What makes a lock high security?
Most locks sold off a hardware-store shelf are built to hit a price point. They keep honest people honest, and they do that job fine. A high security lock is built for a different job: slowing down someone who is actually trying to get in, and keeping control over who can make a copy of your key. When people ask us for a high security locksmith, they usually mean some mix of the following.
The word 'high security' gets used loosely in advertising, so it helps to know what you are really buying. A real high security cylinder does at least one of these things well, and the better ones do several.
- Pick resistance: tighter manufacturing tolerances and security pins (spool, serrated and similar shapes) that make the pins bind and false-set instead of lining up cleanly. Some designs add a second locking element, such as a sidebar, so lining up the pins alone does not open the lock.
- Bump resistance: a bump key works by transferring a quick shock through the pins of an ordinary cylinder. Bump-resistant locks use pin designs and extra locking elements that interrupt that trick. If you are shopping for bump-resistant locks, this is the feature to ask about directly.
- Key control: restricted keyways and protected key blanks, so a copy can only be cut with authorization. This is the part most people overlook, and it is often what you are really paying for.
- Drill and force resistance: hardened steel inserts and guard pieces around the parts a drill or pry tool would go after.
Why would a Sylmar homeowner upgrade to high security locks?
The reasons we hear are rarely dramatic. A family buys a house and has no idea how many copies of the old keys are floating around, from previous owners, contractors, relatives and tenants. A landlord gets a property back after a long tenancy. Someone has a detached garage or workshop at the back of a long driveway and wants the door nobody can see from the street to be the hardest one to defeat. Someone else is simply tired of keys that any copy kiosk will duplicate for anyone who walks up.
Sylmar's housing makes that last point real. Much of the area is postwar through 1980s tract homes, and the original builder-grade hardware on a house that age has often been through several owners and several rounds of key copying. Standard cylinders from that era were not designed with picking or bumping in mind, and the key itself was never controlled. Replacing the cylinder with a pick-resistant, restricted-key model fixes both problems in one visit.
We are not going to tell you that every door needs this. A hall closet does not. But the front door, the door from the garage into the house, the back door, and any outbuilding with tools or equipment in it are worth a conversation.
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Call (213) 577-1366How do we install high security locks, step by step?
High security lock installation is not just swapping a cylinder. The lock is only as strong as the door and frame it sits in, so we start by looking at the whole setup. Here is how a typical visit goes.
- You call (213) 577-1366 and talk to a person about what you have: which doors, what kind of locks are on them now, and what worries you. Tell us if you have had a break-in, lost keys, or just moved in. That changes what we recommend.
- We come to you in a mobile van, or you stop by our storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood if you would rather bring a lock in. On site, we check the door itself: material, thickness, whether it has warped, and how the bolt lines up with the strike.
- We inspect the frame and strike plate. A pick-resistant cylinder on a door with a short strike screw and a soft jamb is a weak spot, so we tell you honestly if the frame needs reinforcement.
- We go over options with you: a high security cylinder in your existing lockset, a full deadbolt and lockset replacement, or a new deadbolt where there is none. We explain the keyway and key control level for each in plain terms.
- We install the hardware, check the bolt throw, and test it with the door open and closed. A lock that binds when the door swells in summer heat is a lock people stop using, so smooth operation matters as much as strength.
- We cut and test your keys, explain how the key control works (who can order more, and how), and hand over everything. If you want several doors keyed alike so you carry one key, we set that up now rather than later.
Should I replace the whole lock or just upgrade the cylinder?
Often the lockset body is fine and only the cylinder, the part with the keyway and pins, needs to change. Swapping in a high security cylinder is the more economical route when the deadbolt itself is solid and sized correctly. If the existing hardware is worn, loose, or a poor fit for the door, a full lock replacement makes more sense and gives you a clean starting point.
If a door has no deadbolt at all, or only a spring latch, adding one is a separate job, and you can read about it on our deadbolt installation page. We usually pair the two: a properly installed deadbolt with a pick-resistant, bump-resistant cylinder in it.
