Tot-lok ~ When you have to keep the little ones out!
Written: Mar 08 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Truly childproof lock
Cons: Installation takes some time
The Bottom Line: Carefully install it and you will be happy with this lock.
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| momofchris's Full Review: Rev-A-Shelf Tot-Lok |
When my husband saw the tot-lok, he just had to get it. Actually he picked up two of the starter kits. Both of the ones that we purchased were sold under the Safety 1st name, but these are exactly the same as the Rev-a-shelf Tot-loks. As you can see from the manufacturer’s picture, the key to the tot lok shows the word “tot” in blue, a black shaded area (the profile of a small child), and the word “lok” in a deep pink.
WHY THIS CHILD PROOF LOCK WAS SELECTED –
Looking over the packaging, it shows how easy it to use, it is totally concealed, it comes with a lifetime guarantee and it says it is easily installed on cabinet drawers or doors. Well, my husband was hoping that the “easily installed” part was true, unfortunately that was not the case.
Most other child proof cabinet door locks really did not look that great to us. A lot of these locks still allow the child to partially pull open the door or drawer. We did not want this to happen, since we felt that even minor access could possibly result in a hand injury to our son. There are also slide type locks, but these require there to be two door knobs right next to each other. We knew this would not be the case in our new home.
WHAT YOU GET -
The starter kit comes with one key (the big magnet) two locks and two striking plates. When you turn the starter kit package over, you can see all the many little screws and the various plastic pieces that you will need to assemble. This is why I was not convinced that it really would be that easy to install.
INSTALLATION –
As I had suspected, this was not that easy. You can read them for your self at the manufacturer’s webpage. Just go to the following link: http://www.rev-a-shelf.com/install/security/lock.htm
This is definitely a time when you must read through all of the instructions, the most important one being about the thickness or your cabinetry. If your door is less than 5/8th of an inch, you don’t have to use the plunger or the extension slug. For a door thickness of 5/8ths to 1 and 1/8th of an inch you omit the extension slug. From 1 and 1/8th to 1 and 9/16ths of an inch, you will need the extension slug. If the thickness is close to the maximum measurement, the best thing might be to add the suggested pieces so you can be sure the door will unlock.
INSTALLATION ADVICE –
Why this is not included in the manufacturer’s instructions, I can not say, but here is my advice. You should keep in mind that the lock will only allow you to open it if the magnet can draw the latch down. You should test this out PRIOR to installing the lock. Assemble the lock and place it against the door, then place the key on the other side to be sure that it will draw the latch down. If you have an especially thick door requiring the extension slug, this may not be possible. I would suggest though, that you install the lock (do all the drilling) and test it out prior to installing the striking plate (which is the final step by the way). If the key will not draw down the latch, DON’T INSTALL THE STRIKING PLATE! You will end up with a permanently locked door.
I would also suggest keeping the lock in the disengaged position initially. You can tell if the magnetic lock is working because it will partially draw down the latch and this does make a click sound as it occurs. Once you are sure it is working properly, then flip the red plastic part down so that the lock will be working.
If you have any questions during installation, you can call rev-a-shelf at 1-800-626-1126. We didn’t need to call, but we did keep in mind how this lock worked all during the installation. With the drilling and doing his best to be careful to not harm our brand new cabinets, it took my husband about an hour to install the lock, luckily my mom and I were able to keep my son busy as he was very curious about what daddy was doing at the time.
OUR EXPERIENCE –
This has truly been a great lock. My son can pull and tug at the knob all he wants, but the door is not going to open. We put this on our kitchen cabinet under the sink. We have a double sink so it is a nice large area, I have all of my cleaning supplies, including the bathroom ones under that area.
Initially, I found it hard to position the key in the right place whenever I did need to open the cabinet. To solve his problem, we put a small piece of masking tape over the exact position where we need to place the key. This was a great help in getting the cabinet open quickly.
We also decided against installing the tot-lok in any other part of the house. After all of the time and effort it took to get it on to the one door, we decided it was significantly easier to just move all cleaning supplies under the one sink instead of putting the lock on all the cabinets. Fortunately, until recently, my son could not reach the top cabinet drawers, so I could stash things like knives and scissors safely in a top drawer. The design of our drawers would not allow the tot-lok to be used anyway, the area is much to thick.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY –
We have seen these locks just about every where baby safety items are sold. You can buy them at Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, Wal-mart, K-mart and Home Depot. I was at Wal-mart yesterday and the price was only $10.97 for the starter kit there.
They are also available online. At the following link you can even buy the keys and locks separately: http://www.babysafetystore.com/_vti_bin/shtml.exe/store/bathroom.htm
I believe we bought the first starter kit from the baby center store long before we even found our home. We purchased it with several other baby safety items. The second starter kit we purchased was from Babies “R” Us. I still have to take that one back. The one kit was enough for us.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION –
This is truly a great child safety lock. If you own a drill, your home and don’t mind the extra effort, this is the best child safety lock that I have seen or used. Just remember to carefully install it and you will be very happy with this lock. If your cabinet door is too thick, then take the lock out and I’m sure you can return it to the store where you purchased it, if not though, the manufacturer will take it back.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
momofchris
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Location: outside of Washington DC
Reviews written: 68
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