Window locks
Keyless and used every night, or keyed and used for two weeks?
The most important property of a window lock is not its material. It is whether the household still engages it after two weeks, and that is decided by whether locking it requires finding a key. Both are made for European-style casement windows and balcony doors; neither fits a double-hung or sliding window.
| Compared on | 1100-0050 (3-pack) | WinSafe WS 11 W |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Three locks | One lock |
| For | Single-sash casement windows and French windows | Windows and balcony doors |
| Locking | Push-button, keyless | Lockable, 2 keys |
| Body | Not stated | Die-cast zinc |
| Position | Handle side | Top, bottom or handle side |
| Screws supplied | 4 × M5 × 50 mm (1.97 in) per unit | Supplied, length not stated |
| Child-safe | No, releasable from inside | Yes, lockable |
| Retrofit | Yes | Yes |
| Color | White | Not stated |
| Listed on amazon.com | Yes | Yes |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.
Buy the BASI three-pack for a ground floor. Push-to-lock is what keeps the locks in use, three is roughly the right quantity, and BASI publishes the length of the supplied screws, 50 mm (1.97 in), which many listings do not. With young children in the house, that is the case against it: without a key, anyone inside can release it.
Buy the WS11 for a specific window that flexes somewhere other than the handle — a tall casement or a balcony door — where the ability to fit it top or bottom is the whole reason to choose it.
Only if a child might open the window, or if glass is close enough that a hand could reach the catch. Otherwise no: a lock that needs a key at bedtime stops being used, and an unused lock protects nothing.
Wherever the frame moves. Push each corner and edge with your hand — a tall casement usually flexes in the middle, a balcony door near the bottom. That is where the lock belongs, not automatically beside the handle.
Only if they reach the steel reinforcement inside the profile; in bare vinyl they tear out at the first pry. Neither listing cites a test standard, so locate the reinforcement before drilling.
Three window locks · push-button locking, no key · M5×50 self-tapping screws supplied · white
Three window security bolts operated by push button rather than by key, which BASI states lock by hand and release quickly. Each comes with four M5 × 50 mm (0.20 × 1.97 in) self-tapping screws.
Best for: Doing every ground-floor window at once, without a key for each.
Zinc die-cast body · lockable · fits top, bottom or handle side · 2 keys · retrofit
A lockable window security bolt in a zinc die-cast housing, which BURG-WÄCHTER states can be fitted on the top, bottom or handle side of a window or balcony door with a few holes.
Best for: A window where the best fixing point is not the handle side — a tall casement, or a balcony door.
≈ $69
