The best electric door releases, compared.
Top pick: effeff 118E door opener Best value: effeff 118E door opener – Lowest shelf price that still names a voltage, about £24.41 for 10–24 V AC/DC, with the missing plate, unstated fail mode and four ratings already deducted. Updated October 2026.
A button, keypad or intercom lets the latch or nightlatch bolt slip free. On amazon.co.uk you are usually replacing a communal-door keep or releasing a side door. The facts that sort these six listings are fail mode, voltage, and whether the jaw and plate suit the latch. Fail-secure stays locked in a power cut and needs power to unlock. Fail-safe locks only while power is applied and releases when power is lost. None of the six shows a BS EN 14846 class or a fire-test report. Do not feed these coils from 230 V mains. A 24 V coil is not a 12 V coil. It is not a magnetic lock, an exit button, a break-glass unit or a remote deadbolt. An electric door release, also called an electric strike, is the powered keep in the frame. The order of the decision, before any model, is set out in the [electric door release buying guide](/hub/door-and-window-security/electric-door-release/sub/electric-door-release-buying-guide).
A button, keypad or intercom lets the latch or nightlatch bolt slip free. On amazon.co.uk you are usually replacing a communal-door keep or releasing a side door.
22 products checked · 64 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Which job are you buying for?
The effeff 118E, model 118E--------A71, is the compact opener at about £24.41, the lowest price in this set. The listing rates it 5.0 from 4 reviews and stores no review text, so the stars are not a fitting record. It accepts 10–24 V AC/DC, and the listing says too much voltage can damage the opener. The body is symmetrical for left, right or horizontal fitting, and it includes a temporary mechanical release. The strike plate is not in the box. Fail-safe or fail-secure is not stated. Buy it only if the frame already has the matching 118E plate and you have metered the supply. Skip it if you need a complete keep with a stated power-cut behaviour.
Pros
Cons
Best for: The frame already has the 118E plate and you only need the body, after you have metered 10–24 V.
Less suitable: You need a plate in the box, or you need the listing to say what happens in a power cut.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the effeff 118E include a strike plate?
No. The item type name says without strike plate, and the included component is the 118E body only.
What voltage does it accept?
The listing says 10–24 V AC/DC. It also says too much voltage can damage the opener, so the supply should be checked before fitting.
Can it be fitted left- or right-handed?
The bullets say the design is symmetrical, so it can be used left, right or horizontally, and that it is also suitable for standard steel frames.
The AOWINHIT strike is a stainless mortice body at about £28.49, listed at 12 × 4 × 4 cm and 250 g. It shows 5.0 from 1 rating, and the listing has no review text, so fit, noise and wiring are not described. The listing does not state 12 V or 24 V, and it does not state fail-safe or fail-secure. The title says double unlock mode and that the strike is adjustable. Recommended uses name office buildings, steel doors and wooden doors, and a fireproof-door phrase appears with no fire-test report. Included components are listed as false. Leave it until a listing states the voltage and what the door does in a power cut.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know this body's voltage and power-cut behaviour from a source other than this listing, and the mortice size matches the frame.
Less suitable: You need the listing itself to state 12 V or 24 V, and fail-safe or fail-secure, before you order.
Specifications
Common questions
What voltage does the AOWINHIT strike use?
The listing does not state 12 V or 24 V. Fail-safe or fail-secure is also not stated. The title says double unlock mode.
Which doors does the listing name?
Recommended uses name office buildings, stainless steel doors, steel doors and wooden doors. A fireproof-door phrase appears as a recommended use. No fire-test report is shown.
Is there a UK review of how it fits?
The listing shows 5.0 from 1 rating and has no review text, so fit, noise and wiring are not described.
The SecureMyDoor fail-safe release, model M1AUNLOCK, is the 12 V DC unit that locks only while power is applied. It is about £32.97, the same shelf price as the fail-secure pair, with 4.6 from 18 reviews. The listing says that if power is lost the release unlocks. One reviewer bought it for that reason and still added a battery-backed supply. A wooden-garage review described an instant action from a 12 V supply. Another review says frame fixing screws were not in the box, while a cover plate did come with screws. A review also suggests a second lock when the door must stay shut. Choose it when the door has to become free in a power cut, and plan how the door is secured when the building is empty.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You need a 12 V keep that unlocks if the supply fails, and you can secure the door another way when the building is empty.
Less suitable: The door must stay shut in a power cut, or you have no plan for the unlocked state.
Specifications
Common questions
What happens to this fail-safe release if the power goes off?
The listing says it locks when power is supplied. If power is lost it unlocks. One reviewer treated that as the safety reason to buy it and still added a battery-backed supply.
