Best and Worst Door Locks – Consumer Reports

Most burglaries involve criminals forcibly entering your home, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics—and that includes coming through your front door. But even if you’re diligent about locking up, you need a good deadbolt to thwart thieves.

That’s why CR engineers conduct kick-in tests using a custom-built jig that swings a 100-pound steel battering ram against a locked door. They repeat the test eight times, with the ram raised to increasing heights—or until the lock fails.

“In our brute-force kick tests, the cause of failure is more often than not the short screws used to attach the strike plate to the door frame,” says Misha Kollontai, CR’s test engineer for door locks. “When this is the cause, replacing the included strike plate with a reinforced strike, which costs as little as $10, improves the lock’s resistance to kicking by magnitudes.”

After putting dozens of locks to the test, we’ve selected six of the best from our door lock ratings. The list has models from Bosma, Eufy, Kwikset, Medeco, Schlage, and Yale. We’ve also included four models to skip that performed poorly in our physical challenges and/or our tests specific to smart locks. CR members can click on each model name for detailed ratings and reviews. (And if you’re worried about thieves breaking in through windows, see our home security system ratings.)

To learn more about our door lock tests, check out our door lock buying guide. And for more door lock options, see our complete door lock ratings of over 100 models.