People also ask whether plain rekeying is enough. Rekeying changes the pins so old keys stop working, which is a good, lighter-cost step after a move-in. But if the cylinder underneath is a basic one, a rekeyed lock is still a basic lock that can be picked or bumped. Rekeying fixes who has keys. High security hardware fixes how hard the lock is to defeat and who can copy the new keys.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
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 quote numbers on a web page because two doors that look the same can be very different jobs. What we can tell you is what moves the price, so nothing on your estimate comes as a surprise.
- The grade and type of cylinder. A pick-resistant cylinder with restricted keys costs more than a standard one, and designs with extra locking elements or patent protection sit higher still.
- Key control level. Restricted keyways with authorization requirements cost more to set up than a standard keyway, and extra keys cost more as well.
- How many doors you are doing. Keying several doors alike, or setting up a small system, changes both the hardware and the labor.
- Condition of the door and frame. A warped door, a cracked jamb or a missing strike reinforcement adds work, and we point that out before we start.
- New deadbolt versus cylinder swap. Replacing just the cylinder is generally the lighter-cost job, while a full deadbolt and lockset is more hardware and more labor.
- Whether the job is planned or urgent. A scheduled visit during the day is simpler than a late-night call after a break-in. We are available 24 hours a day, but after-hours work can be priced differently, and we tell you before we start.
- Distance. Sylmar is about 24 miles from our Westwood storefront, and travel is part of how a mobile job is priced.
Home security locks versus commercial security locks
This page is mainly about homes, but the same technology is used on shops, offices and workshops. Commercial security locks tend to add a few concerns: many employees needing keys, a need to track and restrict copies, and doors that open and close hundreds of times a day. Wear matters more, and so does the hardware the lock sits in.
If you run a business or need a coordinated set of keys across several doors, our commercial locksmith page covers that side of the work, including how restricted key systems are laid out. For the rest of this page, we stay with residential doors and the small outbuildings that go with them.
What does high security look like around Sylmar?
Sylmar is a big, varied area, and the right lock depends on where you live in it. Here is how it tends to play out across the ZIP code, 91342, based on the kinds of properties we see.
In the tract neighborhoods around Los Angeles Mission College, rekeying after a move-in is a common call. The next question we hear is whether the buyer should go further and put pick-resistant, bump-resistant cylinders on the front and garage-entry doors, since the builder-grade locks are decades old and the key history is unknown. That is a reasonable thing to do on a house you plan to keep, and it is often done at the same visit as the rekey.
Along the Foothill Boulevard corridor, there are newer gated townhome and small-lot developments. The gate may be someone else's business, but your own front door is yours. In those communities, a restricted-key cylinder is useful because it limits who can have a copy made. Association rules sometimes affect what hardware you can change on exterior doors, so check yours first and we will work within it.
Out toward the foothill edges, including the parts near Kagel Canyon and Lopez Canyon, larger parcels are common, some with horse-keeping, long driveways, detached garages and perimeter gates. Those properties have more doors out of sight of the house: barns, tack rooms, garages, workshops. A lock that is hard to pick matters more when nobody is watching the door. For gates and padlocks, our gate lock repair page covers that work.
Climate matters too. Summers in this northern corner of the Valley run very hot, which can warp wood doors and loosen weatherstripping. A bolt that lines up in March can bind in August, and a lock that binds is one people leave unlocked. We check alignment and adjust the strike as part of installation. The strong Santa Ana winds that funnel through Newhall Pass and the foothill canyons also drive dust into outdoor padlocks and gate locks. For exposed hardware, we recommend weather-resistant models, and we tell you plainly that dust and grit will need occasional cleaning and dry lubrication.
Mobile home parks are another part of Sylmar. Mobile home doors are often thinner and lighter than standard house doors, and the stock locks are basic. A high security cylinder helps, but the door and frame limit how much protection any lock can add. We will tell you what is realistic for your door instead of selling you hardware it can't support.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What high security locks will not do
Honesty matters here, because this is a product category full of overstatement. No lock is unpickable, and no lock is a substitute for a solid door. A skilled, determined person with time and tools can defeat nearly anything. High security hardware raises the effort, the time and the noise required, and for most real-world situations that is what makes the difference.
