Great video. As a CSI for the police I am going out most days trying to explain to members of the public the advantages of 3* anti snap locks. Would it be okay if I gave victims of crime the link to this video? Thanks

Just wanted to add that the lock should not protrude by 5mm as you showed because of the snapping problem. Just measure so it is flush and its already more secure. Great videos, thankyou

As someone who sells these exact cylinders on a daily basis, the handle set that is used in conjunction with the 3* cylinder is also incredibly important, fitting 2* handles that can’t be broken off the door in a matter of seconds provides not only real world protection but a great visual deterrent as well. If you have glass in the door steer clear of internal thumbturns too.

Proper DYI, this is the perfect video on the subject, "cut to the chase" and giving the essential info.

Great video. I agree 100% showing how easy the lock snapping process is. If half a dozen folk see how easy euro locks are defeated and upgrade to anti snap then the video is doing its job. Great work!

just watched this video and have now replaced the lock at my wife's shop, thank you, didn't realise is was so easy to do, saved money getting someone out to do it. thank you.

Having over the summer swapped all the nasty no brand euro locks for anti-snap ones across the back of the house, all 5, without exception, I struggled to get the retaining screw out of. Most I was able to remove using the PTFE trick (yes the screws got mashed when installed too!) or impact driver as you suggest, but one refused to budge at all. So I did resort to snapping that particular lock to remove it. And yes it was was that easy with mole grips. Hence while installing all the new locks, the retaining screw threads got a touch of copper crest. I suspect it won't be me changing them in the future, but I want to give the next person a fighting chance of getting the retaining screws out. Nice vid Stuart, keep up the good work

I worked as a handyman on Gran Canaria 30 years ago and a lock smith friend of mine made me a set of BUMP keys and with 5 bump keys I could get in ALL the locks on the Island, I hasten to add part of my job was to let tourists back into their apartments after locking themselves out

Worth mentioning that the securing bolts are usually Phillips not Posi so take care to use the correct screwdriver to avoid damaging the bolt.

20 years ago a locksmith was out at my work fitting locks for a new office, a colleague asked him what he thought of the abloy locks being used as he'd just replaced all the locks in his home with the same. The locksmith said that they were good quality and difficult to pick, making my colleagues face light up, but then went on to mention that being euro locks, they could be broken open in seconds with the right tools, and proceeded to pull out such a tool that would fit tightly over any protrusion of the lock allowing it to be easily snapped. This made my colleague somewhat less happy. I pulled out my 7 lever brass key, my colleague laughed stating at least it wasn't as bad as that. The locksmith told him that as long as you don't go for 2 or 3 levers and get 5 lever, it's more secure than any euro lock, and my 7 lever is bank level security and is what he would want at home. In the years since then, I've not had such a secure door, I've experienced many innovations in lock design, but, if you've ever seen a LockPickingLawyer video, you'll know that most have done little to actually improve security.

A few other observations, some people unknowingly buy locks that are too large and have >5mm protruding on the outside, this is a gift for people who want to attack your locks! Some locks have an internal and external end, so make sure you order the right way around. Finally, some of the three star locks (Yale Platinum) have a nub on them to prevent removal so you have to take the handle off to fit/remove them.

Euro locks are also lever snapped, by driving a self tapping screw into the key way, if the lock has been fitted flush, or else they will remove the handle to gain a grip. This is why it’s important to upgrade your handles when fitting anti snap locks.

Bumping and drilling are also issues. You should look out for Euro Locks that are Anti-snap, Anti-bump and Anti-drill for better protection. However, if a person is determined to get in your house then they will do so. What you are buying is a deterrent. If you make getting into your house as difficult as reasonably practical then thieves are less likely to bother with you. There are easier targets.

I have a steel plated front door and 2 doors that open out to the garden all keyed alike. the front door has a bog-standard cylinder at the top and a euro dead bolt to the middle with a Toughened Steel High Security Euro Lock Escutcheon Protects cylinders from attack with “mole -grips” & similar attack methods such as bumping and pulling. Problem being if they want to get in, they will. You have just got to make it hard work for them.

