There’s a thread going about breaking and entering and lockpicking.
That got me to thinking about deadbolts. I am fortunate to live in a community where we leave the keys in the ignition and leave the house unlocked when we go on vacation. So I don’t gert much call for doing deadbolts but once every five or ten years somebody wants one installed. Last one I did was about 49 dolars. But then last week, I put one in for a guy who had paid 179 bucks for it at the locksmith’s shop.
What’s realistic?
And how much time should it take to drill the door and install? I assumed about same as a knobset – ten or fifteen minutes.
Wrong!!!!!!!
I was two hours fiddling with all the tiny pieces. – and I’m the kind of guy who actually reads the instructions as I go instead of waiting to read them to find out what did I do wrong.
Discussion Forum
Excellence is its own reward!
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
A standardized approach, quick-to-install hardware, and a simplified design make building custom casework cost-effective.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
$170 for a deadbolt not including labor???? Man, that must be one hell of a lock. That $49 deadbolt strikes me as expensive!
I've put in a few deadbolts and I have no recollection of "all the tiny pieces" Must be what you get for all those bucks!
In my dreams I install a knobset in "ten or fifteen minutes", but I don't understand why a deadbolt would take longer than the knobset.
Rich Beckman
In my dreams... I have better things to do then.
I'm sure that the big bucks went for the little pieces. Just like tinier bikinis are more expensive. The name brand on this was something I never heard of before. Had lots of set screws and adjustment bushings, and a seat for the jamb side that would help stop a pushy thief from splintering it out with a heavy shoulder or a solid kick.
Excellence is its own reward!