Cardinal Gates Door Guardian Home Security Door Reinforcement Lock for Inward Swinging Doors - Child Proof Lock Front Door - Extra Lock for Home from Inside - USA Based - Black

The Door Guardian is a great product for keeping little ones inside a home. We have one installed on our front door and it is very effective and easy to use. So how is this different than a standard flip lock, which may cost around 1/4 the price of the Door Guardian? We have several of these standard locks and will use them when lock certainty is less important. First a standard flip lock uses shorter screws, limiting the security of the attachment to the door jam. Sure you could buy extra screws for the flip lock, but that is an extra step and does costs extra (still nowhere near the Door Guardian cost). Two, the Door Guardian is made with much more robust steel - I can't speak to the steel quality, but the lock has substantially more metal, which I must assume adds to the stability of the device. Third the closure mechanism is more solid. I have found standard flip locks can be rattled out of position is the door has enough play. Beyond security, the Door Guardian offers better aesthetics than a standard flip lock. Also the Door Guardian seems less likely to cause damage to the door that is being locked. Additionally, the Door Guardian can be used with door frames that flare out (where the wood thickness increases as you move away from the door). This is due to the fact that a standard flip lock needs to open to about 270 degrees (or to parallel to the wall - or in the opposite position to closed when mounted). The Door Guardian has an angle built into the device that allows it to sit on these angled frames. If you are confused by this explanation, please Google "Door Guardian installation instructions", find a PDF instruction manual, and look at figure 2B. I have been unable to attach a standard flip lock on these types of door frames without damaging the frame (becuase the frame prevents the lock from opening all the way). The last thing I would say about the Door Guardian is that it has a very easy one-handed operation. Standard flip locks are very easy to use as well, but I have found the Door Guardian a little bit easier to operate. Installation requires a 1/8" inch drill bit for the two larger screws. If your door does not have enough space for the screw plate, which is 1/16" inch, you may have to chisel off some material from the door frame to recess the screw plate. A short explanation of this: pencil the boarder of the screw plate on the door frame; remove the screw plate and use a chisel and hammer to create a 1/16" inch groove along the inside of the boarder that you penciled in; chisel in a grid of grooves in the inside of the boarder; and chisel away the interior of the grooved area moving from the boarder groove inward until all the material is gone. The grooves will prevent splintering and removal of excess door frame.

I take reviews very seriously, especially when it comes to child-safety products, so I wanted to use this for a little bit before writing anything. As a new parent, I've researched a ton of baby-proofing items and just kind of stumbled across this one day when trying to find a good solution to keep bigger kids that come to visit from being able to open the basement door for our 1 year old. This product is AMAZING! It literally took me 3 minutes or less to install. The middle screw is pretty genius and helps you find the right place to secure it to the frame without you messing up and putting a hundred holes in your door frame; it works in a way that allows you to "test drive" the spot you chose by opening and closing the door several times before securing the other 2 screws. It's also really nice that you can install this all the way at the top of the door (or wherever you want) like we did. That way, visiting kids can't open the door (and leave it open for our son to fall down the stairs) without an adult's help. There is a tiny gap between our door and the frame so I thought I would have to chisel out a little bit to make room to attach the device, but that was not the case. My only complaint, which I read in other reviews, is that the screws aren't that great. They come with 2 sets (1 longer and 1 shorter) so you can pick the size that's best for your door frame. My issue is that the screw heads stripped pretty bad from a simple installation. I was able to get them in ok, but you might want to use different (better) screws when you install it. This thing keeps the door super secure and can easily be opened with one hand. It's super strong and the door doesn't budge. I will definitely be buying one of these for the door that leads from the house into the garage, and the front door as well. It's well worth spending $15 to keep your kids safely inside. Obviously it works to keep people out as well, but that's not my sole use for this item. If my opinion changes on this product, I'll provide an update. For now, I love this thing and I'm buying 2 more.

