The 10 Best Cabinet Locks
Special Honors
CyberLock For large organizations managing many staff and restricted-access areas, this company specializes in systems that revolve around programmable smart keys, with corresponding locks that can replace everything form deadbolts to padlocks. Being able to manage each employee's privileges via software can help save you headaches and afford you peace of mind in the long run, as employees come and go and see increases in privileges. cyberlock.com
Ultimate Security Devices The online store for this American company offers a wide variety of locking solutions for cabinets, including several slick concealed-lock and biometric-scanner options. Its additional areas of expertise include everything from elevator locks to key switches for electronic controls. ultimatesecuritydevices.com
Senseon Americas Specializing in what the company describes as "smart-access cabinet security," this organization custom builds elaborate locking systems for office and retail cabinets of all sizes. Using radio-frequency-identification technology, their systems can be mounted internally, so there's no visible trace of them on your cabinets' facade, or even rigged up with auto-open features that pop drawers open for you without you touching a handle, once your key card gets scanned. senseon.com
Editor's Notes
March 30, 2020:
This round of updates, while we removed the Abus Bar due to availability issues, we also decided to eliminate the Munchkin Xtraguard, FJM Security Tubular MEI-2400, Adoric Kitchen and Funyn Baby Safety, in order to make room for new, high-end additions. Some of our new inclusions this time around are the Lovinouse Biometric Keyless – a fingerprint-actuated model that also has a numerical keypad, the Wooch MUL001 – an option controlled by radio frequency identification cards, and the Safety 1st HS294 – an easy-to-install magnetic offering that’s recommended for grandparents who just need a bit of extra cabinet security, from time to time.
A few things to look for in this category:
Installation: For models like the Urban August French-Door and Kiscords Safety, this should really only take an average person a few seconds. For others, like the Lovinouse Biometric Keyless and Cahoo Fingerprint Keyless, installation can take significantly longer, and will require basic tools and a skillset in finish carpentry. So, take care to make sure you’re ordering an option with an installation process you feel confident taking on. That being said, all of our selections for this category are relatively easy to install, and several of the more-complicated options come with helpful templates to guide your drilling. So, if you’re even a moderately capable and ambitious do-it-yourselfer, don’t feel like you should be shying away from any of our selections.
Compatibility: While wrap-around models like the Kiscords Safety and Urban August French-Door are only of practical use when dealing with cabinets, or refrigerators, with French doors, latch-based models like the Cahoo Fingerprint Keyless and Wooch MUL001 can be tricky to install on drawers, and are best used on cabinet doors. The Safety 1st HS294 is installable on particle board, but screws might be necessary to supplement its adhesive backing. Make sure that you take care to select an option that’s applicable to your circumstance.
Efficacy: While some of the “locks” included in these rankings, such as the BabyKeeps Latches and Kiscords Safety, are clearly designed to outwit toddlers, and not do much else, it should be noted that it’s questionable whether any of these options will do much good against a determined burglar with a pry bar. While cabinet locks are certainly a sensible step to take, in the interest of protecting your valuables, additional measures – like installing deadbolts on your doors and security cameras around your property – might be advisable, as well.
Safe And Secure: Why You Should Invest In Cabinet Locks
I was fortunate enough to sample the stuff alone, however, and I didn’t like it much at the time.
It may not come as a surprise to you that many of us take our safety for granted. A deadbolt on the front door and some simple locks on the windows make us feel perhaps a bit safer than they should, as it's incredibly easy for a professional criminal to bypass such meager defenses. And there are surely certain items around your house that you would be terribly sad to lose. Even losing something as simple as a cell phone can be heartbreaking, especially if there were pictures or other personal data that you hadn't backed up.
The one thing that most criminals won't take for granted, however, is time. Anything you can do to make their process take longer is going to save you the loss of precious valuables, and even give you more time to hide should you be home during an invasion. The cabinet lock is one such device. When a thief and counters a locked door, his or her instinct will likely be to move on from it, especially if there are other valuables in the house that, in your estimation, are more expendable. That means you can take the things that have the most personal significance to you and secure them behind a sturdy cabinet lock.
And cabinet locks are not just about preventing theft at the hands of criminals, however. Any parent of a teenager knows the dangers of keeping alcohol in the house. My parents were trusting enough not to employ a lock on the liquor cabinet, and as soon as it piqued my interest to do so, I readily absconded with a bottle of Jack Daniels. I was fortunate enough to sample the stuff alone, however, and I didn’t like it much at the time. I was also away from the influence of my peers, who could have encouraged me to consume far more than was safe. If your kids were to get their hands on a bottle of hard liquor, and face even a little peer pressure to drink too much of the stuff, they could be in serious trouble.
The great thing about a cabinet lock, whether you're placing it as a bulwark against theft or as a protection measure against curious kids, is that it's a simple, inexpensive way to secure your valuables, your alcohol, or anything else you want to stay put.
Choosing The Perfect Cabinet Lock
There are a lot of different styles of cabinet locks on the market, and choosing the right one for you is going to have a lot to do with what it is you're trying to lock up. It will also have a bit to do with the cabinet's themselves, as certain lock styles require that your cabinets have a specific kind of handle or a strong enough door to support a heavy lock unit.
That means that if you have several different types of cabinets or a wider variety of needs than a single type can suit, you can easily invest in more than one.
If you have very young children in the house, and you want to protect them from things like household chemicals or even foods that are unhealthy for them to eat, you can usually get away with simple, inexpensive cabinet locks. These will be just complicated enough to prevent babies and toddlers from bypassing them, but they'll be easy enough for you to open, as many function as simply as a childproof bottle of medicine, requiring just enough fine motor skill to prevent young kids from gaining access.
Of course, at a certain age kids will become smart enough and capable enough to bypass such a simple device. That's where slightly more advanced cabinet locks come in, and these are the ones that you will also want to employ if you're concerned about theft. Cabinets made of thin woods or synthetic materials that aren't particularly strong might not have what it takes to support the weight of the largest cabinet locks on the market. A simple lock that opens with a key, similar to the mechanisms used on fireproof lock boxes, would be ideal for a cabinet like this. Heavier-duty cabinets, especially those guarding particularly valuable or particularly dangerous items like jewelry or firearms, should really have the best security money can buy. These cabinet locks are big, heavy, tough, and most rely on the user to input a combination in order for them to open.
Fortunately, cabinet locks are a relatively inexpensive investment. That means that if you have several different types of cabinets or a wider variety of needs than a single type can suit, you can easily invest in more than one.
Other Important Safety Measures
Keeping your home as safe as possible is probably going to require more than just cabinet locks. There are some very simple investments you can make to upgrade the security around your house, many of which won't require any kind of monthly fee or intense technical upkeep.
Keeping your home as safe as possible is probably going to require more than just cabinet locks.
Given how heavily you rely on the deadbolt at your front door to keep out intruders, it would be wise to have the most high-tech options available installed there. Keyless locks, many of which rely on codes, key fobs, or even biometric scanning, have become increasingly popular in urban areas where many thieves have become adept at picking standard locks.
If you own a firearm to protect your loved ones, and you keep it in a locked cabinet, it's also probably smart to have a kind of locking safety for it, as well. This ensures that if you forget to lock your cabinet, or if your child somehow manages to bypass your cabinet lock, they still won't easily be able to set off your firearm.
Another great way to increase your safety is to invest in some kind of security camera. These come as part of DIY security systems, or as standalone cameras that can send a video feed directly to your smartphone. There are even dummy cameras available if you're more interested in their potential as deterrents to theft, and you don't want to go through the hassle of setting up a camera and checking in on it whenever you feel uneasy.