Safety 1st Tot-Lok Four Lock Assembly
by Dorel Juvenile Group
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Our Price: $19.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $12.99 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Safety 1st Tot-Lok Four Lock Assembly
Customer Review: The best cabinet locks around, but installation is tricky.
Summary: 5 Stars
The cost of these locks might scare some away, but remember this: my brother installed the plastic hook locks on his cabinetry. His 11-month son not only defeated the locks, but also defeated the childproof cap on a dishwasher detergent bottle. Thank God he didn't ingest it, but instead ruined their carpets. Lucky.These cabinet locks are, in a word, amazing. I have these installed on all of our bathroom and kitchen cabinets in our house. The installation directions are horrible, but I developed a workaround for them. First, I installed the hasp on the cabinet frame. Then I used the enclosed template to determine where to drill the magnet hole in the cabinet door. After that main hole was drilled, I put the lock assembly in place and used the actual assembly holes to mark where to drill the four smaller holes to anchor it in place. Worked like a charm each time. The first set of doors took me over an hour to install. At the end I was installing a set in 15 minutes, with the bulk of that time spent in changing the drill bits.
LESSONS LEARNED:
1 - Use the correct size drill bits. Don't even think of using the wrong size bit. This is one case where size does matter.
2 - Use a cordless screwdriver. Yes, all screwdrivers are cordless but by this I mean a battery operated screwdriver or drill. Believe me, you'll regret it when your wrists feel like they are going to fall off - and you only have 9 more cabinets to go!
3 - Use the drill bit depth guide on the larger of the two bits - it's a must unless you have an uncle in the cabinet business. For the smaller bit, I measured it against the thickness of the door, and made positively certain that the bit would not go through the door by accident.
4 - If you are buying multiple sets of the locks, keep the spare screws, etc, in a plastic bag - you may need them.
5 - Have one magnetic key for each room, no exceptions. We even have two keys for our master bathroom, one for my husband's sink cabinets and one for mine.
6 - Insist that everyone acclimate to the cabinet locks. Not locking a cabinet really defeats the purpose now, doesn't it?
Although the installation instructions are atrocious and quite intimidating, these are bar none the best cabinet locks that I have found. Don't let the cost scare you away.
Customer Review: Poor installation instructions, but a superb product.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd have to agree with Kirsten Howell on pretty much every aspect of her review. The instructions are nearly worthless, so I ended up doing precisely the same thing (that is before reading her review).
For those who complain about this set not having a key, you should use the "Starter Kit". From having purchased one of these at Babys R Us (the stone and mortar version), I know that the starter kits come with the key. There is also a starter kit with 8 locks that doesn't appear to be available online.
This is a highly recommended product, but be ready for unnecessary holes in the cabinet if you don't follow the reviewer's instructions. I am here to purchase additional kits due to the current lack of availability locally.
1. Apply the hasp to cabinet first.
2. Lean into cabinet and mark the location (and more importantly the lower margin of the hasp) with a pencil.
3. Apply the template with the upper dotted line even with the lower edge of the cabinet frame. I'd recommend using longer screws, in my case I went with larger diameter as well as the small screws included in the set just didn't give a great "bite" on the wood. (I believe that I used a number 8 1" screw, but don't take that as certain.)
4. Punch out the hole so allow the lock to be hung from the template and make minor adjustments until it is in place (there is a bit of "play" available, but probably not more than approximately 1/8th inch or so).
5. Drill using the depth guide making sure that it doesn't slide! I'd suggest underdrilling then carefully removing minute amounts of material from the hole until the product fits just to make sure that you don't drill all of the way through the cabinet.
6. Once the lock is in place, drill and place the first screw (your choice). Once the lock is tight, in place, and level, then drill the other three holes.
Customer Review: A qualified "yes!"
Summary: 3 Stars
These locks are the best solutions I've tried, for many applications, but compared to the others they are also VERY DIFFICULT TO INSTALL. I am a carpenter but don't mean to say you can't install them with modest skills -- yet there are many opportunities to mess up by misaligning the pieces, tearing up the wood, stripping the screws, or drilling through the drawer/door front -- it is necessary to drill from the back to within ONE EIGHTH INCH of the front. Sure you can do it, with care, but care takes time and we all have bad days. I think they should give you a drill bit and stop, or at least sell one alongside the locks.
They should insist that EVERYONE GET AT LEAST TWO KEYS because you *will* either lose one (perhaps to a curious toddler) or, my weakness, lock the key in the cabinet or drawer. Next, the locks are not very adaptable to the many drawer and door configurations out there for lack of a surface to mount, clearance to moving parts, or tight quarters difficulty maneuvering the drill where it needs to be. They also don't need to use these irritatingly small screws (#4's?).
When these magnetic locks work right, they are a dream. We have one on the hallway medicine cabinet that has been working flawlessly for seven years. But being the best is not always enough, and it is on installation that these stumble.
Customer Review: Great Product, Unclear Instructions
Summary: 5 Stars
Our kitchen cabinets do not have knobs or handles so the locks that attach to these were not an option. We tried the locks that pull out a little and you have to push them down to disengage them, my daughter just crushed her fingers in them trying to open the doors. We had to find some way to keep the doors and drawers completely shut so little fingers could not get hurt. These locks were definitely the answer. We found the starter kit at a local home center and decided to give them a try. The installation instructions are not very clear but after reading them a few times we kind of figured them out. Installation is not difficult and with the provided templates went smoothly. The templates are really quite ingenious and we had no problems with aligning the locks with the catches on the frame. Be aware that you will have to drill a hole in the cabinet door from the back and at a certain depth being careful not to go all the way through the doors. There was a drill bit guide included in the package but we did not find it useful.
The locks work flawlessly, no crushed fingers, no tears and the doors stay completely shut. A small switch on each lock disables it so the cabinet works normally. The starter kit has the magnetic key but this kit does not. I'm ordering locks for the remainder of our cabinets today.
Customer Review: What a LifeSaver!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
My daughter can crawl and sit up...so no more leaving her on the kitchen floor while making her bottles..so she'd cry harder. My husband installed the starter kit (which DOES come with a lock)...it took about 15-20 min for the first one and 10 min for each one after that. Now my daughter can watch me make her bottles in the kitchen again, no more crying, and she is safe! Everyone is happy! We ordered this set...which is an ADD ON pack which is why there is no key in it...so we can put the locks in our bathrooms, too!!! I love the fact that they don't let the cabinets open at all without the magnets, so no little fingers get pinched trying to open a cabinet they shouldn't! I'm also happy that this works on drawers, although we did leave the bottom floor-level drawer in our kitchen for our daughter to open & have things in...like wooden spoons, old tupperware, and even a few of her toys that she has graciously "Added". My only problem was we have a turnstyle cabinet in our kitchen and these don't work for that, but that's not the manufacturer's fault, we were the ones that got custom cabinets! We did find another style lock that worked for it that she has yet to figure out, but she has gotten her fingers stuck in the crack with it, so that's why I love the TotLocks being on all the other cabinets!!