Aloha,

I'd be curious to hear your opinions on locks, both shank style and disk.
Personally, I know alot about locks in some areas, but in other areas....I know just enough to be dangerous!

For example, how many different key cuts/patterns do lock manufacturers offer in a lock line? Is it different between manufacturers? If I have an 1100 unit facility and am only selling one brand of lock exclusively, am I serving my customers/tenants as well as I could, or perhaps placing them at risk?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

We give disc locks to each new customer and require that they use them. We also only sell disc locks. A couple of years ago, a burglar hit every store around us, but not ours. When he was captured, we learned he avoided our store because everyone had disc locks and it would have taken him too long to remove them and put his own lock on. Of course, the disc locks can be broken into, but it takes some time and effort and is most difficult when trying to use bolt cutters. We been open for six years and, so far, no crime on our property. Don't give the bad guys easy opportunities by allowing units with easy to cut locks.

And to lock companies, I hope someone can come up with a disc lock using a combination. These would be great for companies with multiple units and various employees who have access.

All of our units are individually alarmed, if the door goes up and you don't belong, it's like a jailbreak around here. The lock on the door just tells me and others that the unit is rented, the alarms are the security. There are enough facilities around us that are not alarmed that the bad guys leave us alone. Never had a break-in in 22 years. Helps that I'm the owner and me or my wife have rented to every single tenant in those 22 years....

I offer the disc locks, but do all I can to push the 2" regular brass locks. Largely because I'm often cutting off locks for customers that lost their key, or cutting locks for auction inventory. If there's a disc lock on there I have to cut through the hasp, causing a real hassle for me and $20 for the customer.

Storeman - why cut the hasp? I use a rotozip with a cut off attachment and cut the lock. If you know just where and how to cut it only takes a few min and no damage to the unit. Trust me I have cut enough of these things! If you would like a drawing of how to cut them just e-mail me - I'd be glad to share this info.
I also charge the tenant for cutting a lock - $5.00 for a standard lock - $20.00 for a disc or other locks requiring the rotozip - it's a good little money maker for some spare change - the owner lets me keep this money to cover the labor.

We offer two styles of locks - standard and disk -- the standard we will give free, the disc we charge $10.00. Most people chose the free lock, but we sell a lot of the disc too.

22 years only two documented break ins before we had security fencing. Since then no problems!

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.
webmaster@all-americanselfstorage.com

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I did a poor job of explaining my question in my original post. I'm not necessarily concerned about a unit being broken into from someone cutting a lock. That potential will always exist and we all take whatever steps we can to minimize that risk (individual unit alarms, video surveillance, etc.).

My concern is centered around the locks themselves. How many combinations (keys) are available for a particular cylinder in a manufactured line of locks? I've heard the rumor that it is a much lower number than we might realize. Has anyone else heard the same??

That said...If I have 1100 locks from the same manufacturer on my site, what is the likelihood that someone's key could open more than one lock?

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Aloha ke akua,
Stoho

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

I believe the potential is there, but unlikely.

I would contact the manufacturer -- not the sales rep as he is going to blow sunshine up your grass skirt -- request to speak to someone in manufacturing. You may have to be forceful, but if you push hard enough you will find an answer.

Another idea is to carry two different makes - alternate sales every month. That way not all the locks look the same.

I change manufactures every so often (whoever is offering a better deal).

just my .02

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.
webmaster@all-americanselfstorage.com

Stoho- the situation you asked about happened to us. We bought a number of the brass locks to sell, all of them keyed differently. Well, they weren't keyed THAT differently. I had probably 3 tenants set off alarms opening units that weren't theirs.....ooops. They had forgotten their unit numbers and guessed at where they thought their unit was, figuring if the key opened the lock they had found it. I gave them new locks and they were happy, and doubly impressed that the alarms fired off and I came scooting down there in a jiffy. Periodically I like the alarms to go off, sort of puts everybody on notice that there are alarms and we do respond to them.

But to answer your question, it does and has happened.

Storman.

I appreciate you sharing your experience. It seems to validate what I had been led to believe.

Guess I have some homework ahead on my 'to do' list.

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Aloha ke akua,
Stoho

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

Here are some answers for your question.

I buy my locks from Chateau. I find their pricing to be great, their customer service is second to none and I always rec my shipment w/in days.

The Chateau 970 6 pin tumbler standard key disc lock has 12,000 key combos.

The Chateau 2880 Super 80 has 6 pin tumbler and a Tripoint key. (looks kind of like a dimple key) it is reversible and has 25,000 key combos.

The Chateau 977 has the Tubular style round key and a 21 pin Tumbler. I don't know the key combos on this lock but it's going to be greater than either of the other locks. It also comes w/ 3 keys and can be bought to accept a managers overlock key 977-OL. No need to carry red locks any more just take your key out and overlock the tenant's disc lock.

If you explain that your standard of security requires the tenant to use a disc lock they WILL buy it. Be sure to give them the option of buying at Wally world or the such but explain that your pricing is equivalent or better.

I understand the implied value of disc lock which can be drilled off with a little online study. The advantage may be outweighed by our need to service a double-locked customer over the phone.

Any comment on use of a simple combo lock as owner's lock?

We would keep online record of combinations and lock serial numbers. An overlocked customer who has paid up could be given the combination over the phone after he reads us the serial number.

Video surveillance & recording, gate control seem to have deterred those who would cut locks - not one instance in 6 months & about 200 doublelockings.