Magnetic vs adhesive cabinet locks: invisible and keyed, or visible and stuck on

They both use tape; that is not the difference

People frame this as tape versus no tape, and it is not. Safety 1st's magnetic set mounts inside the cabinet with adhesive too (with screws for particle board, per the maker's own page for its smaller kit). The real differences are three. Where it sits: a magnetic latch is inside and unseen; an adhesive latch is on the cabinet face where you and the child both see it. How it opens: a magnetic lock needs a key held to the door; an adhesive lock needs a button pressed. What the door must be: magnetic needs a non-metal door thin enough for the key to reach through (1 to 2 inches depending on the set); adhesive needs a smooth sealed face the tape will grip. The full ranking of each type is in best magnetic cabinet locks and best cabinet locks for babyproofing.

Side by side

What a toddler can do to each

A magnetic lock offers a toddler nothing to work with: no button, no strap, no visible part. The only way in is the key, or a strong magnet, which is why Vmaisi's admission that any strong magnet opens its locks matters for the whole category. An adhesive exterior lock has a button, and buttons get learned. Safety 1st does not put a decoy on this one (its OutSmart line does); Wappa's strap has an optional double-lock switch that makes the button do nothing until the switch is slid, which is the single feature that keeps a strap useful past 18 months. If the child is under a year, either type holds. If the child is two, magnetic or double-lock.

The renter question

Both types come off. The adhesive exterior lock comes off cleaner, because it was designed to (Safety 1st pitches it for renters and grandparents); magnetic latches use foam tape inside the cabinet and may leave residue on a laminate interior. Neither needs a screw on a smooth wood door. Where you would want screws (drawers, particle board), the adhesive exterior lock wins for a rental by default. The whole no-screw plan is babyproof cabinets without drilling.

Choose magnetic if / choose adhesive if

• Choose magnetic if your doors are wood under the key's reach, you want nothing visible, you can keep a key high, and the child will be in the house past 18 months.
• Choose adhesive if you rent, the doors are metal or thick, you want an unlock mode for cooking, or you need it working in ten minutes with no template mistakes (the template helps).
• Choose a strap for the oven, fridge, dishwasher, trash can and toilet lid, whichever type you chose for the cabinets.

Both types fail in the same two ways - bad surface prep and bad alignment - and both are avoidable. The technique is on how to install cabinet locks.