Kensington K64560US ComboSaver Portable Notebook Computer Lock

This lock was awful from the start. Cheaply put together and the instructions make no sense. I managed to change it to my 4 number combo then went to lock it and it locked me out of the combo I chose and without me doing it, seemingly reset it to an unknown code. I spent about 3 hours with friends more technical than me trying to make it work and THANK GOD I hadn’t put it on my computer! On the phone with 3 different people from another country, not able to understand them. They all suggested returning though it was to an individual seller on amaz

Kensington K64560US ComboSaver Portable Notebook Computer Lock

on and he doesn’t offer return postage which is why I went with him for less expensive product. Stay away from this lock. They told me I needed to hire a lock smith!!! That there was no way to reset it after first time.

The hardware appears to be well made.
Operation is ridiculously easy, once you know how.
In my experience, the lock has worked flawlessly.
It is a great deal for the price (about $10 for the gray version at the time of this writing).

CAVEAT
You really need three children-size hands to operate the lock (one to hold the computer, one to hold the lock body, and one to push the button and/or spin the dials. Fortunately it is possible, to operate the lock with two normal-size hands.

Although operation is ridiculously simple, the multilingual supplied “instructions” (actually just several labeled diagrams) are far from clear. Worse, the “instructions” are intimidating. Moreover the instructions don’t tell you how to unlock the lock. I strongly suspect that nearly all of the negative reviews are from purchasers who were justifiably confused and frustrated with the undecipherable “instruction cartoons”. I’m sure that most purchasers, if supplied with good instructions, would be very happy with their purchase of the Kensington Combosaver Portable Computer Lock.

SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS
Okay, my instructions (below) are very wordy, for the sake of clarity. I think I’ve figured out what most of the reviewers were doing wrong when they reported that they couldn’t make the lock work. My wordiness is intended to prevent those errors and misunderstandings.

DEFINITIONS
The “lock body” is the portion of the lock with the dials and the button at the end, it does NOT include the collar to which the cable is attached. When the instructions say “rotate the lock body” then rotate the LOCK BODY (it doesn’t matter whether the cable collar rotates or not).

The “t-bar” (on the end with the little rubber boot) is the “business end” of the lock, you have to stick it into the computer lock slot and turn it 90 degrees, THEN lock it in place. The t-bar does not rotate to the “lock position” by itself, or when you push the button, or when you scramble the dial. Rotating the cable collar does not rotate the t-bar. You have to insert the t-bar into the lock slot and then rotate the LOCK BODY body 90 degrees.

The “yellow window” referred to in the official instructions is more of a yellow bracket. Despite the “official” instructions, it does NOT matter if the “yellow window” is visible at any point in the process of LOCKING the computer.
You WILL need to see the “yellow window” to UNLOCK the computer. That MAY (or may not) require you to turn the computer backwards, on it’s side, or upside down. If so, that’s an inconvenience, not a problem.

The lock will open to ONLY ONE combination. If you change the combination, then NEITHER 0000, NOR ANY other “old” combination will work.

TEST
First try locking and unlocking the lock by itself, NOT to the computer.
> To lock, dial in 0000 in the “yellow window”. Then, while pushing the button all the way in, scramble the numbers. Release the button. THAT’s IT! REALLY! IT’S THAT SIMPLE! If you’ve done it right the button should stay pushed in.***
> To unlock, dial in 0000. THAT’S IT! REALLY! IT’S THAT SIMPLE! If you’ve done it right, the button will pop out.
Repeat, until you are comfortable with the operation.

***notice that when you push the button in, that two pins next to the t-bar are extruded. When you lock the lock to the computer, these pins grip the computer. Scrambling the dial prevents the pins from retracting, which means that the lock is locked.

IMPORTANT>>>>>Practice locking and unlocking the lock to the computer using the default 0000 combination, BEFORE you even THINK about changing the combination.

LOCKING THE LOCK TO THE COMPUTER
1> Dial in 0000 in the “yellow window”
2> Push the t-bar into the lock slot of your portable computer and rotate the lock body 90 degrees counterclockwise (it will probably be loose, that’s okay). This is the “lock position”**
3> Holding the lock body in place (without rotating it), while pushing the button all the way in, scramble the numbers***
THAT’S IT! REALLY!! Release the button, and jiggle to check that you did it right.

**There are only two possible ways (with the lock body facing up, or facing down) to insert the t-bar into the slot. If the “yellow window” is not visible when the lock is in the lock position, then note the orientation of the lock body and try it “the other way”. (I’m not being more specific because that would confuse you. Honest. It depends on the orientation of the lock slot, which is different on different computers.)

***Holding lock body (without allowing it to rotate) while pushing in the button and scrambling the numbers is awkward. One way is to grip the end of the lock with two fingers of your left hand and pull OUTward while you push the button INward with your thumb. Wedge your right hand against the computer to hold it in place, and scramble the dial with your thumb and finger. If you didn’t catch that, chill, and just do it your way.

UNLOCKING THE LOCK
> Dial in 0000 in the yellow “yellow window”
THAT’S IT! REALLY!!

