Door Devil (Door Reinforcement) Group Buy! (Ends March 16th, 2018.)

[GlockSpock]

Disclaimer: I was sent a free product for installation and evaluation in exchange for a review and "Group Buy" discount code. However, I was sent the free product because I first inquired and suggested to the manufacturer both an evaluation as well as a group buy for the fine members of TGO. As such, my review is 100% honest and not skewed simply because I was offered a free product, but rather I was offered a free product because I investigated good products and found Door Devil that way.

Door Devil (Purchasable via their Website or Amazon.com) is an amazing product designed to greatly strengthen your exterior doors easily and cost efficiently. According to them, Door Devil immediately raises the force your doorway can withstand from approximately 300 lbs of force to an estimated 2,000 lbs of force. And thanks to their generosity, we have a 20% off code for TGO that should be good for approximately 45 days: tgo20

Make sure to use that discount code on their website during checkout, the code will not work on Amazon.com.

Story: My Wife and I purchased a house April 1st of last year. That's a true story, not a practical joke of any kind. However, like most any home purchase, some things had been done right over the years and some things had been done cheap. I suppose the things done cheap could be considered practical jokes. The front door was one of those things that was done cheap instead of right. The plates on the door frame for the deadbolt and handle latch both were in bad shape. They were misaligned and had been adjusted so many times that a few of the screws didn't even have any bite left in them. I honestly felt like anyone with a firm push could make that door fail. This bothered me. I coincidentally found a product via ITS Tactical. They were heavily promoting a product called "Door Devil". I researched the product, viewed some installation videos as well as product testing videos, and was instantly sold. 

I contacted Door Devil about a group buy as a representative from TGO. I suggested that they provide a free product to me in exchange for a detailed review as well as product photos for their use. I also negotiated a 20% discount code for TGO members, which should be good for 45 days. I thought this was very fair to both myself and other TGO members. So below are photos and descriptions of my installation, and then a brief write-up of my final thoughts.

 

I arrived home earlier this week and discovered an amazing package sitting on my porch. Woohoo! The Door Devil had arrived at last, and I was eager to install it. 

Upon opening, I glanced over the instructions and got started. It all looked very easy. So, first, here is a photo of what my door frame looked like before I did anything. As stated above, a few of the screws (1-2) didn't even have any bite in the wood and turned freely.

The first step of installing the Door Devil is to remove both of these plates. What a joy it was seeing these plates on the ground!

So, you can see here what my frame looked like initially. It had been overused and never quite done right.

So, at this point I placed the Door Devil in the correct location. They include two "Test Screws" that are shorter than the installation screws. These are for attaching the Door Devil to your frame and then opening/closing the door to make sure the placement and everything will work. However, I wanted to see whether I could set the Door Devil deeper (as in, closer to the outside world) than the two plates initially were. I didn't want to screw the test screws in for this purpose, so I used some electrical tape at the top and bottom instead. Then I was able to close the door and determine that the door would indeed work with the door devil at this depth.

However, as you can see below, the frame was not cut out for this depth. The handle latch and deadbolt would not seat into the frame although I could tell they would "set" into the Door Devil correctly.

Let me please take a moment to ask you that if you do not currently own a "Multi-Tool" by Milwaukee or the like, please drop what you are doing and go buy one now. They are incredibly great and can be used for cutting, sanding, polishing, etc. They are, simply put, better than sliced bread (and even at that, could probably be used to slice bread).

My Multi-Tool very quickly (literally, like slicing through butter) made the holes wide enough for the Door Devil to be set deeper.

As you can see here, the frame is now correctly cut for the Door Devil to be positioned deeper into the frame.

So ,at this point I installed the two "Test Screws" into the top and bottom of the Door Devil.

I then tested the use of the door by opening, closing, locking, unlocking, etc again and again until I was confident that this was where everything should be. After being reassured of this, it is now time to use the long screws in all of the Door Devil installation holes as well as replacing the two "Test Screws". Shown below is one of the installation screws.

The next phase of installation is reinforcing the dead-bolt. Luckily for me the deadbolt and door handle were in better shape than the frame and plates were. Here they are before touching them.

What must be done here is to remove the screws to the deadbolt (save them, you'll need them). You then place the reinforcement plate over the deadbolt and then replace the screws. Ask first I was concerned because the screws obviously were holding more metal to the door but weren't deep enough to dig as deep/deeper than initially. However, this is not a concern and you will see in a moment why.

The original deadbolt screws mainly serve as a placeholder for the plate. The plate itself is held to the door by four new screws. Two of the screws are on the outside of the door and two are on the mirrored position on the inside of the door.

