Prime-Line U 10827 Door Reinforcement Lock – Add Extra, High Security to your Home and Prevent Unauthorized Entry – 3 In. Stop, Aluminum Construction, Satin Nickel (Single Pack)

Our children had reached the age where they can open child-lock doors, and after discovering my 2 year old daughter has an exploratory vibe and had gone downstairs into the basement unnoticed, I decided to try one of these door locks. Note that this is interior to the house, so it's not so much to prevent break-in, just control access.Note that it's important to always have an egress path from where they are installed in a locked position in case of emergency. I would prefer a different design that has egress options on both sides of a door if you're trying to train a child to stay in their bedroom.I went with this model because the finish matched the rubbed oil bronze finish of the door hinges and door knob. After installation, the door security lock fits nicely with the decor.The door security kit comes with short screws that go into the door jamb that provide less strength, and longer 3" screws that should anchor to the stud frame around doors. There is more potential for stripping the screws if you only use the short ones that go into the door frame instead to the jamb. This is because the short screws would only anchor to the door frame that is often a type of decorative molding that doesn't have the structural strength of 2x4" studs (it doesn't take much force to deform the material). I decided that even if installed indoors, I wanted the door lock to be secure so I decided to use the longer 3" screws.The installation was easy but not without incident. Note in the picture with the drill bit and screw side by side that they are about the same length. When you put the drill bit in the drill, you have to sacrifice some length because the shaft sits in the drill chuck. The common drill bit length that you get in a normal drill bit set will not pre-drill the entire length of the longer 3” screw.So I pre-drilled as much as the shaft would allow me to drill, and used the lowest setting on the impact driver to push the screw into the hole. I had less than 1/2" remaining and it would not progress any further on the impact driver’s lower settings. I didn't have a longer drill bit length so what did I decide to do? I cranked the impact driver to 3 and after about half the distance I snapped the screw head clean off.Kraggle! Now I had a headless screw that was majorly stuck and the remaining screw was only protruding about 1/4" from the door frame. To remedy this, I used IRWIN Visegrip Quick Adjusting GrooveLock 10-in Electrical V-jaw Pliers to pinch the small remaining exposed screw length and spent about 15 minutes de-threading the screw from the door jamb. I needed the longer pliers length to get the torque to unscrew the threads, but when the pliers are that big, I still ended up deforming the door frame molding a little bit.I went to Lowe's and looked for a DEWALT 1/8-in 6-in Black and Gold Coated Hss Twist Drill Bit. Lowe’s was out of stock, but they had a 12 inch length drill bit in stock so I just decided to go with that. I would have preferred the smaller drill bit length but the door opening width still gives enough room with the 12 inch long drill bit to pre-drill the holes straight on.To ensure I didn't over drill the screw length, I placed a wrap of painters tape at the length on the drill bit to mark the screw length so I'd have no risk of over committing the hole and drilling through drywall just a few inches beyond the door jamb. Once I pre-drilled the correct length, I was able to use the impact driver on the lowest setting to drive the screws all the way into the door frame and jamb.Note with philips head screws, try to use the "fattest" impact driver bit that will still fit in the screw head. It's the best way to help prevent deforming the screw head from the bit slipping. In the end I had to borrow one 3" screw from a second kit that I had bought, though I could have gotten away with using two 3" screws on top and bottom and one small screw in the middle. Hopefully you read this making the same mistake!To open the door, you just have to pull out away from the door frame and then rotate to open. To close, you can simply rotate it back and it will snap into place, or you can pull out a little bit and you won't get the small "snap".All in all, I'm very happy with the end result, as now we have control of access to the basement to keep our little ones safe (and help keep the wife sane). It's easy to use and the wife loves it, so it's a win-win. Highly recommend if you want something to fit the house decor even though some people may consider it a little bit overkill.

The best design for its purpose. Anyone who sees it at the house asks me for the link to buy it themselves. The quality is there, the function is there, and it’s easy to install. You just need a drill.

I recommend this lock to everyone. There are many ways to make your home more secure without spending much money and this is one of my favorite. It's extremely well made and even looks kind of elegant. It is quite easy to use, but honestly it could be easier. I wish they had added a grip or loop of some kind to make it easier to unlock. My concern is that someone unfamiliar with it would be trapped inside during a fire. Occasionally it will get bumped out of position when it's unlocked, so when we try to shut the door, the lock is in the way and the door bounces off of it which is startling (and could feasibly damage the door).For installation, you do need self-drilling screws and a powerful driver of some kind, which could be expensive if you don't have the driver already, or you can use a less powerful drill with a very long drill bit, and those bits can be expensive and hard to find. This type of hardware kit should always come with a drill bit.If you have a door that doesn't fit well in the frame, you may have trouble placing this lock. The bottom half of our door has a huge gap, and this lock doesn't have a ton of overlap even on doors that are hung correctly. There are a lot of YouTube videos showing how to fix the gap in a door. Usually you just need to bend or shim the hinge.Most burglaries happen due to people leaving windows and doors unlocked. The burglar just walks right in. Beyond that, they kick in doors, or use the items in your yard (ladder, trellis, large rock, hide-a-key, etc.) to break into your house. Most front doors on most houses and apartments are installed with very short screws that only go into the door trim, not the heavy frame. If your door is kicked in, it's not usually the door or the lock that fails; the strikeplate just gets blown right out of the door trim. So almost anyone can kick your front door in--it doesn't take a lot of strength or skill. If you replace the screws in your strike plate and hinges with 3-inch or longer screws, the door will be attached to the studs in the wall and will be vastly more difficult to kick in. It will take so long and be so loud that the burglar will likely move on, not wanting to attract any attention. This kind of lock adds another layer to that, and gives you more time to react. Even if someone bumps your locks, they won't be able to open the door. This also keeps out uninvited landlords and maintenance workers. :)Summary of some simple/affordable security actions and ideas:* if someone wants in, they'll probably get in; the goal with security tools is to slow them down and get your attention, so you have enough warning to call for help and hide or prepare to defend yourself, or more ideally, to make breaking in so time-consuming and noisy that a potential burglar has to give up and move on* burglars may use anything around your home to break or climb in, so try to minimize the tools you give them* replace door screws with 3"+ screws* replace strikeplate with security strikeplate* add door reinforcers (metal plates that protect doorknob and deadbolt from kick-ins)* put battery-powered alarms on your windows and doors (you can even get alarms that detect your window being broken)* add screw-on locks or put a charlie bar/1" doweling in your sliding door and window tracks* if your sliding windows and sliding doors can be lifted up and out while they're closed, drive a screw into the upper track to prevent it (google this if you aren't sure)* don't leave boxes for things like giant flatscreen TVs in your curbside recycling, and don't leave your address on similar attention-getting packaging that you're dropping off at a recycling center* don't keep desirable-to-burglars possessions where they're visible to passersby* have some means of protecting yourself in case someone does get in (gel pepper spray is a good place to start looking)I don't believe in being paranoid or lowering your quality of life for "security," especially since the risk of a home invasion is so relatively low. However, we moved into a place that had already had both doors kicked in and I needed to take action to avoid anxiety about it, without going overboard or spending a ton of money. I think these tips are a good compromise, especially since they require so little money. Since I know anyone breaking in will have to make a lot of noise (and if they get in, I'll be waiting), I feel less anxious. I used to worry that someone could already be in the house and I wouldn't even know it. Now I have a bunch of passive systems in place, and a big dog :), so I feel a lot better.

Perfect for any home or apartment! Installation was easy and this lock no matter how hard you try will not budge!