Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set
by Dorel Juvenile Group
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List Price: Our Price: $9.00 You Save: $6.99 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set
Customer Review: The right lock for the right situation - a roundup
Summary: 5 Stars
As with everything about being a parent, locks are more complicated than you'd have thought (or would like!):
SCREW-MOUNTED MAGNETIC LOCKS: The Safety 1st Tot-Lok Locks can be difficult to install, especially on drawers, but have more flexibility about where you can install the lock than the adhesive locks and seem very secure. Still, most people may want to try the adhesive locks (see below) first, to make it easier to get some child proofing done quickly.
Pros:
+ Very nice & secure once installed, especially since the fit can be adjusted to give a tight lock when closed.
+ Works vertically or horizontally ... that is, on the side of a door or the top.
+ Can easily be switched to hold the lock open, for when no children are around
Cons:
- Complicated to install, especially in some situations. So you might not get around to installing them, given all the other demands on your time.
- Requires drilling a hole partway through the cabinet door from the inside for the magnetic part, plus some small holes to attach
- May require some new tools - a collar lock, to keep from drilling through the door; and a right angle chuck for tight spaces
If you plan to be in your home for a while, and want a finished, secure set of locks, the Tot Loks may be a good choice.
One note, if you use them often the magnetic key will wear the finish where it rubs.
ADHESIVE MOUNT MAGNETIC LOCKS: The KidCo Adhesive Mount Magnet Locks will only work in some spots, but it's still a good lock to try first, for a lot of people, because it works well (in the right situations) and is easy to install. Buy some and see how they work on your cabinets. Once you've tried a few, it's a lot easier to see where'll they'll work or won't work.
Pros:
+ Quick to install, after a few minutes of figuring it out
+ No drilling required, so less work and no damage to furniture or cabinets
Cons:
- Only installs horizontally (along the top edge of a door or drawer), given the way they use gravity to lock.
We just use the adhesive mount, no additional screws, for some furniture we didn't want to drill holes into. They seem to be strong enough so far, especially since our kids seem to give up trying a door after a while - if it won't open, they lose interest. I don't know how the adhesive would stand up to long term use or really heavy pulling.
HOOK LOCKS: The advantage that either of the magnetic locks has over the old fashioned hook type (like the Mommy's Helper Safe-Lok Cabinet Door and Drawer Lock) is that the hooks have a lot more play (they have to open a little bit to give you access to the lock). So a child can bang them back and forth - they might not open the door or drawer, but they will make a racket. Maybe OK in some situations, but not a great solution for easily accessible drawers or doors.
SLIDE LOCKS: Slide locks (such as the American Red Cross Cabinet Safety Slide Lock) are very quick and easy to install, if they fit. But they can also be pretty easy for some kids to unlock, so if they are within reach they aren't much of a barrier to older kids. And even younger kids can sometimes open them by pulling or pushing on the doors. However, they are a good temporary solution and can be useful to carry when you travel.
FLEX LOCKS: Flex locks (like the Safety First Cabinet Flex-Lock (see reviews) or Cabinet Flex-Lock 2-Pack) are strong and easy to install, and you can see by looking at them whether the lock is secure (unlike the magnetic locks, which are designed to be out of sight). So you might want to use them for critical spots such as under the sink; or use them when you travel. And as a bonus, they are so secure that even some adults can't open them! ;-) (They do take two hands to open.) Not attractive, but they do the job if you keep them tightened.
Customer Review: Lessons from a successful installation.
Summary: 4 Stars
Magnets rule. These things may be a more challenging install but if you think it through and go slow they do indeed work as advertised. Just don't try to do it in a hurry or with your toddler "supervising" because you will get distracted, break something, and/or teach them a new word or two!
Some tips that may save some time and energy, both of which you obviously need considering aforementioned toddler.
GET THE FULL SIZE INSTRUCTION SHEET!
Yes yes, the instruction sheet blows. Even laser eye surgery won't help you see the diagrams clearly enough. But after a bit of hunting I found a PDF of them online which you can ZOOM into and see everything MUCH clearer! Go to the safety first website at safety1st.com and search for instructions for product number 71175. Print, have a beer and read em through.
Consider all surfaces before installation:
The top frame of our sink cabinet had stuff in the way and the double doors don't have a center post. Doh. But after a time-out and another beer, I realized I could try attaching the strike plate to the inside bottom of the cabinet and it works just as well. So before thinking it doesn't work, ignore the diagrams and evaluate which edge will work best.
From experience... avoid drilling 4 holes then re-drilling 4 more:
SKIP the second part of Instruction #2 that says to mark the 4 holes for the lock first. Just drill the center hole for the magnet plunger thingy first. I did as the instructions say and because I was a bit off on the center hole (remember the beer) all 4 of those holes were useless. On subsequent installs, I would insert the lock (good time to test it too) and then once it's all groovy, use the actual lock in position to mark and pre-drill the 4 holes to attach the lock to the cabinet.
