Product Review: Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar

A Cheap and Effective Way to Barricade Your Home, Apartment, Dormitory, or Hotel Room Door

If you want to keep the bad guys out and sleep securely, check out the MasterLock Dual Function Door Security Bar.

Many Americans are looking for effective ways to be more secure in their homes. The Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar is a simple, but effective, way to temporarily barricade your door and keep home invaders out. The Security Bar performs two essential security functions:

1) It can be wedged between the floor and your door handle so that your door cannot be opened.
2) It can be placed in the tracks of a sliding glass door in order to prevent the door from being opened.

Door security bars like this one from Master Lock are also called Charley Bars. Of course, the principles behind a charley bar are as old as physics. The force applied horizontally to the door is simply being redirected into the floor. However, the Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar has a few added features that make it more effective. First, the bar has a padded rubber foot on a swiveling ball joint to ensure that the bar maintains good solid contact with your floor. Second, it is made of rugged 20-gauge steel and is adjustable from 30 to 44 1/2 inches. Third, the security bar has a removable non-marring yoke to protect the finish of your door and help keep the bar securely around the door knob during a break in attempt.

I have tested this security bar as a Charley bar in an apartment with linoleum floors and in a hotel room with carpeted floors. In both cases, the Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar performed well. In both cases, I installed the bar on an unlocked door and could not open the door and confirmed that the bar did not slide out of place. In a hotel setting, a maintenance man who was unaware of a last minute room change attempted to enter my room and was unable to open the door despite having a master key. If someone was able to pick or bump my front door lock, they would be stopped or significantly delayed by a properly installed Charley bar.

When using the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar, it is important to follow the directions so that the bar is properly aligned with the door and is at the proper angle. If the bar is made too long and is at the wrong angle, it can slide out of place. However, I found it very easy to read the instructions and install the bar on a nightly basis. While the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar can be collapsed for transport, the bar can be extended to and left at the proper length for daily use. This Charley Bar fit well in a large suitcase and would be perfect for extra hotel or dorm room security.

With the yoke removed, the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar can be laid in the tracks of a sliding glass door. While I did not have an opportunity to test this function, I believe the bar would function effectively in this capacity. However, it would be more cost effective to use the wooden dowel or broomstick cut to the proper length and use that to jam a sliding glass door. However, the Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar might be handy when a family travels to a rented vacation home and is unsure of the dimensions of any sliding glass door.

I can only see a few drawbacks to the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar. If you are incapacitated due to a medical emergency or fire and require rescue, it might delay firefighters or rescue workers for a short time. A short length of steel bar will not stop a fireman's axe. A determined home invader might still be able to breach your door by kicking and battering the door until the hinges or door frame gives way. However, in case of an actual home invasion attempt, I believe that the Masterlock Dual Function Door Security Bar can buy valuable time for a potential victim to arm him or herself and call the police, or make an escape.

Overall, I had a good experience with the MasterLock Dual Function Door Security Bar and would recommend it to anyone seeking a more secure home, apartment, or hotel room.

New Years Resolutions For Apartment Life

With the New Year right around the corner, it's time to take stock and make resolutions for the coming year.  Even those of us living in apartments can make New Years resolutions.  Here are my New Years resolutions as an apartment dweller.

1.  Use the gym.  I already pay for it.


2.  Use the pool.  I think I saw the groundskeeper clean it....once.
3.  Get unpacked.  It's been a couple of months.  The boxes in the corner have to go.
4.  Run a vacuum every week.  It's unlikely that they ever clean the ducts here.

5.  Wipe down the kitchen counters every night.  Otherwise, we might have to pay a pet deposit for insect visitors.

6.  Save up for a house.  It's past time to get one.
7.  Don't punch the surround sound gamer who lives upstairs.
8.  Lighten the load before our next move.  Why pay people to haul crap.
9.  Figure out who has been dinging our door down in the parking lot.  Paybacks are hell or at least little paint chips.
10.  Legally change my name to "Current Resident."  I will control all the mail.

Have a great New Year!

Apartment Architecture for Multi-Culturalism

As American corporations continue to welcome legions of guest workers from around the world, architects are faced with the challenge of designing apartments in an era of multi-culturalism.

New residents from around the world often live in different living arrangements.  In some instances, three generations of family may be living in the same apartment.  In other cases, many unrelated people may jam into an apartment and literally share floorspace.

Newcomers may often have different attitudes towards money and frugality.  They may opt to cook more at home amd they may use the apartment complex amenities more intensively.  in some cases, many people may share the same car.  In other cases, there may be seven cars to the apartment.

For recreation and exercise, newcomers may walk the grounds of the complex more than American residents.  This calls for more sidewalks and walking trails that would keep pedestrians and cars seperated.

Finally, day-to-day activities like laundry and cooking are often handled differently by newcomers.  Newcomers may want to hang their laundry on their balcony.  Foreign guests may cook with pungent spices that permeate their apartment and even surrounding units.  This may require apartments with laundry lines and heavy duty kitchen fans.

All of these lifestyles are quite different than the lifestyle of a typical American-born tenant.  Landlords and architects need to adjust theircplans accordingly.

Tips to Avoid an Apartment Burglary

The Art of Keeping a Low Profile in Your Apartment 

Burglary is a significant problem in apartment complexes across the country. However, you can significantly reduce your chances of being burgled through these simple common sense measures.

If you live in an apartment, you work hard for what you have and you make compromises in order to live among other people. You can prepare for a home invasion by using a Master Lock 265DCCSEN Dual-Function Security Bar and a quality handgun like the Smith & Wesson Enhanced Sigma. But, burglary also seems to be a serious risk in apartment complexes. Fortunately, there are simple things that you can do to reduce the chances that your apartment could be burglarized. The keys to avoiding an apartment burglary are discretion and deception.


