Customer Reviews

Kensington ComboSaver Combination Notebook Lock K64517US

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I recently purchased this lock for my IBM thinkpad T61. My first impression of this lock was well above my expectation. The lock looks professional and sturdy. Of course what matters is not just how good you make a product but also how well you explain it to the customers. Kensington fails poorly in doing this second part. That's the only reason I gave 4/5.

I had a tough time understanding this piece for few minutes. But I could figure it out myself soon. To avoid this pain for others, here are the details.

Testing the lock at the onset:
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1) Set the lock to default code 0000. The T bar should go all the way in.
2) Insert just the front end of the bar inside the slot ( the back end of the bar will not go into the slot. Do not force in!!).
3) Rotate the lock 90 degrees (either way) when the front end of the bar is orthogonal to the slot.
4) Gently push the lock all the way in till the rubber grove touches your computer.
5) Keeping in this position, change the lock numbers.

The computer is now locked. There should not be any separation between the lock and the computer case. The lock is slightly loose and rotates to adjust to changes in laptop orientation etc. This 4th instruction is missing in the manual and people end up with a big gap between their computer and the case. Actually you can remove the lock easily if you do not perform step 4.

Setting the secret combination
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1) Bring the number lock to the old combination. In my case it was default 0000.
2) This is important. The subsystems of this lock move and rotate independently. So it important to hold the T-bar tight while making this change.
3) Rotate the groove using a coin in CLOCKWISE direction. The instruction manual says anticlockwise. It should be fairly easy to rotate this groove. If its not happening, then you are doing it wrong.
4) This is the most important. The instruction manual says that you rotate 90 degrees till red dot appears. This is really confusing. First of all the yellow line (along which the number is aligned) will not disappear and turn into red. As you rotate 90 degrees the red dot will ALIGN with the yellow line. The red portion appears in the small cut near the yellow line.
5) Select your new number and turn back the groove 90 degrees in opposite direction.

For the first time user, it is really difficult to understand this system if not explained properly. The manual provides 3 points or few pics to do this which totally confuses the user. I hope Kensington improves this quickly. Once you figure out how the lock works, its just amazing. I hope this review helps.

This is quite possibly the worst-designed item ever invented. I spent an hour and a half trying to get it to work. No luck. I was close to tears I was so frustrated. My husband took over with the same result. It is a useless piece of junk. I'm no stranger to computer locks, so it wasn't as if I wasn't clear on the concept. Even if we had been able to get it to function, the design necessitates that your hands twist into a really funky, retarded angle against the computer case, and the tumblers can be nearly impossible to turn.

Note that, before I ordered this lock I read the reviews, and full of hubris, I assumed that the other reviewers just weren't reading the instructions correctly, or that they didn't understand how laptop locks work. Boy was I wrong. Heed the reviews!

I bought this over keyed lock models from my positive experience with combination locks for bikes. I found aligning the combination wheels is not as easy as it should be. When it locked, the wheels are under spring-loaded, and that makes the turning the wheels a chore. To make it worse, the spring makes the wheels stick to each other, and as you turn a wheel adjacent wheels follow. I had to re-adjust each wheel multiple times to set the correct combination. Also when in locked position, the align notch is at the horizontal position. It should be on the top when locked for each viewing and unlock.
Overall, cute-looking but difficult to set the combination.

I bought this lock because it was one of the highest rated locks without being too expensive. Unfortunately, it didn't fit my HP dv5. It fit my old Dell, but the HP had a lock hole that was just slightly too shallow, so the lock would not fully close. I returned the item.

This lock will get a five-star rating, had the instruction manual been correct.

Just got this lock today and it only took me two minutes to change the number and put it to work. As one of the previous reviewers mentioned, the instructions on changing the combo number is wrong: when using a coin to turn the face plate, it's clockwise, instead of counter clockwise shown on the instruction manual, and the turning degree is 45 degrees, instead of 90 degrees shown on the instruction. It's fairly easy to turn the face plate and when it's in position, you'll feel a gentle click from inside the lock.

