What actually makes a lock a high security lock?
The phrase gets used loosely, so here is how we use it. A high security lock is a cylinder, and the hardware around it, built to resist the quiet ways a lock gets beaten: picking, bumping, drilling, and unauthorized key copying. It is not just a heavier-looking deadbolt. Plenty of shiny, expensive-looking locks use the same basic cylinder you would find in a basic builder-grade set. The difference is inside.
A standard pin tumbler cylinder has loose tolerances and plain pins. A high security cylinder tightens those tolerances and adds features that make manipulation hard. Those features usually include security pins with special shapes, extra locking elements, and a keyway shaped so ordinary blanks do not fit. Many of these systems also use a restricted key, meaning the blank is controlled, so a copy cannot be cut at a hardware store kiosk without authorization.
When people search for high security locks, home security locks, or commercial security locks, they usually mean some mix of these things:
- Pick-resistant locks, where the pin design and tolerances make picking slow, difficult, and unreliable.
- Bump-resistant locks, where the internal design defeats the bump key technique that works on many ordinary cylinders.
- Restricted keyways, where key blanks and duplication are controlled so you decide who can copy your key.
- Drill and tamper resistance, usually through hardened inserts and reinforced cylinder housings.
- Strong deadbolt hardware around the cylinder: solid bolt, reinforced strike, and a door that can hold it.
Why do Glendale homes and buildings ask for them?
Most calls we get about high security lock installation do not start with a break-in. They start with a feeling that the current lock is not good enough. Someone moved into a place and has no idea how many copies of the key are out there. A tenant left and the landlord is not sure who still has a key. A business owner realizes the same key has circulated among too many people for years.
Glendale has a wide mix of door situations. There are older homes with original hardware, condo buildings with shared entry points, storefronts with employees coming and going, and hillside houses where the door itself has aged in the sun. Each one asks a slightly different question of a lock. A high security cylinder answers two of the most common ones: how hard is it to get past the lock without the key, and how hard is it for someone to get a copy of the key.
That second question is the one people forget. A lock that resists picking is only half the story if anyone with a few minutes and a key blank can duplicate your key. Restricted keys close that gap, and for many households and small businesses that is the real security upgrade.
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Call (213) 577-1366Pick-resistant versus bump-resistant: what each one really does
These two terms are often lumped together, but they describe different attacks. Understanding the difference helps you ask for the right thing and avoid paying for features you do not need.
Picking is manipulating the pins one at a time with tools, feeling for the binding pin and setting it. Pick-resistant locks use security pins, such as spool and serrated shapes, that give false feedback and catch when you try to set them. Tighter tolerances also leave less room to work. This does not make a lock impossible to pick, and we will not tell you it does. It makes picking take much longer and demands much more skill, which is the point.
Bumping uses a specially cut key and a sharp strike to jump all the pins at once for a moment. Many ordinary cylinders are vulnerable to it. Bump-resistant designs change how the pins or other elements move so that the energy transfer does not line the cylinder up. Some designs use a secondary locking mechanism or sidebar that has to be satisfied by the correct key, not just by pin height.
Most good high security cylinders deal with both attacks at once. If a product is advertised only as one or the other, ask what it does about the second.
How we handle a high security lock installation, step by step
Whether you call us at midday or in the middle of the night, the process is the same. We want to fit the lock to the door and the situation, not push the most elaborate product on the truck.
- You call (213) 577-1366 and describe the door: front door, unit door, rear entry, storefront, gate. Tell us what is on it now and what prompted the change. If you are not sure, a photo of the door edge and strike side helps.
- We look at the door itself before we talk about locks. Thickness, material, frame condition, strike plate, and how the bolt lines up all decide what hardware makes sense. A strong cylinder in a weak door does not buy you much.
- We recommend a cylinder type and a key control level. That means telling you plainly whether you need a restricted keyway, how many keys you expect to need, and whether you want everything keyed alike on several doors.
- We remove the old hardware and check the bore, latch, and strike. If the door has been drilled badly, has worn holes, or is out of alignment, we correct it or tell you what needs to be done first.
- We install the new cylinder and deadbolt or lockset, cut or issue the keys, and test the bolt throw with the door open, closed, and under normal use. The bolt should move smoothly without forcing.
- We walk you through key handling: where authorized duplicates come from, what the key card or authorization process is for your system, and what to do if a key goes missing. If you want to see the options for extra keys, our key duplication page explains how controlled copying works.