Save money: use fewer Tot Loks on double doors:
Before you buy 20 of these... One money saver idea... if you have any cabinets that have "double doors" that meet in the middle, you can reduce your costs by just using a tot lok on one of them, then place an inexpensive sliding surface bolt or other interior cabinet latch (from any hardware store) on the inside of the second door. Open one, reach over and pop the second one when you need that side open. I did this on the lesser used, garbage disposal side of the sink cabinet and thus impressed the wife with my unusual frugality and common sense.
Hope this is helpful!
Customer Review: Simple solutions to everyone else's problems
Summary: 5 Stars
I had used these locks in a musuem that I worked at before, so I knew they worked and knew how to open them. Let me just say these are WONDERFUL locks. The installation process for 14 locks was not too painful--took my husband two hours to do all 14 locks, and that was with our one year old "helping" (he said with an adult helper it would have easily been only a half hour). Due to the many other comments concerning the templates and instructions, I asked him about them, and he did say the instructions are vague and that the templates aren't big enough to hold onto them easily when he closed the cabinet doors to make the templates stick. However, he typically doesn't use instructions (first step for him is to throw them away) and he managed to get the templates in place...so it couldn't have been that bad (I wasn't home when he did it).
As for opening the locks, it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to do it--you can hear a click when the magnet in the lock engages with the magnet in the key, so it isn't really that hard to do. And as far as losing the key, I'm assuming most of these locks are being used in the kitchen--the key sticks to the fridge like any other magnet, so I suggest you immediately put the key BACK on the fridge after you open the cabinet, then you don't have to worry about losing it or locking it in the cabinet.
As for price, yes, they are more expensive than the plastic tab locks, but considering I found electromagnetic systems that ran well over $300-600 for a small kitchen, the $60 I spent on two combo packs (each containing 8 locks and a key, so we have 16 locks and 2 keys, averaging $3.33 per lock/key) was very reasonable--and I don't have to worry about my toddler closing doors on her fingers due to the gaps the plastic tab locks allow in order to operate.
Overall, if you have even a lick of common sense, you should be able to handle the installation and operation of these locks without much trouble.
Customer Review: These are wonderful!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used the cheap plastic locks, and they always get stretched out and quit working with time. So about 3 years ago I purchased Tot Locks, and I LOVE them!! The doors actually stay closed, and they have not even come close to wearing out yet (and that is with multiple children trying to break in over the years!) I really like the peace of mind knowing that even if I turn my back, the kids can't get into those places and get into things they shouldn't.
I have mine on 6 cabinet doors, and 3 drawers in a span of 3 rooms, and I have a magnet for each room. That makes it very handy. I am online right now to try to find a few more locks even!
I did only give it 4 stars because the installation can be tricky. You do have to be very careful to not drill all of the way through the door (but I installed 9, and never did, so it can be done but be careful and use masking tape on your drill as a guide!) I did have to drill my holes deeper than what it said sometimes so that the magnet would open it. Also, I had some issues with installing it on a very shallow drawer in our bathroom, and had to file the catch down a little bit because it would catch on everything in the drawer, but I can't recall any major fiascos with the installation.
I have only had one break, but not from a child. My mother-in-law came to feed the cats while we were gone and was looking for something under the sink, not knowing we had the locks, and after much struggle, ripped the door open. It was super funny, and she did say that it was REALLY difficult to open!
It is really nice that you can easily flip this red plastic piece to temporarily disable the lock as well.
I would recommend this to ANYONE because I have really used and abused them, and relied on them for 3 years and they haven't let me down once!
Customer Review: Good idea in theory, not practical for everyday use
Summary: 1 Stars
I spent a small fortune on these expensive locks, loving the fact that the drawer/cabinet, or whatever you are locking can't open at all, since it uses a magnet. However, depending on how you're cabinets are made, some drawers will still open up a bit, and still pinch tiny fingers.
Second, installation is tedious. You have to put a bunch of holes in your cabinets, and be very careful not to drill in too far. Again, depending on how the cabinet is made, you may have to 'improvise' with using the templates they give you. If its not lined up just right, get ready to do it over again.
Even after installing them, it seems that the lock can be tempermental and not open at times, and you have to try and try and try to get it to open by moving the magnet over the spot that should open the lock. (By the way, don't loose the lock openers, I think they cost $6 or $7 each, and they stick to everything metal if dropped...for example, baby gates, toys, refridgerator, pots and pans...) We have had these installed for well over six months, and I regret it everyday. They are a huge hassle.
My recommedation would be to use the adjustable locking straps, if your cabinet/drawer will allow. It just sticks on (and is incredibly strong), and can be adjusted to a variety of lengths. They are not expensive, and very easy to get in and out of cabinets. Right now I have a strap on our trash can, refridgerator, computer armoir, entertainment center, and aquarium cabinet, and they work GREAT in all of those places. I am going to remove ALL of our TOT locks in the kitchen and family room, and replace them with the adjustable straps.