Some reviewer(s) complain that he/she couldn't get the lock to work after an hour and half, and thus giving this lock a one-star rating. If you can't get the lock to work, it's not the lock's problem, it's your own problem! And it's unfair to give such a great lock a one-star rating. Period.

This lock works. It fits well and I feel confident using it now. My only quip was that when I first opened it up, the instructions weren't detailed enough. It took me about an hour to finally figure out how to get it lock consistently. And it can be hard sometimes to get the numbers around when it's in the laptop. Overall though, don't look at 10 other locks and get confused! Just buy this one and you'll be happy, it gets the job done.

Paul

I work for a company that travels a lot. We all have company laptops, and wanted some extra security. My company bought a case of these locks, one for every laptop. While I was locking up my laptop I noticed that there was a slight click that I could feel when my number lined up. After about a minute of practice I could open these locks up without the combo better than someone who actually knew the combo. I opened up everyone's lock, some in as little as 30 seconds. I even opened up some of the locks with my eyes closed.

The reviewer above mentioned a thief that tried to hack and cut the cable, but was unsuccessful. All the burglar had to do was pull out with light pressure on the lock. Then, slowly turn the number dial that is farthest away from where it's locked into the laptop. If it won't turn then don't pull as hard. As you are turning it you should be able to feel a slight click when it gets to the right number. It feels like it is getting stuck. Once it clicks, move on to the next number wheel and as you are spinning it you should again feel a slight click. Rinse and repeat until all the numbers are in place and this lock will pop right open. Some of the times you will feel a slight click that is on the wrong number. The way you can tell it's the wrong number is because the next number dial that you go to won't click at all. If that happens just back up one dial and try again. It really takes less than a few minutes to open these.

I suppose this lock would work to keep honest people honest and to deter inexperienced thieves, but I wouldn't ever buy this and our company will be returning all the locks. Another thing that is scary is if you think about how many people use the same pin number on their lock as they do on their atm card. Your laptop could be stolen with your purse/wallet and they would have a good chance of knowing your pin.

Yes, this product is annoying to insert and use, must of taken me 30 mins to figure it out. But after that first experience, IT WORKS. My apt was burglarized last week. I had locked my desktop to the wall using this lock...and it survived. The burglar made a very diligent attempted to hack at the lock, both by trying to cut the wire (only cut one strand of wire) and by trying to chip at the lock itself with a screwdriver. He eventually got so frustrated, he (or she!) ended up taking a knife and scratched my iMac screen. Sounds terrible, but hey, the lock apparently annoyed the heck out of him! There were pieces of metal shavings from where he made a couple of dents in the lock, but when I got home, it was all intact. The police were impressed. I'll swear by this product from now on. Accept no substitutes.

I bought this lock from Microcenter (after sales and rebate: 15.00 so I might consider keeping it) because of the Kensington reputation for excellence in laptop locks.

Pros:
1. Flexibility of the cable, (6 ft. is good too, but most laptop locks are that length).
2. The rubber ring around the end of the lock lessens the chance of scratching and ripping away at the security lock of the laptop.
3. The bulky combo end looks sturdy and should deter the unconventional thief from making a move.

Cons:
1. Many people already express dislike for the poor instructions and design, but it's not really that complicated. I do think it's tedious and difficult to use a bit, especially if it's lock-onto your precious laptop and you're fumbling around (I've seen the horror of 17"in. Macbook Pros suffering from the case side bulging out...looks like a pimple on the side).

2. It is very hard to rotate the numbers and they don't click into place. You may have the correct combination numbers, but nothing will happen if they are not completely aligned which is a tad annoying.

3. The advantage is not having to deal with keys, but I'm beginning to think a key-ed lock is faster and you fumble less which means less moving the lock around = risk stratching your laptop.

I have 30 days to test this lock out. So far, I find it to be a mediocre lock with a highly regarded company name. Good luck! :)

All my laptops have lock holes on the left, and it was difficult to determine where to set the numbers upside down. No spacers came with it like other brand locks I have, so it fits loosely when in position. I purchased it for my daughter's laptop at college, and ended up buying a different lock at Wal-mart before she left for school.