I had previously installed a pair of Armor Concepts' Universal Door Security kits on my entrance doors, which made me a little reticent to install another device. The Armor Concepts kits were kind of involved and took me all day to set up, but the Door Guardian looked easy enough. And they were. I got one in satin chrome and one antique bronze. They look good with my other similarly coloured door hardware. The idea of installing a short screw first to test the fit and function is a good idea. If your door won't close over the DG, you can easily pull out the short screw and remove some wood. There was no trouble closing my door, so I didn't have to shave any wood from the frame. This is great because the last device I installed (one of those gadgets that lets you open the door a few inches, then requires you to close the door and unlatch it to open the door) required me to cut a big chunk of wood out of the door trim. Anyhow, instead of having the 1/2" screw in the middle and the 3-1/2" screws top and bottom, I used some 4" screws I had for extra strength. I did drill the holes first. The entire process took me under half an hour for both Door Guardians. They are strong and hold securely. To open them, you pull the moveable part first to the side (away from the door frame) then swing it open. Mine are installed on the left side of the door, so I pull them to the right. One of them kind of sticks sometimes. I figured you can push it in towards the door, then to the side. Bottom line, I've never bought anything this inexpensive, good looking, easy to install, yet so effective. I recommend it highly.

This product is a must have for parents that have children with autism, or other children prone to wandering. I bought the door guardian for the sole purpose to aide me with deterring my child, that has autism, from going out the door whenever he pleased. I recently had a scare with him leaving the house, and the door guardian has added great peace of mind. Thankfully, my child does not leave my property, but it only takes one thing to spike the curiosity of their beautiful minds to explore more. I was able to install this on our front door with no problem. I did have to adjust placing, just a bit, due to the casing on the front door. That didn't reduce the effectiveness of this product at all. There is just a tiny amount of space before hitting the stopper, but by no means, is he getting the door open. The door guardian is very sturdy, and with how it is made, makes it difficult for a child to figure out how to open it. I am so happy to have found something effective that doesn't involve alarms. I also see how this would make it much more difficult for someone to break in. I paid full price for this product, and will be ordering another one.

Like many items, this was needed for a very specific scenario. This works well for my door and what we use it for. It is installed on a front door to a residence and it is positioned about 5ft off the ground at chest/head level. This door guardian's purpose is to keep toddlers from opening the front door and walking outside without permission. I think this would also work well for security to keep people from entering into the home... when you "lock" the guardian into place it is extremely secure and would require force enough to splinter wood and break the actual door-frame in order to get it removed forcefully. The way the guardian is designed actually makes the lock stronger when the door is shut, because the mounting bracket is placed between the door and the door-frame. Installation was pretty easy. I chose to use 1 different screw than the "pilot" one they gave me simply to have a different screw-head. I played with the configuration briefly, figured out how it installs, and tried to determine the ideal position for our uses. As I mentioned, out of reach of toddlers - so about 5ft high just for convenience and so we didn't look like paranoid people by having 3 locks all stacked on top of eachother (doorknob, deadbolt, door guardian). With it positioned UP on the door-frame a little more, this looks neat, professional, and out of the way. We probably will not use this product very often, only in safeguarding scenarios for toddlers when we know they can't be constantly monitored. But, it is very nice to have this convenient, small, and out of the way product attached to my door now so it is there when we need it. TLDR: Toddler is tall enough to open front door. Placed this 5ft up and can now use this as a safeguard to prevent unauthorized exits.

Let me first start off by saying that I paid for this item with my own money,and would have welcomed a freebie based on its cost at other retailers. Having said that,I found myself faced with the task of keeping my elderly mother safe inside if I was asleep or busy with something else.Deadbolts had the potential to backfire.Training a sheepdog to bark when Mom was tempted to go out alone was a no,and tethering Mom to something for even a few minutes would have the authorities on me quicker than I could blink. What to do? First I looked up safety measures for elders who might wander,and let's face it,if Mom or Dad needs a First Alert they should probably be living with professionals who are trained to manage those with cognitive decline.Second, I looked at websites that seem to offer safety measures for seniors,basically overpriced baby proofing,so that was a no too. What I learned is that many seniors who exhibit dementia-like traits without full blown dementia or Alzheimer's are easily frustrated by knobs,or locks that take too much time,attention,or dexterity to fool with.Basically,they get bored when they can't figure it out immediately and turn their attention to something else less stressful for them and you.In this case,the Door Guardian is great for that.Meant to put your curious youngsters off by keeping hazardous doors shut,it works surprisingly well for seniors who might take a tumble down basement stairs in the middle of the night without you. Simple to install at door height on the frame,it keeps doors from swinging in even when a doorknob is pulled. Helpful to know is that the Door Guardian presently only works for doors that swing in,and not those that open outward.A warning,too,is that if someone else in the home has the knack of opening and closing the guardian and you yourself are on the other side of it while it's closed,you will be locked out. Also,I would invest in a better set of screws than the ones included in the package,as they seem flimsy and could be easily stripped.

