Kwikset SmartCode 917 Keypad Keyless Entry Contemporary Residential Electronic Lever Lock Deadbolt Alternative with Halifax Door Lever and SmartKey Security, Polished Chrome

I bought this lock to replace another one that stopped working within a week. I installed it on our garage door. The installation was easy. The lock is sturdy and looks good. I am happy with it now. I will revisit this review if it causes problems. Update: it has survived the Canadian Winter. Still 5 stars!

Excellent high quality lock system. I recognize there are many lock systems for sale with more electronic features, but here is the issue, most of the fancy feature locks that sell for less $250 to $300. are just not reliable, especially long term. This is a product area where you get what you pay for. So the solution: Either pay $300 or alternately buy a great lock that has fewer features, but instead is very reliable, built extremely well, uses "unlock" technology that simply unlocks the door but does not try to mechanically pull the latch bolt; this feature alone will substantially extend battery life and reduce mechanical complexity and door alignment issues. All this translates to a low cost, highly reliable, mechanically simple lock "that works" every time, all the time. On top of all the simplicity, the Kwikset re-key technology allows the user to re-key the lock to match current keys, so key changes are not necessary unless the user so desires. If there is a downside to this lock, it is that the installation documentation is lacking in explanations in a few areas, which can lead to a bit of confusion, if the user does not properly check out the assembly process ahead of time. In my case, I identified and tested components assembly a head of time, which did help to resolve ambiguities in the assembly instructions. In fact, I also fully programmed the lock system and re-keyed the system before installing it on the door, which made the installation process a straightforward 7 or 8 minutes maximum, without anyone else holding the lock during installation. I would recommend either a second set of hands to assist holding the outside lock segment, or devising a way to hold the lock segment in place during installation. I just placed a protective heavy paper over the outside lock segment to protect it, then used a strip of gaffers tape to hold the outside segment to the door while I installed the inside segment and screwed it all together. As I said, the entire process took about 7 or 8 minutes and the lock was installed and performing as expected. The lock is secure, has a number of nice operating features, costs less than $80.00, and most importantly is reliable. I would highly recommend this lock system.

Práctica

I’ve only had for a few hours, so cannot comment on long term use and durability. So far though I am extremely happy with is item. I had bought a comparable item that was about $40 less, due to instant troubles I ended up returning. This Kwikset one is definitely worth the extra amount. BLUF and most importantly it just works, no frustrations or unexpected annoyances. This was super easy to install and didn’t have to drill mounting holes (like the one I returned). It was easy to program, I appreciate the button near the battery that can be used for this (no need to also keep track of a master code, although that option is there to set up for those who need it, like landlords). I like the pass through function. Basically this feature makes the unit either default to be locked with someone needing to explicitly unlock or alternatively default to be unlocked with someone needing to explicitly lock. If that sounded confusing in other words it’s so when the door is open do you want it to auto lock when shut again, or would you rather it stay unlocked until you manually lock it. It’s easy to toggle these two modes. I like having this option. The lock that I returned was set to auto lock only. Since I have this lock on the door to my car port storage which stores all my yard equipment, i like the setting of keep unlock as I go back and forth into this storage unit as I do yard work. I like too that this item uses a physical key in case the battery dies. Also, a bonus, I was able to set the lock to my already existing house key. No need for a locksmith or to keep track of an additional key. I like that is unit too is a simple electronic key pad. No extra smart features or wifi or bluetooth connectivity. Not saying smart isn’t neat or useful in some cases. It’s just overkill for my use case and a drain on the battery. I have a battery powered Ring door bell that needs constant charging, didn’t want to go through that for my lawn equipment storage door lock. Plus smart locks are more money then I would have wanted to spend on for my use case. I like the KISS acronym and this lock and handle unit meets this for me. If I had to give a negative critique it would be that it uses a 9-volt battery and I would have preferred either AA or AAA since I tend to always have those around the house whenever I do need to replace batteries in something.

Fácilidad de instalación, de uso y de programación.