A Name to Know: Remsafe

If you haven’t heard the name Remsafe, chances are you will soon.

Remsafe is an Australian manufacturer of window locks that has opened shop in the United States through 3-D Lockdown Supply. It has been here for two years, actually, but because of the ongoing COVID pandemic, 3-D Lockdown only recently has been able to get the products into distribution and out into the field.

“For us to make the decision that we were going to try to launch this company in the middle of a lockdown, you know, COVID-19 time, it’s been a slower start than we wanted it to be,” admits Christine Lanken, vice president of 3-D Lockdown. In fact, Casey Lanken, owner and president of 3-D Lockdown, adds that the “Lockdown” part of the company name came from the lockdown situation of spring 2020 when the company was launched.

Birth of an Idea

That’s 3-D Lockdown’s story. Remsafe’s story began in 2007, according to President Michael Collins, when he and his wife were expecting their first child. At the time, Collins says, they were living on the seventh floor of a high-rise apartment building.

“When I was setting up my little girl’s bedroom, there was a sliding window, and it would open way too far, and it posed quite a safety risk,” he says.

Collins, who had a quarter-century in the locksmith industry in Australia, quickly realized there wasn’t a product on the market that would provide enough safety and security to that sliding window, so he came up with his company’s first product, the Venlock. The Venlock installs into a window frame and restricts the opening of the window after installation. A key unlocks the restrictor and allows the lock to be removed and the window opened fully.

“We now have several products in our range that apply to hundreds of different styles of windows,” Collins says, adding that the Remsafe name also came from the birth of his daughter, Remy. “You guys have similar windows to us, and this is just the next launch of the business, into the United States.”

Just as the Remsafe line has expanded to include restrictors for a wider array of window types and full window locks, so have the applications for the products. Coincidentally, COVID plays a role in this part of the story as well, but as something of a positive. Whereas the locks first were marketed toward safety and then security, now they also can provide a health benefit.

Part of the COVID safety protocols in Australia include ventilation, Collins says. “Now [the government is] saying, ‘well, guys, you really need to open these windows rather than keep them shut and rely on the air conditioning,’” he says. “‘We need to let that airflow and ventilation come through.’”

The result is that schools have become a potential market as well as high-rise apartment buildings. Other possible applications include garage doors, Casey Lanken notes, and memory-care centers. At the latter, the restrictors could be placed on the outside of a building to prevent elopement while still allowing for ventilation, and they could allow facility staff to enter an otherwise barricaded room by unlocking the lock from the outside.

The Products

Remsafe has 10 models of locks and restrictors that can be affixed to a variety of types of windows, including casement and awning, although most models are suited to use in a particular type of window. Casey Lanken says the locks could be used on every type of window material.

The locks have different materials, including zinc alloys, stainless steel and brass in a plastic housing that’s either black or white, although a few models also come in silver, and the Lylock for sliding windows also comes in Primrose. Two cable locks, one retractable, have a high-tensile steel cable that restricts the amount the window can be opened. For cable locks, the key allows the cable to be detached from the base to open the window fully.

Although we haven’t examined the locks, Casey Lanken says locksmiths who have are impressed by the quality of construction. He describes one presentation where he entered to much skepticism but “by the time we were through presenting, everyone who was in that building had a different lock in their hand, shouting out which one they wanted to keep themselves.”

As for installation, most Remsafe locks require only two screws and standard drill bits and could be installed by the end user, so locksmiths could sell the locks to customers as well as install them. Ease of installation was particularly top of mind for Collins.

“From a locksmith point of view, these guys want to just get in and out,” he says. “They want to get you a quality product, but if they have a whole building to do, they want to install something that’s going to be quick, easy to install and the customer is going to be happy.”

Another thing locksmiths will like: Remsafe locks can be keyed alike, and Collins says the key blank is a standard Ilco flat key that could be cut on site if necessary.

Final Answers

Of course, a primary question might be what’s the selling point for locksmiths when you consider that most windows come with latch locks included? Casey Lanken responds by noting the improved security the window locks provide. “Allstate Insurance tells you right on their website not to depend on your 45-pound plastic lock latches in your windows for security,” he says.

There are no Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association standards for window locks, but most of Remsafe’s lock models have been force-tested by St. Louis Testing Laboratories, a private, independent lab. Depending on the model, the locks can survive on average 167–767 pounds of force before failing. The Metrolite Retractable cable lock can withstand an average of 253 pounds before the cable snaps, and the Cable lock can withstand an average of 962 pounds of force before it pulls apart.

Another question: What about egress? The International Residential Codes require at least one emergency escape and rescue opening in every sleeping room and that these openings should not require the use of a key to operate. Local codes might vary, so check with your Authority Having Jurisdiction, but the bottom line is that Remsafe locks might not be suitable for every window yet, particularly in single-family residences.

Remsafe is aware of that problem and is working on new products that will meet egress requirements through a keyless dual-action mechanism, Christine Lanken says. These locks are expected later in 2022.

“The main focus at this point has been more of the institutional buildings, the high rises, the hospitals, etc.,” she says. “It’s really our what’s-next story where we’re going to really be turning to target that residential market.”

Stay tuned.

Remsafe products are available through distributors, including American Builders Outlet and Craftmaster Hardware, and Casey Lanken says 3-D Lockdown has been talking with others about carrying the line.

For more information, go to www.3dlockdownsupply.com or www.remsafewindowlocks.com.