I was a bit reluctant to purchase -- only 2 prior reviews. But was pleasantly surprised. Pros: +++ Sturdy, all metal polished construction (cleanly machined surfaces, no burs, etc.) +++ Simple installation ("template" style mounting + ability to "pre-test" lock prior to installation) +++ Remarkably well-written instructions (worth nothing since many are poorly written) +++ Design makes this lock likely suitable for almost any door that opens inward (only, as advertised) +++ Easy and intuitive to use; when engaged it clamps your door shut firmly with very little "play" +++ Looks good (though obviously that's just my opinion) Cons: --- A bit pricey --- The strike plate "replacement" installation option didn't work for me I am ok with the price given how sturdy and finely crafted this lock is. I did see a few less-expensive locks of conceptually similar ("flip, block") design but they didn't look as sturdy. Regarding the last point the # of screw holes and alignment didn't match our door strike plate so we couldn't install there, but in fairness they don't really push this lock as a "strike plate" replacement and I didn't buy it for that so I don't consider that a sufficient reason to reduce the rating on this product. In our case even had that option worked we wanted it mounted higher specifically to keep it out of reach of our mischievous twins. Bottom line: Highly recommended -- I'm very happy with this lock and buying a 2nd for another door. 201207 Update: Have successfully installed 2 of these locks and they work great. If you pay attention to detail during installation (which is reasonably easy to do) these locks provide a tight, secure latch for your doors. After months of use found no wear and tear, e.g., the finish is still shiny and unblemished. Have a friend w/young children who needed the same capability who bought the same lock and was quite happy with the results.

Works great to keep my wild toddler inside the house. My two year old knows how to unlock the front door and recently he let himself out and made his way to the pond behind our house before we could catch him. We live in South Florida and with the recent tragedy of a boy the same age getting attacked and killed by a gator I had to act fast to prevent this from happening again. We installed this the day it came in and much to my toddlers disappointment it works perfectly. Mere minutes after we installed it he tried his escape act and, instead of finding him in a precarious situation, we found him in a tempter tantrum coping with the fact that he could not go outside alone. We have glass window next to our front door and about an inch between of wood trim/casing. Our door opens in. I didn't have a lot of room to work with using other types of locks like this but this was just right. We use the three small screws included to attach it to the casing. My husband had to bend it out a little because it was a tight fit to close the door. The door itself is being worn where it rubs when we close it, but the damage is unnoticeable when the door is closed and it's a very small price to pay for saving my child's life. It's less damage than you would have with any other lock which requires you to screw holes into the visible outside parts of the door and trim. Nothing needs to be screwed into the dorr which is a huge plus. The latch easily slides in the locking position and to unlock you sort of pull it out and back. It's easy for an adult to do and you don't need much strength. We put it high enough that manimal can't reach it, that is until he figures out how to slide a chair over, but I'm hoping by then I will have instilled a healthy fear in cars and alligators.

Fácil de instalar, buen material, opción práctica y segura.

Easy to install and great piece of mind. Nothing more to say. Already have these installed in several friends and families houses!

One of the most effective and mechanically sturdy door latches i have come across! Good quality.

Fácil y rápido de instalar, funciona bien para que no habrán la puerta desde afuera mientras dormimos o para que el niño no habra la puerta sin autorización

I love this lock. It isn't super heavy duty but it keeps kids from opening a door, until they figure it out and can reach it themselves. In any case it works like a charm for its intended purpose! Easy to install- I had to do a little sanding to make a recess for one of them, but otherwise it's just a little bit of drilling then screw in.