Kensington 64343 MicroSaver DS Keyed Notebook Computer Lock
by Kensington
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List Price: Our Price: $42.38 You Save: $17.61 (29%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $41.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington 64343 MicroSaver DS Keyed Notebook Computer Lock
Customer Review: Best buy for your peace of mind
Summary: 5 Stars
While there are other brands (many of them much more expensive) I have tried many and found this to be a very cost effective means of giving me peace of mind.
You could buy a very expensive service that MAY get your laptop back if stolen, you could buy an expensive laptop security system that requires you to GLUE pieces ONTO your laptop (very ugly and VERY messy), or you could buy a cable like this one.
For me, I have seen many laptops disappear on various campuses in various locations, including work, research labs, and dorm rooms, and have yet to hear of a successful recovery due to tracking and tracing services and software. On the other side, there are a lot of locking systems of this similar design that are very flimsily, easily broken (without trying), or have many small pieces that are easily lost.
Not this one! This product is quick to attach and detach, very portable, and VERY secure. A sufficiently motivated thief can steal anything, but most laptop thefts are from opportunist who see an easy target.
The goal is to minimize how convenient it is to steal YOUR laptop versus someone else's.
With it's easy install and portability, you can quickly secure your laptop anywhere you happen to be, whether it's your office, the library, or the coffee shop. You just have to have something big to wrap the cord around, lock it in the slot, and your done!
That being said, there are a plethora of similar products on the market (some cheaper, some more expensive) That have small pieces that are easily lost. Not this one! Some similar products have very thin cables that can be cut through with very small (hid able) lock cutters, or can be removed with a quick yank of the cable. Not this one!
Not only is it one piece, have a very long, very THICK cable, but when it locks to your computer, it is MUCH more secure than similar products. It fits snugly inside the lock slot (which this company patented BTW) but secures it from being rotated back out and locks tightly against your computer frame.
I have friends that have similar products that are clearly loose and easily broken with a screwdriver, but that isn't a problem with this guy.
Also, many of the others use the round utility keys, and these can be easily forced to work with similar keys, or even a ball point pen. This uses a deep, narrow, tamper evident lock that is very difficult to pick or to force open with a similar key.
Although there are cheaper similar locks, for a few more dollars you get a vastly superior cable lock that you can feel much safer about, without spending absurd amounts of money on tracking services or modifying your nice laptop with a clunky piece that must be glued on!
When I first saw these things, I thought that they were a good idea, but didn't think my computer had a lock slot. Upon inspection, not only does my new laptop have one, but my seven year old laptop does as well! It's so tiny it's easy to miss, and yet does the job well!
I conclusion, I want to say I have seen many of these, and tried several, and this is by far the best of them. Worth the extra expense, and can be used with almost every laptop. A great buy on Amazon!
Customer Review: Surprising poor design
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this lock cable back in 2008 after reading a number of reviews, user feedback, etc. Despite the effort I put to find a good product, I'm not happy with it and I would not purchase the same cable again. It has a number of design flaws which are surprising coming from the company who introduced the Kensington lock. Ultimately, (I see now) has a poor value for money.
1. I would have liked a feature to allow me to lock the cable into itself. This looks like a small metal disk close to the cable noose/loop with a "Kensington lock" in it, just like most laptops have. This allows me to take my laptop with me and leave the cable behind in the office, locked, without being worried someone would steal it or remove it for a prank. I don't understand why this feature is present on cheap 5 Euro lock cables yet major vendors did not figure it out in their expensive cables.
2. The rubber ring installed to prevent laptop scratching got detached almost immediately and got lost soon thereafter. They could have figured a better method to prevent it falling off that easily.
3. When I carry the cable in my bag (not when using it of course), I would prefer a way to keep the key(s) securely attached to the cable. I found keeping the key in the lock when the cable is not in use is not a good idea as it falls off easily and I end up scrambling in my laptop bag for the loose key hiding among other accessories. Keeping in the key ring is not acceptable for me, I have multiple laptops, each with their own cable (and key) and the keyring would get too heavy attaching all possible keys. I keep each laptop in its own bag, with its own lock cable and pick one or two depending on which customer I'm going. Other (a lot cheaper) lock cables have a strip of velcro helping keep the cable neatly coiled when not in use and very handy also to attach its corresponding key. Kensigton chose to replace the velcro with a piece of orange plastic, which works the just as good to keep the cable coiled, but not at all to prevent the keys getting lost.
