Dial Combination Lock vs. Digital Electronic Lock

Many safes today come with a standard Group II Dial Combination Lock. Some of our customers choose to upgrade to the Group II Digital Electronic Lock for the safe they purchase. There are many benefits to having one or the other and also some disadvantages. Choosing which lock to put on your safe can be confusing if you don't have much knowledge about locks.

Here are some pros and cons to having a combination lock vs a digital electronic lock:

Dial Combination Lock (made by S&G or Lagard)

• Dial Combination Locks have been around for over 100 years and are very secure and reliable.
• With the proper care and service, the dials/locks will last a long time.
• Combination locks are cheaper than a Digital Electronic Lock.
• They can be ordered with key locking dial so that the dial will not freely spin and protect it from being manipulated.

• In order to set a new combination, a locksmith will have to come out to change it.
• The lock takes extra time to unlock and open the safe.
• Harder for people with arthritis or bad hands to open the safe.
• Not as convenient as a Digital Electronic Lock

Digital Electronic Lock (made by S & G or Lagard)

• The combination is simple and easy to change.
• It is much faster than a dial lock to enter your combination and open the safe.
• If an incorrect combo sequence is entered 5 times, the lock goes into lockdown mode for 5 minutes and another attempt cannot be made until that time limit is up.
• Good strength and security.

• The technology for digital locks is fairly recent compared to a dial combination lock.
• Takes a bit of maintenance (change batteries every year like your smoke detector).
• The cost for a Digital Electronic Lock is more than a combination lock.
• If you forget your combination and the safe goes into lockdown mode, you are locked out of the safe for 5 minutes.

Convenience is one of the major factors in choosing a Digital Electronic Lock. If you are in and out of your safe several times a day, it can be well worth the money. If someone does not like the process of dialing a combination, they will stop putting items in a safe thus defeating the purpose. No matter which lock you choose, remember that both locks are equally secure and are very difficult to break into.

Take a look at our safe locks if you are interested in upgrading your current lock.