Kwikset vs. Schlage locks

After a year of using the Schlage lever lock, I’m very happy with the quality, reliability, and usability. I have a high opinion of Schlage, and this lock has not disappointed me. It works great with Vera, and I’m very much a convert of the keyless door, especially when you combine it with the ability to control it the lock remotely, schedule its locking and unlocking as desired, and receive instant notifications when people enter their PIN codes.

I’ve also been testing both the Kwikset locks, deadbolt and lever, for a few weeks now. I must say that I have been surprised by both these locks. They have a much higher build quality than I was expecting. In fact, the lever is so solid and smooth that it feels like it’s a commercial/industrial grade unit. These locks have both been operating flawlessly for me with Vera. The SmartKey feature made it super simple for me to change the keying to match my other door locks.

So, in my opinion you can’t go wrong whichever lock you choose to install in your Vera system.

Tell us more about the SmartKey feature, if you don’t mind. That in itself might sway buyers.

My question pertains more to the deadbolt(s) than the lever locks, but here goes. I believe this is obvious to those of you who have experience with either of these locks, but for the rest of us can you confirm that one of the key differences between these two is that the Kwikset are motorized and the Schlage are not?

In other words, you can physically unlock the Kwikset remotely or by use of a pin code whereas “unlocking” the Schlage simply allows the knob to be turned manually. Additionally the Kwikset can be physically locked remotely, (say if you left home and forgot to lock the door), but the Schlage cannot?

I’m looking to add a lock or two to my setup and would prefer to go with Schlage since my other doors already have Schlage locks (and can therefore be rekeyed to match the same key), but would also like the ability to lock the door remotely should I forget.

Thanks!

Without stealing anyones thunder, I have implemented SmartKey technology throughout my home and HomeConnect deadbolt on my front door controlled by Vera.

SmartKey, which is also implemented on the Vera controlled front door, allow me to rekey my entire house within 30 minutes. The front door allows me to completely control the door. This includes locking the door remotely. I have had several instances I didn’t know the door was unlocked. Several of my scenes arbitrarily lock the door. Saved my b…!

I am looking to implement several more when I can!

Just some clarification for those who aren’t sure:

  • Kwikset locks are motorized and can be remotely locked/unlocked; Schlage basically “freewheel” on the outside and can have the clutch remotely energized so they can be manually operated without a key.

  • “SmartKey” is a Weiser/Kwikset branding that basically means you can re-key the physical key in your lock by turning it 1/4 turn, putting a pin (special little tool supplied) in the hole beside the keyslot, removing key, and inserting new (SmartKey compatible) key. The lock then works with the new key and not the old. This has nothing really to do with Vera or automation per se. It is very handy though to have the same physical key work on all the locks in your house/outbuildings/etc.

  • “SmartCode” is the branding for having a keypad on the lock, but does not mean “remote controlled”

  • “Home Connect” is the branding for having remote control (Z-Wave/Zigbee) of the lock

So you can get a plain manual SmartKey lock, which means you can re-key it yourself, but it has no batteries/keypad/Vera control.
You can also buy a SmartCode lock that looks exactly like the Z-Wave controlled with a keypad and motorized bolt for around 1/2 the price, but it has no Z-wave control. The SmartCode with HomeConnect is what you want to control with Vera, and the best place to find one is probably ASIHome in the US and AARTech in Canada.

I have the schlage but not the kwikset. I agree that the build quality of the schlage is excellent. It seems that relying on the user to turn the deadbolt makes the device that much more reliable. On the flip side, the schlage seems less versatile from the point of view of the uninitiated. If you need to let someone in your house, your aunt for example, then you will need to explain to her how to operate the device beforehand. With the kwikset, you can simply unlock/lock it for her - no need to supply more instructions. Since this will not be a common scenario for me, I’m very happy with the schlage.

I got Home Depot to re-key my schlage to match the other locks in our house. The “SmartKey” feature could be useful if I ever sell the house and it needs to be re-keyed by the buyer. But because the keyless entry means I don’t need to share physical keys with others outside my family, it doesn’t seem to be a big feature for me.

The SmartKey is one of the features that sold me on the Kwikset. It is nice to be able to slowly replace the locks in the house and being able to rekey the locks yourself. Having one key for all likes is a plus. I have both the Kwikset Deadbolt and Kwikset Lever lock and use the key pad all of the time now. But having the key for backup purposes is nice. I hate having a million keys on my key chain. I try to use the KISS method when ever possible.

I do have to agree with CMRancho in that the quality of the Kwikset locks are nice. I think Kwikset has a good product line for both the dead bolt and the lever lock. The big plus for the deadbolt being the motorized lock. Both locks are solid and smooth and the finish is great as well.

  • Garrett

I have had both locks, and they bots have their pro’s and con’s

Kwikset

Pro’s:

Auto lock, motorized dealtbolt, Smart Key

Con’s:

Construction is lighter weight than Schlage, 5 button key pad,

Schlage,

Pro’s:

Heavy construction, 10 button keypad,

Con’s:

No auto lock, not motorized, not rekeyable at home,

Thanks for all your input folks, I think this tread provides the best comparison from a user perspective I’ve seen. I think I’m still leaning toward the Schlage at this time, but that is just a personal choice.

