Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

feedback I sent Saftey 1st: I recently bought your "spring 'n release latches" and I feel compelled to inform you that the design is so thoughtless that is makes me doubt all of your other products. The design consists of a spring loaded plastic injected "latch" that interfaces with a plastic injected "catch". A sloped surface on the latch is suppose to make contact with the catch causing the latch to deflect downward until it fully passes the catch as the door is completely closed. Once past the catch, the latch's spring pushes the latch into the upward position. Unless a user pushes the latch down the catch will keep the door from opening. What is beyond comprehension about this design is that the catch does not have adequate sloping on the surface that is interfaced by the latch as the door is being closed from the full open position. What this results in is a very minute adjustment range that does not either cause the latch to crash into the catch and prevent door closure or or the latch being adjusted so low that the catch does not retain the door when a child attempts to open. After installing three of these assemblies and having to precisely tweak each latch to the perfect height to keep it from either not closing or not latching, I decided to remove all of your product and return to the store. I have serious doubts about them staying in proper adjustment for the years I intend to need them. As a mechanical engineer with many years of design experience, my only guess is that you had a summer intern design this product and then failed to do any testing or installation verification. There appears to be no reason why the ramping surface of the catch should have a near vertical face and then transition into only a short ramping region. Consider redesigning the catch so the latch can not crash to a dead stop and prevent door closure. This could be accomplished by removing most of the vertical surface on the catch where the latch is suppose to touch and bend down. This will make installation many times easier as well as reduce the need for readjustments and replacements later. From my estimate of installing three there appears to be less than a 1/16 of an inch in latch elevation that does not cause either no close or no lock.