bunch of both brands the last few months on some apt. and condo projects. All the Schlage I used (owned by Ingersoll Rand) were made in Mexico. The Kwiksets (owned by Black and Decker) came from the Far East (China and Malaysia iirc). No question in my mind that Schlage is better comparing the same style and grade and that it has less to do with the country of manufacture than the owner. It may well be that Schlage has come out with very low cost models to compete with least expensive Kwiksets.
I bought a new ebetry door and ended up putting 3 Schkages on it. The first two had a problem internally, Third one worked fine. Go figure.My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
So that's why beLowes had the lever handle door locks on the bargain table at $1.56!
be ya, they found a box lost in the warehouse, sure...
That be why!
We thought the third one was screwed up too. Turns out, the lock from inside has 2 adjustments. You turn lock a quarter turn and it locks so you can still open from the inside but is locked outside. One more quarter turn and it locks completely. No getting out from inside or inside from out without unlocking! And the darn thing turns in a different direction than the deadbolt to lock! Crazy ain't it.My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
Don't know, they're just still sitting there shedded with all the other junk waiting for the day.
be Doris
Their day will come, some poor innocent soul will come along not knowing any better!My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
Storeroom lock. They've got the same QC problems as most.
I've taken to watching ebay and stocking. Yale heavy duty commercial's my taste, $250 isn't. 50 bucks on ebay, I like. Failure I have yet to see. They feel exactly like a latch should.
I've repaired so many Baldwins that I wouldn't put one on my house. OTOH, my deadbolts are Kwikset (as is my keying kit).PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Oh yes E-BAY. What a wonderful invention.
All other locks on my place are Kwikset!
Not too worried about break ins as I live in a secluded place and sleep with the doors open! Besides, if they wanted in bad enough, they would find a way!My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
Digress, us?
Locks keep honest people honest. For the remainder, electronics are better.
Even out here in the sticks I discovered the need for electronics. Rummaged around in my junk and came up with a panel, keypad, shock sensors, siren. Only had to buy a processor. Mismatched, but works. That was after 2 consecutive nights' attempts on my shop steel door. Apparently too drunk to attempt entry through one of the large (tempered) windows.
Shop's far enough down the hill and we live underground, so didn't hear a thing. Now, anything that goes on down there turns on a radio in the house. Love X10.
Coupled that with a good driveway sensor further down the driveway and putting out the word in the neighborhood that I'm ready to shoot ended the problems. Followed the oil drips to the trailer where several brothers have worked for me one time or another, but don't know which one(s) were here those nights. Nor do I particularly want to. They headed for easier pickings.
With luck, that self-closing gate will never be tripped. Won't be pulled open by anything they'd drive. Fantasizing about what might happen to an abandoned, soon to be reported stolen, vehicle is probably better than the real thing.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
My dogs start barking when anyone starts up the hill. I can have a gun ready and aimed before they make it to the top!
We have bugger lights up here too. But I should probably consider getting some type of alarm cause Bambam does have to go out of town sometimes. Would make me feel safer!My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
$2-300 buys a lot of hardware. I fell into the alarm business way back when by wanting an alarm for my Denver wood shop. In that neighborhood you either had an alarm or a steady problem. Talked my way into an alarm wholesaler. They don't care, just don't want to answer a lot of questions.
Shortly thereafter a lady I was doing a kitchen for asked if I knew anything about alarms. So I gave her a price and couldn't believe how fast she said "yes". Figured I had better find out what money these things were usually sold for. Knocked my sox off. Started attending the free seminars the wholesaler set up.
When we left Denver, I was balancing (on average) 1 week alarms and 3 weeks in my wood shop/month. Income was the same. Then I got a big pile of money when I sold the alarm accounts, just before Denver set up rules that would have put me out of business. Current pricing, I have no idea.
If nothing else, you might set up a siren that'd go off when you push a button. Local cop response time probably wouldn't do you any more good than here. I don't do lights, just the driveway sensor that makes note of passing steel and does whatever you set it up to do. Zero false alarms, even in electrical storms. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Thanks for the info.
There was an alarm here when my sister in law lived here, but when she moved, she took it!
Bambam had a siren on his truck that will wake the dead, but if he's gone that does me no good.My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
I've always hoped that I never catch anyone in the act of stealing from me in that I fear what I might do when the adrenalin hits.
Somehow in theory it seems right but the reality of causing irreparable serious damage to another over goods seems inappropriate.
Duct tape and torture might be better.
be not clicking and seeing red
Maybe you've more empathy with low-lifes than I do. This was somebody who'd either worked here, or his brothers had. Knew there was always work available and the money was good.
I called the county police the first Mon morning. They wanted to know why I'd called. Thought they'd want to know somebody'd tried to break in. Did I need a police report for an insurance claim? No. Goodbye.
Tuesday, after the second attempt, I called again. Told them I knew there wasn't anything they could do but had a question. Since I had a problem and a shotgun I was going to have to deal with my problem. Question was: should I call them afterwards or just fire up the backhoe? "We'll be right out..."
Policeman explained how to legally shoot someone in Va, what was allowed and what wasn't. He was enjoying himself. Also explained that it was far better to deal with the heirs than a disabled perp. He also offered hidden cameras but I figured there wasn't much point taking pix of deer and bear. Alarm hardware time. Operational that night.
I also put out the word in the neighborhood about the electronics, not the gate. Not everybody here finds me totally balanced anyhow. Whatever. Seems to be working.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
We only use Emtek these days. We,ve been getting them from a web place called door hardware etcetera and had very good service. Last time I e-mailed about needing some extra knobs for an out building they had supplied the original knobs and locks for they (Diedra, nice, helpful sales person) asked if I wanted them keyed to match the house, they had the key pattern on record and matched it in same time and price as usual.
Great value, not going back to Schlage or Kwickset.
M
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."