Ideal Security Sliding Door Security Bar for Patio Doors and Sliding Glass Doors, Black, Recyclable Cardboard Package, (25.75-47.5 Inches)

We'd never heard of a Charlie Bar before, but our locksmith encouraged us to order them for our patio doors; we have two in our home. This bar presents an extra layer of security for us, and it's hidden behind the curtains.

This is the second one I've purchased. It's sturdy and easy to install and EASIER to use than having to drop a closet pole into the track and bend over to remove it. That gets harder as one ages! The only problem is that if you use a patio pet door, the door opening is too narrow to use this bar. Why on earth doesn't the manufacturer make one or two shorter versions? Other purchasers explained how they shortened the bar. We followed their instructions and luckily had a friend with all the right equipment to do the job. For a 6-foot patio door (2 3-ft panels), and an 11" pet panel, we had to cut 6" off the drop bar. See review 8/21/17 for details.

The Ideal Security SK110W Patio Door Security Bar should provide adequate security to any sliding patio door in your home. Made of a very durable metal, you will find that this security bar is not only a physical deterrent, but a visual one, too.Installation is very simple. This bar can be installed with one person, although it is more ideal if you have two, so that one person can hold the bar level while the other person drills holes,and then the screws, into the patio door. Several holes are drilled on each side of the door for installation, as both sides of the bar have several screws that hold it in place. The left side of the bar features a metal hinge that allows the security bar to swivel up and down to lock into place, while the right side of the bar has a metal "hook", which permanently mounts on the sliding door itself, to allow you to secure the bar in place.Once installed, the bar can retract and slide up against the side of the door when not in-use. When you decide to secure the door, you simply slide the bar down, extend it as necessary, and then lock it in place within the metal "hook" on the right side. Do note that this connection can be relatively tight, although this is noticed more when opening/removing the bar than when you secure it...however, since this is a security bar, it is probably better to be difficult to remove than easy! The manufacturer's instructions recommend installing the bar above the sliding door's handle, for maximum efficiency.NOTE: If you have an outer door (where the outer door is the one that slides) the security bar should be installed parallel to (above) the interior track, typically with the patio door handle on the right side. If your door slides the opposite way, with the sliding door's track on the other/outer side, this will not properly secure your sliding door. If you have an inner door, you would want to mount this to the side of the inner door, so that the bar essentially blocks the door from being opened sideways, similar to how it would be if you placed a piece of wood or a broomstick in the track at the bottom. However, instead of this sitting in the track, it is mounted to the doorframe itself.EDIT TO PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH: Originally I had noted that this could only be installed on doors where the outer door is the one that slides. This was a misunderstanding on my part. As you can see from photos three and four for this product on Amazon, you can mount it regardless of which door is the one that slides, but it the bracket to which the bar connects will change location depending on the type of door.Once installed and secured, this security bar should protect against most force attacks, such as when an intruder tries to use their strength to force the door to slide, as well as most bump attacks, where an intruder tries to bump the sliding door up or down so that it falls off of it's track.Overall, this is an inexpensive solution to what could be a costly and dangerous problem. While the bar is not the most attractive, it is definitely a physical and visual deterrent that is very secure in place. 5/5 stars

Second Update. The screws arrived. Raised it to 4 stars.Despite the missing screws I’m happy with this long 2 piece bar. It’s lite but strong enough to stop all but the most concerted effort. My alarm will go off long before an intruder gets past the bar.This bar will get a lot of use, if there are problems I’ll update my comments.First update, they responded immediately and supplied a promo-code and specific instructions to order replacement parts on their website at no cost. It would have been better customer service if they had put the order through themselves. I haven’t received the part yet so i’m leaving it at 2 stars.I am unable to install the bar. The screws were missing from the package and no information for the screw sizes is included in the instructions for me to go out and buy some. I've opened a technical support issue with Ideal requesting the screws. Let's see if the respond and send me the screws.I've given it a 2 star rating because the bar and saddle seem to be the quality expected.I'll update the review if they send the screws.

Make you feel alot safer!

I had been looking for a simple but practical way to secure sliding glass doors as additional security along with the door locks. After looking at many possibilities, I bought these and am very happy with my choice. They are easy to install and allow us options as to how far the door will open if we want to leave a crack for the cat to come and go or when going out, close thing up tight. Very happy and would recommend to anyone.