High Security Locks

A high-security cylinder is engineered to defeat the five common attacks: snapping (levering the cylinder body across its weakest cross-section), bumping (using a specially cut key tapped with a hammer to align the pins), picking (manipulating the pins individually with picks and tension), drilling (attacking the cylinder body directly to destroy the pin chambers), and unauthorised key duplication (cutting copies of the key from a high-street machine).

Standard cylinders defeat none of these reliably. TS007 1-star cylinders defeat picking but not snapping. TS007 3-star cylinders defeat snapping. True high-security cylinders — Sold Secure Diamond plus TS007 3-star, with restricted-profile keys — defeat all five attack methods, are independently tested to demonstrate that, and back the engineering with insurance-style compensation guarantees if a registered cylinder is bypassed in a break-in.

TS007 is the British Standards Institution Technical Specification for euro cylinders. 3-star is the highest TS007 rating and confirms anti-snap performance under independent test. The Kitemark stamped on the cylinder face is your proof.

Sold Secure is an independent third-party testing house. Their cylinder ratings are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond. Diamond is the highest and confirms performance against snap, bump, pick and drill attacks in lab-controlled tests that mirror real-world techniques. A cylinder rated Sold Secure Diamond AND TS007 3-star (e.g. Ultion, ABS Quantum, MT5+) is the strongest mechanical defence available on a domestic door.

Brisant Ultion is engineered around an 11-pin system (six standard pins, five anti-pick pins) with hardened steel internal inserts and a sacrificial outer section that breaks away under snap attack while a secondary internal cylinder remains intact and secure. The unique "Lockdown" feature activates an additional internal locking pin if the outer cylinder is attacked, preventing the cam from being turned even with the outer body removed.

Independently tested to Sold Secure Diamond and TS007 3-star. £1,000 break-in compensation guarantee when the cylinder is registered with Brisant within 28 days of fitting (we handle the registration for you). Lifetime mechanical warranty against manufacturing defect. Available in standard and Wi-Fi-enabled (Ultion Nuki) variants.

Avocet ABS is the longest-running market-leading anti-snap cylinder in the UK and is the cylinder you will most often see fitted to high-end new-build homes. It uses a sacrificial snap-resistant front section combined with hardened anti-drill plates, anti-pick pins and anti-bump features. The ABS Quantum variant adds Sold Secure Diamond rating and a £2,000 break-in compensation guarantee.

Restricted-profile keys cannot be duplicated outside the Avocet system — spare keys can only be cut by an Avocet-approved locksmith (we are one) against your registered security card. Particularly well-suited to doors where the cylinder must protrude slightly from the handle plate, as the protrusion is engineered as a sacrificial section.

Mul-T-Lock MT5+ uses a telescopic pin system rather than a traditional pin tumbler — each pin is itself a tube with an inner pin sliding inside it. This dramatically increases the number of possible key combinations (over 200 billion) and makes the lock extremely resistant to picking, bumping and impressioning. The cylinder body is hardened steel with anti-drill pins and reinforced cam.

Restricted-profile keys are cut on a unique cross-section that is patented and cannot be duplicated outside the Mul-T-Lock system. Our default recommendation for high-net-worth homes, premises with cash on site, properties that have already been targeted, and commercial sites requiring true key control. Sold Secure Diamond, TS007 3-star, with a 10-year mechanical warranty.

Banham is a London institution — they have been making high-security locks for over a century and the Banham M2002 dimple-key cylinder is fitted as standard on many Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge homes. Restricted-profile keys are cut only by Banham (we collect from their workshop), and the lock is engineered to extremely high pick and drill resistance.

Banham systems often pair the M2002 euro cylinder with a Banham high-security mortice deadlock on the same door, creating a two-lock high-security setup that satisfies the highest-tier home insurance underwriters. We supply, install and maintain Banham systems across West London and the Home Counties.

Standard euro cylinder keys can be copied at any high-street key cutter for £5 in 60 seconds, no questions asked. That is convenient but it is also why losing a key to a standard cylinder usually means changing the lock — you have no way of knowing whether the finder or thief has cut a copy.

Restricted-profile high-security keys can only be cut by us (or, in the case of Banham, by Banham themselves), against your registered security card. Lost keys can therefore be cancelled without changing the lock — there is no way for the finder to obtain a working copy. For HMO landlords, business owners and anyone who wants total control over how many keys exist for their property, restricted profiles are the only sensible choice.

Brisant Ultion: £1,000 compensation if a registered Ultion cylinder is bypassed in a break-in. Avocet ABS Quantum: £2,000 compensation if a registered Quantum cylinder is bypassed. Mul-T-Lock: 10-year mechanical warranty plus the option of additional insurance-style cover.

These guarantees do not replace your home insurance — they sit alongside it as a manufacturer-backed financial commitment to the integrity of the lock. We handle the registration paperwork for you at the point of fitting so the cover is active from day one. The registration card is part of your documentation pack along with the itemised invoice and the 12-month installation guarantee.

Pricing: Brisant Ultion fitted from £159 per door. Avocet ABS fitted from £169. ABS Quantum (Sold Secure Diamond) fitted from £199. Mul-T-Lock MT5+ fitted from £229. Banham M2002 systems by quotation depending on door and configuration.

We cover Slough (SL1, SL2, SL3), Reading (RG1–RG6, RG30, RG31), Oxford (OX1–OX4), Windsor (SL4), Maidenhead (SL6), Bracknell (RG12, RG42), Heathrow (TW6, UB7), Harrow (HA1–HA3), Uxbridge (UB8, UB10) and Staines (TW18, TW19), with the same fixed pricing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Average attendance into our core West London, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire coverage area is 20–40 minutes. Engineers are positioned across Slough, Langley, Iver, Uxbridge, Hayes, Heathrow, Staines, Windsor, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Reading, Earley, Tilehurst, Oxford, Harrow and the M4/M40/M25 corridor so we are almost never further than 20 minutes from your door.

High-security cylinder upgrades are normally completed same-day from van stock. Banham installations are scheduled within 24–48 hours to allow restricted-profile keys to be cut at Banham's workshop.