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

Im a bargain hunter just like you and I went full circle from Amazon to E b a y to other sites looking for the very best deals for some cabinet locks. I actually had a bid on E b a y that I ended up cancelling because after a good bit of research I realized why their item was a few bucks cheaper. Basically, Safety 1st has a really old-style, which is what was being sold by someone on E b a y. You can recognize it because the magnet key is round. The old-style also does not feature the temporarily unlock sliding-button like the newest style (the one that uses the diamond-shaped key). Whats the big difference you ask? After using the old-style Safety 1st cabinet locks at our brother-in-laws house, the fact that you cant temporarily un-lock the old-style is a big pain, especially while cooking or cleaning up a spill. Now the diamond-shaped key really makes no difference, other than the fact thats my observation in determining if youre buying the old-style or the new-style. I do notice that the diamond-shaped key has a small-hole to hang on a lanyard or keyring of some type, cant remember if the old-style round one did or did not have that. Overall, these work great for our cabinets both downstairs and in the upstairs bath. The sticker-templates are EXCELLENT and makes this really easy to install and ensure everything will line up correctly. Easy 5-star recommendation here. The only gotcha is that the very first one I installed was in the corner, I found you should install these based on the middle of the top of each door. The reason is because our particular cabinets were joined by some type of hidden metal joint in the corners. You can tell because the magnetic key will stick to the corners by itself. Anyways, its much more difficult to drill through metal, than it is through wood, hence why I decided the top-middle of each door is the ideal mounting location for our particular cabinets.

My little one is 14 months and like other toddlers her age, she is beginning to get into everything. I knew we had to do something when I took my eye off of her one day and found her in front of the cabinet under the sink with the cleanser paper tab in her hand (nothing bad happened). I searched amazon and stumbled across these locks. When they came, I thought installation would be a pain, but I was wrong. The kit comes with templates that ingeniously make this a tough job to botch. You simply stick the template on one side, mark where the latch goes, peel the sticker and transfer it to the other cabinet, again marking your screw holes. While a drill is recommended I didnt use one and still have good results (and no accidental pokes through - I wouldnt be writing this review if that was the case). As far as function, these works great. We even had a cabinet that wouldnt stay closed which annoyed me and of course attracted the baby. Now, shes a bit confused as to why she cant get in. Shes tugged and tugged until she fell on her bottom and just doesnt get why they no longer open, so they are fairly strong. I would warn you that you will likely forget that the cabinets are locked, so dont be surprised when your baby proofing works on you. Id also caution that you put the key on a string and hang on a knob/hook, as my only fear is losing it and locking myself out of the cabinet. The fact that you can keep these unlocked is good when you are working in the kitchen and need to get in and out of cabinets. In case you are wondering, they do work on drawers as well. Safety first has thought this product all the way through so I have to give them credit.

The lock itself works well. I have two children in the home, ages 4 and 1. Neither can open the drawer when the lock is on and engaged. I was able to open the drawer when I installed the lock on the top center. Doing so loosened the catch. I also had a lot of trouble with that first installation primarily because I trusted the measurements provided. After having installed several of the locks and seeing them in practice over a weekend, I have the following recommendations; 1) Trust your own measurements. The measurements provided with the sticky pads that come in the packaging arent exact. These locks are small and the drilling needs to be precise. If youre off by a 1/16th of an inch the catch might not be effective. 2) Put the catch on first. Its easier to start with the catch then measure where the lock goes after that since the lock will need to clear under the catch in order for the drawer to close. 3) Place the catch in the top corner or on the side. I initially put my first lock top center the way you usually see those cheap plastic catches installed. It did not work nearly as well as it could have. All in all, the locks work very well, but the installation instructions werent very good. If youre reasonably handy dump the instructions and make the measurements yourself. Youll save you some time. That said, I definitely recommend this product.

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.)

Im a big fan of this lock system. My main issue is the price, but considering what you get I think its worth it. At first, I went to a local store and got the usual cabinet locks that you push down after opening the door slightly. I was trying to save money, and these were something like 20 latches for $8. Well, I stopped installing them after the first one because I hated it so much. Its flimsy and Im sure itll break, especially because the door can open about 4 before it catches! That surprised me. I figured it would open about 2 at most so I could stick my finger in there and clear the latch, but no, my son could stick his entire arm and shoulder into the cabinet and reach a LOT of stuff. So I bit the bullet and bought my first kit of Safety 1st magnetic locks and Im glad I did. Every complaint I had about the traditional cabinet latches was eliminated by these locks. I wouldnt say their construction is perfect, but its just fine for the purpose. I love that the door cant open more than a couple mm, which should help prolong the life of the locks because my toddler isnt enjoying the experience of opening and slamming the door. I also LOVE the ability to disable the locks easily. When we put our son down and Im planning on doing a lot in the kitchen, Ill unlock the most-used doors and drawers, and Im not slowed down by having to use a key. Its great! Installing the locks is pretty easy, but youll need tools like a drill. If your cabinets have a fairly large inset panel, you might have some trouble installing these locks, especially if your cabinet doors also overlap the opening significantly. I only had that problem a couple of times and worked around it by finding a better placement for the locks. After the first few installs, I found I stopped needing the [excellent] templates for the most part, and could figure it out on my own. The drawers were the trickiest and most difficult, but I eventually got those done too. I cant say enough great things about these locks. Because of our floorplan, we have no way to keep our toddler out of the kitchen, and I wouldnt want to anyway. Its nice to not have to worry about him getting into every single cabinet. NOTE: do not buy the single key. It currently goes for $9 which is absurd. If you need an extra key, buy some strong rare earth magnets for your fridge, and glue one to some sort of handle. The keys are nothing more than a magnet encased in plastic.