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We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What affects the cost of high security lock replacement?
We do not publish prices on a web page because the honest answer depends on the door, and a number written here would be wrong for half the people reading it. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down so you can judge any quote you receive, ours included.
High security lock installation costs are driven by a handful of factors:
- The cylinder system. Entry-level pick-resistant cylinders are a lighter-cost option than top-tier restricted systems with controlled keyways, and the difference is real in the hardware.
- Key control level. A restricted key system with authorization cards or registration costs more to set up than a standard keyway, because the blanks and the paperwork behind them are controlled.
- Number of doors and keys. Keying several doors alike, or setting up a hierarchy, takes more planning. Often it is the more economical route per door than doing each one separately.
- Door and frame condition. If the door needs boring, reinforcement, or a new strike plate to hold the lock properly, that adds labor and parts.
- Grade of the hardware. Commercial-grade deadbolts and locksets rated to higher standards cost more than residential-grade ones.
- Replacement versus rekeying. Swapping in new high security hardware costs more than rekeying existing quality hardware, but sometimes the old hardware is not worth keeping.
- Timing and location. After-hours calls and longer drives affect the total, and we will tell you how before we start.
Is rekeying enough, or do I need new locks?
Sometimes the lighter-cost route is correct. If your existing deadbolt is a solid, well-made unit, a lock rekey changes which key works without replacing the hardware. That handles the question of who has old keys. It does not upgrade a basic cylinder into a pick-resistant one, though.
If the existing lock is a standard builder-grade cylinder and your concern is picking, bumping, or uncontrolled copies, rekeying alone will not solve it. A high security cylinder is the real fix. If you are also adding a stronger bolt, a deadbolt installation is often combined into the same visit.
We tell people which path makes sense, including when the answer is that they do not need to spend as much as they were considering.
High security locks in Glendale: hillside canyons, revival homes, and condo towers
Glendale is not one kind of door. We serve every ZIP from 91201 through 91208 and 91020, and the right lock changes with the neighborhood. We are about 18 miles from our Westwood storefront, and our mobile vans come to you.
In Rossmoyne and Adams Hill, many homes are 1920s Spanish and Tudor revival houses. Their original front doors are often solid and handsome, and owners want to keep them. That is a good fit for a high security cylinder in the existing bore, or a new deadbolt that does not require cutting up an old door. After a house has changed hands a few times, the number of keys in circulation is anyone's guess, which is the textbook case for a restricted keyway, so that new copies need your authorization. Rekeying these homes is a common starting point, and upgrading to a pick-resistant cylinder is the natural next step.
Up in Chevy Chase Canyon and Glenoaks Canyon, mid-century hillside houses bring a different problem. Santa Ana winds and strong canyon sun dry out wood doors, and a door that has shifted even slightly can make a deadbolt bind. A high security lock is only as good as its bolt throw, so on these homes we check the door alignment and the strike first. Gate and garage lock work on hillside properties is part of the picture too, since a side gate or garage entry is often the weakest point on a canyon house. A weatherproof, tamper-resistant cylinder on those entries matters as much as the front door.
Closer to the dense core south of downtown and near The Americana at Brand and Brand Boulevard, condo and apartment buildings with controlled-access lobbies are common. The lobby handles who gets into the building, but your unit door is the last line. Residents here often ask for a pick-resistant, bump-resistant cylinder on the unit door, ideally with a restricted key so that copies cannot be made casually. If you are ever locked out of a unit, our apartment lockout page covers that separately. Always check your lease or HOA rules before changing a lock; some buildings require a copy of the key or specific hardware.
In Montrose and Sparr Heights, smaller 1920s to 1950s cottages are common, and the doors tend to be modest. For these, the best upgrade is often a good cylinder and a properly reinforced strike plate, not a complete door replacement. Along Honolulu Avenue and Brand Boulevard, storefronts have their own needs, covered in the next section.
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Call (213) 577-1366Commercial security locks and key control for Glendale businesses
For a storefront or office, the key control side of high security matters even more than it does at home. Employees leave, keys get copied, and after a few years nobody can say who has what. A restricted-key cylinder fixes the worst of that, because duplicates require authorization from the account holder.
