SeismoLatch Automatic Earthquake Activated Cabinet Latch, Brown, 10-Pack

I've installed 30 of these latches now in two houses. The latches are high quality - I haven't had a single problem out of 30, and they install quickly and easily. The only complaint I have is about the little u-shaped foam install jigs - the two sided tape was too strong and tore up the foam pieces quickly. Fortunately I had a roll of less sticky two sided tape that let me get the job done without destroying any more of the foam pieces - I imagine making a roll of transparent 'Scotch' tape would work just as well. I haven't been through an earthquake yet, but I do sleep easier knowing that I've reduced the odds of my cabinets popping open and launching their contents if things start shaking.

The idea for these is good, instalation is a breeze BUT, they need a fix to be great. I live in SoCal and need something that will activate in more like a 4 or 5 + event. When purchased these would activate every time a plate or bowl was set on a shelf. Very frustrating. So I tinkered around with different things to "fix" them. Here's what I finally did to make them Great. I used a file to take down the semi-circle hook stop to about 1/16", then added a small piece of adhesive backed magnetic strip to the inside back of the bracket under the semi-circle hook stop.The hood is made of an alloy that is barely magnetic so it just barely holds but it's enough. Now you have to jar the cabinet with a little force to activate the hook, not enough to move the dishware but enough that it's more then a magnitude 1 or 2. So now they are GREAT!

I installed 11 of these latches. Two keep engaging spontaneously and latching, and two hooks drop but don't even engage. These last 2 might be explained due to faulty installment on my part, but I followed the instructions as closely as possible. I guess we'll all to wait until an earthquake to know whether these work.

They are installed now on 10 kitchen cabinet doors and hoping they will all latch when the big one strikes. Not being a handywoman it took awhile to install the first couple of sets. I like that the parts have tacky glue to help set them in One would really need the right drill bit to use on the tiny screws which btw are tough to handle if you have long nails.( I turned the project over to my son). Fairly simple instructions. I posted a question about a month ago on their site but have gotten no response yet

I cannot recommend this product. I purchased these latches with some skepticism about their efficacy and, indeed, found that they are too sensitive. They are activated whenever I close my cabinet doors, which have push-shut spring latches. Perhaps if your cabinets are soft-close or magnetically latched, the seismo latches might do better. But, if you’re unaware they are activated and you yank the cabinet door open, you are likely to rip the pieces off the cabinet surround or door and damage the structures. Fortunately I found this out before I mounted the latch pieces in place with screws. I also think the product is overpriced. Each latch assembly costs around $4 for a couple of pieces of plastic and some bent wire.

These things don't get in the way of normal use, but deploy to protect your contents when the quake hits. Haven't had a quake since install but am confident in the mechanism. Very easy to install, except they provide cheapo screws with no bite. I got more and did all my cupboards when I saw how well they work. If you live in a quake zone, imagine the mess when all your cupboards vomit their contents all over the floor. Then get these. Now, the doors will only open an inch. You may lose a few glasses from clacking together, but not from being tossed across the room. And you are less likely to be hit by flying plates as you cower under the kitchen counter.

These latches seem likely to work properly in an earthquake. They are based on a cabinet-mounted hook that is cleverly balanced so that vibration drops it into a catch mounted on the door. I've had mine installed now for over a month and there have been no false activations. Installation can be a problem, however. The mounting brackets are sized for the hook to drop properly if the door closes flush with the cabinet, which some do. Some, like mine, however, have little rubber or plastic bumpers on the doors that hold the doors about an eighth of an inch away from the cabinet frame. This is enough to compromise the dropping process. My solution was to make spacers (flat pieces of plastic with holes for the screws) to fit under the door latches to put them in the proper position. I called the customer service number and the man answering seemed quite knowledgeable about the product and he concurred with my assessment of the problem. By the way, opening a latched door is easy using a knife blade. There is a worse problem mounting these on doors with glass inserts. Some don't have any wood where the latch goes. You need to make a much larger plate to both provide spacing and put the latch where it needs to be. All in all, though, if you can mount them, they are a good solution to protection of glassware in an earthquake.

A little difficult to install if your hand are large. But installation is doable given about an hour of concentration. The system looks like it will work very well. I tried slamming the doors repeatedly with no activation. I did manually operate one of the devices and it work very well. This is a very simple idea and it works very well. Won’t know til the next shaker how effective they truly are. But I feel confident they will do their job.