Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System (1 Key and 8 Locks)

I bought these to keep my grandson out of the cabinets that I dont want him getting into. But when hes not at my home, we can keep them unlocked. These are perfect for grandparents homes! I keep the key on the side of the refrigerator where Ill always know where it is. This package was perfect for us as it contained enough to do all the cabinets I needed to lock, with one left over. Ive had other models that just were a pain to use. The kind you have to open the door slightly and press down to open completely just dont do the trick for us. I also tried one type that you are supposed to be able to fold over when not locking, but when you want them to lock they tend to unlock themselves and I had to put a piece of tape on the end to keep them in the lock position, so these one are absolutely the BEST Ive ever tried. I recommend them to anyone wanting to lock cabinets only at certain times. But they also work for the busy mom who needs them locked all the time, just dont loose the key! (If you do, a STRONG magnet should work for you.)

The locks seem to hold the doors to my kitchen cabinets securely closed. And the magnetic keys work to unlock the locks through the thickest part of the cabinet doors (probably about 1/2 inch of solid wood). However, even with the provided template, they were not particularly easy to install. Alignment was a little more difficult than I thought it needed to be, resulting in a few extra holes on the (not visible from the outside) inside of the cabinet. I should have measured 3 times, not just twice, before drilling.

We tried the tab and hook kind, where you push down the tab to disengage it from the hook, but those still allow your kid (and you) to get your finger smashed in the drawer, and kids figure them out pretty quick. Even the small gap needed to get your finger in to depress the tab is like a mile wide gap for small hands. Installing them is a bear, with lots of trial and error, and usually no templates to help you. They also tend to collect grime, and they break or loosen up a lot over time. These are great! The doors/drawers remain firmly shut until the magnetic lock is disengaged with the key. The directions are good, and they include a sticky template for each lock. I will say that you need to read the instructions and make sure how your hardware is supposed to be lined up. I screwed up the first one I ever did, which was more me hurrying and screwing up some spacial relations as far as what direction things needed to be in than bad instructions. After that the rest (we have quite a few of these installed) went smoothly. The sticky templates are especially helpful making sure everything is where its supposed to be. If you have thick doors (we have really thick, hardwood cabinet doors) they have extender slugs that effectively lengthen the magnetic catch. Even if you have to have a handyman install these theyre well worth it! One note: It does take some trial and error to get the hang of what spot you have to pass the key over to disengage the lock. But you get the hang of it quickly.

I have had these locks for a long time but only recently had them installed. My granddaughter didnt get into the cabinets so we never put them in, but then our grandson came along and wants to open them up and get into things. When I first got these and tried the magnet out it held the lock firmly to the door and you could clearly hear a click when it unlocked. In fact it would just stay there and not fall off. After sitting for a couple of years the magnet isnt as strong anymore and I have to listen very closely to hear if it unlocks. At first its not clear exactly where to place the magnet so its nice to be able to hear that click. Now Im getting more used to just where to put the magnet to open the cabinets, but at first it was hit or miss. Now I know better just the spot to put the magnet and know what to listen for, a much softer sound than when we first got the system. We do have very thick solid wood doors. I love that we can switch them off when the grandson is not here, and when he is here Im reminded to switch them back on when he starts opening cabinets. We dont keep anything toxic in the kitchen, but I still dont want him getting in the bread or sugar etc and decorating the kitchen with them. He has his own drawer I keep little toys in for him so he doesnt feel like hes completely locked out of everything. My son and husband put the locks in. They had a little drill and a screw driver. Seemed to go pretty well, I didnt hear any grumbling. My job was to keep the grandson from helping too much. I watch my granson while his parents work, so not having to worry about him getting into the cabinets is really huge for me. I like being able to switch them off when hes not here. I had the old hook you pushed down for my kids and they were great for their time, but they were always on. I have recommended these to my friends. Theyve made my life quite a bit easier. Next they go in the bathroom! I kinda hate to admit it, but I keep some jewelry in there and when people I dont know real well use the bathroom I dont like the idea of them being able to open the little cabinet I keep my earrings in. Plus of course I want it safe for the grandkids. I am ordering a couple extra magnets, so I can keep them at both ends of the kitchen and one on the frig.