4. Finally, as most people probably suspect already, all those cables are just a small deterrent. It really takes 30sec to cut/saw through any of those cables, cheap or expensive, it makes no difference at all or extremely little. Most people are honest enough not to try to steal a locked laptop, but a determined thief will face exactly same trouble defeating a cheap cable or an expensive one. Realizing that, the 44$ I spent on this cable could have been used to buy 4 cheaper cables offering just the same level of protection and without the design flaws at point 1-3.
Customer Review: Problems Using MicroSaver DS With MacBook Pro
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased the Kensington MicroSaver DS because I was going to be using my 15" MacBook Pro (non-unibody) at a customer's site for three weeks. I read the other reviews about problems with the lock, but decided to try it anyway. The Ikea-like picture-only instructions leave a lot to be desired, but how hard could this be?
The first-time I engaged the lock it bulged out the side of the laptop. This obviously didn't seem to be right, so I unlocked it and tried again. This time the side did not bulge, but the lock was loose. It seemed to be okay because I couldn't pull it out, so I left it that way.
On the second day when I engaged the lock it was again loose, but I didn't think much of it. However, on the third day I did something different, although I could not say what, and the lock was in nice and tight. It didn't wiggle and it felt very secure. At this point I was happy and felt confident that my laptop would not become a victim of theft unless someone made out with the entire desk.
That night as I unlocked the MicroSaver I found that the Kensington slot on the laptop had become misshapen from an oval into a barbell shape. That didn't seem good, but I decided to see what happens the next day.
On the third day it locked snug and tight again. Now I was curious as to what I was doing different from the first day. I unlocked the MicroSaver trying to figure out if there was a different way to put it in that caused it to be tight. Nothing interesting was revealed except that when I locked it again it was loose! I unlocked and locked it again...still loose. From then on, for next two-and-a-half weeks, it never locked tight again. In fact, the slot is so misshapen on the laptop that the MicroSaver is only there to deter people because the lock can simply be twisted and pulled right out!
I cannot claim as to whether this is an issue with the MicroSaver DS, the Kensington slot design, or the MacBook Pro. All I can tell you is that the slot on the side of my MBP looks like hell and that the lock is now useless if someone really wants to steal my laptop.
Customer Review: Appears to be Very Solid
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this lock to secure my laptop while I was working at a trade show. I felt it was a good strong anchor to the table leg cross supports I had it looped around. It has what I think is a strong cable and it appears to me to have a solid lock.
I imagine that someone with some heavy duty cable or bolt cutters could cut the cable but having the device made me feel safe that the laptop was secure against someone picking it up and walking away with it while my back was turned. It appeard to me that if someone tried to yank hard on the cable that the laptop would break long before this device would fail leaving the theif with a broken laptop.
The only mild negative was that it took a bit of attention to get the lock into the back of the computer and get the key turned to lock it. It was no big deal, but it did take a bit of concentration to get everything lined up right and then get the key turned to engage the lock.
I imagine that there might be some creative theifs out there who might have a way to beat this lock and cable to steal a laptop. I felt reasonably secure about it protecting my laptop while I was in the vicinity. I would not want to leave the setup for a long period of time where someone could have a chance at spending some time trying to cut the cable or tampering with it, but I would say the same thing about any locking system.
Use it at your own risk, but the bottom line for me is that I would purchase this again.
Customer Review: Doesn't Work, No Help From Company, Will Never Buy From Them Again
Summary: 1 Stars
The description says that this product has a "patented T-bar locking mechanism that attaches to the standard Kensington security slot found in 99% of notebook and computer devices", yet it did not fit my Dell Latitude. Checking the online manual I finally found the list of products it is supposed to fit (VERY difficult to find on the Kensington web site, which kept forwarding me to the company's UK site). My Dell model was listed there. The Customer Service rep I spoke with told me that it would fit my model BUT I had to buy an adapter piece. The product description clearly states that it fits my laptop - no mention of an adaptor. After going round and round with the rep, who was clearly reading from a canned script and did not seem to comprehend the difference between the written description and what he was telling me, I gave up and said I would buy the adapter but that I needed it right away. No dice. He said they could not expedite it (even at my expense) and it would take 7-10 business days. I was leaving for Europe in two days. The product is unusable and the customer "service" was useless. I was able to pick up a similar product at the airport before departing; it worked fine and cost half as much. I will NEVER buy a Kensington product again.