Kitemarked Euro Cylinder Standards
Whats the difference?
With Multi-point doors becoming more and more popular due to there better strength and ease of use insurance companies have started to ask for stronger Euro cylinders to be fitted to external doors to validate their insurance requirements. This is because many undesirable people have become aware of the inherent weakness of standard Euro cylinders which makes snapping them far too easy.
Lock manufacturers have now released Euro cylinders that have additional protection against the big 5 techniques used by burglars to gain entry into your home, these are Drilling, Picking, plug extraction, Snapping and bumping the lock which are all skills that can be self-taught and now with locksmith tools available on the internet for anyone to buy its very important people look to purchase higher security locks for your homes/businesses.
Anti Drill and Anti Pick are quite standard security features that all locks used on external doors should have protection against. The modern techniques of snapping, plug extraction and bumping, however, are not usually covered by a standard security euro cylinder so this is where buying a kitemarked Euro cylinder is important so you know that you are getting a decent level of security cylinder.
There are 3 ratings given to Euro Cylinder locks and hardware:
1 star rating - This only relates to the Euro cylinder in the door:
These cylinders are a good level of security and offer much better security than the standard 6 pin style of cylinder. They have been tested to meet the 1 star kitemark rating but alone they don't meet the necessary requirements. The 1 star cylinders must meet cylinder security requirements of BS EN 1303:2005. i.e. picking, pulling and bumping. These requirements do not include snapping. Most of the better cylinders have an anti-snap line included on the cylinder but not all do so it is important to check the features of the lock before you buy. These cylinders do not meet the 3 Star TS007 rating which is the requirement of the insurance companies.
2 Star Rating - This only relates to the handle set you have on the UPVC door
These handles are rated to a PAS24 rating that receives the Secure by Design rating that is the Association of Chief Police Officers' crime prevention initiative. This is a recognised rating given to products that provide top level security.
Security hardware to receive a two star rating has to offer protection against cylinder snapping. The handles offer a cylinder guard that protects the cylinder even in the event that the handles are pulled off.
If used in conjunction with a 1 star Euro cylinder then the specific door will obtain a 3 star TS007 rating.
3 Star Rating - Obtained by use of 1 star cylinder with 2 star handles or a 3 star cylinder on its own.
The 3 star Kitemarked Euro Cylinders are the highest level of security that offers protection against all 5 of the most common entry techniques. These cylinders receive the TS007 3 Star Kitemark which gives you the confidence of there reliability and strength. Unlike the 1 star cylinders, these cylinders achieve the 3 star level without the use of special handles which means that you can keep the handles you currently have on the door and fit one of these cylinders and be confident that the door is as secure as it can be.
We have a range of 3 star cylinders online. The best we offer is the KABA Pextra Guard 3 star cylinders as these come with a restricted key profile that gives key control as well as the strength in the cylinder. We do also have a range of ASEC 3 star cylinders that have the same ratings but an open profile key and these work out cheaper because of this.
How to recognise high security cylinders and door handles
To know if you have a kitemarked cylinder and PAS24 handles there will be the following symbols that can be found on the face of the Euro cylinders and the external handle.
1 Star Kitemark
Secure By Design - PAS 24
3 Star Kitemark
Lockshop Warehouse Advice
With all these different products and choices you have it can be very difficult to decide which cylinder to go for and with everything, the cost comes into play when replacing these cylinders. In my opinion, I would always recommend to everyone to spend a little more and go for the 3 star cylinders. I have been a locksmith for years and the speed and ease of opening the standard 6 pin Euro cylinders is frankly alarming. The main issue is being able to open a door so quietly that it wouldn't stir even the lightest sleeper. I know the 3 star cylinders are more expensive than the basic models but it is well worth the extra expense and you don't have to purchase the ABS or KABA ranges if you would like to upgrade your security as we offer a very reasonable ASEC 3 star range that is a very well built and reliable cylinder that has all the security features and ratings but is more cost effective.
Please do get in touch with the team here at the Lockshop Warehouse if you have any questions on these cylinders or would like help in upgrading your security at home.