We have had these locks installed in our kitchen for over a year now. At first we only installed them on the cabinets but then my toddler started opening up drawers with forks and knives so I decided they needed to go everywhere. Overall, it was fairly easy to install in the cabinets, especially if you have a power drill. The drawers were a bit trickier as I had to remove them completely to install. Not impossible, just took a bit more time. Also, in our case, the drawers are not that tall so a right angle screwdriver attachment helped tremendously since I couldnt get the regular screwdriver to fit. The locks work great and its very easy to unlock with the key. The hardest part is remembering where the lock is on the drawers. The kicks do take up a little bit of space in the drawers, so if the drawer is small to begin with, be selective on where you place it. I love the lock/unlocked option. When Im cooking and my daughter is not around, I leave the cabinet or drawer unlocked so I dont have to get the key every few minutes if I need another spoon or pot. And then simply move back to locked position when Im finished. Its not necessary but certainly a nice to have feature. My daughter is 2 now and she still tries to open the drawers occasionally. She pulls them pretty hard sometimes but hasnt broken one yet so I would say they are pretty strong locks. Great product, definitely recommend if you have toddlers running around in the kitchen.

This is the ABSOLUTE best way to keep your child out of your cabinets!! My only recommendation is to include a second magnet in the kit for forgetful parents who tend to lose the magnet easily. I bought a second pack just to have 2 so I wouldnt be locked out. These are awesome though, my 3 year old son hangs off the cabinets trying to get them open and they still wont budge. They are somewhat annoying if Im in a hurry and I want to get into the cabinets, BUT they are much quicker than undoing one of those child locks. I HIGHLY recommend this products to all parents who want to keep their cleaners safe from little hands. I know most people who I recommended these to said its a pain in the butt to install them, but Ive moved 2 times since Ive ordered them and my boyfriend has taken no more than 30 minutes installing them on our cabinets at each house. Its definitely worth the $$ for a piece of mind that my child is safe.

My two toddlers love to open their dresser drawers and pull out all of their neatly folded clothes. The traditional baby locks that allow you to open cabinets a couple inches wouldnt work because my kids could still reach the clothes and the wraparound locks dont work for us because my daughter knows how to get them open. These locks to the rescue. They dont allow you to open the drawer at all until unlocked which is great but this perk comes with a few downsides: 1) The key. Were always misplacing the key. Regular fridge magnets arent strong enough and without the key you cant access the contents your securing so weve had some frustrating mornings trying to find the key so I can get my kids dressed. This can obviously be rectified by having more than one key (but theyre expensive!) or not being careless with it like I apparently am. 2) Install. These wouldnt work on our dresser as is because the drawer face was extended past the actual box part of the drawer. This meant that no matter how we installed it, the magnet part of the lock wouldnt reach the piece its supposed to hold on to in order to keep the drawer shut. My husband rectified this by custom cutting pieces of wood to screw into the dresser, which we then attached the locks to. This was a time consuming process since each drawer level and size had to be different but in the end its working perfectly. 3) Finding the lock after installed. Again, really a trivial matter in the grand scheme of things but sometimes I have to slide that key back and forth on the dresser to get the right spot to unlock it. Maybe if your doing cabinets and can instal in the same lower hand corner or something this wouldnt be an issue for you but for us its annoying. Id definitely recommend these locks if the others dont work for your situation. Learn from our mistake and invest in an extra key though.

Update: Tip - you can pick the lock with moderately stiff wire. I shut a drawer with the key in it. I had tested a spare magnet to make sure itd unlock, but of course, the only lock it didnt work on was this partic drawer. Neither did another magnet. In the end, I was able to pick the lock with old style plastic covered green garden wire. Spending $10 on another special purpose key seems silly. I had given up on these as not working in our older custom cabinetry after trying a year ago (thank god for the loop locks in the meantime). On the second round of installation attempts, I have been able to get success. I dont know why - perhaps I ignored their trying-to-be-helpful stick on templates, which just confused things here. Perhaps messing with the Safety First spring latches ground me down. Will update this with how frustrating misplacing the lock continually is... I bought

Before buying these locks I did a lot of research, which was unfortunately why I had to rush to install them once my son started crawling. I did not like the idea of the other style of magnetic locks which solely utilize adhesive to attach the locks and catches to the door/frame. I felt that that was too cheap and could be overcome by a very determined child. The instructions were easy enough to follow, but the real reason to purchase these is the installation template. You get one for each lock and it is quite simply idiot proof. A single template is used for both the lock and the catch. It actually is designed to transfer from the frame to the door during installations. Simply put, this product is well worth the money and I plan to leave these on my cabinets even after I no longer need them. You can disengage them when no longer needed and in my opinion its a benefit when selling my house in case they have children.