When Standard Commercial Locks Aren't Enough
Most Auburn businesses do fine with quality Grade 1 commercial hardware — properly installed, properly aligned, with controlled key inventory. But some applications need a step up:
- Businesses with high-value inventory — Jewelry, electronics, firearms, pharmaceuticals, art, collectibles
- Cash-handling locations — Retail with significant on-site cash, check cashing, certain financial services
- Sensitive data / records — Medical, legal, financial, HR records
- Controlled substances — Pharmacy, medical / dental practices, veterinary offices
- Critical infrastructure — Server rooms, utility access, manufacturing controls
- Strict key control needs — You absolutely cannot tolerate unauthorized key duplication
- After a break-in attempt — Standard locks were defeated; time to upgrade
- Insurance or regulatory requirements — Some insurance policies and industry regulations require specific lock grades
What Makes a Lock "High Security"
High-security commercial locks share three core characteristics:
- Pick resistance — Sidebar mechanisms, sliders, mushroom pins, and angled chambers defeat picking and bump-key attacks
- Drill resistance — Hardened steel inserts, anti-drill plates, ball-bearing reinforcement at critical points (shear line, sidebar, etc.)
- Key control via restricted keyway — Patent-protected blanks that can't be duplicated at hardware stores; duplication requires authorized dealer service plus your written authorization
Standard commercial locks have decent versions of #1 and #2 (Grade 1 hardware is reasonably pick and drill resistant) but lack #3 entirely. Anyone with a key can walk to a hardware store and have copies made. That's the gap high-security locks close.
High-Security Brands We Install
- Medeco Maxum / M3 / Cliq — The American standard for commercial high security. ANSI Grade 1, UL437 listed, restricted keyway, lifetime warranty. CLIQ adds electromechanical features (audit trail, time-based access).
- Mul-T-Lock MT5+ / Hercular / Interactive+ — Patented telescoping pin design, virtually unpickable, key control through 2035+. Used in commercial and government high-security applications.
- Schlage Primus — Combines a Schlage Everest 29 cylinder with a side-bar finger pin system. Great middle option — affordable, restricted keyway, integrates with standard Schlage hardware.
- Abloy Protec2 — Rotating disc detainer mechanism from Finland. Used in government, embassy, and high-security commercial worldwide.
- BiLock / EVVA / ASSA — Specialty European high-security options for specific niche applications
Best Practice: High-Security Master Key System
For businesses with multiple doors and access levels, the best approach is a high-security restricted-keyway master key system. You get the security and key control of high-security locks and the management convenience of master keying — one master for the owner, sub-masters for managers, change keys for staff. More on master key systems →
Call (253) 796-8550 for a high-security consultation. We're authorized dealers for the major brands and can recommend the right level for your specific business.