Weak points we check around any high security lock include the door material, hinge screws, strike plate screws, glass near the handle, and gaps between door and frame. If one of those is the easy way in, a better cylinder will not help. We tell you so, and we would rather fix that than sell you an upgrade that sits on a weak door.
Smart locks are a separate question. Some people want keypad or app control instead of, or alongside, a restricted-key cylinder. If that sounds like you, see our smart lock installation page. Keep in mind that a keyed backup on a smart lock is still a cylinder, so its quality matters too.
One more practical point: a restricted key cannot be copied at a typical copy kiosk, which is the point. It also means you should plan your key count before we leave. Extra keys require the authorization process, so it is easier to order what you need up front. Our key duplication page explains how regular duplication differs.
Finally, check any locksmith you hire. California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, called a BSIS LCO license. Ask for the license number and look it up. A legitimate company will give it to you without friction.
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, Sylmar included. We run a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so you can either bring hardware in or have us come to you. It is one company. When you call, you are not routed through a dispatch middleman who sends whoever is available. David, our owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
The phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. High security work is usually planned, so most jobs are daytime appointments, but if you have just had a break-in or lost a set of keys, you can reach us at any hour and our 24-hour locksmith service is there for that. Some of our best advice is to wait a day and do the job properly rather than rush a bad choice at midnight. We tell you which situation you are in.
If you are not sure what you need, call and describe the door. We will say what we would do, and why, and you can decide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pick-resistant and bump-resistant locks?
Pick-resistant locks use security pins and tight tolerances so that manipulating the pins with picks is difficult. Bump-resistant locks are designed to defeat the bump-key method, where a shock is transferred through the pins. Good high security cylinders do both, and many add a second locking element on top. We explain which features a specific cylinder has before you buy it.
Can any high security lock be picked?
With enough time, skill and tools, almost any lock can be defeated, and we won't say otherwise. High security locks make it much harder, slower and noisier. Combined with a solid door, reinforced frame and good strike plate, they raise the effort a lot more than a standard builder-grade lock does.
Will a restricted key stop someone from copying my key?
It makes copying much harder. Restricted keyways use protected key blanks, so ordinary copy shops can't cut them. Extra keys go through an authorization process. This is also why we recommend deciding how many keys you need during the installation visit, rather than afterward.
Can you upgrade just the cylinder, or do I need new locks?
Often the cylinder alone can be swapped if your existing deadbolt is in good condition and the right size. If the hardware is worn, loose or poorly fitted, a full replacement is better. We look at the door and tell you honestly which route is the more economical one for your situation.
Do you install high security locks on mobile homes in Sylmar?
Yes. We can install high security cylinders on mobile home doors. Those doors are often lighter than standard house doors, so we check the door and frame and tell you what the hardware can realistically add. Sometimes the answer includes reinforcing the strike area as well.
How much do high security locks cost in Sylmar?
We don't quote prices online, because the cost depends on the cylinder type, the key control level, how many doors you are doing, the condition of the door and frame, and whether the job is scheduled or urgent. Call (213) 577-1366, describe what you have, and we will walk through what drives the estimate.
Are high security locks worth it on a gate or padlock for a horse property?
Often yes, especially on out-of-sight doors and gates, but the environment matters. Dust from the Santa Ana winds gets into exposed hardware, so we recommend weather-resistant models and occasional cleaning. We can also tell you when a padlock or gate lock needs repair instead of replacement.
How do I know a locksmith is legitimate?
California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith for their license number and verify it before they begin work. Be wary of anyone who is vague about it, won't give a company name, or can't explain what they plan to install.
Can I get high security locks installed at night or on a weekend?
Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can reach us anytime. If it's an emergency after a break-in, we'll help secure the door right away. If you simply want an upgrade, a daytime appointment is usually easier, and you can talk it through with us on the phone first.
More locksmith help in Sylmar
High Security Locks near Sylmar
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.