Choosing whether to use mechanical or electronic safe locks for your safes is always an interesting and ongoing topic. Some of the pros and cons of either lock are quite obvious, that people can tell their own preferences at the first sight. But it’s always better to decide which lock to use if you can see the whole picture. We will try to list all major advantages and disadvantages of both locks to help you make a proper decision.
Overview of Mechanical Safe Locks
The mechanical safe lock we talk about here is the traditional dial combination lock, key locks are not mentioned here as we are mainly comparing combination locks. To open the lock you need to spin the dial left and right several times for the right combination code to be entered. They are traditional, durable and reliable and are still used in high security applications like bank vaults.
Pros
- Mechanical safe locks have been the standard for over 100 years. They’re tested by time and experts.
- With the proper service, the mechanical dial locks can stay problem-free for a long time.
- Even without proper service, the locks are still relatively stable with a very long lifespan.
- Can be ordered with a key locking on dial to prevent it from being manipulated.
- Mechanical safe locks have lower costs.
- No batteries, of course.
Cons
- Mechanical safe locks are relatively slow to unlock. You might have to start over if you make a mistake during any of your combinations, which is unfriendly for people with unsteady hands. Not suitable for emergency access like gun safes as well.
- You might need a locksmith to change and set a new combination.
- Not quite as convenient as electronic locks in most cases.
- If the wheels/tumblers are misaligned, you might need a locksmith to service the lock.
Mythbusting
Are Mechanical Dial Locks Really That Slow?
There are absolutely certain guidelines to improve the speed of unlocking mechanical safe locks. For a 3-wheel lock, a 40-20-30 code is faster than a 78-65-47. The concept is to avoid high numbers to reduce the dial range to eventually cut the dialing time in half.
For customers who need to use the safe every day, after a couple of exercises they can unlock the dial lock pretty fast after getting used to the procedure.
For people who rarely use a safe, are there any big differences that you can open the lock in 2 seconds or 4 seconds?
Are Group 2 Locks Not Secure?
You must have heard and seen in movies that mechanical safe locks can be manipulated open by experts within a short time. That’s true. According to UL, the Group 1 locks need to resist manipulations by experts for 20 hours. Group 2M locks need to resist manipulations by experts for 2 hours.
Don’t panic if find out your lock is a Group 2 lock. Ask yourself, is there an expert or locksmith out there that will hack your safe for whatever reason? If he is a professional, will an electronic lock be any better in such cases?
If you really have high-value properties to store, switch to a Group 1R lock for good.
Hard to Open In the Dark?
If you do have such requirements to use the safe in the dark, you can simply add an additional light upon your lock.
Overview of Electronic Safe Lock
Electronic safe locks are ease-of-use, multi-functional and more advanced and secure than mechanical safe locks. We are not suggesting that electronic safe locks are more secure than mechanical safe locks in mechanics, actually, their mechanics are similar with an input (dial for mechanical lock and keypad for electronic lock) and a main lock inside the door to store combinations and block the bolt. It is the multifunctional features that allow the electronic lock to have more restrictions than mechanical locks to make it have an overall higher security performance.
Pros
- Fast access. It’s easier to enter your combination code than dialing mechanical locks. The biometric/fingerprint electronic locks make it even faster.
- Easy to set and change codes all by yourself without the help of a locksmith or tools.
- Users can service their own lock for most lock models.
- Easy to use without keeping track of keys or combinations – you can remember the letter code(Rachel as 812436) rather than pure number combinations(81-24-36).
- Certain locks are integrated with lights make it easier to operate at night.
- Non-volatile memory retains the user’s code combinations even without a battery.
- The codes are stored inside the safe lock behind the door, removal or damage of the keypad does not affect the integrated security at all.
- Dual control mode – Requires two separate user/codes to unlock, often seen and used in high security or high cash transaction situations, such as ATMs.
- Time delay mode – The lock can only be unlocked after a pre-set delay time expires to prevent burglary attempts.
- Time lock mode – Set the lock to be only operable or not during certain hours, such as business hours or holidays. Similar to traditional time locks.
- Duress mode – In this mode, a special duress code can be entered to open the lock meanwhile sending a silent alarm to notify security guards/monitory room of the emergency situation to ensure the personal safety of staff who are being held up or forced to open the lock.
- Wrong try penalty – The lock will lockdown for 5 minutes after 5 invalid codes are attempted in a row to prevent brute force attacks for codes.
- One-time codes(OTC) – A temporary, one-time use code to unlock the lock for temporarily granted access.
Cons
- Need to monitor and change batteries. The battery may die when the safe has not been used for a long time.
- The cost is usually higher than mechanical locks depending on their functions.
- If you forget codes, it’s easy to get panic and turn the lock into lockdown after 5 invalid tryouts. If it is an emergency situation, it would cause unnecessary problems.
Mythbusting
Are Electronic Locks Less Durable?
Yes and no.
For basic electronic locks, they are less wear and durable than mechanical locks due to their electronic component failure possibilities and low resistance to a moist environment.
But for some of the ultra-high security electronic locks, they are absolutely more durable than average mechanical locks for having a backup for all critical electronic components.
Are Electronic Locks Reliable?
Some say, electronic locks can have all kinds of issues and the only easy one to fix is a simple replacement of a bad keypad. It’s not a matter of “if” electronic locks will fail but a matter of “when”. The ratio of drilling open electronic locks vs mechanical locks is about 20-1 according to some experienced locksmiths who’s been in the industry for quite a long time.
But most of the issues are due to improper operations. I remember once a locksmith told a really interesting and inspiring story to me – “It’s shocking to me that I see some gentle ladies slam the safe’s door every time not because they are rude but they think the safe is heavy and strong, as the safe can protect such a high value of assets. But indeed, you need to take care of your safes as well.” It’s the same with locks. Follow your user manual and you will have a reliable safe lock that you might never have to call a locksmith.
Is Battery Really A Thing to Worry About?
Rest assured though, most electronic locks will have an indicator sound or light before the battery runs out. Even the battery does die, you can easily change the battery with a new one through the keypad without worrying about losing your code. The codes are stored safely without the need of batteries inside the main lock, not the keypad.
Lifetime Warranty and Free Repairs
Some safe manufacturers and suppliers claim lifetime warranty and free repair/replacement for electronic locks. Be aware that the claim and free repair might not cover the door. When locks fail, most of the time locksmiths need to drill the lock and leaving holes in the door. To fix the safe door as well, you will have to pay extra cost to move your safe outside for repairing.
Summary
It’s irresponsible to come up with a conclusion that both have their advantages it’s just a matter of personal choice about which to choose. There are also scenarios that neither lock is competent to replace the other. We’d recommend this guideline to help you:
Choose Mechanical Safe Locks If:
- You can’t resist the brilliant mechanics and charm of mechanical locks.
- You chase stability and durability over other factors.
- You need to deal with extreme conditions such as outdoor or floor safes.
Choose Electronic Safe Locks If:
- You require high-tech features like dual mode or time delay within one single electronic lock instead of two or more mechanical locks.
- You use safes very often and need fast access.
- You need management for different groups of users.
Don’t worry, most of the mechanical and electronic safe locks share the same mounting dimension that you can always choose to switch between them anytime you want.