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264 of 268 found the following review helpful:
Pluses and Minuses versus Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set Jan 20, 2009
By ReviewerWhoPrefersToBeAnonymous
If you're reading this on Amazon, you're probably also considering other magnetic locks for keeping children from opening cabinets & drawers, especially the Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set, aka Cabinet Locks: Magnetic Tot Lok Starter Set. (The "Deluxe" Tot Lok starter versions have 4 locks, see Safety 1st Magnetic Tot Lok Deluxe Starter Set or Deluxe Magnetic Tot Lock Starter Set - 4Pk or Magnetic Baby Safety TOT LOCK Latches 4 Lock 1 Key.) I've tried them both, and here are the pluses and minuses:
ADVANTAGES COMPARED WITH SAFETY 1ST TOT-LOK: (1) Installation is much easier and faster (a few minutes at most). You simply stick the catch (with 4 "installation tabs") on the cabinet edge, put the latch (with foam tape exposed) on the catch, close the door, and the latch sticks to the correct place on the door. You then break the 4 "installation tabs" on the catch. In theory, you don't need to use screws; however, if you want a more secure installation (as I did), you can easily screw in the catch and the latch. Ingenious! (2) You need to drill only small pilot holes for the (optional) screws, not a large nonstandard-size hole as for the Tot Lok. (3) Besides the screws, locks, and a key, there are no extra pieces to get lost during installation. (4) The key has a holder, which theoretically will help prevent it getting lost when there's no steel (e.g., refrigerator door or medicine cabinet) nearby. (5) You don't need extension pins/slugs for thicker doors as the Tot Lok does; the KidCo will work on doors up to about 1-1/2" thick. (6) The screws can be turned with a standard #2 Phillips screwdriver instead of a #1 (small) Phillips screwdriver.
DISADVANTAGES COMPARED WITH SAFETY 1ST TOT-LOK: (1) The latches depend on gravity, meaning that they can be mounted only at the top of a door or drawer; in contrast, the spring-loaded Tot-Lok can be mounted in any position (e.g., on the side or bottom of a cabinet door). (2) The dark grey sliders to disengage the locks are harder to manipulate than the Safety 1st red bars. (3) Unlike the Tot Lok's catch (which has oblong slots instead of round holes for the screws), you can't adjust the catch forward/backward. Combined with the default position of the catch being flush with the cabinet edge, installation on old-style cabinet doors with a "lip" (i.e., that protrude into the cabinet opening perhaps 1/4") takes extra time.
Good luck choosing! BTW, the Safety 1st Tot-Lok and KidCo magnetic keys are of similar strength and polarity (i.e., the Tot-Lok key will open a KidCo lock and vice versa).
63 of 64 found the following review helpful:
 Very quick and easy to install - almost foolproof. May 16, 2007
By Michelle D. Stadel
These locks work great. To install them just peel off the tape on the part that goes on the cabinet and attach that part to the cabinet, temporarily attach the part that goes on the door to the part attached to the cabinet, peel off the tape from the door part, shut the cabinet door and the tape sticks to the door and voila, both pieces are attached where they need to be. Once attached, they work great, much better than the kind that let the child open the door a little bit and stick his hands inside. I use those on cabinets that I use a lot and that don't have anything dangerous in them. One thing that I found, is that these don't work well on drawers unless the optional screws are used. For some reason, when used on drawers the cabinet part of the latch doesn't stay in place well and so the drawer doesn't stay locked unless the latch is screwed in place . A tip when you install these, make sure that the magnet works on the cabinet you are installing them on. I ruined the adhesive on two of the locks, thinking I had a defective lock cause it stayed in the "unlocked" state, I removed one and replaced it with another before figuring out that that particular cabinet had something inside of it at the location I was trying to put the cabinet lock that made the cabinet lock stay in the "unlocked" state. The adhesive is EXTREMELY sticky, be sure that you are placing it where you want it, cause there is no repositioning or removing it without ruining it.
54 of 55 found the following review helpful:
great locks, get spare keys from elsewhere Jun 16, 2009
By B. Altman
Very easy to install as others have mentioned - took minutes.
I mistakenly put the first lock in the middle of the top edge of the cupboard door instead of close to the end. This meant that the first door would start opening a tiny bit before it would be stopped by the lock - no big deal.
Also, I found that on the second cupboard the key wouldn't open the lock easily because the hook part of the lock was wedged up against the catch part (as it is supposed to do, but) too tightly. All I had to do was push the door in slightly to loosen it as I applied the key and it opens easy. Something to consider in case you can't figure out why it isn't unlocking.
Also, the lock has a switch you can deactivate it with if you no longer want to use the lock any more.
If you want to buy spare keys cheaply, don't get a single key for 7 or eight dollars through the manufacturer. Instead go somewhere like dealextreme and get 10 super strong rare earth magnets (stronger than the key that comes with this lock) for about $4 (get the 2mm thick ones as they are stronger).
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Not for side use - on top of cabinets only May 12, 2009
By A. Mckenna
This is a good product and works well where we can use it. Unfortunately, we cannot use it on most of our cabinets and drawers. It will only work on the top of cabinets where there is a fixed surface to mount onto inside. So, if you have a drawer immediately above your cabinet, this will not work. Additionally, the mechanism will not work when mounted sideways, as we had planned to do for our drawers. Found out while discovering this problem that the sticky glue is really strong and quite hard to peel off, though.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
The right lock for the right situation - a roundup Oct 01, 2009
By Snap, Crackle and Pop
As with everything about being a parent, locks are more complicated than you'd have thought (or would like!):
ADHESIVE MOUNT MAGNETIC LOCKS: The KidCo adhesive mount lock 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.
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:
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.
- 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.
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.
See all 106 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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