The Best Window Security Bars for Your Home Safety

Overview

Even with the best security systems, locked doors, and window sensors, we know windows can still be a homeowner’s weak spot, preventing you from sleeping soundly at night. If you’re worried about your home’s safety, one security measure to consider is installing window security bars.

We’ve looked at price, convenience of installation and removal, and design to compile a list of our favorite window security bars, so you can find yours—whether you’re preventing kids from falling out of open windows or discouraging thieves from easy entry points.

If you’ve been dreaming of functional and beautiful safety bars at a budget-friendly price, then you’ve probably been dreaming of the Grisham Spear Point 7-Bar Window Guard.

These window security bars mount on your window exterior and give it a distinct finish. Plus, the spear-point edges and swirling center design make the bars look more like an intentional design choice than an unfortunate prison cell, without sacrificing the tight bar spacing that keeps your home secure from intruders.

The guard also includes a quick-release feature so the windows can still act as escape windows or grant access to the fire department in an emergency. And it comes at a much lower price than other safety bars. In our minds, that makes the Grisham a steal for your ground- or upper-level windows.

The only downside is that the guard isn’t size-adjustable. Luckily, Grisham offers nearly identical designs at a variety of sizes, ranging all the way down to 24 in. x 36 in., so you have options for nearly every standard window size (but if you have a window with really weird dimensions, maybe steer clear from Grisham and its standard sizing).

>>If you want safety without losing the aesthetic appeal that bars on windows can hinder, Grisham is the choice for you.

If you’re looking for simple security bars that can secure you (and your kids who keep leaning over the window ledge) inside and out, we recommend the Segal guard.

The device itself is not very fancy—simple black steel bars that go on the interior of your home. The black may make the bars hard to blend into your home design, but it also means that intruders definitely won’t miss them, which may make your house less of an easy mark for thieves looking for quick access.

Plus, Segal includes screws to mount the bars, so there are no additional costs. With its already cheap cost, that’s a big plus for us.

The Segal guard also includes a quick-release feature in case of emergencies, but it requires a three-step process. So make sure you read the manual before you install these guards anywhere, particularly in your kids’ sleeping rooms.

>>Get the Segal guard for your windows.

Mr. Goodbar is not the cheapest option on the market—not by a long shot. However, some features of the heavy steel bars really appealed to us.

The fact that the security bars go on the interior of the house and have a white finish means they blend in with most window designs and won’t detract from the look of the house.

And the fact that this guard is so large, with additional width and height adjustment options, makes a lot of sense when considering a house with a lot of large windows. Plus, nearly quadrupling the weight of Grisham’s and Segal’s guards, Mr. Goodbar’s guard is seriously heavy duty, which may be nice if you want to break out the big guns and get something harder for intruders to move.

We also love the swing-away function, which allows for easy window cleaning and emergency escape windows without becoming an easy entry point for thieves.

In coming up with our rankings, we researched a lot of brands, including Unique Home Designs, Tru-Bolt, Gatehouse, and John Sterling, which offered lots of choices, from iron bars to steel bars. While each brand had good options at comparable prices, we didn’t see anything that made them stand out from our favorites.

However, if you’re not in love with any of the designs we’ve shown (we know that aesthetic is important when thinking about adding elements to your home’s exterior), there are other options within a range of prices. They all offer slightly different designs, from wrought iron decoration to simple steel frames.

We know that adding this kind of semi-permanent change to your home—one that can block lights and make opening windows or accessing emergency exits difficult—will be a big deal, but we think the safety is more than worth it, especially with these choices.

With all of the security window bars we compared, there’s no need for outsider installation—you can easily install the devices yourself. However, mounting materials or locks are often sold separately. Luckily, both mounting materials (screws and brackets) and locks are inexpensive, costing only a fraction of the price of the actual window guards.

Window sensors are always a good addition to your window security bars. The bars we looked at don’t include any product-specific sensors of their own, but that’s because they’re physical devices that can easily be used in connection with other electronic home security options. Working together, they will be more effective than just any one on its own.

Ultimately, we recommend window security bars that not only keep intruders out but also ensure that you can escape easily in emergencies.

• For the best of both functional security and beautiful design, choose Grisham.
• For something less obtrusive and more focused on keeping your kids inside and intruders out of your basement, choose Segal.
• If price isn’t a concern and your windows are large, for simple, secure, and versatile options, choose Mr. Goodbar.

And if you’re interested in additional simple steps you can take, read up on other easy DIY home security tips.

Mr. Goodbar images sourced from Mr. Goodbar Security Online Store and are property of Mr. Goodbar.

Grisham images sources from Grishambros.com and are property of Grisham Bros.