Does the box include frame screws and a power supply?
A power supply is not in the included components. One UK review says frame fixing screws were not provided, while a cover plate did come with screws.
Will it run from 12 V?
The title and the colour field both say 12 V DC. A review on a wooden garage used a 12 V supply and described an instant action.
The SecureMyDoor 24 V release, model M1ALOCK-24, is a fail-secure strike at about £32.97 with 4.5 from 20 reviews. The listing states 24 V DC, and one UK review found movement from about 13 V and wrote that 12 V was not enough. Reviews say there are no instructions and polarity is unmarked. One review says the chrome cover holes do not line up with the plate. The same review says a Yale-type sprung bolt can close again after the jaw opens, and a mortice deadbolt cannot. It is the unit to consider only when the door-entry supply is already 24 V DC and the door should stay locked in a power cut. A 12 V intercom supply will not do this job.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already metered a 24 V DC supply and the door must stay locked if that supply fails.
Less suitable: The existing door-entry supply is 12 V, or you need a deadbolt to throw itself.
Specifications
Common questions
Can this 24 V release run on a 12 V door-entry supply?
The listing states 24 V DC. One UK review found movement from about 13 V and wrote that 12 V was not enough.
Does a mortice deadbolt relock after the jaw opens?
One review says a Yale-type sprung bolt can close again, and a mortice deadbolt cannot. The strike does not throw the bolt.
Are polarity and fitting marked?
Reviews say there are no instructions and polarity is unmarked. One review also says the chrome cover holes do not line up with the plate.
The SecureMyDoor fail-secure release, model M1ALOCK, is a 12 V DC keep at about £32.97 with 4.4 from 70 amazon.co.uk reviews, the largest review file in this set. The listing says the jaw stays locked if power fails, and power has to be applied to unlock it. It includes an adjustable jaw and is sold as compatible with mortice and rim plates. UK reviews say the instructions are missing or thin, and one apartment fit needed extra chiselling because the body did not match the old cut-out. A power supply is not in the box. It is the listing to open first when you already know the door is 12 V and must stay locked in a power cut. It is the wrong keep if people rely on that door as the way out when the power fails.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are replacing a 12 V fail-secure keep on a nightlatch door that must stay locked if the supply fails.
Less suitable: People use that door as the way out in a power cut, or the supply is already 24 V.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this 12 V SecureMyDoor stay locked in a power cut?
The listing says fail secure, so the release remains locked if power fails. Power has to be applied to unlock it.
Are both faceplates in the box?
The bullets say it is compatible with mortice and rim plates, and the included component is one fail-secure release with an adjustable jaw. A power supply is not listed.
Does it come with fitting instructions?
The listing asks whether a manual is included and does not answer. UK reviews say instructions are missing or thin, and one apartment fit needed extra chiselling.
The TIKATARER release is a 12 V DC fail-secure strike at about £62.50, about twice the SecureMyDoor price for the same stated mode and voltage. It shows 4.0 from 1 review. That review fitted it to a wooden side-gate frame and had to chisel the timber because the body was larger than the old keep. The review describes an alloy body. No IP rating is stated. Included components are listed as no, and a power supply is not named. It stays locked if power is interrupted. It is a weak pick beside the about £32.97 12 V fail-secure unit that has 70 reviews.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have measured this body against the frame and you still want this 12 V fail-secure listing after seeing the cheaper twin.
Less suitable: You want the 12 V fail-secure job with a larger review file, or the frame cannot be cut.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this TIKATARER release stay locked without power?
The bullets say fail secure. If power is interrupted the release remains locked.
Is it a straight swap on a wooden frame?
The only UK review fitted it to a wooden side-gate frame and had to chisel the timber because the body was larger than the old keep. No IP rating is stated.
What is in the box?
Included components are listed as no. Number of pieces is 2. A power supply is not named.
Scores use the six amazon.co.uk listings on this page and the UK review notes already captured for them. There was no lab test. Stars and review counts are the UK figures on those listings. The weights below sum to 100 and follow the score method: stars with a deduction when few reviews sit behind them, whether fail mode and voltage are both stated, whether the jaw and plate are named, then fitting notes and price against a stated twin. The highest score is the top pick. The best value is the lowest shelf price that still names a voltage, with the missing plate already deducted. No listing shows a fire-test report. That gap is not scored as a small difference between these six. It takes every one of them off a fire door. A phrase such as fireproof in a recommended-use line is not scored as EN 1634 or BS EN 14846 evidence.