The deadbolt assembly itself is now reinforced. The great thing about Door Devil is that they don't stop there. They have also reinforced the hinge side of the door in quite an ingenious manner. First you screw two screws (into the door itself) with protruding knobs approximately 8" above the bottom and middle hinges. You can see both of those here.

As seen in the above photo, you then carefully close the door and cause a slight indention into the frame (it was much easier than expected, there is so much leverage going on here when you do this). You then take each indention in the frame and replace it with a 5/8" diameter hole approximately 3/4" deep.

At this point you screw two reinforcement plates around the holes, it sure does look nice this way! 

Now the hinge side of the door is able to withstand more force than normal due to these screws. When closed, the extruded screws obviously seek shelter within that metal plate.

They now instruct you to remove the middle screw from each of the three hinges. I removed the top screw and saw that it was about the same length as the one supplied by Door Devil. So, at this point I questioned whether or not I needed to continue with the other two hinges, but please let me reinforce how glad I did! Below is a photo showing the length of the screws from the middle and bottom hinges going into the door frame. On the left is the screw that was installed initially, on the right is the screw provided by Door Devil as a replacement. I suppose Door Devil has determined that one of these screws per hinge is adequate enough to provide proper strength. If one wanted, they could opt for similar screws for all of the screws on the hinges, but that would likely be more for piece of mind rather than utility in my opinion.

So, that's it! The frame is reinforced greatly with the Door Devil itself, the deadbolt is reinforced with a metal plate, the hinges are reinforced by both the extruded knobs on the screws and the longer screws for the hinges themselves. Celebrate!

 

So, my final thoughts. It was claimed to only take 30 minutes, which could have been accurate, but I took my time, carefully did each step, measured and then measured again, and it took 2 hours. I could have went faster, but I didn't. Installation went flawlessly though and is so easy that anyone with a drill, screwdriver, 5/8" bit, a little bit of know-how and dedication can easily install this product both correctly and successfully. After installation, my door feels much more secure, looks great, and ultimately I am 100% pleased by their product. I then spent the next few hours installing new weather stripping to the door. Ultimately, in about 3 hours, I had a complete door makeover!

Please note:

• The Door Devil only works on 1.75' width doors
• The Door Devil does not work on "French Doors"

Let me also state that I am already impressed with these guys' customer service. Shoutout to Tom for agreeing to the group buy for us as well as just being quick, friendly, and all around a great guy to begin with! If you have any interest in these products, now is a good time to purchase by saving 20%. If you have any issues, notifying either myself or their customer service should fix any concerns.

They have an amazing FAQ page here.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2018 by CZ9MM

[Jamie Jackson]

Excellent tutorial! Thanks for posting and arranging the discount.

[hipower]

Very interesting looking product! Thanks for the effort you went to for us, and yourself of course. I'll look into this and possibly purchase one.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have been doing something similar for a while now. I go to Home Depot and buy a strip of metal that is as wide as the door is thick. It is ~4' long. I drill holes about 6" apart then make a hole for the dead bolt. I then screw the metal strip into the door frame. Only way to kick the door in is to kick the entire door frame out.

[GlockSpock]

9 minutes ago, Dolomite_supafly said:

I have been doing something similar for a while now. I go to Home Depot and buy a strip of metal that is as wide as the door is thick. It is ~4' long. I drill holes about 6" apart then make a hole for the dead bolt. I then screw the metal strip into the door frame. Only way to kick the door in is to kick the entire door frame out.

Awesome! Same concept, different execution. I do like that they also include the squared plate for fixing to the door itself, bracing the deadbolt and door itself from impact as well. For someone willing to experiment a bit, most of this could be done from scratch cheaper. However, for anyone that isn't simply about saving the most amount of money for the trade-off of convenience, this kit sure was nice. Also, I'm not sure whether or not they still offer it, but at one time they guaranteed that your door wouldn't be kicked in or there was a cash payout.

[GlockSpock]

I just received confirmation that the discount code will expire on March 16th, 2018. Happy shopping!

[monkeylizard]

1 hour ago, CZ9MM said:

 I do like that they also include the squared plate for fixing to the door itself, bracing the deadbolt and door itself from impact as well.

That's important for you folks with a wooden door. Reinforcing the door frame is not enough. My in laws have a wooden door and someone kicked it in. The frame itself held fine, but the door split at the deadbolt and latch allowing the deadbolt and latch to just fall out of the door itself. I have no idea why, but my FiL replaced it with another wooden door.

I have a steel door and plan to keep it that way.

[GlockSpock]

This product attempts to help, but I think long term I too will upgrade to metal doors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ronald_55]

If I was building a house, I would use a commercial steel frame too. If it was block, I would probably weld pins to the outside of the frame to reach back 6 inches or so into the block. Maybe 3 on each side and 2 at the top and bottom. 

