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Portable door lock vs sash jammer: which one you can use

Updated: October 2026

You are packing for a hotel, or you are standing at a back door you are allowed to drill, and both products are called an extra lock. A portable door lock vs sash jammer choice is really a choice about whether the fastening leaves with you. The brace needs an inward door and a gap. The jammer needs screws and someone at home to set a non-locking arm. Neither is the lock for an empty house. Prices sit on the [additional door lock comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/additional-door-lock). Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listings and the maker's fit limits in October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are packing for a hotel, or you are standing at a back door you are allowed to drill, and both products are called an extra lock.

Our top picks

Sandiyago Sandiyago sash jammer, 4 pack

Best overall

Sandiyago Sandiyago sash jammer, 4 pack
8.6/10about £8.99
View offer
Annakideya Annakideya door reinforcement lock

Rank 2

Annakideya Annakideya door reinforcement lock
7.8/10about £12.99
View offer
Door-Jammer DoorJammer DJ3 portable door lock

Rank 3

Door-Jammer DoorJammer DJ3 portable door lock
8.4/10about £22.72
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each one needs before it works
  2. 2.Travel, spare room, rented room
  3. 3.Your own door
  4. 4.Which one to carry or screw on

What each one needs before it works

The DoorJammer DJ3 is the portable brace in this set: about £22.72, 210 g, 4.4 from 2,799 reviews. You slide it under an inward-opening door and tighten it by hand. The maker asks for a gap of about 3 mm up to about 33 mm, a flat floor, and no outward door. A sash jammer is the opposite. The Sandiyago four-pack is about £8.99 and screws to uPVC, wood or composite. It works inward or outward if the body is on the frame or the moving sash. It has no key. A weather bar ends the brace. One review found the stated 3 mm still too tight. Test the gap before you rely on the listing. The wider aisle is on the buying guide.

Travel, spare room, rented room

Take the DJ3 when the door opens inward, you can see a gap, and you are not allowed to drill. UK reviews use it in hotels and Travelodges. You set it while you are in the room. When you leave, it comes off and the room is back to the hotel lock. It can skew as you tighten it, and carpet is less stable than a hard floor. Practise the upward lift in the light. A sash jammer is the wrong thing in luggage, because you would be drilling a door you do not own. Renters with an outward uPVC door are often left with nothing on this shelf. A handle clamp remains only for two horizontal levers. Picks by job are on the best additional door lock page.
Sandiyago Sandiyago sash jammer, 4 pack

Testsieger

Sandiyago Sandiyago sash jammer, 4 pack
8.6/10about £8.99
View offer

Your own door

Screw a jammer on when the door is yours, or the landlord has agreed, and someone is in to set a non-locking arm. The locksmith count is two per single door. Sandiyago screws of about 30 mm were short, and spacers sheared. A keyed jammer from outside is a locksmith product, not this four-pack. Keep BS 3621 on timber, or the multipoint on uPVC, as the lock that is on when you leave. The Annakideya bolt can stay slid shut after you leave, on a timber edge you control, at about £12.99 and 4.5 from 85 reviews. Fitters stripped the supplied screws. One review says the frame plate bent in a burglary. The 800 lb figure is the listing, not a test. Cylinder upgrades are the uPVC extra lock page.

Which one to carry or screw on

Carry the DJ3 for an inward hotel or spare-room door with a real gap and a hard floor. Screw two Sandiyago jammers to your own hinged door if you are in to set them and the frame will hold a screw. Use the Annakideya only on a timber edge you accept might be the bent-plate case. If the door is outward uPVC, or the gap is a seal, the next purchase is the cylinder. On a shared-house fire route, Cheshire Fire and Rescue expects the inside to open without a removable key.

Common questions

When is a portable brace the right buy?
When the door opens inward, the floor is flat, and a gap of at least 3 mm is clear of seals. The DJ3 is about £22.72 and 210 g, and you can lift it off. Hotels and spare rooms are the reviews. It is the wrong buy for an outward door, a uPVC weather bar, or a house you leave empty. One buyer found the stated 3 mm still too tight, so test the threshold with a ruler.
When is a sash jammer the right buy?
When you may drill, the door is hinged uPVC, wood or composite, and someone is home to twist a non-locking arm. Two per single door is the locksmith guide. The Sandiyago four-pack is about £8.99. It is the wrong buy in a rented room you cannot mark, and it is not a keyed lock for when you are out. Screws around 30 mm were short for some doors.
Can I use a DoorJammer on my uPVC front door?
Only if that door opens inward and has the gap. The maker says most uPVC doors do not. Outward uPVC is outside the product. A PAS 24 line on the brace is the maker's claim about the device, not a certificate for your door. Test the threshold before you treat it as a home lock.
Does a reinforcement bolt travel?
No. The Annakideya and the PATIKIL bolt screw to a door and a frame. They are home fittings. The Annakideya can stay shut when you leave, if you slid it, and reviews include stripped screws and a bent plate. Pack the brace for a hotel. Leave the bolt on the door you own.
What if I rent and cannot drill?
Use a brace only if the door is inward and the gap is real. Do not screw a jammer into a landlord's frame. A child lever lock is not a stand-in for either. If the entrance is outward uPVC with a seal, this shelf has no honest portable lock for it. A handle clamp remains only if you have two horizontal levers. Ask about the main lock rather than forcing a fixing.
How do I get out in a hurry?
Practise the release in the light. On the DJ3 that is an upward lift. On a jammer it is a twist, and the arm should have been parked so it cannot fall locked. On the Annakideya it is a pinch and a slide, not a key, whatever a listing label says. If you cannot do it in the dark, do not fit it on an escape door.

Related pages

How to fit a sash jammer

Additional door lock

Best additional door lock for the door you have

Extra door lock UK: choose the job before the brand

UPVC door extra lock beside the main cylinder

Sources

Public UK sources used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this comparison. No lab test was run.

  1. Lichfield District Council, protect your home (retrieved October 2026)
  2. West Yorkshire Police euro-cylinder note (Walton Parish Council PDF) (retrieved October 2026)
  3. The AA, door locks and home insurance (retrieved October 2026)
  4. ProtectUK, security at home (retrieved October 2026)
  5. MLA sash jammers FAQ (retrieved October 2026)
  6. DoorJammer UK FAQ (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Cheshire Fire and Rescue, HMO fastenings (retrieved October 2026)
  8. DASH HMO lock guide 2023 (retrieved October 2026)