Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set

by Dorel

Product Features

• One magnetic key and two Tot Locks with magnetic design
• Easy to install locks are concealed from view
• Key sold separately or in sets with locks
• Can only be unlocked with Tot Lok's special magnetic Key
• Great for medicine cabinets, cutlery drawers, liquor cabinets, tool cabinets

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.8 x 3.5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0000488W1
• UPC: 052181711732
• Item model number: 71173
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,346 in Baby (See Top 100 in Baby)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Harnessing the invisible power of magnets, this Tot Lok starter set provides an effective way to keep your baby or toddler from opening cabinet doors and drawers. The set comes with two latches that can be installed on the inside of doors and drawers that measure between 0.5 inch thick to over 1.5 inches thick, along with one magnetic key that will open either latch when it is placed against the front of the door where the latches are mounted. Each latch is also equipped with a lever that can be flipped to disengage the lock so you can use the door or drawer normally. The system works well and has the added advantage of being completely hidden from view, but it requires that parents keep the key in a safe place where it won't be misplaced or lost. The Tot Lok starter set comes with mounting instructions and a template to aid in installation. --Chris Burns

Product Description

Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set - 2 locks and a key

 

Tot Lok® is a patented magnetic locking system that helps keep household cabinets and drawers closed to toddlers. This starter set includes two locks and one key.

• 100%-concealed locking devices

• Lifetime guarantee

• Ideal for cabinets and drawers that are off-limits to children

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very much worth the trouble, November 8, 2005

By 

James Savage "Triplet Dad" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set (Baby Product)

Selecting these locks over the competition was easy, as it's not hard to see how toddlers can easily overcome the other choices. Since keeping my triplets out of harm's way was the only thing that mattered, the higher price and installation time were not factors for consideration.

In short, they work. They are incredibly secure. So much so that if something goes wrong, you can permanently lock yourself out. And using them is easy. But be warned, installation of this product can lead to a day full of swearing. There are enough reviews extolling this product's virtues or damning it's installation, with a small number claiming they don't work, but at the end of the day, you should get them because they really are the best product out there.

TIME TO INSTALL:
The first lock took about 25 minutes. Once I figured out how to install it, it was easy. In total, I spent about 4 1/2 hours installing 30 locks on cabinets and drawers. Cabinets were much easier than drawers, since the drawers tended not to align as well with the drawer openings. They worked fine on warped doors, but sometimes required repositioning of the striking plate.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
The instructions aren't as helpful as they should be. Larger pictures would help. But even that won't overcome the fact that the cabinet faces must be flat in order for the template to work as intended. I have 3/4" thick cabinet doors, with a 3/8" overhang around the edge. To accomodate my situation, I cut off the narrow part of the template, and placed the remaining part at the edge of the thick part of the door, and marked the holes with an awl. I did this for all the doors before drilling.

I strongly recommend drilling pilot holes for all the screws. The screws are small and easy to strip when screwing into hardwood.

After I installed all the locking mechanisms, I tested each one to make sure they opened with the key.

To install the strike plates, I took a post-it note marked with a line, and after closing each door, placed the line on the outside of the door frame where the center of the strike plate should go. This was easy to eyeball, and there's a fair amount of room for error to do this. I would simply place the strike plate on the inside edge of the door frame and mark with an awl before drilling pilot holes.

WHAT CAN GO WRONG:

- Drilling through the cabinet. This is easy to do, and easy to avoid. Be careful, and buy a separate drill stop. The one included in the package isn't much better than using tape to mark the drill bit. You should have a set of drill stops in your toolbox anyway. Plus, you can use the smaller one for drilling pilot holes for the small screws.

- Locking yourself out. Possible causes include not drilling the plunger hole deep enough, not cleaning the hole out, installing the plunger improperly, or a faulty lock. Out of the 30 locks installed, I had two that were faulty. In essence, they were "sticky". They appeared to work fine uninstalled, but wouldn't function even when drilled to a point just short of going through the cabinet. There is no way to adequately test them before you actually install them, so refrain from installing the striking plate until you've tested the installed locking mechanism with the magnetic key a few times.

If using the extension slug, make sure it is pushed all the way into the hole. Pull the plunger out of the locking mechanism until it is almost all the way out before placing the mechanism over the hole. Gaps between these pieces can result in the lock not working. Don't worry about losing pieces in the hole as you try to figure out which combination you need. You can always get them out with the magnet.

I should mention that my drawer faces are 1-1/2" thick, and the extensions worked fine.

- Gaps between the lock and striking plate. Get creative with shims. In some cases, I used a couple of small washers behind the striking plate and some longer screws. In other cases, I glued a small block of wood inside the drawer opening. You might choose to screw them in if you want to remove them later, but mine were hidden from view due to the way the cabinets were made, and it was easier for me to glue them.

- Something is in the way of the lock when closing. Move the lock. Yeah, it's that simple. I read a review where someone didn't scope out their project before starting and complained about the product because it hit the sink before the door could close.

TOOLS:
I drilled pilot holes to make things easier. Since some of the holes were in tight spots, I found it necessary to use the following items to complete the job in addition to those listed by the manufacturer:
- Flexible drill shaft
- Hex shaft drill bits
- offset screwdriver (for tight spots)
- drill bit stop collars
I should also mention that the recommended drill bit for the plunger is not a standard size (7mm or 9/32"), so you probably don't have one. I purchased one for the job rather than risk something being slightly misaligned and not working.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT:
As mentioned earlier, I had two locks that turned out to be faulty. At first, I thought I did something wrong, but interchanging locks proved that it was the locks themselves. I called Safety1st and am happy to say that they sent a whole new starter set of 4 to me WITH A KEY, no questions asked. It just took a few days to get here.

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Qualified "yes!" -- but get the 4-lock set, January 24, 2005

By 

Andrew D. (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set (Baby Product)

These locks are the best solution I've tried, for many applications, but compared to the others they are also VERY DIFFICULT TO INSTALL. I am a carpenter but don't mean to say you can't install them with modest skills -- yet there are many opportunities to mess up by misaligning the pieces, tearing up the wood, stripping the screws, or drilling through the drawer/door front -- it is necessary to drill from the back to within ONE EIGHTH INCH of the front. Sure you can do it, with care, but care takes time and we all have bad days. I think they should give you a drill bit and stop, or at least sell one alongside the locks.

They should insist that EVERYONE GET AT LEAST TWO KEYS (i.e., get the 4-lock starter set not this one) because you *will* either lose one (perhaps to a curious toddler) or, my weakness, lock the key in the cabinet or drawer. Next, the locks are not very adaptable to the many drawer and door configurations out there for lack of a surface to mount, clearance to moving parts, or tight quarters difficulty maneuvering the drill where it needs to be. They also don't need to use these irritatingly small screws (#4's?).

When these magnetic locks work right, they are a dream. We have one on the hallway medicine cabinet that has been working flawlessly for seven years. But being the best is not always enough, and it is on installation that these stumble.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best lock available, May 31, 2001

By 

John "John" (PHOENIX, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Safety 1st Tot-Lok Starter Set (Baby Product)

Ou 2 1/2 year old has been able to figure out other locking devices that we have but this one keeps our cabinets secure. At the same time, they are very easy for adults to use. They are easier to install then some of the other brands also. Another nice feature is that you do not have to remove them when you no longer need them. A simple switch on the lock can disable them on a temporary or permanent basis. The only negative comment that I have is that they are more expensive than similar devices. But, you get what you pay for, and these have been worth the money.