Good value vs cheap security gates
Budgets are tightening and security is worsening. But don’t opt for low-cost security gates and burglar bars before weighing up the consequences of choosing cheap over value.
Why does it matter?
Sometimes cheap doesn’t matter. For example, whether you use a gourmet cheese or supermarket cheddar in a home cooked meal doesn’t make much difference to most of us and certainly isn’t life threatening.
It does make a difference, however, when you wake up to the sound of burglars breaking a door or window to get inside your home. Some burglar bars and security gates have been designed to be just deterrents. The theory is that if burglars can see the barriers from outside your home, they’ll move on to an easier target. The barriers are inexpensive and look similar to stronger products.
Just as these barriers can fool the burglar, they can also deceive you. If that burglar decides to break in anyway, he’ll get through that burglar proofing in no time at all. This will leave you vulnerable and desperately pressing your panic button. Assuming you have one.
If it is built for strength, it buys you time
We are well aware that there is no physical barrier that is completely impenetrable. It would be irresponsible of us to make that claim about any of our products.
Given the right tools, enough time and a low risk of discovery, house breakers can get through just about anything.
Barriers designed for strength under attack, however, will resist that attack for longer. This increases the burglar’s risk of failure and discovery. He is far more likely to give up and move on or get caught in the act. This is why we spend so much time and money on developing strengthening features in all our barrier ranges.
Trellidor franchises sometimes get called in to repair Trellidor security gates that have been damaged in an unsuccessful attempted break-in. Occasionally the customer questions why the gate dented under the intense pressure of the burglar’s weapon. But isn’t the important point that the intruder was unable to actually get through it and that they stayed safe as a result?
That is the value of strong security barriers.
We apply this principle to all our ranges, from budget-friendly designs such as Trellidor Burglar Guard to high-end security gates like Trellidor Retractable T1000 or Trellidor Rollerstyle shutters.
How to compare safety gate strength
There are no standard safety gate strength tests in South Africa as there is no recognised body to perform such tests. This means manufacturers can reduce strengthening features in order to bring down costs.
This goes against our commitment to help people stay safe at home and work. Surely in a life threatening situation you’d want the best value for money rather than the cheapest product on the market?
Trellidor uses established international testing standards to make sure our products do the job you expect of them.
These tests were developed by the internationally recognised Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB), which is an independent, third party certification body trusted by manufacturers and customers in the fire protection and security industries worldwide.
The LPCB has certified two of our top of the range Trellidor Retractable safety gates. So we’re very familiar with their stringent testing procedures. We use similar tests in-house to determine the strength of our other security gates and burglar bars.
Take a look at Trellidor attack test videos and see how it is done.
To find out more about the strengthening features on Trellidor security barrier ranges, contact your local Trellidor franchise.
