I believe I have ended up with a combination of entry door knobset and pushbutton deadbolt lock that is better than anything I know about. Surprisingly, however, I wasn't planning to go this way, and the door lock installation over the weekend of April 21 under deadline for calling insurance agent before vacation was a continuous crisis until late Sunday night when the project finally got completed on the 3rd or 4th different plan.
The story actually begins a few years ago, after having had to force the front door on my house open because I locked myself out by accident, I had a number of conversations with locksmiths. I was angry that almost all knobsets made today allow you to turn the inside knob without unlocking the door--making it quite easy to lock yourself out. Kwikset is the only one which is different, those must be unlocked before you can exit, thus making it nearly impossible for you to lock yourself out. At that time, not wanting to lock myself out again, I got a Kwikset knob on my house front door. I think that Schlage and some others might make nicer hardware now that Kwikset no longer makes a truly high end Titan lock, but only Kwikset locking knobs operate the way I would like locking knobs to operate.
Locksmiths who sell high end door hardware like Medeco locks weren't particularly impressed by my argument. They said they no longer recommended that customers even have a locking knobset. (That's one way to solve the problem of the faulty design of locking knobsets, don't use one.) Instead, they recommended that customers use a non-locking passthrough knobset, and then a locking push button deadbolt to go with it. The locking knobset offers essentially no security because they're quite easy to push open anyway. So this setup forces homeowners to use the deadbolt, but it makes the deadbolt easy to use, and since it doesn't require a key, it becomes impossible to lock yourself out.
It turns out, that is exactly what I have now done. I have a super nice solid brass passageway knobset (a $45 high end special sold by Gatehouse, Lowes brand, but no longer available, I got one on closeout) which has no lock. This is the heaviest knobset I've ever felt. That is combined with a high security Class 2 push button deadbolt made by Schlage, in matching brass finish. The Schlage is also quite nicely made, except for certain details you become aware of during installation.
Unlocking the door is like this: (1) punch in the code, the Schlage light lights up, (2) turn the deadbolt knob to open deadbolt, (3) turn passage knob to open door. Locking is even easier. (1) Close door, (2) push Schlage button, (3) turn knob. No more fumbling with keys! This is such a smart system, I now agree with those snooty locksmiths.
But I wanted something even better, or so I thought. I figured I would combine push button lock with push button knobset. That way I could also lock the door with the knob (or both knob and bolt!) but no matter how I locked the door, I could get in with a combination. In principle, I could also have separate combinations to allow friends to operate the knobset and not the deadbolt.
So I bought both a Schlage pushbutton deadbolt and a Schlage pushbutton knobset. Nobody at Home Depot or Lowes could tell me if the two could be used together on the same door. I decided I would try, and if it didn't work, I would return one of the two. Unfortunately for me, that was way back in December. Even cynical me had no idea how long this project would take.
On Saturday April 21 I first installed the pushbutton knobset. I had gotten Nickel on the assumption that brushed nickel is not a coating--it is bare rustproof metal. I've found that the biggest appearance problem with locks is when the coating peels off. Unfortunately, it appears that even Schlage is using a plastic coating to get the brushed nickel color now. So there is no advantage in having nickel as opposed to brass, and I like the golden colored brass color better. Anyway, I had already bought the knobset months before, so I would go ahead with it. Not having read the instructions, I had to reinstall the lock a couple of times to get it to work. I also made the mistake of not writing down the master code, so I took apart the lock again to read it. Then I decided I actually needed the manual anyway, to figure out what to do with the code, and I finally found it.
Then I started installing the deadbolt. But it was immediately clear that the two would not fit together because the two precut holes in the door are too close together.
Then I figured that I could turn the deadbolt 90 degrees and then it would fit. But to turn it that far, I had to cut away some of the plastic trim around the glass on the french door. With some desperation, I did that, and sufficiently well that I could get the lock onto the door. But then I discovered the ultimate rub. The metal plate inside the deadbolt would not allow the deadbolt to be turned 90 degrees.
It was at that point, almost midnight on Saturday night, that I realized my original plan was just not going to work. I started thinking about what to do. First alternative was to stick with the pushbutton knobset, which I had already installed, and install a normal deadbolt, like the one I already had in my weight room door. I then tried to remove the nice brass Titan lock from the weight room door, but it could not be removed because the retaining screws are cut to be tightened only. I will need a locksmith to chisel and remove the screws from this door.
OK, stymied again, it occurred to me I could use the super nice solid brass passageway knobset I had bought earlier (just on spec, actually) and use pushbutton lock with that. Just like the locksmiths had recommended. I couldn't find the brass knob anywhere. After a half hour of frantic looking (it was now 1am) I decided it must be in the rented storage unit I have. I would not be able to go there until 6am.
Around 11am the next morning I got down to my storage unit and dug up the sold brass knobset. I went back home and quickly (relatively) installed it. Then I was back to the installation of the pushbutton deadbolt. This turned out to be surprisingly difficult. To keep the thing from wobbling on my metal door, I had to file down little nubs on the outer plate which are apparently intended to grab on to wood doors. Then, during the last installation phase, not reading instructions as usual, I removed a little piece that cause a spring and part to fly out. I had been thinking that piece was the battery cover, but it wasn't.
Well now I had to get and read and read the instructions very carefully. But it seemed that no matter what I did, the lock would not electrically function the way it was supposed to. Either I messed something up, or it was factory defective.
It was getting to be almost 5pm by this point, and I was unsure of how late Home Depot would be open on Sunday. Facing the firm deadline of having to have this project done by Monday before calling the insurance agent, I quickly went to Home Depot and bought a 3rd Schlage lock, another deadbolt, but this time in the brass color so it would match my brass knobset.
This installation went much better now that I had read the instructions. I did have to file down the nubs on the output plate again, but that was the only trick. I left the actual deadbolt from the malfunctioning nickel colored unit in the door to save time and avoid stripping the screws. By 10:30pm, I had the new knobset fully installed, and I had carved out some of the wood in the strike area so the deadbolt could be turned fully. Unfortunately it was not easy to get the strike plate into place, so I didn't bother with that. But with a 1" deadbolt throw, the strike plate using small screws provided wouldn't be much better. I reprogrammed the lock with a personal code.
Then I had to face the fact I didn't know where my car registration renewal form was, and I had to get my car registration renewed before going on vacation. I hunted for that for hours on Sunday and Monday nights, finally going to the downtown office with only my car title on Tuesday AM, and taking the entire day Tuesday off from work so I could do all the washing and packing I needed to do before taking plane on Wednesday.
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