What to Consider When Choosing the Best Combination Locks?

While some people prefer carrying their lock’s key, most people who have trouble keeping track of a key throughout the day or simply don’t want to guard a tiny key everywhere they go, prefer using combination locks instead. 

Combination locks work similarly to how a regular lock does. You click it in place and it will stay put until you, the owner of the lock, come back to unlock it! The only difference is that instead of needing a key to unlock it, you’ll have to remember the right combination. The combination is set by you when you first buy the lock. It’s either a series of numbers or symbols in the right order and without entering them in the correct order, the lock cannot be opened. This is somewhat of an added security layer because someone could steal your key and make a spare, but they can’t read your mind and get the code! However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when choosing a combination lock to make sure you get the right one for your needs!

The Type of Combination Lock

The first thing you need to consider is which type of combination lock do you need. There are 2 main types of combination locks, Multiple dial locks, and Single dial locks.

Multiple dials locks are usually considered less secure because they can be easily opened up by taking advantage of the irregularities in the mechanism of the lock itself, however, these are the most inexpensive type of locks available in the market, making them super popular.

On the other hand, single dial locks are a lot more secure and the dial needs to be rotated back and forth to dial the right combination. This means that it takes a lot of effort to even attempt to break into them and if someone isn’t familiar with how they work, it would be pretty much impossible for them! Making them a lot more secure and the mechanism itself is not flimsy either. These are the slightly more expensive type of combination locks. 

The Items You Need to Secure 

The type of combination lock you end up going for, is also related to what you need the lock for! If you’re simply trying to secure a school bag or a bicycle, a multiple dial lock would be just fine. For more important things like securing valuables or gates, you would want to make sure you get something that’s on the more secure side, so a single dial combination lock would be a better idea!

The Size 

You could get the strongest and the most secure lock out there, but it would end up being useless to you if it doesn’t fit! Combination locks come in all different types of shapes and sizes so you need to consider the space it’s going to be used in and pick the one that would fit perfectly! 

Extra Anti Theft Features 

If you’re getting a combination lock to protect something super valuable, or to secure an important premise, you might want to invest in a combination lock that has extra anti theft features like fingerprint scanners or an app that sends a notification everytime the lock is unlocked! These can help make you feel a lot more at ease even when you’re not around to physically keep an eye on the lock itself!

It’s possible that even with all of the things we’ve mentioned, you just can’t choose the right combination lock. Believe it or not, this is a pretty common problem! The easiest solution is to go to a Chicago Locksmith or any of the highly recommended locksmiths in your area and tell them what your requirements are and they’ll be able to recommend which one would be the perfect combination lock for you!