Customer Reviews

Kidco Spring Action Lock (4/pkg)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have used these latches for the last 15 (yes, that is 15!) years. I installed the original ones when my oldest child was born. They have remained installed on all my kitchen cabinets (doors & drawers), as well as in all my bathrooms for all that time, and these have LASTED THROUGH 5 KIDS!!! ages 15-3. Now, you have to be smart when you install them. Look at the product - there is a "slot" for the screw so that you can adjust the latch up or down on to get it in the right spot for the door/drawer to close properly. Keep this in mind when installing. You won't be sorry with this product. Glad to see it's still available.

To me, these latches seemed pretty easy to install on my cabinets. They should be relatively easy to install for most standard types of cabinets and for installers who have moderate skills with a drill and screwdriver. These latches allow a flush-closing cabinet door to open about 1 inch, just enough to get your finger in to push down on the spring lever to unlatch.

For the spring lever half, I used the two supplied screws in the top pair of mounting slots. This may have prevented the problem one of the other reviewers had with the lever/bracket bending down when the cabinet door was pulled on forcefully. I can see how using the two mounting screws in the bottom pair of slots could cause this problem. It seems like there should not even be a bottom pair of slots, since there are only enough screws supplied to use the top OR bottom slots. Or the manufacturer should have provided enough screws to use all four slots.

Another problem could arise during installation as a result of the type of screws supplied. The screws are flat heads, i.e. those with the cone-shaped head. The cone-shaped head tends to wedge in and spread open the mounting slots in the plastic parts when the screws are tightened down. Tighten a little too far like I did and the plastic starts to split. Pan-head screws would have been a better choice.

My 1-year old likes to yank on the cabinet doors a lot and these locks are holding up well. He is not yet tall enough to reach up and press down on the spring lever. I can see how this may be a problem later, since the spring lever is relatively easy to press down and unlatch. If this does become a problem, I plan to try some stiffer springs if I can find some the right size.

The "disable feature" is particularly useful. It is simply a little sliding clip that retains the spring lever in the "down" position when activated. I have an under-the-counter trash can which requires that we open that cabinet door quite often. After the little one goes to bed, the disable feature goes into use to make life a bit more convenient.

I have used other cabinet locks by Safety First, which seem to work fine but allow the cabinet to open a little too far (about 2"). These also lacked the disable feature.

I needed some drawer latches to keep my infant out of my office drawers. These are absolutely useless! The screws are located so far down the latch that when my daughter pulled the drawer open, the latch bent at the top, pushing the latch down, and then the drawer flew open. Also, the spring makes it really easy to push the latch down, which makes it easy for parents to use, but also easy for infants!

The type of latch I first tried were the "Safety First Cabinet and Drawer Latches" and while they require a little more effort to press down they are the only ones that my daughter hasn't been able to conquer.

Don't bother with these latches. I threw the whole packet away.

PS: A little 'installation' tip for cabinet/drawer latches ... get some permanent double sided tape and test out the location of the latches before you screw them on. It can take a bit of 'wrangling' to get everything lined up in the right place, and is less frustrating if you have the tape to help you. :)

I bought a set of these when my oldest child was a baby, took them with me to our new house and have used the same set of locks through 5 kids. I have seen other types of baby locks in use and looked upon them with scorn.
For the average person who only plans on having 1.5 children, these locks will not let you down!
They never break, unless you have older children who wildly yank the cabinets & drawers open with abandon. (I plan to have a little training session with the aforementioned culprits!!)
I am now onto my 6th baby, and am looking for a new set of them, hence my presence here on Amazon today.
The first set lasted me through 14 years & 5 kids. They are fairly easy to install, especially if you have mastered the use of a cordless drill & have any brains at all. There is only one piece to install.
When I was looking for these on the internet, I happened across some that were installed by adhesive... Oh My! that would last about ... 2 seconds in my home....

I haven't had any trouble with the babies figuring out how to open these, by the time they figure it out, they are old enough that it is no longer an issue.
I have had to sternly warn my older children NOT to educate the baby in this matter, however.
But for those of you out there planning on the standard issue family size, don't worry... this probably will not happen in your home.

For anyone seeking the ultimate baby-proofing solution, I would go with the Tot-Lock system... My sister with 9 kids swears by them.
As for me, I feel that the Gerber Safety Drawer Latches are quite sufficient, and I don't particularly feel like hunting down a magnet every time I want to open a cabinet or drawer.
Maybe I will consider it if I continue having more kids... But I am thinking that I will only be needing baby locks for maybe another two years or so, just until this littlest one is past this stage!

These little latches work really well for drawers or cabinets. I like that you only need to mount one piece, and that they are easy to disable temporarily. The drawer must have an edge above it to latch onto; our top kitchen drawer under the built-in cutting board does not work with these.

my husband installed these so I cannot say anything about the ease of installation, though I did not hear him curse ;) These work well for us- keeps our daughter away from stuff, but still let's us open the cabinets fairly easily.

These are hands down the best drawer locks on the market. Easy to install and the "on/off" feature is great. I've tried all kinds of other child safety locks. If you go with another brand, just stay away from anything by Safety First. They are junk and very hard to install. These are well wroth the few extra bucks.

We've been using these on our cabinet doors for about 3 months now. The installation was easy, about 30 min for 8 cabinets, and so far they are holding up well. The reason we chose these over other latch products is that they have a little switch to temporarily disable them; we find this very useful for the hours when the little one is in bed and your cooking, cleaning up or putting dishes away and don't want to use the latch 50 times.

The only slight annoyance with the product is that because the locks slide on a little track and are spring loaded, if you don't push straight down from the top they can bind up or be a little hard to push. Not a big deal but something to be aware of.

These latches are sturdy and tough, just like I remember them. Having kids in two stages--last bought latches fifteen years ago that were great. Went to get latches with a new baby, and they are all garbage. They break when you breathe on them (practically). The KIDCO latch is sturdy, easy to install (follow the directions, for Pete's sake), and will last me for the two boys I have to keep out of things. Well worth the extra money, as peace of mind is so much more important!

Okay, so four months ago I installed another brand of lock latch. Five them have already broken and had to be replaced. I found a bag of these Gerber locks that my cousin gave me. My cousin had already been using them 8+ years! As the newer cheap latches are breaking, I'm replacing them with these Gerber locks. The Gerber locks are made with better materials and don't budge! I've been so happy with these and plan to get more of them to finish replacing the other brand. One reviewer commented on the spring making it easy for kids to do. Well, my 18 month old twins (which, by the way, get into EVERYTHING)have yet to figure them out.