What makes a lock 'high security' and what doesn't?
A lock is not high security because the box says so. In our trade the term means the cylinder, the part your key turns, has been built to resist the things that actually defeat ordinary locks: picking, bumping, drilling, and unauthorized key copying. The finish and the brand name are secondary.
A standard pin-tumbler cylinder, the kind on most off-the-shelf replacement hardware, has simple pins and an open keyway. A high security cylinder uses tighter tolerances and specially shaped security pins that snag when someone tries to pick them. It often has hardened inserts that resist drilling and a patented or restricted keyway, so the key blanks are not sold over the counter. Some designs add a second locking element, such as a sidebar, that a pick or bump key can't easily reach.
The phrase covers both home security locks and commercial security locks. The core mechanism is related, but the hardware around it and the key control behind it differ. We'll explain what applies to your door. Here is what the terms mean in practice:
- Pick-resistant locks: security pins and extra locking elements make manipulation slow, difficult, and easy to get wrong.
- Bump-resistant locks: internal designs that don't pass a bump key's impact to the pins the way a plain pin stack does.
- Drill-resistant construction: hardened steel inserts placed where a drill bit would go.
- Restricted keys: key blanks that only authorized dealers can obtain, usually with registration or an authorization card.
- Rated hardware: look for ANSI/BHMA grades on the lockset body, where Grade 1 is the most demanding. Some cylinders are also tested to UL standards for picking and drilling resistance.
Why do La Puente homes often need more than the original lockset?
Much of La Puente is single-story stucco tract housing from the 1950s, built during the postwar subdivision boom on modest lots, frequently with a detached garage out back. Many of those homes still carry a lockset that is decades old, or a replacement bought off a hardware-store rack during some past remodel. Worn cylinders have loose tolerances, which makes them easier to manipulate and harder on the key. If your key has to be jiggled to turn, it's time to talk about lock replacement.
Owner occupancy is high here and many households are multigenerational. That's good for a neighborhood and hard on key control. Over the years one front-door key turns into a dozen copies: grandparents, adult children, a cousin, a neighbor who watched the dog. A restricted-keyway cylinder solves something an ordinary rekey does not. A rekey resets which keys work today. A restricted system controls who can make more keys tomorrow.
Security screen doors are a common retrofit on these homes, and they're worth having. But a screen door is a second barrier, not a substitute for a good cylinder behind it. The door itself matters too. Wood doors on postwar tract homes swell and shrink with the seasons, and that movement can push a bolt out of line with its strike. A high security deadbolt that binds is one people stop locking, which defeats the purpose. We check how the door fits before we recommend any hardware.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366How do we install high security locks, step by step?
High security lock installation is more than swapping a cylinder. Here is how a typical visit goes, whether it's a front door on a tract home or a back office door.
- You call (213) 577-1366, at any hour. We ask about the door (wood, metal, or glass), what's on it now, how many people need keys, and what prompted the call: a break-in, a former tenant, a lost key, or simply an old lock.
- One of our mobile vans comes to your address. We inspect the door, frame, strike plate, and existing hardware before recommending anything. We look for worn bolts, short strike screws, a split frame, and misalignment.
- We explain the options in plain terms: a pick-resistant cylinder in your existing lockset, a full high security deadbolt, or a matched set with restricted keys. You hear the cost for your door before we start work.
- We remove the old hardware and install the new lock, driving long screws into the framing and fitting a reinforced strike where the frame needs it.
- We test the bolt through its full throw with the door open and closed, and test every key we cut.
- We go over key control with you: how restricted keys are ordered, who is allowed to request copies, and where any registration or authorization card should be kept.
- We finish with a short walk-through of the door, pointing out anything still weak that the lock alone can't fix, such as hinges, a glass panel near the handle, or a gap at the frame.
What can a high security lock not fix?
We'd rather tell you now than leave you with false confidence. No lock is pick-proof or bump-proof. These cylinders raise the time, skill, and tools needed to defeat them, and they make your door a poor choice compared with easier ones. They don't make a weak door strong.
A hardened cylinder in a hollow door with a thin frame is like a vault lock on a screen. If the strike is held by short screws, or the jamb is already cracked, force will beat the door before the cylinder is ever tested. Hinge-side weaknesses and glass within arm's reach of the thumb-turn are the other common culprits. We'll point these out and, where it makes sense, reinforce them as part of the job.
If all you need is a solid new bolt and not a restricted system, that is a lighter job. Our deadbolt installation work covers it, and we'll tell you honestly if that's enough for your door.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Pick-resistant, bump-resistant, or restricted key: which do you need?
Most customers think they need one of these when they really want a cylinder that does all three. A good high security cylinder usually bundles them. The real decision is how far you want to go on key control.
A restricted system also changes how key duplication works. Copies require authorization, so plan for that before you hand out keys to family members or staff.
- Pick-resistant locks suit every exterior door. If your home or business holds valuables, tools, records, or equipment, this is the baseline.
- Bump-resistant locks matter most on doors that are easy to approach unseen, such as back doors, side gates, and alley-facing entries.
- Restricted keys matter when many people hold keys or have held them: multigenerational households, rental properties with turnover, and shops with staff changes.
- Keyed-alike sets let one key open several doors of the same system, which suits a house with front, back, and garage side doors.
How much do high security locks cost in La Puente?
