Whenever any company brings out a new product, they like to think that their offering will in some way change the industry. Products which can claim such a thing could be the very first timber alternative windows from Evolution, Synseal’s WarmCore hybrid aluminium bi-folding door, Brisant’s Ultion door cylinder. All products which have either changed, or are changing the industry.
Some products are very good, but perhaps not industry changing. However, a couple of weeks ago we did see one, the Auto-Lock.
Simple but effective
The Auto-Lock is an exclusive new locking mechanism from John Fredericks, and here is a video which shows perfectly exactly what it does:
They say that the best ideas are the most simple, and it is that little spring loaded latch which is the key to the whole product. It’s that switch which triggers the whole locking mechanism, all without having to lift the handle. An operation which home owners have been used to for decades. From December 1st, home owners buying John Fredericks doors will be getting this as standard.
Why it’s the future
Think about how most people lock their doors. You shut the door and it locks on the latch, then you have to lift the handle up to activate the locking mechanism, then you turn the key and that’s the door fully locked. Do we not think there are too many steps involved in that process?
Auto-Lock removes the middle step. Once the door is shut, the mechanism fires in full, all without the need to lift the door handle. To a lot of people, there are day to day difficulties with the normal process of locking a door. The elderly for example. I have had it before where we have installed a door, made it as simple as possible to use the product, but they still struggle to go through the locking operation due to an ailment or injury. Auto-Lock would take out a lot of the strain sometimes found in the lifting of the handle.
Then consider the remedial ramifications. A large amount of door issues can be sourced back to the locking mechanism. Many home owners fail to lift the handle and fire the locking mechanism once it has caught on the latch, leaving the exposed to the weather, at risk of warping, and of course not fully secured. This product cuts all of that out.
And last but not least, it’s just so simple. The whole point of innovation and new products is to make life easier and remove things which cause problems. There is no doubt that this product does this in spades. I will have no problem in demonstrating this to home owners and selling it as a standard feature on our doors.
Industry effect
This product is exclusive to John Fredericks. No other fabricator can have this product. However, like with any successful new product, it will not be long before other companies start to develop their own versions. That may not be immediate, by all accounts this product took a while to get right, and this sort of mechanism is certainly not one that can be rushed to market.
But, when you consider how this product works and the ease in which it works, as well as the fact that it is going to become a standard feature to doors from John Fredericks, it’s not inconceivable to think that all doors in the future will come with this sort of mechanism.
Do I think this is a game changer? Yes. It’s a simple idea that make the process of a locking mechanism so much easier and straightforward.
Paddle handles and a split spindle lock I think looks nicer and is really user friendly…
Nice idea, but practically, I have doubts, to get a lock to operate smoothly and still get proper compression on the gaskets can often be a bit tricky, The fitting crews are going to get a bit miffed if this lock makes it trickier. you wont get the mechanical advantage of the handles to help the operation.
It seems brilliant on the video , but in the real world on a sunny day with a bit of a bow on a coloured door it might be a different story.
Doorstop have had Slamlock available for a few years now which is basically the same thing. I have fitted several of them over the past few years and haven’t had a single call back to any of them yet which is good.
Yale have recently been advertising their own version too.
As Kevin mention the ones I have tried do take a little longer to get all the setting perfect but once its done its very good (touch wood).
The John Fredericks 10 year guarantee is better than the others though I think.