TOP-7 Best Door Security Bars | 2019 Useful Buyer’s Guide

There’s no point in denying that in today’s society, security is absolutely critical. Some would say that that’s a bit of a paranoid way of thinking, but you really can’t trust anyone nowadays. To be honest, that’s always been the case, society hasn’t simply plunged into moral depravity, where just much more aware of every single misdeed due to modern communications.

People will take a mile if you give them an inch. Thankfully, there are many varieties of technology, some of them very practical and simple, which can provide the peace of mind and safety you need. Let’s look at door security bars today, as there a simple but very effective solution.

What is the best door security bar? The device should be portable because this will allow you to take it with you on a trip to make sure that your safety is guaranteed wherever you are. Portability is particularly important for those who are traveling by air. A door jammer should be gentle enough not to damage the floor or doorjamb. However, if you live in a crime-ridden area, you will need a heavy-duty item. We believe that the Brinks model fits these criteria best and will effectively protect your personal space in most situations.

Why have we chosen this door jammer? It is produced by Brinks, a very respected name in security. The company is known to produce quality goods at a low price. The model has a locking mechanism and mechanical parts, preventing a door from swinging. It is pretty strong and can take a hit. That said, the device is adjustable, easy to set up and requires no installation. The product comes with a lifetime warranty.

In this guide, you will learn about TOP-7 best door security bars and the difference between their types: keychain, sliding, wedging, and cross bars. Find out what things you need to consider before buying a door jammer and take a look at a comparison chart containing the main characteristics of the products. You may also want to read a story of the article’s author who has learned how important it is that his personal space has a door that locks.

What You Will Learn From This Guide:

• How does a door security bar work?
• What are the types of door security bars?
• What to look for when buying a product
• My personal experience with door security bars
• TOP-7 best door jammers

How Does a Door Security Bar Work?

In all honesty, these aren’t a complicated concept. Through one fashion or another, they impede a doors ability to open from the outside. There are a few variations for how this can be done, as well as quite a bit of variance in how effective they are, and how gentle they are on the door in question.

What are the Types of Door Security Bars?

Most front door security bars fasten to the doorjamb, and simply don’t allow the door to move. Others interfere with the latch, or prevent the door from moving by using leverage on the floor. Others are more akin to slide locks.

Which one of these is best depends entirely on your location, the type of door you have, and whether or not you need some level of portability. One of the implementations will look at today is an example of a very simple yet very effective portable security bar for door.

What to Look for When Buying a Product

There are a small handful of things to take into consideration when shopping for a door jammer. Obviously, this technology is simple, relying mostly on physics and the fact that matter is solid and order to work. Still, this small handful of variables are important, and they do warrant a close look before you go shopping. Let’s do that now.

• Portability – If you travel often, and don’t feel that the existing security measures guarantee your privacy (after all, landlords, hotel managers, and staff all have keys), then you’ll want something portable and easy to carry with you. This is especially true if you’re flying, as a lot of these devices will raise eyebrows with airport security.

• Environment – Some door security bars are less gentle than others when it comes to how they work. For example, one that braces against the floor maybe less than ideal if your flooring is something expensive and delicate, or some kind of carpet. Others may be a little too aggressive with your doorjamb or your door, and should only be used on industrial, heavier duty structures.

• Society – Your location does matter. If you are in a very high crime area, you will need a heavier duty security bar, because criminals wishing to break in our very motivated, and will try to bash the door down if they wanted badly enough. Obviously, some of these are intended just to thwart casual attempts at entry, while others are designed to withstand people charging the door.

• Convenience – If you just want an extra layer of privacy, consider convenience. Some of these are more involved to put up and take down than others, so if you do intend to answer the door periodically, or come and go, make sure you pick one that has minimal hassle involved.

My Personal Experience with Door Security Bars

As I’ve said in the past, I’m originally from LA. It’s a wonderful city all things considered, if you don’t mind the smog in traffic, and how expensive it is to live there. But, being one of the largest cities in the world, and a place where people from all around the world converge, it can be dangerous. But, that’s not really what this is about, it merely explains why I had the security bar in the first place.

