Euro Cylinder locks explained - British Standards, TS007 anti snap and the insurance industry

Anti Snap Euro Cylinder lock review:

There are approx 20 million + euro cylinders installed in uPVC doors across Europe and beyond. They are a uniform standard shape in cross sectional view (like a light bulb) but come in lots of different sizes which can be measured in several different ways (just to confuse everyone...)

Euro locks are mostly used to keep multi-point locking systems secure, the issue is the multi point locking system in a modern uPVC door is very hard to break into - however the locking mechanism is generally operated by lifting the door handles which turns a gearbox inside the door that then causes all the hooks/rollers and dead bolts to engage. All of this is then 'secured' or locked by the euro cylinder to prevent the handle simply opening the door again.

The problem is a very secure locking system is all held together by the euro cylinder - if this small lock can be picked, bumped, drilled or snapped then the whole system simply fails and you can 'let yourself' in to your home.

The Euro cylinder had a very basic design flaw in that the rotating 'cam' or 'arm' that's needed to lock everything is also positioned directly above the pre drilled fixing screw hole - this combination leaves a tiny amount of real lock material as the rest is just holes and fresh air - we are talking about a few millimetres of metal remaining. The BBC reported that 27% of all opportunist burglaries are now due to exploiting the euro locks design flaws.

Burglars have now realised that this design flaw can be exploited quickly by simply ripping off the door handles to expose more of the lock, and using pliers or mole grips to snap the cylinder at its weakest point - it takes seconds and very little force! This then allows the lock to be removed and the door opened.

Since the rise in exploiting this design flaw a number of euro lock manufacturers have started to produce some much stronger locks that have been tested by the British Standards system and Sold Secure / Secure by Design testing facilities.

Avocet ABS offer a vast range of sizes and options in their 3 star rated Sold Secure Diamond standard euro locks, The keys are protected with a code card and can not be copied without the codes - and only through an authorised ABS dealer.
Yale have a 1 star retail AS maximum security cylinder and an OEM fabricator Yale Superior 1 star euro cylinder, and have just launched a Platinum AS TS007 3 Star product (with an OEM Yale Superior/Platinum version to follow in March 2014)
The Yale AS Platinum has no key copying protection (it's a basic key that anyone can copy without any codes or proof of ownership. The Yale Superior requires a security code supplied with the lock and has dimple cut laster keys.
Mul-T-Lock have a 1 star snap-secure cylinder and an XP 3 star rated euro cylinder - both systems are based on the Garrison 7x7 key/cylinder design which offers pretty good key protection via a code card and a protected blank only available from authorised Mul-T-Lock Garrison / XP dealers.
UAP - have a 1 star and 3 star euro lock, however due to a lack of any history or proven reliabilty as a lock manufacturer I don't want to comment - however they are very cheap, but in this world very cheap means a loss in quality or long term reliability.

The all important British Standards for Locks & Kite Marks! What do they mean??

The very old BS EN 1303 kite mark is already more than 13 years old and was before lock snapping became a problem. Since then they have developed a new standard called TS007.

TS007 is a standard awarded to locks that have passed certain levels of attack by qualified locksmiths and Police officers using a variety of commonly available tools - from screwdrivers, pliers and mole grips to lock snapping tools and electric bumping tools sadly available for sale from Amazon to anyone - even though we feel they should be restricted to locksmiths and Police forces only.

The euro cylinders can achieve a 1 star or 3 star rating (there is no 2 star euro lock standard)

1 star locks can be rated as a 3 star system when used with 2 star door handles, the star system adds up 1+2 = 3 etc.

Or they can be 3 star rated on their own - meaning your handles do not have to be upgraded to i the 3 star rating.

How do I upgrade & change my Euro Cylinder locks to anti-snap versions?

Changing your euro locks is a simple DIY job and a relatively low cost investment to keep your property secure. This video shows just how to do it!

What does my Insurance Company require me to have?

Currently there are no requirements for any insurance policy to have your euro cylinders with a BS EN 1303 kite mark (13 years old...) or the new TS007 star rating - however we feel it won't be long before they realise they are losing £millions in claims due to poorly designed old euro locks being bumped and snapped by burglars.

Background:

I run a large registered Master locksmiths company (Est over 30 years) and a large global online website selling over 12,000 security products: lockandkey.co.uk

We are a registered Master Locksmith licence 002515, Auto Locksmith Association member,Yale authorised support centre, Mul-T-Lock centre of excellence, Avocet ABS Elite dealer, Union Super Centre, VBH uPVC fabricator support unit and authorised contractors to the Met Police, Thames Valley Police, M.O.D and Local Goverment for master key systems and specialist car locking/opening solutions.

We are happy to help the general public in selecting the right locks and commercial users who may require more advanced master keyed locking systems.