It was d@mn heavy, but I toyed with picking up a lead lined door from a XRAY room that was 'scrap' to cut to house size. I decided that the rest being wood negated the value. My current door is steel, but not solid. I would prefer something in that space to make it harder to shoot through or drill. Weight is an issue though. 

[Omega]

28 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

If I was building a house, I would use a commercial steel frame too. If it was block, I would probably weld pins to the outside of the frame to reach back 6 inches or so into the block. Maybe 3 on each side and 2 at the top and bottom. 

It was d@mn heavy, but I toyed with picking up a lead lined door from a XRAY room that was 'scrap' to cut to house size. I decided that the rest being wood negated the value. My current door is steel, but not solid. I would prefer something in that space to make it harder to shoot through or drill. Weight is an issue though. 

What?? Who needs a lead door when you could get a bunch of boolits out of it.

[E4 No More]

You can make your door and frame out of vault steel, but they'll just go to the window if they want in.

[Ronald_55]

6 minutes ago, SWJewellTN said:

You can make your door and frame out of vault steel, but they'll just go to the window if they want in.

Precisely why I would not have windows if the Fire Marshall would let me. If course roll down shutters can be installed after he leaves......

[Ronald_55]

30 minutes ago, Omega said:

What?? Who needs a lead door when you could get a bunch of boolits out of it.

I would have if it had not gotten snuck away when I was not looking.

[2.ooohhh]

Looks ok for kicking but doesn't stop them from jacking the door frame open, and still leaves the door vulnerable with a kwickset on it. 

[monkeylizard]

2 hours ago, CZ9MM said:

This product attempts to help, but I think long term I too will upgrade to metal doors.

You still may want part of this product or a similar one. The plate on the wooden door frame mounted with long screws is a good idea. Most home improvement stores have them. This spreads the force of the impact along a greater area of the wooden door frame instead of just the two small contact points of the latch and deadbolt. The longer the metal strip, the more it disperses the force.

At the very least, you need to replace the short screws on the strike plate and deadbolt plate on the frame with longer screws, even with a steel door. With a wooden door, change the screws mounting the latch and deadbolt too.

Edited January 19, 2018 by monkeylizard

[GlockSpock]

34 minutes ago, 2.ooohhh said:

Looks ok for kicking but doesn't stop them from jacking the door frame open, and still leaves the door vulnerable with a kwickset on it. 

Yeah, I don't know that much about locks, but I wondered if perhaps I should have done this while doing the work. I wouldn't mind buying whatever top grade lock, but if I'm doing that I should just go big and buy a metal door as well. I could always go back and do it again, but then I'd be mounting the door reinforcement plate back into the same holes. Could work, but wouldn't be as strong. Still yet I may do so and figure out a way to make it work.

And I don't think anyone is under the illusion that this sort of product makes your home impenetrable, it is just all about layers and making it slightly more difficult. Whereas before I think literally anyone could have given it one swift kick and been in the home (day or night, whether we were at home or away), I don't think anyone is simply kicking in the door quickly anymore. Of course there are other options, but some of those options would dissuade some and would delay anyone.

Now if some madman is banging on the door while my Wife is home alone, I am more confident that she would have enough time to grab a firearm compared to if they could have simply kicked in the door within seconds. Layers.                                             

Edited January 19, 2018 by CZ9MM

[Ronald_55]

45 minutes ago, CZ9MM said:

Layers.                                             

Like an onion....make them cry before they get all the way inside.

[2.ooohhh]

9 minutes ago, CZ9MM said:

Yeah, I don't know that much about locks, but I wondered if perhaps I should have done this while doing the work. I wouldn't mind buying whatever top grade lock, but if I'm doing that I should just go big and buy a metal door as well. I could always go back and do it again, but then I'd be mounting the door reinforcement plate back into the same holes. Could work, but wouldn't be as strong. Still yet I may do so and figure out a way to make it work.

And I don't think anyone is under the illusion that this sort of product makes your home impenetrable, it is just all about layers and making it slightly more difficult. Whereas before I think literally anyone could have given it one swift kick and been in the home (day or night, whether we were at home or away), I don't think anyone is simply kicking in the door quickly anymore. Of course there are other options, but some of those options would dissuade some and would delay anyone.

