There may be few certainties in life, but having a decent lock at least ensures that the sanctity of your home remains one of the few. Whether you place your trust in mechanical systems built with tight tolerances or electronic locks that enable you to leave your keys at home, we are certain that you will find a dependable lock from the following list.
Image Credit: Bonco
Hong Kong-based Bonco Hardware started out as an iron foundry that now manufacturers a wide range of door fittings as well as bathroom accessories. The pictured handle locks from Bonco can be made with a chrome, nickel, or brass finish to suit classical entrances or to imbue a modern foyer with an element of metallic elegance.
Image Credit: Fuda
Fuda Industries has been securing our doors and grilles since the 1980s, and the Fuda lever and mortise lock is an affordable and durable mechanism that many will find oddly familiar. The 152mm-long faceplate of the Fuda 2825 Mortise Door lock fits most (non uPVC or aluminium) internal doors with mortices (cavities) cut to the British standard, the keyhole is restricted to prevent attempts at manipulating the pins, and the internal mechanism is reinforced with wards to prevent the opening of the lock without the correct key.
Image Credit: Igloohome
Founded relatively recently by a former SingTel data scientist, Igloohome is a disruptive presence in the field of locks. Their electronic door locks operate completely offline in order to prevent break-ins facilitated over WiFi networks, utilising Bluetooth keys and temporary numerical codes, in addition to traditional physical keys as a backup instead. The added security is a boon to owners of short-stay properties, leading to a close association with AirBnB.
Image Credit: Digital Biometrics
The largest of South Korea’s chaebol integrates their experience in biometric solutions with the ubiquitous lock and lever set to provide us with an electronic door lock that includes a fingerprint reader. Like many of Samsung’s other door locks, the H705 also enables the use of a numerical code in unlocking it – with randomly-generated padding numbers thrown in to prevent any attempts at discerning the access code from visible fingerprints.
Image Credit: Assa Abloy
Established in 1996 by Malaysian lock manufacturers Teamware Hardware (before their acquisition by the rapidly growing giant that is Assa Abloy), St. Guchi is still one of the most familiar and tacitly trusted security brands for europhilic Malaysians. The critical component of the pictured lever and lock set is the mortice lock, with its four individual bolts designed to confound attempts at sawing and a 240mm-long faceplace of Italian standard in order to prevent access to the internal lock mechanisms.
* Brands are listed alphabetically