This was my last year living at my parents’ house. My parents were not nosy people per se, nor were they controlling or in any way unpleasant. But, being ex-hippies, they often forgot how much of a value others put on privacy. It wasn’t that they refused to knock, they just had a horrible habit of forgetting to. My door didn’t have a lock on it, none of the doors aside from the bathrooms did inside the house.

We had an old security bar, which my parents made use of in their previous home, for one reason or another that I don’t entirely recall. Well, I decided one night that I would make avail of this to ensure my privacy when I had my girlfriend over. Don’t misunderstand, they knew exactly what she and I were going to do. However, I didn’t need them forgetting, also forgetting to knock, and walking in on something that I really don’t need an audience for, especially in audience comprised the family members.

Well, that thing wasn’t in the best shape, it was a bit rusty, it was very old, and it would seem to be secure when it wasn’t. Needless to say, a couple hours later, as she and I were in the middle of doing what a young couple does, my mother forgot to knock when she decided to bring us some coffee.

Not only did the door open, not only did she get into the room, but the falling of the security bar made a horrible racket that startled my girlfriend and I, causing us to fall off of the bed and into a very ridiculous position on the floor.

So there we lay, not a stitch on either of us, with my mother, now trying to stifle her laughter, looking over a tray of coffee cups at us. On the bright side, that was the day they finally learned to always knock no matter what. And, for my part, I learned to insist that my personal space have a door that locks - something I’m glad I learned considering I’ve rented rooms in many houses over the course of my life.

The lesson to take away from this? Make sure you know how to use this thing, and make sure that it secure before you decide to let your guard down.

TOP-7 Best Door Jammers

Below, you will find TOP-7 best door jammers at a price ranging from $7 to $90. These models differ in form factor, so there are keychain, sliding, wedging, and cross bars. Some of them include mechanical parts while others do not, however, almost all these models comes with a locking mechanism. They also have a different ways of application: either preventing the door from swinging or jamming it.

Addalock Door Security Bar Travel

This is the portable one I referred to earlier. I actually have a very similar one for the rare occasion that I travel, or stayover at someone else’s house besides my girlfriend’s. As a very private person, I do value any device I can carry in my pocket that makes extra sure that no one can open a door uninvited.

This one simply works by interfering with the door latch, and fits in your pocket like a keychain. If I’d had this one back in the day, I wouldn’t have found it difficult to look my mother in the eye for a couple of weeks after she opened the door.

Features

• Form Factor: Keychain.
• Mechanical Parts: No.
• Locking Mechanism: Yes.
• Application: Latch interference.
• Heavy: Not at all.

Performance

This portable little locking mechanism is excellent for travel, for emergencies, and it’s very easy to use. You’re very unlikely to ever get stuck with this one, and it’s very easy to tell if it’s not properly locked. Couple this with being lightweight, easy to take on a plane, and simple to use, and you have a pretty decent solution here.

This isn’t a lock you want to try to rely on if you’re worried someone will try to kick your door down, despite it claiming to be ideal for school lockdowns. As dark of the subject as it is, someone with a gun intending to get into a room to do harm will not be permanently stopped by a device like this, but it certainly will slow them down, probably long enough to get help.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Portable.
• Very lightweight.
• Very affordable.
• Very simple to use.

Cons

• Won’t really stop someone that aggressively set on getting in.
• Could do damage to your door jamb.
• While the metal is of decent quality, this thing could still break.

Conclusion

I am pretty comfortable recommending this for simpler, less severe privacy needs. I definitely think anyone who travels frequently should have one of these.

Ideal Security Patio Door Security Bar

This one is designed for sliding doors, primarily glassed doors for patios, balconies and so forth. It works by holding onto the door and basically preventing it from sliding open. Being adjustable, it can allow the door to open partially for ventilation, and be adjusted for various widths of doors.

Features

• Form Factor: Sliding bar.
• Mechanical Parts: No.
• Locking Mechanism: Yes.
• Application: Slide interference.
• Heavy: Perhaps a bit.