These locks are great. They provide all the security of other child proofing systems with some advantages. The installation may be a little more difficult then other childproof systems, but with the proper tools Ive installed a pack of 8 of these two different times dealing with different cabinet configurations in 20-30 minutes. No childproof system is perfect and you should be aware that your kids are going to get into the drawers or cupboards at some point. With that said, these have kept our son out of the any drawers 99.99% of the time. With that security you also get a fail proof system for keeping the kids out. They have to have a key. There is no figuring these locks out unless they have access to the key. This is a nice advantage over many other systems. You can also leave these locks unlocked. This is great is you have guests, are cooking or doing household chores. Our son has access to the whole house and its nice when we have guest to simply make sure their door is closed and unlock all the drawers in their room. Same thing for cooking or cleaning the house when hes asleep or not around. With those advantages come two big disadvantages. You have to remember to keep them locked/unlocked depending on the situation and you have to keep the key out of the little ones reach. So far these have been easy, but I can imagine when hes a little older and we have another little one running around we could easily find the key in the kids possession with multiple doors unlocked. As for the install complaints. I thought these were pretty easy to install. You will make this so much easier if you have a drill and a properly sized drill bit. I read a review wishing these were self taping screws. Just get a drill and a drill bit and youre problem are solved. The other issue with install is location and a secure fit. On many of our drawers Ive had to stall these either off center of even on the side of the drawer to provide enough clearance. It doesnt really matter where you install them on the drawer or cabinet. Lastly, many times Ive need to slightly raise/lower the lock and move in/out the latch slightly to get the right fit. This takes a few seconds of slight loosening the screws, moving the piece and retighting until everything works correctly. Overall I am very happy with these locks and have order them three times to secure everything in the house as the little one has shown us his growth by finding new and interesting places we hadnt considered he could reach previously.

We bought these for our kitchen, but Im going back to buy more for the bathroom cabinets too. When I first opened the packaging and read the installation instructions, I was a little intimidated because it looked really complex, but the stickers they give you to help mark where the screws go make it so easy. After installing the first one, I got into a groove and the rest were easy. The locks themselves are effective. I particularly like that they dont create a gap for little fingers to get squished in. My son gives them a good workout, practically hanging off the cabinet doors to try and open them, and they have held strong. I also love that you are able to disable the lock without removing it, for times when you dont need the cabinets babyproofed (e.g. when toddler 1 is old enough not to get into cabinets, and baby 2 isnt mobile yet), or if youre doing something in the kitchen and are in and out of the cabinets all day. You can then turn them back on and your cabinets are babyproofed again. Definitely the best cabinet locks I have seen or used.

These locks are a bit on the expensive side, but we tried them as they got good reviews from others. They do work well -- our daughter pulls all her weight against the cabinets in our kitchen and they dont budge at all. They arent difficult to install but you have to take your time. Make sure you have the right drill bit, etc. and the template to get the locks to line up is a nice feature. Once I installed the first cabinet I got the hang of it and just kept going so it was pretty easy. Just know that the locking mechanism is pretty large, so if you were installing these in a very small or crowded cabinet they may not fit. I would say the only possible draw back is just getting used to the fact that you need the key to open the cabinets! It can slow you down in the kitchen, but if your child is not around you can unlock the locks. We keep our key on the front of the fridge, but I could easily see a piece like that going missing. They make a replacement key, though, so Im not terribly concerned about losing it. I will probably buy one more set to finish off the cabinets in our downstairs bathroom, which will give us a back-up key. Overall a nice product!

Overall Im pretty satisfied with these locks. Once you get them installed correctly, they work very well. The biggest advantage is that theyre invisible and do not allow the drawer/door to open enough to get a finger smashed. As others have noted, installation can be a bit bothersome. The first lock was the most difficult, naturally. The more I did, the easier it became to install. A couple of times, after screwing everything into place, the lock would stay down, even though the magnet was nowhere near it. I had to rotate it ever so slightly to get the lock to pop open and then screw it back secure. Im wondering if maybe it was sitting too close to the metal pull of the drawer, but cannot confirm. But now that everything is installed and working properly, the wife and I are satisfied. Its a shame that the replacement keys are so expensive. We could definitely use a couple of extra ones to place around the kitchen since were always searching for the one that came with the kit.