Have you heard about the defender for armoured doors and want to know more?

You have come to the right place.

If we have not met yet, let me introduce myself: I am Mauro Semonella from Ariete, an expert in armoured doors and locks for over 25 years.

In this post I will tell you about the well-known cylinder guard, its features, the various types and its prices.

Ready? Let’s begin!

Defender for armoured doors: everything you need to know

What is a cylinder guard (defender) for an armoured door?

The defender is a single block of hardened steel that serves to add further protection to the euro cylinder (or the double-bit lock) of an armoured door lock, and it is an essential component that helps increase the security of your front door even further.

The defender for the euro cylinder reinforces the central part of the lock body, blocking the break-in attempts that usually consist of trying to snap the cylinder.

This escutcheon for armoured doors protects against this type of attack, but to be effective it is important that it has a particular shape (such as a truncated cone, for example), so that it offers no purchase for burglary tools.

How a lock is forced without a defender or with a round defender

When an armoured door has no defender, or fits an old protruding round defender, the lock cylinder can become a weak point.

Burglars, in fact, do not try to break through the whole door: in most cases they try to act precisely on the cylinder, which is the most exposed part and the easiest to attack.

Another widely used technique is the scaffolding pipe method. This is a metal pipe that is slipped over the round defender and used as a lever to wrench it off.

I talked about it in the video below.

Traditional cylindrical defenders, precisely because of their round, protruding shape, can offer a perfect grip for this type of attack.

In other cases drills or milling cutters are used to damage the cylinder or the internal mechanisms of the lock. Without adequate protection, the cylinder can be drilled and rendered useless in a matter of minutes.

For this reason the most modern defenders are designed with anti-lever shapes and high-strength materials, so as to protect the cylinder and make any break-in attempt far more difficult.

When the defender is of good quality and correctly fitted, the time needed to force the lock increases considerably, deterring most intrusion attempts.

What are the various types of lock cover for armoured doors?

Just like cylinders, defenders too come in various types; the best are those fitted with anti-pipe, anti-drill, anti-wrench and anti-milling protection.

A quick note, however: if it is not suitable or not correctly fitted to the lock, even the defender can be easily tampered with by skilled criminals.

To guarantee the highest security for your home and your family, the best solution is to rely on a specialist, who will know how to advise you and carry out a flawless installation.

Magnetic defender

The magnetic defender for the euro cylinder provides physical protection of the keyhole that prevents (or at least makes far harder) any tampering with the lock fitted with a defender, which can only be unlocked by means of a coded magnet.

Thanks to its shape, it obstructs access to the lock, making advanced tools useless (such as the infamous Topolino decoder), it protects the lock from break-in attempts and, thanks to the more than 6,000 combinations of the magnetic key, it offers a higher level of security than traditional defenders.

Anti-break-in defender with internal coupling

It is fitted with an internal coupling that connects to the cylinder without leaving any gap, which could otherwise make a break-in possible by levering with a force key.

It is very versatile to fit and adjust, and it has a thread on the body that allows it to be adapted to the panels of external armoured doors of any thickness.

Cone-shaped defender

The defender has always had a cylindrical shape that protrudes outwards, which however makes it easy to break.

The cone-shaped model, on the other hand, with its cone-shaped projection, makes it impossible for the burglar to lever or wrench off the protection of the euro lock fitted with a defender.

This design features an escutcheon around the defender itself, and a domed shape that forms a single body with the seating area of the lock.

It can be chosen in various finishes made of satin chrome, polished brass, polished chrome or bronzed brass.

Square anti-pipe defender

The square-shaped one is the flagship of some armoured door manufacturers, and it is today one of the best defenders around.

You should know that one of the tools most used by the modern burglar is the so-called scaffolding pipe, a metal pipe with a circular cross-section that, precisely thanks to its circular shape, is able to lever against the main round defenders.

The square anti-break-in defender with chamfered corners (also called an anti-pipe defender), on the other hand, makes the intruder’s job impossible precisely thanks to its particular shape, for which no tool exists that can lever it or wrench it off.

Best defender for armoured doors

On the market there are dozens of types and models of defenders for locks.

To help you choose the best one, below I have left you the list of the best defenders for armoured doors of the past year.

Ariete defender

On Ariete armoured doors we use defenders designed to offer real protection against the most common break-in attempts.

These are high-strength hardened-steel protections, designed to defend the euro cylinder against attacks such as wrenching, drilling, milling or attempts to snap the cylinder.

The shape of the defender (square with chamfered corners) is designed to minimise the points where burglary tools can get a grip, while the internal fixing to the lock ensures a compact structure that is hard to tamper with.

In this way the defender becomes a real physical barrier between the burglar and the heart of the lock.

Disec Diamond defender

Diamond by the brand Disec is, in my opinion, the best defender for locks on the market.

It was specially designed to withstand the action of battery-powered angle grinders and milling cutters used by professional burglars.

Kaba KSP Strong Protection defender

KSP Strong Protection is a defender able to offer very high resistance to break-through, and compared with the other defenders on the market it is the most versatile, thanks to the fact that the escutcheon can adapt to armoured door panels of different thicknesses.

Disec Monolito Rok defender

Monolito Rok can be described as the “little one” of the Disec family, yet one of the strongest.

Thanks to its conical (or spherical) shape it is immune to theft attempts carried out with the well-known scaffolding pipe, and thanks to its escutcheon and anti-drill stainless-steel disc for inserting the key, it resists the action of advanced tools.

Defender for armoured doors: can it be fitted later?

In most cases the defender can also be fitted later on an existing armoured door.

If your door has a euro cylinder but no adequate protection, it is often possible to add a defender to increase the level of security without having to replace the whole door.

Fitting consists of securing the defender to the lock with dedicated internal screws, so that the protection becomes integral with the body of the lock itself.

It is important, however, to check a few technical aspects, such as the space available on the door panel, the type of lock fitted and how far the cylinder protrudes.

In some cases, to obtain truly effective protection, it may be advisable to replace the cylinder too or to upgrade the door’s security system.

For this reason it is always best to rely on a specialist technician, who can assess the most suitable solution and fit the defender correctly.

Note: the defender used on Ariete armoured doors is not sold separately, but is fitted directly during the production of the door. In this way we can guarantee that the protection system is perfectly integrated with the lock and with the structure of the door, ensuring the highest level of security.

How much does a cylinder guard cost?

Right, but how much does this defender cost? you may be wondering.

The cylinder guard has a cost starting from around €100, to which you will need to add the price for fitting.

I advise you to be wary of cheap defenders and to buy the top-of-the-range ones, to guarantee the highest security for your home and your family.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusions

Here we are at the end of this article on the defender for armoured doors.

If you have realised that your door is no longer secure and you intend to replace it, get a free quote.

If you have any questions, leave a comment, and I will reply within 24 hours.

Warm regards,
Mauro