How to Choose the Right Deadbolt for Your Home

Buying a deadbolt sounds simple until you’re standing in the hardware store aisle looking at 40 options with no clear way to compare them. Price alone doesn’t tell you much. Brand name tells you a little. The BHMA grade stamp on the box tells you almost everything.

Here’s what actually matters when choosing a deadbolt, and which ones we install most often for homeowners across Salt Lake City.

The Most Important Number: BHMA Grade

BHMA stands for Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. Their grading system is the closest thing the industry has to an independent quality standard. Every quality deadbolt is tested and rated Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3.

Grade	Security Level	Kick Resistance	Typical Use
Grade 3	Basic	1 test cycle	Interior doors, rental-grade hardware
Grade 2	Standard	5 test cycles	Most residential doors
Grade 1	High	10 test cycles	Exterior doors, high-security residential

Buy Grade 1 for every exterior door. The price difference between Grade 2 and Grade 1 is $20 to $50. The security difference is significant. Most break-ins happen through forced entry, and Grade 1 locks are tested to withstand far more physical abuse.

Most new construction homes come with Grade 3 builder locks. That’s the first thing we recommend replacing.

Single Cylinder vs. Double Cylinder

This is the most misunderstood choice in residential deadbolts.

Single cylinder: Keyed on the outside, thumb-turn on the inside. You need a key to get in from outside, but you can exit without one. This is what most homes have, and what most homes should have.

Double cylinder: Keyed on both sides. You need a key to get in and to get out.

When double cylinder makes sense:

Your door has glass panels within reach of the thumb-turn
You have a sliding door or window adjacent to the deadbolt
You’re concerned about someone breaking glass and reaching in to unlock the door

The tradeoff: Double cylinder locks are a fire egress concern. If you can’t find your key in an emergency, you can’t get out. This is why most fire codes recommend single cylinder for primary egress doors.

If you want the glass-break protection of a double cylinder without the fire risk, a better solution is a single cylinder deadbolt combined with tempered or laminated glass in the door panels. Talk to us and we can walk you through your specific door setup.

Which Brands Are Worth It

After installing locks every week for over a decade, here’s our honest take on the major brands:

Schlage (Best Overall)

Schlage consistently tops independent tests for physical security. Their B60N and B62N single-cylinder deadbolts are workhorses. Grade 1, solid brass internals, smooth operation, and widely available. If you’re replacing every lock in the house and want reliable, no-fuss hardware, Schlage is our default recommendation.

Their patented keyway also offers bump-key resistance that most competitors don’t match at the same price point.

Price range: $60 to $110 per lock at hardware stores, plus installation.

Kwikset (Best Value)

Kwikset’s SmartKey technology lets you rekey the lock yourself without a locksmith, using a small tool that comes with the lock. It’s legitimately useful when you move into a new place and want to change the keys quickly.

The trade-off: SmartKey cylinders are mechanically different from traditional pin-tumbler cylinders, and there have been documented vulnerabilities in older SmartKey versions. The current generation (BumpGuard) is much better, but it’s still not quite at Schlage’s level for physical security.

Best for: Homeowners who want to handle their own rekeying. Grade 1 models (Deadbolt 980) are solid choices.

Price range: $40 to $80 per lock.

Medeco (Best Security)

Medeco makes the best residential deadbolts money can buy. High-security cylinders, rotating pins that resist picking and bumping, and patented keyways that prevent unauthorized key duplication. You need to go to an authorized Medeco dealer to get copies made.

This level of security makes sense for high-value properties, home offices with sensitive information, or anyone who has had a security incident.

Price range: $150 to $300 per lock, installed.

Yale

Yale integrates well with their smart lock lineup (see our smart lock guide) and makes solid traditional deadbolts too. Good if you’re mixing smart and traditional locks and want a consistent brand across the house.

Don’t Ignore the Strike Plate

Here’s the part most homeowners skip: the strike plate matters as much as the lock.

A standard strike plate is secured with 3/4-inch screws that go into the door jamb trim. One solid kick and those screws pull right out. We’ve seen Grade 1 deadbolts defeat a kick test in the lab while the real-world door fails because the strike plate gave way.

The fix is simple and cheap:

Replace the standard strike plate with a reinforced box strike plate (ANSI strike plate with 2-inch box).
Use 3-inch screws that anchor into the door frame studs, not just the trim.

Cost: $10 to $20 in hardware. This single upgrade often provides more kick resistance than upgrading the lock itself.

Door Prep and Fit

Before buying any deadbolt, verify your door is prepped for it:

Bore hole diameter: Standard is 2-1/8 inches. Some older homes have 1-1/2-inch bore holes and may need modification.
Backset: The distance from the edge of the door to the center of the bore hole. Standard is 2-3/8 inches or 2-3/4 inches. Most deadbolts include an adjustable latch to fit both.
Door thickness: Standard residential doors are 1-3/8 to 1-3/4 inches thick. Most deadbolts fit this range, but measure before buying if you have a non-standard door.

If you’re unsure about your door prep, a locksmith can assess it before you buy anything.

Our Recommendation for Most Salt Lake City Homeowners

For the typical single-family home in our service area:

Front door: Schlage B60N (Grade 1, single cylinder), reinforced strike plate, 3-inch screws. Consider upgrading to a smart lock if you want keypad or remote access.
Back door and side entry: Schlage or Kwikset Grade 1, keyed alike to the front door. Keying alike means one key operates every exterior lock in the house.
Garage entry: At minimum, a Grade 2 lock. This door is often overlooked, but it’s a common entry point because garages are less monitored.

If you’re replacing locks after a break-in, a move, or a roommate change, call us before you buy. We’ll assess what you have, tell you what’s worth keeping, and source the right hardware at installer pricing.

GoKey Locksmiths: Deadbolt Installation and Replacement in Salt Lake City

GoKey Locksmiths installs and replaces deadbolts throughout the Salt Lake City metro and Utah Valley—including Riverton, Lehi, Draper, Sandy, South Jordan, Herriman, West Jordan, Highland, Bluffdale, Eagle Mountain, and Saratoga Springs. We stock Grade 1 Schlage and Kwikset locks on the truck and can assess your door, supply the hardware, and install everything in a single visit.

Call (801) 512-4658 for a quote. We’ll tell you honestly what your current locks are worth and what, if anything, needs to change.

Veteran-owned, family-operated, 4.9 stars across 200+ reviews. Matt Johnson has been helping Salt Lake City homeowners secure their homes since 2015.