Safety 1st Magnetic Tot Lok Complete Set

This is simply a great product. It is installed inside the cabinet so there is nothing to see from the front. The newer models work even easier than the original ones we purchased years ago. They open easily when the magnet is put near (don't even need to touch the cabinet door). We use these in several places over the house and love the convenience, but piece of mind it gives. They are also pretty strong - our 3 1/2 year old pulls and tries to open sometimes and has not broken or pulled open any drawer. NOTE - The old version needed a drill to make a small hole on the lock which sits inside the door, but the newer ones like this no longer require that hole to be made. These work better and are easier to install - just need a screwdriver and a few minutes.

My wife and I just installed these and we love them. A little tricky at first on our cabinet doors, because there is about a 1/2" overhang, plus the doors are solid wood with a bevel. So placement was key for the install. The biggest help is to tape the drill bit at the appropriate depth to ensure that you do not go through the door (thank you Stacey David from Gears!). It's simple to do and will save you a lot of time. 2nd, check that your doors are not too deep for the magnet to work... thankfully mine were just right (about a 1/2" deep). To test it, just put a piece of tape on the back of the lock and try it out, then remove the tape prior to the install. Using the template: The directions are ok, but I think they could be a little more clear on how to properly use the template provided. The order should be: 1) Place 1a side on to desired location (remove tap and stick) 2) PARTIALLY remove tape backing (this is key, because you'll reuse the same template later) 3) Stick tape to cabinet door, then drill the two holes 4) Pull tape away from the door, but do not completely remove, lay tape backing BACK IN PLACE 5) Install inside latch, using the two holes you just drilled 6) 1b side of tape, pull off backing 7) Shut door onto tape and then pull back hard (this will transfer the tap from the cabinet base to the door) 8) Now using the OTHER side of the backing you PARTIALLY pulled off before, use drill templete to drill the two holes for the lock Once you get rolling it was fast and my install got better each time (less play in the door for little fingers to get between). I also love that the locks have a switch, so if you're cooking/baking and there are no children around, you can just leave it unlocked without having to use the key each time; plus you can't see anything from the outside so it looks great too. If I get some time, I'll post a video. Good luck!

You do have to drill a hole in your cabinet doors! and drive in several screws, most all of which are not going to be visible, but be aware. Work well enough. Can be frustrating to line up the "key" to unlock the door. Also may have to press in on the door to get the latch to open/release, depending on install etc. Speaking of install, not what I call straight forward. Instructions were useless, the templates included were no help. I would not do these again.

I have a very curious 2 year old puppy who spends the day trying to get into the cabinets. I've tried many different types of cabinet locks - and this is by far the best one on the market. I'm confident that the dog won't be able to open these no matter how hard he tries! Installation was a breeze. The first one probably took 20 minutes by the time I figured out the directions and learned the process, but once you get the one done the others are super quick and easy. The directions aren't as bad as some reviews would lead you to believe. Honestly how many instruction manual have you found easy to read - compared to a lot of other ones I've read this one is pretty straight forward.

These are the best child safety locks I found...I love using the magnet to open the cabinets and my little one cannot get in at all, or even open the cabinet enough to catch his fingers. The only drawback is that these locks are very hard to install, especially if you have cabinet doors that have little rubber dots at the edges to have a silent close. I would recommend that you DON'T use the guide stickers/labels to install it...just eyeball the locks and use your drill to put holes on the cabinets...it is much quicker than trying to follow their step by step guide for installing the locks. My father tried to follow the instructions and it took 60 min to install 2 locks. My husband just eyeballed it and installed 8 locks in 45 minutes.

The product I received did not look like the picture but I didn't care. It works great. I use it for visiting little one's that can get into my cabinets and for my father who has dementia. I have to hide sugars from him because of his diabetes and he can't figure out how to get into the cabinets. The magnet is on my fridge and blends in with all the other magnets. Wonderful product. Its not visible from the outside of the cabinets at all. Very easy to install. If I can do it anyone can.

Update 11/21/2012: After I installed the Tot Loks last year I still had two drawers in the kitchen and a few cabinents in the bathroom to childproof. The Tot Loks were such a pain I thought I'd try a few spring latches like these Child Safety Spring Latches . They were quite easy to put in but then my son broke them to pieces in about a week. The Tot Loks are still going strong. It baffles me how a company with such an obviously effective product would sabotage it with such incomplete instructions. This is saving pennies and wasting dollars. I recommend it, but also recommend watching the available videos on youtube about it. Written 09/14/2011: I've installed 16 of these locks. They are unquestionably not easy to put in, but work wonderfully when installed. Installation----------> 1) The instructions that come with this thing are almost worthless. It's shocking to me that the manufacturer has provided almost no real guidance on how to put these in. Considering that is the #1 and #2 drawback to them I find it absolutely asinine. I highly recommend googling "tot lok" as you will find some worthwhile videos on the internet created by other people. 2) I recommend that you discard the plastic stop collar that comes with the set. I found it to be worthless. I bought instead " General Tools S838 6 Piece 3/16-Inch to 1/2-Inch Drill Stop Assortment ." It worked not perfectly, but it did a much much better job. (Don't try to install these without a proper stop collar!) 3) Before you start drilling measure carefully, using the templates provided with the product. If you use them properly, they actually do work well. For the first install though, it its hard to determine how to use them properly. Thus I recommend the videos. I must have watched some of them 10 times before I felt confident I knew how to proceed. Be conservative! 4) Be extra conservative when drilling, you don't want to drill through the cabinet, but stop just before you do so. 5) I made a measuring mistake on the 16th lock, which caused me to drill through the cabinet. I knew something seemed off but I was tired and just wanted to get it done. Again, be conservative. Another eyes on that install would have been helpful. 6) Go slow and be conservative! Usage----------> Once they are installed they are a godsend. My son cannot open the drawers without one of the magnets. Period. It's impossible. And they don't budge without a magnet, so he's not tempted to play with semi-opening them. And yet my fiance and I can open them easily with a magnet. They work wonderfully and are invisible from the cabinet exterior. You can even set the doors/drawers to open automatically without a magnet if you wish for dinner parties and the like. Overall----------> So installation 1 star out of 5. Actual product use 6 stars out of 5. I knew these would be a PITA to install when I bought them, but I did so anyway because it seemed like other baby locks were like childproof caps. A pain to use and easily overcome by children. These are hard to install, but do their job wonderfully. Highly recommended! - Dave

I used to be a professional babyproofer, so I just purchaed these for a friend's baby shower. If these are the same latches that used to be manufactured by Tot Lok by Rev a Shelf,then they are the best, most effective latch you can buy. Be fair warned, they are not for the average weekend warrior to install because they must be very precise and require special skills. I found that even cabinet guys and contractors hated to install these, but they are definitely worth hiring a professional to install them. A trick i used to tell my clients is to put the magnetic key high up on the corner of a wall because most drywall will have a metal strip on the corners. You can also keep the one in the kitchen high up on your refridgerator. If these sre the same product I used in the 90's , when I safety tested them, the cabinet broke before the safetly latch! Another convenient feature these have is a red plastic piece that lets you deactivate them. I would definetly advise having a few extra magnetic keys because these are so strong, a regular magnet will not open them. Best wishes with your new bundle of inquisitive joy😊 T