Features, style, cost, and safety are all important when choosing the right locks for your building or facility. Keep reading Vizilok’s buyer’s guide for tips on how to choose your commercial entrance door locks.
Consideration #1: Entrance Lock Features
What features are available for entrance locks? When shopping for an entrance lock, most people look for durable, high-quality, and long-lasting products that look nice and won’t cost them an arm and a leg.
Here are some features most entrance door locks have that are important to keep in mind:
- Full length lever handle
- Vandal-resistant locking mechanism (outside lever rotates so vandals can’t break the lever to gain access)
- Concealed mounting screw
- Stainless steel latch bolt and faceplate
- Two modes of locking: push button and key, push and turn locking button
- Reversible (fits doors that open to the right or left)
- Fire tested (product will have a “fire rating” in its description)
- Cycle tested to withstand heavy traffic
- Fits different types of doors with varying thickness
Consideration #2: Entrance Lock Lever Style
There are many kinds of entrance door lock levers available, including the sharper edge “Elan” style, more curved “Sparta” style, and fancy “Flair” style you see used more on residential homes than commercial buildings.
When it comes to accessibility and appearance, one of the most classic looks is the half-moon “Sparta” style lever due to its sleek appearance and ease-of-use. Choosing a lock with a classic appearance like a “Sparta” style lock can be a smart approach. The most popular styles will be offered by many different brands and manufacturers. This will allow you to shop for different brand options on the market to find one that is right for you. And in the instance that you need to replace a door lock, you won’t have to worry about tracking down an exact brand to get a replacement or run the risk that an unpopular style was discontinued. You’ll be able to find a match more easily than if you chose a unique style offered by only one brand.
Consideration #3: Entrance Lock Safety
With any lock, you’ll want to think about the level of safety it offers for your customers and employees. Is it heavy duty? Is it built to withstand heavy traffic? Does it have a vandal-resistant design? Make sure safety features are on your list when you’re thinking about purchasing door locks for your building or facility.
Consideration #4: Entrance Lock Cost
With any type of product, there will be manufacturers known for always having top quality components and engineering, and other manufacturers that cut corners on materials and engineering to offer a budget product to the market. While a product’s price is usually somewhat of an indicator of quality and durability, that isn’t always the case. Some door lock manufacturers design lever styles that aren’t available anywhere else, and they usually charge a premium for these designs. Another cost consideration is whether you can buy a product directly from the manufacturer. Buying direct from a manufacturer can sometimes eliminate unnecessary markups added in the distribution and retail channels.
We can go back to the example of the classic “Sparta” half-moon style lock to help identify and understand reasons for price variations. You’ll see products on the market that cost upwards of $200 for this style of lock, but Vizilok offers this same style for a fraction of the cost without sacrificing quality or features. The reason we are able to do this is because we are a manufacturer who sells direct to end users, leaving out the markup from distribution and retail.
Summary and Key Points to Consider
- Budget products purchased at retail are likely to have lower quality components and engineering.
- Reasonably priced products purchased direct from a manufacturer are likely to have equivalent quality components and engineering as name brand products at retail and are the best bet for saving money.
- Higher cost products from big name brands are likely to have high quality components and engineering but include significant markup and may feature styles that are hard to match when you need a replacement.
Vizilok Offers Affordable, Safe, and High-Quality Commercial Entrance Locks
Vizilok’s commercial entrance locks are a great solution for commercial properties and office buildings. These locks are built to last with heavy duty construction that will stand up to rugged use while also adding greater privacy and security for private offices. The best part? Vizilok’s entrance locks are a fraction of the cost of big-name brands, while still offering all the important features business owners and facility managers are looking for.
See our current offers on entrance locks here
If you are looking for entrance locks:
- Ask for Vizilok from your door hardware supplier by name...
- Or just order Vizilok direct...
- You will save time and money...
- And you will get an amazing entrance lock your customers and employees will love!