Great video as usual. Changing the locks was the first thing we did in our new build when we moved in as I much prefer to choose my level of security and know I have the only set of keys to the property. Great tip about snapping. K.

Just want to say when I moved into our house 31 years ago l had our 5 lever Chubb rekeyed by a high street locksmith. My wife had her handbag stolen about 9 months later so we had them rekeyed again.

Finally someone who's explained how to measure it!

Another great video Stuart, thank you, speaking as a retired copper this is great advice, also hopefully encourages people to actual take some notice of their security. Ben a DIY man for many years also quite into welding and fabrication (suspect not your thing) and general renovation, even after all these years am still picking up some really handy tips from your channel. The presentation knocks socks off some of these muffled out of focus channels. So if you need some basic welding tuition....give me a shout : )

The presenter is excellent and explained topics for novices and experts alike. A big thanks for sharing your wisdom 🙏

Best explanation I've seen on anti-snap locks. Love your videos.

Even if the lock is flush with the handle, it is still important to fit an anti-snap cylinder. You don't need to be able to get a pair of grips onto the end to snap a basic cylinder, you can use another method which is far easier and does not require the end to be exposed!

The amount of time I had to convince my parents to change to snap secure locks was a nightmare. Found a suitable video for them and they soon changed their minds. To the point we went a bit over the top, even bought the 2star Handels with anti drill protection. Well worth every penny!

It’s surprising how most homeowners don’t know about this. I’ve fitted some quality cylinders in my home a while ago, and advised friends and family to do the same.

Thank you for putting up that video. It's the most helpful one I have seen on this topic.

Loved the demo on snapping the lock, just like to share this, If you have a key safe or an access key for emergency access to a vulnerable person, think about an anti lockout lock, this allows access when a key is still in the other side of the lock. Nobody seems to think or tell you about this until you want access, I found out the hard way, not nice when an elderly relative is on the floor and your emergency key is useless

Very nice video. One way to make lock snapping harder is to buy a lock that fits snug, not as you did with 5 mm to pretrude. That way the tool has no point to grip the lock well.

Very useful video - I learnt a lot today and will be checking all my locks this weekend. Great presentation as always Stuart, love your videos - keep doing your thing!

Thanks for video, very well explained. I've fitted the avocet ones and all keyed alike so 1 key fits all doors. Brilliant locks with strong keys too. I also fitted the same handle you have with the rotating key hole cover. Just worth mentioning that you have to order the lock smaller on those as it doesn't stick out the handle like your first example. I've learnt so much from your videos, always so very well explained and filmed.

Thanks for the advice, my Eurolock needs replacing. I now know how to do it. Thankyou.

Love all your vids a chap who fully explains himself and a bit of humour to boot. The breaking of the brush in the intro gets me chuckling everytime. Trigger comes to mind three new handles and two new heads haha

Wow! That was an eye-opener! I didn’t realize that it was that easy. I have thee doors that are fitted with these locks, I intend checking and replacing as soon as I can. Thanks for the “heads up”.

Thanks, that was really helpful. I;ve been living with lock that barely functioned for about 5 years, Watching your video made me realise I could easily fix it. Took me about 5 mins. Cheers mate.

great content, i learnt a lot for first time working on the average homeowner Euro door locks

Although I have these locks on my front and back doors, I have fitted industrial bolts to the top and bottom of the doors, and simply bolt and fit security padlocks to all four, when retiring at night, which takes about two mins at most, and gives me the satisfaction that no one is getting through my doors without waking up half the street. This doesn't help with the aesthetics, but it sure helps me get a good nights sleep.

I'd also recommend that you should check that the screws that hold the door handles to the door are facing the inside of the property otherwise any would be thief could take the door handle off from the outside and get better access to the lock...

I am so grateful 🙏 for this man I have been trying to put my new key lock in and trying hard to take the old one out but it looks jambed sadly 😥 thank you so much I will give it ago again xxxxxxx

One essential difference between the inner thumb-turn vs inner key variants that might be essential for elder people or those with severe illnesses: the thumb-turn can always be unlocked with an outer key (or by picking), while the inner key one can only be opened from outside if the inner half does NOT have the key inserted and turned. There's an interlock mechanism that prevents the cylinder from turning from one side if the key on the other side is fully inserted ant half-ish turned.

