Window restrictor vs window lock
Updated: 16 October 2026
Both packets are filed under window lock, and they do not hold the same thing. If a hinged timber casement must be shut and keyed while you are out, use the Yale 8K101 in this set. If you need a limited opening, especially on uPVC, use a screw-fixed keyed cable, and do not call that open cable burglar protection. Prices are on the [window lock comparison](/hub/burglar-protection/window-lock). If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Products Compared editorial team used captures of 15 October 2026 and did not attack-test any listing.
Both packets are filed under window lock, and they do not hold the same thing. If a hinged timber casement must be shut and keyed while you are out, use the Yale 8K101 in this set.
Both packets are filed under window lock, and they do not hold the same thing. If a hinged timber casement must be shut and keyed while you are out, use the Yale 8K101 in this set. If you need a limited opening, especially on uPVC, use a screw-fixed keyed cable, and do not call that open cable burglar protection. Prices are on the window lock comparison. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Products Compared editorial team used captures of 15 October 2026 and did not attack-test any listing.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | What it holds | Stated frames | Release | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Schlosser Technik Schlosser Technik cable restrictor, 2 pack | Sash ajar, travel limited | uPVC | Key releases the cable | 8.6 | about £13.40 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  XFORT XFORT Viper cable restrictor, 4 pack | Sash ajar, travel limited | uPVC, aluminium, wood, metal | Key, count not printed | 8.3 | about £18.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Yale Yale 8K101 window latch, 4 pack | Timber sash shut | Hinged timber casement | Key around a staple | 8.4 | about £20.98 | View offer |
On this page
What each one actually holds
A keyed cable limits travel until you release one end. While it is on, the window is not shut. It does not make that opening locked, and a hard pull meets the screws.
The Yale 8K101 does the other job. In this capture it is about £20.98 for four, rated 4.4 from 335 reviews: a steel latch for hinged timber, staple on the frame, body on the sash. The listing says the clenching action pulls the sash in and can ease a draught. There is no cable and no ajar position.
Shut and keyed on hinged timber while you are out: the Yale latch. A limited opening on uPVC that already has a handle: a screw-fixed keyed cable.
uPVC handle, timber casement, or the hook to skip
Most uPVC casements already lock on the espag handle. If you will leave the sash shut, a timber latch on the plastic is the wrong extra. Add a cable only when you want the sash open a little. A cable does not turn the window into a PAS 24 product. The screw-fixed cables here are Schlosser at £13.40, eSynic at £16.95 and XFORT at £18.99. Which file or cable length suits you is the best window lock page.
Timber is where the latch belongs, including a fanlight. One stored review ordered extra keys, which fits a box that lists one key for four locks. If you are still choosing the job, use the window lock buying guide.
The chrome hook is about £6.59 for four, keyless, rated 5.0 from one review, and the listing says it is not for double-glazed UK windows. Leave it out.
Ajar is not locked
AXA Connect LC01 is one insurance example: key-operated locks with detachable keys on accessible windows when the home is empty. A cable on an open sash does not meet a shut window. Nothing here is insurance-approved.
The Met Police page says to use the locks before you leave, and treats restrictors as ventilation. The National Protective Security Authority treats non-lockable hardware as weak. PAS 24 tests a whole window. A retrofit cable is not that test, not Approved Document Q, and not Secured by Design. Those pages did not test these ASINs. The cable does not stop an attack on the screws.
Two keyed points, not one open cable
The Master Locksmiths Association's January 2025 note suggests two removable-key locks on an accessible non-escape opening over 600 mm, and one if the sash is smaller. On timber you leave shut, that is two keyed points, not one cable across an open window. While you are in and want air, a screwed cable is extra control and the house is still unlocked. When you leave, shut the sash on the handle or the latch.
Common questions
Does a cable restrictor lock the window?
It limits travel until you release the cable. The sash stays partly open, which is ventilation, not a locked window. When you leave, close it on the uPVC handle or on a keyed timber latch. A cable left clipped to an open sash is the wrong answer to an empty house.
When should I buy a Yale-style latch instead?
When a hinged timber casement must be shut and keyed, including a draughty sash you want pulled to the frame. Here that is the 8K101 at £20.98 for four, rated 4.4 from 335 reviews, with no cable. Skip it on uPVC and skip it if you need the window ajar.
Will a restrictor stop a burglar if the window is ajar?
It can make the hole harder to climb through. It does not make the window secure, and it does not stop an attack on the screws. Met Police and NPSA guidance is about locks and whole windows. They did not test these ASINs. Do not leave the cable on and call the house locked.
My uPVC handle already locks. Do I add a latch or a cable?
If the sash will stay shut, the espag handle is the lock. A Yale timber latch is the wrong extra on plastic. Add a screw-fixed cable only for a limited opening. It does not upgrade the window to PAS 24. If the handle no longer throws the bolts, repair the handle.
Is the stainless hook a third option on double glazing?
No. The listing says it is not for double-glazed UK windows. It is a keyless stay at £6.59 for four, with 5.0 from one review and no cable length. Leave it out of the choice between a screw-fixed cable and the Yale latch.
What do insurers usually mean by a window lock?
There is no single national clause. AXA Connect LC01 asks, as one example, for key-operated locks with detachable keys on accessible windows when nobody is in. A sash held ajar on a cable does not meet a shut-window line. Your own schedule is the document that counts.
How many locks on a large accessible timber sash?
The Master Locksmiths Association's January 2025 suggestion is two locks with removable keys if the accessible non-escape opening is over 600 mm, and one if it is smaller. That is about shut, keyed points, not a test of this Yale pack. One cable across an open sash is not those two points.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Listings captured 15 October 2026. Page updated 16 October 2026.
- Approved Document K (2013) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Approved Document Q (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: falls from windows (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- CWCT: are window restrictors designed to resist adequate loads (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- BSI: PAS 24:2022+A1:2024 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- AXA Connect LC01 locks requirement (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- MLA minimum security requirements, January 2025 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- RoSPA: falls (retrieved 15 October 2026)