Now if some madman is banging on the door while my Wife is home alone, I am more confident that she would have enough time to grab a firearm compared to if they could have simply kicked in the door within seconds. Layers.                                             

Better doors are always nice, and certainly what you've added achieves it's purpose in regards to a particular attack given the door itself holds up(to kicking in the door). As someone who's been interested in locks and lock picking I see far too many people forget that many security features only work if the door remains both closed, and locked. Someone attacking with brute force will force the door open generally with the lock still locked. But what if I point out that someone with VERY little skill, a few readily available keys, and a youtube video or three, could approach your door in broad daylight, bump OR pick that lock once, and REKEY your lock to their key. All in less than 30 seconds while looking like they are just trying to find the right key. Now you come home to a locked door your key won't work in. The thief doesn't have to worry about you coming in behind him, or being able to access the home again. Think if he did this to a door you rarely use for entry such as a side door, back door, or walk through garage door. If you don't ever physically lock that cylinder from the outside you'll never know that it's been rekeyed. 

(Yes, I've even seen the "newest version" kwickset released while it's MUCH more secure than Gen1 it's still a far cry from a real lock.)

Kwickset are some of the least secure locks on the planet due to their design to hit a given pricepoint, then they redesigned them to be rekeyable dubbing them "smart keys". I'm not sure which word is more atrocious calling them "locks" in the first place or calling the open rekeyable keyway that's been around for decades "smart".

 

If I'm looking for a good affordable way to keep a door closed the yale jimmy proof deadbolt comes to mind. Reasonably stout protection against prying, jacking, and kicking when properly installed. Add a much more secure bilock cylinder to it and you're really on to something.

 

If you just want a Deadbolt Upgrade the guy at security snobs sell the best locks available the available. One thing Ill point out about the Abloy with lockable thumbturn deadbolt, if it's all locked up you won't be going out that door as a theif, unlike many cheaper locks where the lock can be quickly unmounted from the door with a pair of phillips head screws from the inside of the door, on the abloy they are locked UNDER the stainless steel thumb-turn cylinder.

 

In a commercial environment, install an abloy lockable thumb-turn deadbolt equipped with a restricted keyway and the upgraded expanding bolt into a steel door and frame. It starts to look easier to get through the cinderblock wall next to the door.

 

[Omega]

I look at it this way, unless you are a drug dealer, banker or other high value target person, you will be a target of opportunity.  The criminal will not come prepared for a door that gives them more resistance than a standard door does, if they see extra security they will probably go break in somewhere else or target you for another time when they can come better prepared.  If you back up this with a camera, you will know if someone has tried getting in and can be better prepared as well.  Nothing says go away better than a well defended domicile.

[monkeylizard]

I have Emtek locks on all my doors. It's a subsidiary of Assa Abloy. They're not quite as security-centric as Assa Abloy or Medeco locks, but they come in a lot prettier options. They're still light years ahead of anything crapped out of Kwikset's metal-eating goats.

Edited January 19, 2018 by monkeylizard

[2.ooohhh]

3 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

I have Emtek locks on all my doors. It's a subsidiary of Assa Abloy. They're not quite as security-centric as Assa Abloy or Medeco locks, but they come in a lot prettier options. They're still light years ahead of anything crapped out of Kwikset's metal-eating goats.

No, that's a very good point. There are hundreds of models of locks from dozens of companies between the entry level kwickset available off the shelf at your local big box and the abloy's I run and linked to.

[2.ooohhh]

16 minutes ago, Omega said:

I look at it this way, unless you are a drug dealer, banker or other high value target person, you will be a target of opportunity.  The criminal will not come prepared for a door that gives them more resistance than a standard door does, if they see extra security they will probably go break in somewhere else or target you for another time when they can come better prepared.  If you back up this with a camera, you will know if someone has tried getting in and can be better prepared as well.  Nothing says go away better than a well defended domicile.

Well unfortunately there have been far too many instances of gun owners/gun stores being targeted for my comfort. Face it as a gun owner you may very well become a target. Especially when I expect to be able to play with my toys in the back yard and then keep them secure when I'm not around. It's certainly layered like an onion though, my layers are just thicker and more numerous than most.

[Omega]

1 minute ago, 2.ooohhh said:

Well unfortunately there have been far too many instances of gun owners/gun stores being targeted for my comfort. Face it as a gun owner you may very well become a target. Especially when I expect to be able to play with my toys in the back yard and then keep them secure when I'm not around. It's certainly layered like an onion though, my layers are just thicker and more numerous than most.

Right, if you are known to have numerous guns it would put you into one of the categories I mentioned.  Me, most of the guys that know I'm a gun guy have their own collection, and all truth be known, if they really wanted to get into a place they could, that's their job after-all.  What is good about where I live is that there is an EMS right across the street, some of the guys know me and there is always activity out there, it's also a busy street so traffic is always present.  Not that some won't be stupid enough to try, but there are better more easily accessible places to try. 

[GlockSpock]

Just a general bump. Code still active. Curious whether anyone has participated.

[GlockSpock]

Just a hair over two weeks left for this. Door Devil was kind enough to grant us this discount code, so I'm simply encouraging others to take part.

Edited March 1, 2018 by CZ9MM