If you’ve decided to step up from a big-box-store deadbolt to something a locksmith would actually put on their own home, you’ve probably landed on Schlage. Good instinct. But before you buy, you need to pick the right side of their B-Series lineup — the B60 (single-cylinder) or the B62 (double-cylinder). They look almost identical. The difference matters more than most listings let on.
The Core Difference
The Schlage B60 locks and unlocks from outside with a key, but from inside it’s just a simple turn-thumb turn. No key needed to get out.
The Schlage B62 requires a key on both sides — inside and out.
That’s it mechanically. But the “when to use which” question is where the real advice lives.
When the B60 Makes Sense (Most Homes)
If your door has a glass panel, sidelight, or any window within reach of the deadbolt, a thumbturn means someone can smash the glass and simply turn the lock — no picking required. In that setup, I’d lean toward the B62.
But if your door is solid with no glass nearby, the B60 is the safer practical choice. In an emergency — fire, break-in, someone falling ill — you don’t want anyone fumbling for a key to get out. Fire codes in many areas actually require thumbturn egress on primary exits for exactly this reason.
When the B62 Earns Its Keep
Glass-adjacent doors are the classic case. It also gets used on doors where you want to control entry from both directions — say, a side door that gets locked from outside. Just know the trade-off: in a genuine emergency, you need to know where that key is, every time, without hesitation. That’s not a small ask.
Why Schlage Over the Rack of Consumer Deadbolts
Most deadbolts sold at the big box stores are built to a price point, not a security standard. Here’s the short version of why Schlage clears that bar consistently:
- ANSI Grade 1 hardware on their B-Series — the top security rating a residential deadbolt can carry, tested for strike resistance, not just marketing copy.
- Bump and pick resistance that’s meaningfully better than the generic stamped-cylinder locks most homeowners have installed without ever checking.
- Consistent manufacturing tolerances — the kind of thing you only notice after you’ve serviced enough cheap knockoffs that don’t sit flush or wear out a cylinder in two years.
Paying a bit more up front for a Schlage B60 or Schlage B62 isn’t an upsell. It’s the difference between a deadbolt that’s a genuine deterrent and one that’s mostly theater.
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