Mila Hardware, sister company to Mila Maintenance, has received an independent endorsement of the quality and durability of its Evolution high security door handle with a maximum Grade 4 rating in a recent BS EN1906 test carried out at Exova Warrington.

BS EN1906 is the standard handle lever test and rates products from 1 to 4 depending on their strength, durability and corrosion resistance.

Richard Gyde, Mila’s Managing Director, said:  “We believe we are the first manufacturer to achieve a Grade 4 rating on a high security door handle.   We have been promoting our Evolution handle with D-shaped lever option as the ultimate choice for the public sector, and now we have the independent evidence to support that.”

Handles rated Grade 4 are aimed primarily at the public and commercial sectors and are described as being suitable even for use even on doors which are subject to ‘frequent violent usage’ such as at football stadiums or on oil rigs .

In order to achieve its Grade 4 rating, the Evolution handle was cycle tested 200,000 times, placed in a salt spray chamber for 240 hours and had to withstand a 1,000N force applied to try to detach the handle from a door for 60 seconds.

Richard Gyde adds: “The Evolution handle with D-shaped lever fulfils all the criteria required by public sector specifiers – it meets Part M of the Building Regulations for use by the elderly or disabled, it is Secured by Design and PAS24 approved and now it also rated Grade 4 at EN1906.

“Combined with our Evolution high security cylinder, it gives local authorities and housing associations a hardware solution which eliminates the threat of lock bumping whilst at the same time providing new levels of durability and long term performance.”