Commercial security locks also differ from residential ones in the hardware around the cylinder. Doors that open and close dozens of times a day need hardware built for that duty, and a front door that doubles as a fire exit has code requirements for how it releases. We will talk through those with you before choosing a lock, not after.
If you have several doors, a master key system can combine high security cylinders with a hierarchy: one key for each employee's areas, a master for management, and restricted blanks throughout. It takes careful planning at the start, but it is cleaner than a drawer full of unmarked keys. For the broader picture of business door work, see our commercial locksmith page.
What a high security lock can and cannot do
We would rather you hear this from us than learn it later. No lock is unbreakable. A determined person with time, tools, and no concern for noise can get through almost any door. What a high security lock does is raise the effort, time, and skill required, and remove the quick, quiet methods that account for much of the lock-based entry people worry about.
A strong cylinder will not help if the door is hollow and thin, the frame is cracked, or the strike plate is held by short screws into soft wood. It also will not help if the key is left under a mat or copied freely. The cylinder is one part of a system that includes the door, the frame, the strike, the key policy, and your habits.
If you are considering electronic options, a smart lock installation may be the right fit, but be aware that electronic convenience and mechanical pick resistance are separate questions. We can talk through which matters more for your door.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for high security locks?
We have been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. That long history means we have seen a lot of doors, including the strange ones.
A few things are worth knowing about how we work:
- One company, no dispatch middleman. When you call (213) 577-1366, you reach us, not a call center that sells your job to whoever is nearest.
- A real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile service vans that come to your door.
- David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
- We answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year, so a question about your door does not have to wait for business hours. For true urgencies, our emergency locksmith page explains how we handle them.
- We tell you when a cheaper fix is enough, and when a lock will not solve a door problem.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366One more thing: ask any locksmith for their license
California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, known as a BSIS LCO license. Whoever you hire for high security work, ask for their license number and check it with the state. Because you are giving someone control of your keys and your door, it is a fair question and a good habit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a regular deadbolt and a high security lock?
A regular deadbolt usually has a standard cylinder with loose tolerances and plain pins, so it can often be picked or bumped fairly quickly. A high security lock uses a tighter cylinder, security pins, and often a restricted key that cannot be freely copied. The bolt and strike around the cylinder matter too.
Are high security locks really pick-proof?
No, and anyone who says so is overselling. Pick-resistant locks are designed to make picking slow, difficult, and unreliable, which discourages most attempts. They raise the effort required rather than making entry impossible, which is why door strength and key control matter alongside the cylinder.
Can you make my existing lock bump-resistant?
Usually not by modifying it. Bump resistance comes from the internal design of the cylinder, so the practical fix is replacing the cylinder with a bump-resistant one. If the rest of the deadbolt is solid, we can often swap just the cylinder instead of the whole lock.
What is a restricted key, and why would I want one?
A restricted key uses a blank that is controlled by the manufacturer or an authorized dealer, so copies need your authorization. That stops a neighbor, former tenant, or ex-employee from simply duplicating a key. It is often the most useful part of a high security upgrade.
Will high security locks fit my older Glendale home's door?
In most cases yes. Many 1920s revival homes in areas like Rossmoyne and Adams Hill have doors that accept modern cylinders and deadbolts, sometimes with small adjustments. We check the door thickness, the bore, and the frame before recommending anything, so we do not cut up a door you want to keep.
Do I need permission to change locks in my condo or rental?
Often, yes. Many condo buildings and landlords require approval, a spare key on file, or specific hardware. Check your lease or HOA rules first. If you own the unit and the building allows it, we can install a high security cylinder on your unit door.
Do high security locks work on gates and garage doors?
Yes, where the hardware accepts a standard-format cylinder, and weather exposure should be part of the choice. Hillside properties often have gate and garage entries that are overlooked. Tell us what the gate latch or garage entry lock looks like, and we will advise on a suitable replacement.
How do I get extra keys for a restricted system?
Restricted keys are copied only through authorized channels, usually by you or someone you have approved. We explain the process for your specific system at installation, and what to do if a key is lost. That control is the purpose of the system, so it is a little slower than a hardware-store copy.
Can you do high security locks in the middle of the night?
We answer the phone at (213) 577-1366 around the clock, every day of the year. If you have an urgent security concern, call and we will talk through the safest next step. For non-urgent upgrades, many people book during the day so they can discuss options without pressure.
More locksmith help in Glendale
High Security Locks near Glendale
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.