We don't print numbers on a web page because the range from one door to the next is wide, and a figure out of context would mislead you. You will hear a firm cost for your door before we start work. These are the things that move it:
Usually the more economical route is to upgrade only the doors that matter, typically the front, back, and garage side door, and leave interior doors alone. Another lighter-cost option is to replace just the cylinders and keep a lockset body that is sound and properly graded.
- The cylinder system: a pick-resistant cylinder from a mainstream line costs differently than a patented restricted-keyway system with registered keys.
- The number of doors, and whether you want them keyed alike.
- How many keys you need, and how strict the key control should be.
- The condition of the door and frame: reinforcement, a new strike, or frame repair adds work.
- The grade of the lockset around the cylinder.
- Special-order versus readily available parts. Restricted systems can take longer to arrive.
- Timing and distance: scheduled visits versus after-hours calls, and travel. La Puente is about 29 miles from our Westwood base.
What about commercial security locks on Hacienda Boulevard, Amar Road, and in Old Town?
Commercial security locks start from the same cylinder technology, but the problems differ: more keys in more hands, doors used all day, and landlord or lease rules that sometimes dictate hardware. Commercial lock work along the Hacienda Boulevard and Amar Road corridors, and storefront lock service in the Old Town La Puente business district, is the kind of job where key control matters as much as the lock.
A restricted key means a departing employee can't walk into a hardware store and make a copy. Rekeying a high security cylinder is also usually less work than replacing every lock in the building. Back doors, stock rooms, and cash or records offices are the usual places to start.
For the wider picture on business hardware, see our commercial locksmith services. If you need managers to open everything while staff open only some doors, that is a master key system, and we build it on a high security cylinder when the building calls for it. Apartment stock in La Puente is limited and concentrated near the major corridors, so landlords there with frequent turnover often benefit from restricted keys too.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Where do high security locks make the most sense around La Puente?
The streets around the La Puente Park area follow the classic 1950s tract layout: single-story stucco homes, modest lots, and detached garages. Replacing worn original locksets on postwar homes is routine work here. Our usual recommendation for a house like this is a pick-resistant, bump-resistant deadbolt on the front door and a matching one on the back door and the garage's side door, keyed alike if you want one key for all three.
In Old Town La Puente, the concern is storefront doors and back entries off the alley. Along the Hacienda Boulevard and Amar Road corridors, it is small offices, shops, and the limited apartment buildings near those streets, where shared doors and tenant turnover make key control the main question.
Properties in the Valinda and Bassett border areas, just outside city limits, are close by. Tell us the address when you call and we'll confirm coverage. Whether your address falls in 91744 or 91746, the process is the same: inspect the door, explain the options, install, test, and go over key control.
Local climate helps in one way. The eastern San Gabriel Valley has hot, dry summers and mild winters with no coastal salt air, so finish choice is mostly about appearance and sun exposure. Seasonal expansion of wood doors is the real practical factor, and we check for it every time.
If you are locked out before you even get to the upgrade, that is a house lockout call first. Many people ask us about better locks right after we get them back inside.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for high security locks?
We've been in business since 1987, with a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile service vans that cover 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. When you call (213) 577-1366, one company answers, around the clock and every day of the year. There is no dispatch middleman reselling your call to someone you've never heard of. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS locksmith company (LCO) license. Ask any locksmith for that number before work begins, including us. A real company will have no trouble giving it to you.
You can see the full range of what we do for the area on our La Puente locksmith page. If you aren't sure what your door needs, call and describe it. We'll tell you plainly whether you need a high security upgrade or something simpler.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a high security lock and a regular deadbolt?
A regular deadbolt mostly resists force. A high security lock also resists picking, bumping, and drilling through its cylinder design, and it often uses a restricted key that can't be freely copied. The bolt and the door around it still matter, so we look at both.
Are high security locks pick-proof or bump-proof?
No lock is. High security cylinders make picking and bumping much harder, slower, and more skill-dependent, but a determined attacker with time and tools can still defeat any lock. The goal is to make your door a poor target. We'll be honest about the limits of whatever we install.
Can you install high security locks on my existing doors?
Usually yes. Most standard door preparations accept a high security deadbolt or cylinder. We inspect the door and frame first. If the door is hollow, split, or the frame can't hold screws, we'll tell you what needs reinforcing so the new lock does real work.
How do I get extra keys for a restricted key system?
Copies are made only by authorized dealers, and usually require the registered owner or a key card. That is the point of the system. We explain the process when we install the lock, so you know who in your household or business can authorize new keys.
Can all the doors on my house use the same high security key?
Yes, in most cases. Front, back, and garage side doors can be keyed alike within the same system, so you carry one key. We'll tell you if a particular door's hardware doesn't allow it.
Will high security locks work with my security screen door?
Yes. The screen door is a separate barrier with its own lock, and the high security lock goes on the main door behind it. We make sure the two don't interfere with each other, and that the main door's fit isn't affected by the seasonal movement of an older wood door.
Do you handle high security locks for shops in Old Town La Puente?
Yes. We handle storefront, back-door, and office locks for businesses, including restricted keys for staff turnover. Tell us about the doors and how many people hold keys, and we'll recommend a setup.
Should I rekey my locks instead of replacing them with high security ones?
It depends on the lock. If your current cylinders are sound and the problem is simply who has keys, a rekey is often the more economical route. If they're worn or you want to stop unauthorized copying, a high security cylinder is worth the upgrade. We'll look at yours and say which.
Can I call you after hours to install high security locks?
Yes. Our phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Emergencies come first, and non-urgent upgrades can also be scheduled for a time that suits you.
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High Security Locks near La Puente
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.