Performance

By their very nature, sliding glass doors are hard to make secure. Many of them, if not all of them, have little slide latches that can lock them, but these often don’t work, and if you have kids, they can often get these open.

This solution works pretty well, the only issue being that the sliding glass doors usually a metal frames, and screwing anything into a metal frame is always a nightmare. It also does lasting damage to the door, which means that in the case that you need to resell your house, you might wind up having to replace the door.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Actually makes sliding glass doors secure.
• Very affordable.
• Very simple to use.

Cons

• Has to be screwed into metal.
• Does lasting cosmetic damage to the frame of the sliding door.
• Is a headache to take back off.

Conclusion

There’s really no other way to make this sort of door particularly secure, so while this has its cons, I recommend a sliding door security bar to anyone who doesn’t feel their glass door is entirely secure.

Brinks Door Security Bar

This is an example of how most indoor bars work. This is the engineered equivalent of stopping a door from opening by wedging a chair under the knob, and the same rules of physics apply here.

Brinks is a very respected name in security, so you know you’re getting something of significant quality, despite the price being so low. As I said earlier, devices like this do have a danger of damaging your floor, so be very wise about using one of these on something like hardwood, bamboo, or ceramic tile.

Features

• Form Factor: Wedging bar.
• Mechanical Parts: Yes.
• Locking Mechanism: Yes.
• Application: Prevents door from swinging.
• Heavy: Perhaps a bit.

Performance

A friend of mine actually uses one of these during the day to guard the back door of his business. Locking that door require setting a security system and an alarm, and he doesn’t need the alarm going off when he gets deliveries, or needs to take his trash out. His solution is to use one of these for that backdoor.

When he first got it, after moving to his new location, he wasn’t entirely sure how well this thing would hold up. He had me try to kick the door in. I’m a decent size guy, and I’m pretty strong, and I couldn’t make that door budget in the slightest. It did however scratch up the doorknob, and it slightly damaged the carpet where it was braced.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Strong.
• Easy to set up.
• Requires no installation.

Cons

• If it bends, it’s ruined.
• It could damage your floor or doorknob.
• If this falls on your foot, it’s going to smart.

Conclusion

This is one tough security bar, and it’s very easy to set up. This may actually be overkill in a lot of situations, but if you live in an area where there is a risk someone might seriously try to barge through a door, this is definitely going to stop them, if it means sacrificing a few scratches in your floor to see to it.

Master Lock Door Security Bar

We’re not going to spend quite as much time looking at this one as we have others for the simple fact that it’s literally the same exact device is the one by Brinks, only this one is by an equally reputable manufacturer in this industry, Master.

Features

• Form Factor: Wedging bar.
• Mechanical Parts: Yes.
• Locking Mechanism: Yes.
• Application: Prevents door from swinging.
• Heavy: Perhaps a bit.

Performance

This, as I said, is literally the same exact security bar is the one by Brinks, just with a slightly different look to the base and the cradle for the knob. It offers the same amount of resistance, and poses the same basic risks to your floor.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Strong.
• Easy to set up.
• Requires no installation.

Cons

• If it bends, it’s ruined.
• It could damage your floor or doorknob.
• If this falls on your foot, it’s going to smart.

Conclusion

I’d love to discuss what makes this one stand out, but really, the only difference is the brand, which is just as reputable as Brinks. That said, I’m just as quick to recommend this one in the same circumstances.

Doorricade Security Door Bar

This is probably the most practical thing for your average home user, and is very similar to the one I mentioned in my personal experience earlier. There’s nothing wrong with this type of implementation, that one was just old, and I didn’t set it up correctly.

This works in two ways, interfering with hinges and preventing the door itself from being able to swing open. Good luck prying a door open with one of these on it.

Features

• Form Factor: Cross bar.
• Mechanical Parts: Yes.
• Locking Mechanism: Yes.
• Application: Prevents door from swinging.
• Heavy: Not really.

