When you talk to most people in the lock industry, mortise locks get the most respect.

“They’re sturdy!”

“They last longer!”

“They hold up better against thieves and vandals!”

This is where I being to worry about the egos of the cylindrical locks of the world and for that reason alone, they’re getting their very own blog post today.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with these guys. Sure, they might not be your first thought when it comes to doors you want for highly secure areas, but they serve their purpose when needed.

Cylindrical Locks

Price

With mortise locks, it’s easy to get caught up in how large and in charge they come off, but when you do that, you might forget these bad boys can put quite the dent in your pocket book.

Mortise locks are significantly more expensive than cylindrical locks and when you’re dealing with a facility with several doors, you don’t necessarily need one on every opening. Sometimes more is, well, too much.

Cylindrical locks not only cost less than mortise locks, they typically require no professional help with installation. These costs can really jack up a price. Between  that and the cost of mortise locks, you may decide cylindrical locks were the way to go all along.

Hardware Grades

Cylindrical locks come in multiple grades. This is especially helpful when you need to customize your doors according to your needs. If you have a door that’s rarely used, you can choose a lower grade cylindrical lock.

Hardware grades are based on the cycle counts a piece of hardware can stand, so a lower grade cylindrical lock isn’t made to withstand thousands of cycles a day. That’s not a big deal if it’s a rarely used door. Always keep your specific needs in mind for each opening when working on your hardware specification and this can save you time and money in the long run.

Installation

Cylindrical locks don’t need a professional for installation. With a mortise lock you have to cut out part of the door to install the lock correctly. Most of the time, that’s a feat you shouldn’t attempt on your own if you don’t have a lot of knowledge on the subject. A cylindrical lock, on average, takes between 15 and 30 minutes to install and, if time is a factor, cylindrical locks blow those mortise locks out of the water.

Combine time and budget constraints and you may begin to think cylindrical locks are the shining light in the middle of a blackout. Just because you always hear mortise locks are best, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best in every situation.

Do you have questions about mortise and cylindrical locks? We would love to help you out. Contact us anytime!