American Tool 17105 Carbon Door Lock Installation Kit

Reviews of American Tool 17105 Carbon Door Lock Installation Kit

1.) Good valuable tool for door lock installations
Reviewed by: 45mouton Arlington, VA USA
Rating:
This little gadget works very well in helping to install locks in standard-sized doors. Simply screw the guide onto the door edge and drill the two holes for the locks with the included hole saws. However, the hole saws supplied are not that great. They will dull pretty quickly. Anyway, for the inexpensive cost this set is a pretty good value.

2.) didn't work for me
Reviewed by: D. LaVan New Haven, CT
Rating:
This is mostly plastic and wiggles way too much - the hole saw caught on the first door I tried, and walked away from where it should have been (the plastic isn't strong enough to keep it in place). The centering function on the end of the door is poor as well. I threw mine in the trash. Look on ebay - you can find old models (From other manufacturers) that were made from metal.


3.) Too Much Jiggle in this Jig
Reviewed by: D. Siegal Lowell, MA USA
Rating:
When you drill a hole for a lockset, it's recommended that you drill halfway in from each side so as not to mar the door's surfaces. This makes lining up your approaches crucial, and this jig is supposed to help. (I bought the #17105 - the version for wood doors).

The problem is that there is too much wiggle in the apparatus, and sure enough, my holes did not line up. I think I could have done a better job freehanding it.

There were more expensive jigs to choose from, but I thought "why spend a lot on a tool I'll only use a few time?" Now I have my answer - because replacing a door is expensive.

Pass on this tool.

4.) Garbage
Reviewed by: DanK Troy, NY
Rating:
The center drill portion of the hole saw was so far out of true that it could not be used. Some careful measuring and shimming got it near true, that's when I realized the hole saws were both oval, not round. The shaking due to being out-of-round made the face jig wander 1/4" too low during drilling (it is free to slide up and down even with the jig screwed down!). Because of the shape the saw cut a hole bigger than it should have, and because it wasn't round it had to cut a lot more wood than it should have. I got a hole the wrong size in the wrong location and it took me a long time to do it. Then I cut the 1" diameter edge hole and things went from bad to worse. The "self centering" jig cut a hole nearly 1/4" off center, too far off to mount the strike plate. It took hours to fix the door after using this tool.

I threw this thing in the garbage. Don't throw your money away on this.

5.) Don't buy...
Reviewed by: JWB Maryland
Rating:
Let me admit up front that I did not buy or use this device. I considered it, but after taking a close look at it, I decided I would not risk my 80 year old, just refinished, irreplaceable Dutch door (the existing hole in my door was too small, so I needed to enlarge it, which is considerably more difficult/risky than drilling a hole in the first instance). This model is clearly too flimsy, screwing it into place won't hold it taught, and it is just not worth the risk. I spent a little more ($25) for a similar contraption made by Blu-Mol on sale at my local Home Depot. You apply it to the door with a built in vice clamp; it comes with spacers to perfectly match the width of the door. It provides a guide on both sides of the door so when you saw halfway through, you only need to flip the door over and go the rest of the way. The hole saw that came with it is not top notch, but what do you expect for $25. Regardless, it went through my door like butter, as they say.

Features of American Tool 17105 Carbon Door Lock Installation Kit

Door Lock Installation Kit, Carbon Steel Hole Saw For Wood Door Only, Self Centering Jig Provides Accurate Hole Alignment For Face & Edge Holes, Adjusts For 1-3/8" & 1-3/4" Thick Doors, All Hardware Included For Installation.

1.) Self-centering jig;
2.) Fold-over tabs for thicker doors;
3.) Mounting holes secure the jig;
4.) 2-1/8" hole saw;
5.) 1" hole saw;

Package Height x Length x Width: 7.6 in. x 7.6 in. x 6.2 in.
Package Weight: 0.6 lbs.

Accessories for American Tool 17105 Carbon Door Lock Installation Kit