Performance

This works a lot like the portable unit in the fact that it interferes with the doors mechanism itself, while also providing some interference of the door swinging like the previous two we looked at. My only concern with this is, it could do some damage to your door if somebody really tries to get through it, cracking the frame, denting the actual door panel, any number of small things like that.

Then again, it’s a was trying to break in, expect some level of fairly superficial damage anyhow, right?

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Strong.
• Easy to set up.
• Simple installation.

Cons

• Could damage your frame, hinges, or the door itself.
• Could be hard to remove if you’re panicked and in a hurry (say, fleeing a fire).

Conclusion

I’m the most comfortable with recommending this one to homeowners who just want to add a little extra security to either entry points, or specific rooms in their house. I pointed out that this thing could damage your door, but it’s less likely to than other implementations we’ve looked at.

Door Jammer Security Bar

This is something of a compromise when it comes to security bars that jam the door. Scientifically speaking, this is very similar to the traditional wedge-shaped door stopper, with a little bit of extra engineering and reinforcement to make it harder to move.

Features

• Form Factor: Wedge.
• Mechanical Parts: Yes.
• Locking Mechanism: Yes.
• Application: Jams the door.
• Heavy: Not really.

Performance

This works just fine, very similarly to the two by Brinks and Master, only it doesn’t use leverage against the doorknob to hold it in place. This means that is gentler on the door, but you still run the risk that this could scuff your floor somebody gave it a mighty enough shove.

Still, it can and will stop a door from opening, I’ve seen very similar designs in action. Some commercial doors even have a mechanism like this built into them.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Strong.
• Easy to set up.
• No installation.
• Gentler on doors and floors than some similar ones.

Cons

• Applies pressure to the floor.
• Wouldn’t stop a gigantic person charging into the door full force. At least, it wouldn’t stop repeated impacts from succeeding.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this one for nonresidential use, as also good for holding doors open on windy days. However, this is a bit too heavy duty for home use I think, and still recommend that crossbar in those cases.

FEENM Door Stopper Security Bar

We’re doing something of an honorable mention with this one, as it’s not really that much of a security bar or doorstop in and of itself. It’s wedge-shaped does mean that it will hinder a door opening easily, but it can’t really stand its ground like the rest of the items on this list.

What this does do, however, is make an awful racket when the door opens, pressing a trigger on the wedge-shaped front end.

Features

• Form Factor: Wedge.
• Mechanical Parts: Yes.
• Locking Mechanism: No.
• Application: Jams the door, sounds an alarm.
• Heavy: Not really.

Performance

You’ll definitely know if someone is trying to sneak in, and between the door resisting them to a degree, and this terrible noise, anyone with ill intent is bound to retreat quickly in a panic.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good alarm.
• Does provide some door resistance.
• Very affordable.

Cons

• Doesn’t really jam the door.
• Could be a trip hazard because it’s black.

Conclusion

This is more of a deterrent, and alarm system than anything else. However, I do have something similar to this, which I used to use when I had a landlady that liked to sneak into my room while I was asleep. Yes, you read that right, she was kind of crazy.

FAQ

What is the best door security bar?
Really, anything by Brinks is excellent.

How to install a door jammer?
This varies a good bit, but many of them don’t require any actual installation.

Is door security bar with alarm effective?
Well, there are no guarantees in life, but in my experience, definitely.

What is the best patio door security bar?
The one we looked at is perfectly serviceable, and you’re not in a find anything that works very different for that particular application.

What door jammer is recommended for carpeted floors?
Probably the Door Jammer.

Pros and Cons of Using These

Pros

• Provides excellent additional security.
• Good for additional privacy when traveling.
• Presence of these devices is encouraged by insurance companies, and will positively impact your premiums.

Cons

• Can hinder evacuation during an emergency.
• Can do some damage your floor or door.

Conclusion

It’s always a good idea to have some extra peace of mind, and extra assurance of privacy like this. This goes double for anyone who owns a business.
What you’ve seen today are pretty much every possible way a security bar can work, and some of the best ones from each of those types of implementation. One of these is guaranteed to work for you, just be careful.