Hi Stuart! I changed my whole door lock gear mechanism last week. Obviously used the same barrel but wish I had seen this video last week to check the barrel for the quality marks. The door is thirty five years old and will be fully replaced next year. On another point, after last weeks video I checked ITS website and was able to buy an impact driver for just under fifty pounds so no free goody bag but very leased with the price thanks for promoting the website enjoying your channel.

About 14 years ago I was in a short term private rental house. The company renting them out had a small team of 'interesting' service staff. Basically all hooky and dangerous but I was in short term and would soon be out so didn't care - they filled a housing gap for me. Anyway, I got chatting to one of their service team on a visit to fix something - he basically began talking without my prompting and wouldn't stop! During the chat he showed me a tool in his van. It was a professional item (I won't describe it) and he told me it was for 'difficult tenants' who wouldn't vacate properties. This tool would snap one of those Euro locks very quickly. It blew me away how easy it was (I'm a qualified technician) and how vulnerable doors were with those locks. I'll go as far as saying that I can bet the tool I was shown would destroy one of the reinforced versions of that Euro lock too.

I took out the old barrel, and went to screwfix . I was sorted in two minutes, everything explained.

MANY MANY THANKS for this insight, a Police Officer told me about the "lock snapping breakins" ten+ years ago. Great vid cheers.

Very good video. I was reassured by my multi point locking system, but never considered the lock itself to be the weakness. I’ll get my screwdriver out.

Great informative video for the young people, who just start living on their own, after buying their first-ever house. Although the estate agents always recommend changing the locks but young people keep delaying thinking that they have got all the keys, that may be true, but one must ensure if the locks are snap-proof or not? also if their barrel is not sticking out as many so-called cowboys home-improvement guys do quick fix-cheap work and homeowners don't care as they just want to sell their house. Consequently, young people pay a heavy price after the completion. This is the story of more than 70% of young educated qualified people (i.e., they don't know about the locks and security but their graduations and worry about utility bills) and surely have never dealt with police, crime scene, or insurance claims as their insurance could be invalid as they might have incorrectly checked the wrong boxes to reduce their home insurance (i.e. when answering type of locks, etc). May God protect us all and help us to learn things and moreover to share with youth to increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities. God Bless Your Channel.

Brilliant explanation. I’ve now learned exactly how those locks work and their weak points. Thanks. Dave

Nice to see this recommendation. We did this years ago, because Euro Locks are so vulnerable and easy to bypass with one single tool. Also note that, even if the lock isn't protruding, a burglar that wants to get in will just pull the cover up to get more leverage on the cylinder itself. A smidge unrelated, but patio doors are a great point of entry too for a multitude of other reasons beyond the lock itself.

Love your thorough explanation and truly educational. I'm going to check my locks now. Great video!

Would be good if you explain to people, they need to measure the lock for the door, and make sure the anti snap is on the correct side when ordering the lock. I’ve seen it happen, anti snap is no protection when it’s on the inside.

With the inherent weakness of the ordinary Euro locks that extend beyond the door's surface, it would be ideal to reduce the extension as much as possible so that vice-grips, etc have little or no surface to hang onto. Also, an extension could be used for a rod and a hammer, but again, the less that is overhanginging, the better. Adoption of the "enclosed handle" should be the minimum security precaution. Adoption of the Anti-snap locks with "enclosed handle" and Anti-snap locks would be ideal.

9:50 as a locksmith I can tell you that those shielded blinds do not make a snap lock safer as they are most of the time easy to snap of themselves + still drillable would still go with high quality lock. I do not use locks that have cut-outs myself but it is definitely safer then the normal locks which are besides easy to break also easy to lockpick!

Hi Stuart. The euro lock manufacturers recommend that the barrel should be flush with the handle housing and that no amount of the barrel should protrude externally. A couple of mm is enough for a thief to get a pair of mole grips on the barrel and snap it.