Stars and review count
25%Amazon star rating, then a deduction when few UK reviews sit behind it. Five stars from four ratings, or from one rating with no text, do not outrank 4.4 from 70 reviews.
Fail mode and voltage
30%Whether the listing states both fail mode and voltage. A keep you cannot match to the supply is not a complete buy. A 24 V coil is not treated as a 12 V coil.
Jaw and strike plate
25%Whether the box names a jaw and a plate. A body sold without a strike plate is a spare, not a full release. That limit is already in the best-value score.
Fitting notes
15%Deductions for missing instructions, unmarked polarity, frame screws a review says were absent, or a body that needed the frame chiselled.
Price against a twin
5%A deduction when the price is about twice a stated twin with a much larger review file, for the same stated mode and voltage.
The six amazon.co.uk releases on this page are sorted by fail mode, voltage and whether the jaw and plate are named. Prices run from about £24.41 to about £62.50. The top pick is the SecureMyDoor 12 V fail-secure unit at about £32.97. The best value is the effeff 118E at about £24.41, and only if the plate is already fitted. None of them includes a power supply. None shows a fire-test report. Match the supply you have metered before you compare stars.
An electric door release, also called an electric strike, is the powered keep in the frame. It lets a latch or nightlatch bolt slip free when a button, keypad or intercom signals it. It is not a magnetic lock, an exit button, a break-glass unit or a remote deadbolt. Those are different products. The order of the decision, before any model, is set out in the [electric door release buying guide](/hub/door-and-window-security/electric-door-release/sub/electric-door-release-buying-guide).
Fail-secure stays locked in a power cut. That is the wrong way round on a stair door or other escape door that has to become free when power fails. The word secure describes the locked state, not an escape route.
Fail-safe unlocks when power is lost. An empty building is then open unless you add another lock. One review of the 12 V fail-safe unit suggests a second lock when the door must stay shut.
These boxes are not a power supply, an exit button or a fob reader. Reviews report missing instructions and missing frame screws. A fireproof line is not a fire-test report. Putting 12 V on a 24 V coil does not pull the jaw.
Fail mode is the first split. Fail-secure stays locked in a power cut and needs power to unlock. Fail-safe locks only while power is applied and releases when power is lost. Choose fail-secure if the door must stay locked when power fails, and fail-safe if it must become free to open. On escape doors covered by Approved Document B, electrically powered locks have to unlock on alarm, on power loss or system error, and on a Type A call point to BS 7273-4.
The latch decides whether the door locks again after the jaw opens. A sprung nightlatch can re-lock. A mortice deadbolt does not spring back, so the strike will not relock it. One review of the 24 V SecureMyDoor unit says a Yale-type sprung bolt can close again and a mortice deadbolt cannot. The strike does not throw the bolt. The plate and the cut-out come next. Confirm rim, mortice, or both are in the box, and that the body fits the frame.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are a householder or landlord swapping a failed 12 V keep on a communal door that already has a nightlatch and a door-entry supply, and the door must stay locked if the supply fails. The SecureMyDoor fail-secure unit is the top pick at about £32.97, with 4.4 from 70 reviews. Instructions are thin, and one apartment fit needed extra chiselling. It is the wrong keep if people rely on that door as the way out in a power cut.
You need a 12 V keep that unlocks when the supply is lost, and you can secure the door another way when the building is empty. The SecureMyDoor fail-safe unit is about £32.97, with 4.6 from 18 reviews. One review says frame fixing screws were not included. There is no 24 V fail-safe listing in this set.
The frame already has the matching 118E plate and you have metered a supply in the 10–24 V AC/DC range. The effeff 118E is the best value at about £24.41. It is the body only. Fail mode is not stated, and 5.0 rests on four ratings with no review text. Skip it if you need a plate in the box.
The SecureMyDoor 12 V fail-secure release is the top pick. It has the highest score of these six amazon.co.uk listings, 84, at about £32.97, with 4.4 from 70 reviews. Missing instructions and extra chiselling are already deducted. The effeff 118E is the best value at about £24.41. It is the lowest shelf price that still names a voltage, 10–24 V AC/DC, and the missing strike plate is already in that score of 70. Fail mode is not stated, and 5.0 rests on four ratings with no review text. None of the six shows a fire-test report.
effeff 118E door opener
Lowest shelf price that still names a voltage, about £24.41 for 10–24 V AC/DC, with the missing plate, unstated fail mode and four ratings already deducted.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest. Listing prices and review counts were read on 19 October 2026. The CDVI GAER page is an example for a different product, not a current figure for these six listings.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Charlie White (Charlie DIYte) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk with the tag pcuk26-21. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines in this comparison. We did not run a lab test.
