Help me choose a door (Solidor)

[Chivescreamcheese]

My indecisiveness has got the better of me. I need to replace my front door before the winter. I've been so indecisive, we suffered last winter with the original single glazed door. I live in a ground floor 1920s maisonette.
I've found the fitters and will go for a Solidor but struggling to choose which one.

Currently the top choices are between the
Conway - umbrella style window
London - small rectangle window
Ludlow - 2 long panels of glass

My considerations are balancing light and security. The first two offer limited light but good security. The 3rd one seems the most popular choice but I have a weird anxiety about potential security issues because of the the glass. I'm a single parent with young DC.

Any advice please, I am really stuck.

I had the same issue. In the end I went for something with a smaller glass panel. It lets in less light than I would like, but is more secure.

Some points.

The glass is very tough.

When they do break the glass they will not squeeze through the (small) gap ! They will put their hand in and turn the thumbturn and open the door from the outside. You can get round this by not having thumbturns on the inside. The flip side of this is that it may make the door more difficult to open in a fire. You can get round this to a degree by always making sure you have a spare key close to the door (but obviously unreachable if someone breaks the glass). I have a nail with one on.

The door security is only as good as the lock. For high security you can get a 3* lock, Uliton or ABS Avocet. Always make sure you get the number of keys you need with the lock, because they are more expensive to order afterwards. There is also high security handle hardware available as well.

And finally, remember, if it tough for someone else to get in, it will also be tough for you if you lose your key. So always worth keeping a spare key with someone trusted.

I like the Ludlow - but I would say that, its the same as mine!

I chose it mainly because it lets more light in. Despite living in a city centre, I didn't consider security when choosing it but I don't have thumb turn locks anyway so they wouldn't be able to get in, even if the glass was broken.

I like the Conway 1 followed by the Conway 3! What I have is closest to Conway 1 but my hall is quite dark.

However the security aspect is important of course, and may depend what sort of locks you have or will have.

Thanks for the replies, it's such a quandary. I've already seen the quote increase since last year due to my indecisiveness🙄

I wouldn't have a thumb turn as I think this is just weird! So it would be a key lock and isn't any different to what I have now, deadlock at night, requiring a key to exit.

It seems like 90% of front doors in my neighbourhood are similar to the Ludlow so it seems like most people would prioritise light over security. I have unfortunately been burgled before hence why I'm so worried. Mind you that was not through the front door!

If they wanted to smash the glass to gain entry then they would go round the back and break a window, a lot better than standing on the doorstep and doing it.

Thumb turns can be useful. I couldn’t get in once when my teenager was really ill, she’d been home from hospital for a few days and locked the door on the inside and left her key in the lock when I went to work to pick something up.

I couldn’t get in for two hours and was worried sick. A lovely neighbour climbed a ladder to a first floor window (reserve 👨‍🚒 ).

I changed my locks for thumb turns after that.

I had a Conway 3 in my last house with a side glazed panel. We had some (tasteful!) stained glass in the two vertical panels which helped with privacy.

The glass is incredibly tough and I’ve been burgled twice in other homes previously (both uPVC) and it felt incredibly sturdy in comparison!

Just buy a eurocylinder lock that allows you to lock/unlock from both sides.

I used to be worried about someone trying to snap my lock and break in. They wouldn't be able to do it, but they would make it impossible for me to get back in from the outside without smashing a glass panel and probably wrecking the door in the process.

Then I realised that in order to try to snap the lock they would probably wreck the door anyway, so it wasn't really something to be that concerned about.

It is something to be aware of though. If you make your house very difficult to get into, then it not only stops other people getting in, but also stops you getting in too if you lose access via the key for some reason.

Most locksmiths can get into yale locks and normal eurocylinders no issue, but the high security ones can be pretty hard to get past.

It was a euro cylinder lock, didn’t allow for unlocking from the outside when the key was still in the lock on the inside.

We've got the Flint 1 and love it.
We had lots of glass panes in a wooden door before - the hallway is now darker during the day, but the white inside reflects so brighter when the lights are on.
Security/glass panels never crossed my mind - it'd be so much less obvious to break in round the side.
And the thumb turn means we can always get out without having to find a key - safety getting out in a fire trumps people breaking in to me.
Anyway, you really can't go wrong. The doors are great quality.

Oh and go for the 6 key option - our cheap key shop charged £20 per key cut (we needed a 7th).

I prefer the Ludlow. We have something similar with a lock that uses a key on both sides and it feels secure to me. I think the others would make it too dark, but it depends on how your home is laid out and which way it faces.