High security compared, Mul-T-Lock, Medeco, Marks

Short answer. A high security cylinder buys you three things an ordinary one does not. A key that cannot be copied at a hardware counter, a cylinder that resists picking and drilling, and a record of who holds a key.

For most buildings the third one is the actual reason. Not the picking. The key control.

What restricted keyway means

An ordinary key blank is sold to anybody. A restricted blank is patented and only distributed to authorised dealers, and a key is only cut against a card or a signature on file.

So when a super leaves, or a contractor does not give the key back, an ordinary building has no idea how many copies are out there. A building on a restricted system knows exactly, because every cut is on record.

That is what you are paying for, and it is why the cylinder costs what it costs.

The three you will see in this neighbourhood

Mul-T-Lock. Telescopic pin system, very strong against picking and drilling. Widely used in New York apartment buildings. Good availability of parts and service. Common choice for a whole building system.

Medeco. Pins rotate as well as lift, so the key has angled cuts. Long standing reputation, heavily specified in institutional work. Excellent key control.

Marks. Strong in New York multifamily, often specified for the full hardware package rather than just the cylinder, so the lockset and the cylinder come from the same house.

All three will stop the casual attempt and all three give you key control. The differences that matter in practice are who services them locally, how fast you get a replacement, and whether the building is already standardised on one.

The question that decides it

What is already on the door?

If a building already runs one system, adding a second one is how you end up with two key rings, two sets of records and a super who cannot get in somewhere at 2am. Matching what is there beats any spec sheet comparison.

Keyed alike, master keyed, or neither

Keyed alike. One key opens several doors. Right for a super who needs the boiler room, the roof and the compactor room on one key.

Master keyed. Each tenant has their own key, the building has one that opens everything. Right for a building with a live in super, and it needs to be planned properly or you end up with unintended cross keying.

Neither. Every cylinder its own key. Simplest, and fine for a small building.

When to rekey rather than replace

If the cylinder is sound and the concern is who has keys, rekey it. Same cylinder, new pins, new keys, a fraction of the cost. Replace when the cylinder is worn, when you are moving up to a restricted system, or when the hardware itself is failing.

Any turnover where the keys were not all returned is a rekey, not a hope.

What a building should do this year

Take an hour and write down every door, what cylinder is on it, and who holds a key. Most buildings have never done this and it is the document that makes every future decision easy.

Cylinder pricing for buildings is an account price. Sign in and the price here is yours.

Talk it through

Bring a cylinder, or a photo of the face of the lock and the edge of the door. We will tell you what is on there and what it takes to change it, and if a building wants a full keying plan we will sit down and lay it out.