Rim Cylinder Lock – What is the Best & Most Secure?

Do you have a rim cylinder lock fitted to your door and want to know what is the best & most secure rim cylinder? We will tell you what rim cylinders are, the pros and cons of having a rim cylinder as your door lock and also the price of a replacement.

If you prefer to save time contact an MLA approved locksmith near you who can advise and fit a replacement cylinder.

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What are Rim Cylinders?

Rim cylinders are part of a Rim nightlatch system (often referred to as a Yale type lock ) found on wooden and timber doors, they are the outer part that you interact with on the outside to open the door with a key.

This kind of cylinder has been around a very long time, the basic version has not changed much to this day.  Popular brands of Rim Cylinder include Yale, ERA, Mul-T-Lock, Eurospec, Union etc..

Advantages

The advantages of using a rim cylinder are as follows:

• Simple security
• Cheap to replace
• Easy to replace new keys to a Yale type lock, you simply replace just the Rim cylinder, as no need to change the lock back case.

Disadvantages

• None security versions are not that difficult to drill, bump, or pick.

What is the Most Secure Rim Cylinder Lock?

The best & most secure rim cylinder for your night latch will be a High-Security cylinder that is British Standard approved.  Most manufacturers will have a high-security version, these are a lot more expensive but are worth the investment.

Remember if you want a British Standard version you’ll need to change the complete lock including the back case.

We also recommend to look for a rim cylinder that is:

• Anti Bump – stops the lock from being bumped
• Anti Drill – prevents drilling methods
• Anti Pick – prevents thieves picking open the lock

Have a Euro Cylinder fitted? read our most secure euro cylinder lock please click here as euro cylinders are prone to lock snapping.

How Much are Rim Cylinder Locks?

Rim Cylinder locks are relatively cheap locks to replace, expect to pay from £12 for the cylinder on its own.

The price of changing a rim cylinder lock for a night latch would be from £85 including the labour cost of the locksmith.  This can increase a lot more depending on the security, brand, and if you want to change the complete lock including the back case.

For advice on costs, please read our locksmith price guide here

What Sizes of Rim Cylinder are Available?

There is just one standard size available for Rim Cylinders so a locksmith will have no problem replacing the lock for you.

Rim cylinders can also be keyed alike so you can use one key for every lock in your home.

Should I Change the Rim Cylinder Myself?

This is a job for an experienced locksmith to complete as any wrong fitting of the lock could leave the lock prone to attack from thieves and/or effect your home insurance.

Recommended Reading

• Locksmith Price List – an estimated guide to locksmith costs
• How to tell you have BS3621 Locks – British Standard locks explained
• Types of Door Lock – How to tell what Door lock you have