1. Be Discreet with Your Treasures.  If you don't want to be a target, keep a low profile. Don't flash your cash or your prized consumer goods. Don't let your flat screen TV or expensive stereo be visible from outside of your apartment. Can someone on the sidewalk in front of your building see your TV, stereo, or computer? If you don't want something stolen, don't let people see it. In an apartment, that means you should keep your blinds and curtains shut so that passersby can't see what you own. Any small valuables should be hidden away. Any stereo systems, video game consoles or other consumer electronics should be kept behind the closed doors of an armoire or wooden cabinet. Store valuables discreetly so that they won't be immediately seen by the cable guy, the maintenance men, the pest control person, and other workers who may come into your apartment.

2. Don't Divulge Your Plans.  If you want to minimize the chance that your apartment will be burgled, you need to remember the old World War II adage: loose lips sink ships. If you are planning a week out of town, don't tell random people. Only those with a real need to know should have knowledge of your impending departure and travel plans. In particular, you don't want people to know that you will be out of town for holidays or other major events.

3. Stop Mail / Package / Newspaper Deliveries.  When you do leave town, do everything you can to stop your mail deliveries, stop your package shipments, and hold any newspapers. If you do have a trusted neighbor that you know well, you might have them pick up any packages that appear on your doormat and snatch any pizza flyers or Chinese menus that get thrust into your door. Bulging mailboxes, packages and menus can mark your apartment for burglars and let them know it is unattended. If you live in an apartment, you may just want to get your mail at a nearby UPS store.

4. Park Your Car in Varying Locations. If you park your car in the same space at the same times everyday, people will get to know your habits. If you park on different sides of your apartment building and in different spaces, your habits will be less obvious to potential burglars.

5. Use Varying Exits. Just as you move your car around, you should also vary the exit you use when you leave your apartment building. When you leave from different exits, it becomes harder for burglars watching your building to predict your schedule or plan a burglary.

6. Leave For Trips By the Less Visible Exit.  Sometimes activity in front of an apartment building happens in a fishbowl. Everyone in a building can see what is going on. If you can exit for a trip through a less visible exit and pack your car discreetly, your movements are less likely to be observed. It may be worth moving your car to a temporary space near the building just for loading and unloading.

7. Leave Carrying Non-Luggage.  If you don't want potential burglars to know that you are leaving for an extended period of time, try to leave without luggage. Put your luggage in a large black trash bag or in a box marked "Salvation Army." The key is to disguise your luggage as trash, charitable donations, or anything else. You might also take one bag at a time over a period of time. If you bring one bag of clothes out in the evening before you leave, then you can leave with a smaller bag of your valuables.

8. Appliance Timers.  Appliance timers are perhaps the most important tool in reducing the chance that your apartment will be burglarized. With appliance timers, the lights in your apartment will continue to turn on and turnoff in accordance with your regular routine. You can even use appliance timers to turn radios and televisions on and off. If the lights are on and potential burglars can hear noise when listening to your door, they are likely to move on to an apartment that they know is unoccupied. Appliance timers are available for $5 to $10 apiece. You simply have to test them for reliability before you use them.

There are lots of simple things you can do to make your home safe and secure. If you incorporate these simple steps to keep a low profile and mislead potential burglars by making your apartment look occupied, you'll have done your part to reduce crime in your apartment complex.

How to Escalate Issues at Your Apartment Complex

Sometimes issues at an apartment complex can go unresolved for a long time.  You complain about something and management refuses to do anything to rectify the issue.

Typically, when I have an issue, I will complain to management and give them a week to work on the problem.  If the problem is in a common area, I'll talk to neighbors about it and see if they will complain as well.

If there is still no resolution, I go to the rental company website and escalate the issue to the next level of management.  This can be done iteratively.

My last and final level of escalation would be to leave a review on apartmentratings.com.  When it comes to problems at an apartment complex, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  You have to make complaints to get anything fixed.  If there is a problem at your complex get heard and get it fixed.

Furniture Tips for Apartments

When you first move into an apartment, people will try to help you furnish it. Parents will donate their old furniture and furniture stores will extend apparently easy credit terms. 

Many young people have the notion that their apartment is their first "real" place.  Consequently, renters often rush to fill their apartment with substantial looking furniture.

It's all a trap.

When you are young, you have the freedom to move in pursuit of your dreams.  But, moving an apartment full of expensive or heavy furniture is not cheap.    Once you have heavy furniture, you need to pay professional movers who know how to take care of things.  You start needing to rent an expensive truck every time you move.

If you live in an apartment stay light and stay cheap.  Don't get bigged down by heavy stuff.

Apartment Complex Critters: The Red-Shouldered Hawk

One of the coolest things about living in an apartment is having grounds.  Our complex has an extensive stretch of woods with a creek running through the complex.  The woods is home to critters like possums, rabbits, and raccoons.  But, the fences seem to keep out predators like coyotes.  Earlier this week, we had an airborne predator visit the woods just behind our balcony.  I believe it is a Red-Shouldered Hawk.

Red-Shouldered Hawk near Atlanta, Georgia

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Red Shoulder Hawk differs from the the Red-Tailed Hawk in having a peach-colored underside instead of white.  The Red-Shouldered Hawk is also notable for liking forest land and river-areas.  Since we live near the Chattahoochee River and wildlife area, we have both in abundance.  This guy flies through the trees behind our building and preys on squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and rats.  Very cool to see!