Best Lock Corporation is a
door hardwareDoor furniture or Door hardware refers to any of the items that are attached to a door or a drawer to enhance its functionality or appearance....
and
lockA lock is a mechanical fastening device which may be used on a door, vehicle, or container, restricting access to the area or enclosed property. Commonly, it can be released by using a key, keycard, RFID signal, or by inputting a keycode....
manufacturer founded in 1925 by Frank E. Best in Seattle, Washington as Best Universal Lock Company. It relocated to Indianapolis, IN in 1938 and is there currently.
It specializes in small format
interchangeable core locksAn interchangeable core is a compact keying mechanism in a specific "small format" or figure-eight shape. It is directly inserted and extracted by use of a special "control" key, as opposed to a standard key cylinder, which is accessible only via locking device disassembly...
invented by Best himself in 1921. It became Best Lock Corporation in 1995 and on November 25, 2002, it was acquired by
Stanley WorksThe Stanley Works is a manufacturer of tools and hardware and provider of security products and locks headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut.-History:...
.
It is now the Stanley Security Solutions, Best Lock Corporation d/b/a Best Access Systems.
Best's product lines include
Small Format Interchangeable Core (SFIC)An interchangeable core is a compact keying mechanism in a specific "small format" or figure-eight shape. It is directly inserted and extracted by use of a special "control" key, as opposed to a standard key cylinder, which is accessible only via locking device disassembly...
locks and door knobs,
padlockPadlocks are portable locks used to protect against theft, vandalism, sabotage, espionage, unauthorized use, and harm. They are designed to protect against some degree of forced and surreptitious entry.- History :...
s and accessories to go with them.
Best Lock Corporation is a
door hardwareDoor furniture or Door hardware refers to any of the items that are attached to a door or a drawer to enhance its functionality or appearance....
and
lockA lock is a mechanical fastening device which may be used on a door, vehicle, or container, restricting access to the area or enclosed property. Commonly, it can be released by using a key, keycard, RFID signal, or by inputting a keycode....
manufacturer founded in 1925 by Frank E. Best in Seattle, Washington as Best Universal Lock Company. It relocated to Indianapolis, IN in 1938 and is there currently.
It specializes in small format
interchangeable core locksAn interchangeable core is a compact keying mechanism in a specific "small format" or figure-eight shape. It is directly inserted and extracted by use of a special "control" key, as opposed to a standard key cylinder, which is accessible only via locking device disassembly...
invented by Best himself in 1921. It became Best Lock Corporation in 1995 and on November 25, 2002, it was acquired by
Stanley WorksThe Stanley Works is a manufacturer of tools and hardware and provider of security products and locks headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut.-History:...
.
It is now the Stanley Security Solutions, Best Lock Corporation d/b/a Best Access Systems.
Best's product lines include
Small Format Interchangeable Core (SFIC)An interchangeable core is a compact keying mechanism in a specific "small format" or figure-eight shape. It is directly inserted and extracted by use of a special "control" key, as opposed to a standard key cylinder, which is accessible only via locking device disassembly...
locks and door knobs,
padlockPadlocks are portable locks used to protect against theft, vandalism, sabotage, espionage, unauthorized use, and harm. They are designed to protect against some degree of forced and surreptitious entry.- History :...
s and accessories to go with them. It's known for only selling directly to corporate and institutional
end usersEconomics and commerce define an end-user as the person who uses a product. The end-user or consumer may differ from the person who purchases the product. For instance, a zookeeper, the customer, might purchase elephant food for an end-user: the elephant....
without going through
locksmithsLocksmithing began as the science and art of making and defeating locks. A lock is a mechanism that secures buildings, rooms, cabinets, objects, or other storage facilities. A key is often used to open a lock...
. Its products are typically designed for and installed into moderate to large
master keyedA key is an instrument used to open a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user...
systems and come in a variety of
keywayA keyway is the shaped channel in a lock cylinder into which the key slides to gain access to the lock tumblers. Lock keyway shapes vary widely with lock manufacturer, and many manufacturers have a number of unique profiles requiring a specifically milled key blank to engage the lock's...
s.
From tens of keyways it offers, one product line known as Premium Key System is a series of key system with using keyway profiles wider than their common blanks. Best held patents on the overall shape of these keys. Ilco-Unican Corporation (now Kaba-Ilco) felt the patents were not valid and made compatible blanks and distributed them in 1993 ALOA convention.
Best sued Ilco claiming patents infringements over their design and utility patents, however Ilco counterclaimed that its patents were not valid. In August 1996, court decided that both patents were invalid on basis that its utility patent was already covered in a prior art and that keyway shape was not an ornamental concern for the users.
Its current offerings are:
traditional SFIC
Older Best blanks were factory incised with lettering "IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DUPLICATE THIS KEY" but their current blanks are instead stamped "DUPLICATION PROHIBITED".
PEAKS utilizing KABA Peaks patented technology
MX8
This is its newest key system with a patented side pin technology (Patent number 5,615,566 (expiration date: 2015)). This key system is available in the M series that is backward compatible with pre-existing traditional SFIC locks as well as the X series that is not.
Sources