When youre shopping for a door lock, its important to know what your needs and options are. In this article Ill go over all of the basic types, so you know what best fits your needs.

A Privacy Lockset is one of the most basic types of door locks. These locks are the types most commonly found inside of houses and interior passages where privacy is important, but security is not. These locks either have a lever or a knob on one side which locks the door. They have a tiny hole on the non-locking side which can be used to pick the lock in emergency situations.

An Entry Lockset is a typical lock for an exterior door. It has a button or switch on one side and a keyhole and corresponding key on the other side. Some models actually are key-locked from both sides. These types of locks only freeze the turning mechanism, and do not provide the most effective safety.

Many homeowners want an added measure of safety for their exterior doors. A deadbolt lock can be a perfect solution for these people. Deadbolt locks work by extending a “dead” slug of metal into the door frame, which may or may not be accessible from the outside.

Although they are not as common, there is a second variety of deadbolt lock, called the surface-mounted deadbolt. The name is fairly self-explanatory. Rather than being inside the door, the surface-mounted deadbolt is attached to the door from the outside (although it is on the inside surface). This can be an option for people for whom serious construction is not an option.

A handleset is really a combination of different locks. Handlesets are very common setups for exterior door, and generally consist of a deadbolt lock and a regular lockset. Available in both single and double barrel varieties.

A night latch is essentially a springloaded latch that is activated whenever the door is shut. It is installed on the inside of the door, and automatically latches whenever the door closes. These locks are great secondary locks, but they dont provide enough protection to be used without another tandem lock.

Although it can be confusing and difficult to understand the many varieties of door locks, it is crucial that homeowners realize and come to know the options that are available to them. The saying “knowledge is power” definitely applies here, and the safety of your family really does depend on your willingness as a homeowner to find the lock that best fits your needs.