Wow. Started watching more out of boredom. Now I'm looking for a new lock.

I did this on my house a few years ago, went with the yale 3 ⭐️ ones with the weird key. Even had to replace my new bi fold door look, even though fitter said it will invalidate my warranty if i changed it, not sure why exactly.

Great video. I've replaced a number of euro locks but was unaware of how easy it was to snap them and the 3 star rating. I agree with others about the clarity and high quality production of your videos. Keep them coming.

Nice explanation by a sensible British expert, thank you.

Regarding the thumb turn lock, I take the point about fire security for ease of exiting, but is there an increased risk of a glass pane being smashed to open the door from the inside?

Never knew anything about lock slapping I do now thanks Stuart. Great video.

It's very informative..... I lost my key for a similar lock... I did all the steps you told... thank you for educating🥰

Great video, I learnt the hard way by being robbed by some burglars from Dublin who knew all about snapping locks. Changed them to Mul-T-Lock by Garrison, they leave the lock snapped and have a digital cut key system

Excellent video, very informative for home owners. This technique has been known as he stated for a long time. It's also worth mentioning that an anti pick, anti bump lock with snap protection is recommended. Unfortunately there's a tremendous amount of knowledge and tools that are available to defeat many locks. There are a few that are extremely difficult to open by any illegal method. Unfortunately I can't recall the brand name, it was designed in Germany..... God bless 🙏

You can also replace the euro cylinder on some garages. I replaced mine and was shocked at how easy the original one was to pick open

Definitely good video I change my locks a couple of weeks ago and they down things failing so that's give me a little bit of insight on the better quality ones

Had to change my euro cylinder thanks so much for the helpful video :)

Everyone should see this, at least in Europe. The cylinders, as these are often referred to, have usually those 2 measurements as multiple of 5mm, but not always. A company that is now long gone , Beyler, decided to do some atypical sizes for their doors, just so they would sell and profit from replacement cylinders. There are also protective enclosures for the ends of these type of things, and they are held from inside with 2 screws. Prefer the perfectly round ones, as these can be snapped off as well, by grabbing and rotation with a wrench. This of course make sense for solid metal doors, not for glass ones. Also when buying, try to get them from far away, as thieves sometimes collect keys for them. If you have a new door installed, change yourself the cylinders immediately as a precaution, the keys can be duplicated relatively easy, and the seller could have a copy of the keys and your address.

You're awesome, very informative and nicely presented, can see you having your own TV show! Keep up the good work my friend.

Good video with a clear explanation of the problem and a solution. I've changed out all my external cylinders for Ultion...just go to their home page to see how easy/quickly it is for a determined person to snap a conventional cylinder.

Good morning I really appreciate You're video You explained it very well. I'm dyslexic Thank you it saved me eighty pounds 👊👍🇬🇧

First time coming across this Chanel and I couldn’t help but have a dance to the intro jingle 😅

Just did this in my new house. Locks were also keyed alike so we now have one key which fits all the external doors of the house and the garage as well. Not cheap but a couple of hundred pounds and a half hour to fit them is far less expensive than being a burglary victim…!

Great video! I was missing the bit about having the key in to get the barrel out

I been waiting for a video showing how to replace my front door lock .thank you so much for showing me...

if the locks are FLUSH fitting you wont get a grip on it anyway

Thank you. I didn't know about swiveling it slightly to get it out. I have been struggling with it for a while.

It is a pity that some insurance companies do not agree with the Fire Brigade. We had thumbturns on our doors but the insurers insisted that they were replaced with key operated locks. I fitted a lock to the front door but always left the key in it for escape purposes. The lock on the french windows could not be changed so I had to add key lockng bolts.

Good video lots of important information. I want to add you can never stop someone from breaking in ONLY slow them down common saying in trade. I can still snap out anti snap cylinders with the right tools no noise or damage to the lock, door or handles.

Great video. Moving house in a few weeks and was planning to change the locks but I wasn’t aware of lock snapping. Will definitely be purchasing a frangible locks after seeing this. Thank you!!

