High Security Locks for Las Vegas Businesses

People search for Medeco locks because they want a lock that cannot be picked, drilled or copied. The honest answer is that a good high security cylinder raises the bar a lot, but the bar depends on three things. The cylinder, the key control around it, and the door it sits in.

This guide goes past our commercial locksmith page. It explains what the label means, what Medeco and Mul T Lock actually do inside the cylinder, where high security locks have been beaten, and how to decide which doors deserve one.

The short version

These are the points that matter most.

• It is more than a pick resistant lockLocksmith Ledger describes the goal as resistance to manipulation, destructive attacks, breaching and off site key duplication.
• Key control is half the valueA patented or restricted key can only be copied through an authorized dealer. Lost and unreturned keys are still the biggest weak spot.
• The weakest part sets the gradeUnder the BHMA high security cylinder standard, an assembly takes the grade of its lowest graded part.
• No lock is magicResearchers have beaten older Medeco models, which is why you buy a current design and keep your key plan tight.
• Use it on the right doorsCash rooms, stock rooms, server closets and records rooms. Not every door in the building.
• Many upgrades swap only the cylinderOn many commercial locks the new cylinder goes into the existing hardware.

What high security means

There is no single legal definition of the term, so look at what the lock is tested to do. Cameron Sharpe's January 2021 article in Locksmith Ledger, High Security Locks, What Makes Them More Secure, says these locks give additional resistance to manipulation, destructive attacks, breaching and off site key duplication.

The article names the main tests and features. UL 437 covers bypass, picking, impressioning and destructive entry. ANSI/BHMA A156.30 applies to high security cylinders and also looks at key distribution and professional surreptitious attacks. A sidebar blocks the plug from turning until the key is correctly aligned, which resists bumping and picking. Hardened pins and metal inserts resist drills. Patented key control limits copying away from the dealer.

Medeco locks, what is inside

Medeco is part of the ASSA ABLOY Group and builds its locks in Virginia. Its products page says it has the most extensive line of retrofit commercial cylinders in the industry. That matters because retrofit means the cylinder can often go into the lock you already own.

Wikipedia's Medeco article explains the design. The pins have a chisel shaped tip and can only be rotated by a key with correspondingly angled cuts. A slot along each pin drops the sidebar once the pin has turned to the right position. The article says a 6 pin lock with six heights, three rotations and two tip angles has over two million theoretical key combinations, and that the design was built to resist the common attacks of its time.

Where high security locks have been beaten

The same article records two things worth knowing. At the DEF CON conference in 2007, researchers showed a practical bump attack on Medeco locks, and in 2008 other researchers showed methods that included plastic keys to copy certain M3 and Biaxial keys. The article says Medeco later removed most claims of immunity to bump and pick attacks from its own press.

That is not a reason to avoid the brand. It is a reason to ask which model and which key system you are buying, to avoid older designs on important doors, and to rely on key control as well as the cylinder. A lock that has been publicly tested and improved is often a better buy than one with a perfect brochure.

Mul T Lock, the other name you will hear

Wikipedia's Mul T Lock article says the company was founded in 1973, introduced telescopic pin technology in 1977, launched the Interactive patented platform in 1992 and became part of ASSA ABLOY in 2000. In the United States, Mul T Lock lists three patented cylinder platforms called MTL800, MTL600 and MTL400.

Medeco and Mul T Lock sit under the same parent group but are separate designs with separate key systems. You cannot mix their keys or cylinders on one key plan. Pick one system for the building and stay with it, so a replacement key or cylinder comes from the same source years from now.

Key control, the part you pay for every year

A patented or restricted keyway means the key blank is controlled by the maker. That is the point of the paperwork. When you order a copy, the dealer checks your authorization before cutting. We cut duplicates for restricted keys only with your written approval.

Locksmith Ledger's article calls internal key control the most critical issue for commercial users. Lost, loaned and unreturned keys, and staff changes, defeat the best cylinder. Keep a numbered list of keys and who holds them, collect keys at exit interviews, and rekey when one is not returned. Our business rekeying page covers that routine, and our master key systems page shows how to combine key control with a master key plan.

The door matters as much as the cylinder

The BHMA rule in Locksmith Ledger's article is that lock and door assemblies take the grade of the lowest graded component. A high security cylinder in a weak latch, a thin frame or a gap at the strike gives you a high security cylinder on a weak door. Upgrade the strike, check the frame and look at the door closer so the door shuts and latches every time. See our guide to door closers for the part that makes the door latch every time.

For doors where you also want a record of who came and went, pair the cylinder with access control. Our access control page shows how.

What it costs on national guides

We do not publish prices for this work. Housecall Pro's price guide, published August 14 2026, says high security cylinders and restricted keyway locks take more time and skill than a standard pin tumbler lock and are priced separately. It lists a full lock replacement at $100 to $300 per lock and commercial door hardware installation of 12 or more locks at $600 to $2,500.

The guide does not give a figure for a Medeco or Mul T Lock cylinder, and we will not guess one. Tell us the doors, the existing locks and the key system you want, and we give you a written figure before work starts.

Where it earns its place in Las Vegas

Many Las Vegas businesses run long hours with rotating staff. Cash offices, stock rooms and server closets see the most key traffic and carry the most risk. Those are the doors where restricted keys pay back. Public front doors usually do better with good commercial hardware and a plan for after hours.

Our related page on high security lock systems for Enterprise businesses shows how we scope it for one part of the valley.

A standard commercial lock is enough for many doors. A break room, a restroom or an interior office with nothing valuable in it rarely needs a patented keyway. Spend the money where a loss would hurt, and use a good Grade 1 lock with a clear key plan everywhere else. If you are unsure which doors belong on which list, walk the building with us and we will rank them with you.

What to tell us on the phone

Share these details and we can tell you quickly what the job involves.

• Which doorsSay what each door protects. We will rank them by risk.
• Current locksA photo of the cylinder face and the key is plenty.
• Brand and modelIf you already have a Medeco or Mul T Lock system, tell us the key code or model on the key. Call us and tell us the make and model, and we will tell you straight whether it is a job for us.
• Who holds keysHow many people, and whether any key is missing.
• Your goalStop copying, resist attack, or both?

Check any locksmith before you let them in

Nevada law, in NRS 655.070, requires every locksmith to hold a permit from the county sheriff and carry it. Silver State Locksmith holds City of Las Vegas Locksmith License P64 00012, and you can check it at verify our license. Complaints go to the Nevada Attorney General. When you are ready, contact us.