On most days, you will realize that you interact with a lock or locks at home, the office, or any other facility. Locks are essential because they help secure spaces that could be either residential or commercial and other material possessions such as cars.
There are various types of locks. They differ in terms of functionality and size, among other reasons. Knowing the different types of locks is recommended before settling on one for your facility.
Here is a list of the different kinds of locks.
Knob Locks
Knob locks are standard and recommendable for internal doors. However, you can occasionally find them on external doors, which is dangerous due to limited security.
The limited security is because the lock cylinder is on the knob, not the door. The situation makes it easy for anyone to break into a facility by breaking the knob lock.
Mortise Locks
Mortise locks are known to be robust and hence used in commercial doors but also used on apartment doors. They work best for internal and external doors since their internal system is well put together to form a lockset.
A mortise lock comprises detailed hardware mounted on a door and held together by well-put screws. The cam makes it possible for the hardware to operate as intended.
Deadbolt Locks
Deadbolt locks are solid and reliable; hence majorly used on external doors. The locks exist in three types single, double and lockable thumb turn.
Single deadbolt locks have a key cylinder on the inside and a thumb turn on the outside. A thumb turn makes it easy to open or close a door.
Double deadbeat locks have the key cylinder on two sides. As a result, users have to use keys to open and lock a door inside and outside.
Lockable thumb turn locks are hybrids of single and double deadbolt locks. It has a key cylinder and thumb turn, which is lockable using a key, unlike the single deadbolt.
Cam Locks
You will mostly find cam locks on office cabinets, work desks, and mailboxes. They are primarily cylindrical, but the length varies on the type of cam lock you get.
The locking mechanism involves a cam, and one has to rotate the key clockwise or anticlockwise to unlock a cam lock.
A cam lock is one of the good options for securing confidential documents and belongings in an office setup or your room.
Padlocks
A padlock is an independent lock meaning it isn’t attached to anything. You can easily identify a padlock because of its portable nature. Padlocks vary in size and exist in two types; keyed and combination.
Combination locks require one to dial the correct numbers to open, while keyed padlocks need keys to open and close.
Smart Locks
Smart locks emerged as a result of technological advancements. Some smart locks have a keypad and even a keyhole.
The most exciting bit is you can lock and unlock a smart lock using an authorized device. For example, the approved device could be your smartphone or a key fob.
Wrapping Up
The article reviews the types of locks you may find in the market. From the descriptions, you can identify the lock that will be suitable for you.