If I need to replace a lock I will use anti-snap, but to be honest the front and back doors to the property are glass as well as windows of course so your security is only ever going to be as good as your biggest window. If someone wants to get in I think I would rather they snapped the lock which is cheap and easy to fix rather than smash the glass.

That head you were using wasn't a PZ, that indicates Pozidriv. Which I can see that tip/head isn't. Further to your point of selecting the right size, it's important to select the right tip type. Philips or Pozidriv. Getting that wrong can damage the screw head as well.

I have an identical dewalt impact driver (as well as a larger beast) but I trust the old fashioned impact driver that you hammer as they really put a lot of force onto the screw that stops the driver bit from slipping and ruining the screw head.

Lovely video and very clear information. I replaced our locks a few years ago. If I recall, it was a two part affair, if you were just replacing the locks and your handles were unrated then you wanted 3 star locks. If your handle escutcheons were rated then you could get away with a lesser rated lock as the formed part of the security solution. As it happens I just bought 3 star locks. They have a funky magnetic key too. 👌

By leaving your euro-locks sticking out of the housing by 5mm or more on the outside of the lock, you are aiding someone who might be looking to snap the lock, as you have shown… For best results use an anti-snap lock, as you suggest, but also size the lock so it does not protrude out through the lock housing on the outside of the door…!! That way the lock will be more secure…!!

Great video, thank you very much. I’ll definitely take a look at ours. Wouldn’t it be safer then to forgo the extra 5mm protruding out the front so it can’t be gripped?

Cheers mate, I’m off to hardware store and have a new first job in the morning

Proper job again. Always look forward to a proper diy.

Brilliant video, answers lots of questions and allows people make informed decisions.

Not big fan of any DIY, so appreciated your video very much! Just great, many thanks

Great video as always Stuart. Very informative and I will be checking my locks first thing tomorrow! Any plans to do any guttering videos? I need mine replacing and find your style of videos easy to follow with helpful tips along the way. Thank you

Cheers for the info my lock was jamming an sticking tried wd40 no joy. saved me paying some to replace it. I did it myself

Just watched this video and ordered 2 new anti snap Avocet Ultimate locks and a Patlock French Door Conservatory lock. Taking no chances.

Really learnt sth i haven't concerned in the past via this video, it helps alot, thanks for your show

Thank you sir .... For me it's more help My key was broken inside the lock I want to change but I don't know how ? I seen your video it's more help .....🙏

Managed to get the cylinder from a few stores but hard to get the lock body from popular stores. No door is secure unless it's Metal or as in America a metal Gate in front !! Always have an Alarm system and Cameras Btw and this why it would be better for the cylinder to be Flush with the handle to prevent being snapped off!!!!

Hi great video, had to call out a locksmith for my son when he was on holiday and and his smoke alarm was going off and he hadn't left a spare key, couldn't believe how easy it was for him to snap the lock and how easy it was to fit a new more secure lock, need to show my wife this one think it should convince her why we need to change ours, now subscribed cheers mate👍

Great info. Also, never use one that is too long as it makes it really easy to snap. I'll be checking mine now.

If they barrel retaining screw is very tight, try loosening the screws that hold the handle to the door, as sometimes if the outer and inner handle are slightly out of alignment it twists the barrel screw and pinches it making it hard to undo.

Brilliant again! A window fitter wanted to charge me £70 for a replacement lock when the key snapped in my patio door

Recently fitted ERA Fortress euro cylinders to my external doors. Excellent quality locks.

Thanks very much indeed! I learned a lot. Great video clearly presented.

Had to call out a locksmith recently because the door lock refused to budge. It took him 3 seconds to break it out. Now fitted with an anti snap/drill/pick/bump

I have fitted hundreds of them over the years, they can be opened with a bit of wire bent in a certain way, Burglars even take a kid with them to put their arm in the letterbox and turn the key or thumb turn inside that's why its better to have a bolt or two on the inside.

Watching this video cost me about €60 for a good ABUS lock cylinder.😊 Many thanks👍