It’s great to see all the user input.

For me the choice will be easy, I will buy the fist one I can with the Australia frequency.

Cheers

Note the comments about the Schlage is true for the deadbolts. The door handle version is remotely lockable and/or auto-lockable. Since the latch returns to the closed position when you release the handle, you don’t have the issue with the deadbolt has of needing a physical turn.

Although I haven’t tried it, I believe that the Schlage deadbolt shows the option to lock and unlock within the control panel devices.

FYI, as you may know if you own one, but you can still remotely unlock the Schlage Deadbolt you just need someone there to turn the knob. Therefore the buttons are still needed for this lock and they are also used to show status of the lock in the UI.

As a note, when I was demo-ing SQ Remote at CEDIA this year, I felt confident that I wouldn’t accidentally unlock my house and leave it unlocked using the Schlage Deadbolt. One wrong swipe of the finger and my house could be left unlocked with the Kwikset deadbolt, mind you I was very busy and not paying close attention, but I feel more secure that the Schlage doesn’t have auto-throw.

I’m a new user of Vera and recently had a kwik-set installed along with two Wayne Dalton Thermostats.

Originally I was going to go with the Schlage but then was recommended the Kwik-set and I am so far very impressed with it. Monitoring, controlling and programming codes is very simple and I have a command that locks automatically. The deadlock bolt is very strong and I have a strike-plate on the door making it very secure.

I note the comment above about the 5 number keys but that isn’t a problem as the they kay still only has to be pressed once for the relevant number (e.g. If code were 1212 then the same button would be pressed four times) I also think this makes the pad look less cluttered and less likely to have ‘fat finger’ problems.

Kwik-set works for me (so far).

oh boy, oh boy, this is probably the 4th or 5th time i entered this forum. it’s been more than a month that i am trying to decide between schlage and kwikset. this forum is very helpful for the undecided buyer like me. after reading all your comments, i am ready to oder my deadbolt…kwikset next week. thanks to everyone and someday, i will be able to contribute with the discussion. i hope pairing the kwikset with my vera2 will go smoothly.

Have been running the Kwikset deadbolt on Vera2 for about a month - works great. Having different codes triggering special user scenes when unlocking. It’s really a great lock. I really only have two complaints, first is occasionally it doesn’t report locked/unlocked status accurately. And second, the lock on occasion will not slide the bolt 100% to lock. When this happens it is actually locked and is secure even though the bolt has a 1/4 inch or so of travel left. Unfortunately in this case the Kwikset reports itself to Vera as “unlocked” even though it is technically locked and secure. Now if you manually twist the knob the extra 1/4 inch and Vera will then report it as locked. It seems that it’s a problem with the kwikset not realizing that it’s locked unless the bolt is 100% traveled. The lock does know if it’s blocked ie if the door is ajar and the lock fails to bolt, but in these 90% bolted cases, it doesn’t seem to know one way or the other.

In general I really like this lock a LOT. But for me I really need a more reliable reporting in order to trust the status when I’m away.

How is you door alignment? Is the weatherstipping or some other issue (like blockage in the strikeplate hole) preventing the DB from going the extra 1/4". Or do you think it is just a weak motor?

Just curious, because my Schlage was set up to throw perfectly (albiet manually) and in time it has drifted to the point that sometimes I have to pull the door closed a bit to twist the deadbolt. Fixing the alignment for me won’t be that easy either, because I used their super-duper secure sleeve with 3-4" screws going deep into the door jamb (just try to kick in my door, actually the hinges would probably give out :P)

It should be aligned pretty much perfectly. I had a Kwikset Biometric (fingerprint) bolt on it before (without the tapered bolt), and it required absolute perfect alignment or it wouldn’t work. The Zwave lock is more forgiving because it has the tapered bolt.

I’ll play with it today and see if I can’t improve the alignment or maybe file the strikeplate a bit. The strange thing is that even when it leaves the 1/4 inch, there doesn’t seem to be any friction or contact between the bolt and the strikeplate… it just seems to sometimes leave the bolt back just enough not to register as closed.

Will check it out though, thanks for the tips.

Maybe you should try redoing the “direction/position learn” operation you have to do when you first set up the lock. The one where it finds the max/min reach and direction to turn the bolt.

Maybe somehow the calibration has drifted over time?

Just an idea.

I owned both locks. I just replaced my Schlage with a kwikset because the knob on the Schlage stuck out so far that I couldn’t close the storm door.Both locks work well except that there are more code combinations on the Schlage. It has 10 buttons for numbers as apposed to 5 buttons for ten numbers on the Kwikset. Someone posted that you need to hit a button twice to enter your code on the Kwikset but that is not true. Another words the first button on the Kwikset has the numbers 1&2 so if you program your code to have the number 2 in it you only need to push the first button once.