TO SET A NEW COMBINATION (OPTIONAL)
IMPORTANT>>>>The lock has to be unlocked in order to change the combination, so do not try to change the combination when it is attached to the computer.
1> Dial in the current combination in the “yellow window”
2> Insert the fork-like “key” into the slots in the button end.
3> Press the key in and rotate clockwise until the yellow marks align**
4> Set the new combination in the “yellow window”***
5> Press in and rotate the key counter-clockwise back to its original position (check that the yellow marks are NOT aligned)
THAT’S IT!

** If you can’t get the key to rotate, then push it in harder
*** Start with the first digit, which is the dial nearest the rubber boot and t-bar.
These cable-type locks (regardless of price) are deterrents to CASUAL theft, nothing more. That being the case, there is no point thinking up a difficult combination that you might forget. Use your birth year, the last 4 digits of your telephone number, your ATM number, or something else familiar. “1111” would be as good a combination as any.

CHECK THE NEW COMBINATION before trying to lock the lock to the computer.
A> READ the combination in the “yellow window”, one digit at a time, starting from the first digit which is the dial nearest the t-bar. WRITE the new combination down. Check that it is the combination that you intended to set. Even if the combination you set is “wrong” it is now the “current combination”. If you’ve set a “wrong” combination, then (without touching the dial) go to back to step #2 (above) and set the combination that you DO want.
B> TEST—With the new combination showing in the “yellow window”, if you can push the button all the way in, then you’ve done it right.
C> Write down a “reminder” somewhere, such as “ATM” for your 4-digit ATM code if that is what you used for your combination, and keep it with the lock. My reminder is written on a small label stuck to the “fork-like” key, and protected with clear tape.

IF THE LOCK DOESN’T WORK
1> When trying to lock the lock–If you cannot push in the button all the way in with the dial set to the current combination, or you cannot scramble the dials:
a> Be sure you rotated the lock body 90 degrees. Try rotating back and forth by about 10 degrees while pushing the button.
b> By feel, by rotating each dial back-and-forth, check that each dial is centered between “clicks”. If just one digit (dial) is slightly misaligned, then the lock will not operate.
c> Pull the lock body away from the computer as you push the button in.

2> When trying to unlock the lock—If the button does not pop out when the dial is set to the current combination.
a> Jiggle the lock
b> By feel, by rotating each dial back-and-forth, check that each dial is centered between “clicks”. If just one digit (dial) is slightly misaligned, then the lock will not operate.

WHAT IF YOU REALLY SCREWED UP BIG TIME
What if you set a combination you did not intend to set, and you don’t know what it was? Or otherwise you forgot what the combination is?
You can fairly quickly (15 minutes to an hour) systematically go through all possible combinations, starting with 0000, then 0001, then 0002 etc. etc. The button will pop out (and the lock will be unlocked) when you get to the combination. I hope it isn’t 9999.

SMOOTHER OPERATION
If you’d like a smoother more solid feel to the tumblers and other moving parts, then work a little silicon grease between the moving parts. Work the parts to spread around the grease. Wipe off excess. If you don’t happen to have a tube of silicon grease on hand, then buy one. Although it works very well for lubricating mechanical devices, it is even more useful in improving electronic connections. 

Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-up Grease – 3 oz.

 Do NOT use ordinary (petroleum-based) grease or oil, it can leak and stain things, will attract dirt, and will eventually become gummy and glue-up the lock.

THE ONE-PAGE MANUAL
I suggest downloading a 2-page all English version of the manual, which is a little clearer. Amazon automatically detects and erases web addresses, so I can’t give that to you.

In Google or some other search engine, search for:
Kensington Manual K64576US
From the US Kensington page, select “manual” which will open the manual in Adobe Reader.

Print the second page (you don’t need the first page), trim and fold it, and keep it with the lock, just in case.

CHOOSING LOCKS–key or combination?
A key is slightly quicker to use, but keys can get lost. Moreover, I suspect that most keyed computer locks can be opened by a generic key. I’d rather trust a combination. Caveat–Guys with thick fingers may find it impossible to turn the dials one-at-a-time. So, guys with thick fingers (or anyone without full use of both hands) should buy a keyed cable lock.

NOTES TO KENSINGTON
If you want better reviews, then supply customers with better instructions. Instead of that “features video” on your website, you should have a video which shows how to operate the lock. Finally, how about supplying a small piece of plastic, perhaps 1″ square, with a “lock slot” cut into it? If buyers could practice locking and unlocking the lock to a piece of plastic (instead of their precious computers) that would relieve much of the anxiety.

A spring built into the rubber boot so that when the t-bar is inserted and the lock rotated, that the lock would be held in place, would make the process of locking the lock much easier. Increasing the diameter of the dials by 50% would probably make it more difficult for the numbers to be subtly misaligned and would make the lock easier to use for buyers with normal or large size hands.

How about a hybrid lock design, a key plus 2-digit dial? Buyers with normal-size finger would be able to use the dial, and the dial would eliminate concerns regarding generic keys? If the key has to be turned every time after dialing in a new combination, trial and error would take a while, sufficient to deter a casual thief.

> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

Packaging: The lock came smartly packaged featuring the lock, a short instruction manual, and minimal packaging. No marketing material or other junk that will just take up space in my recycle bin. The one negative note was that the plastic insert was not marked with a recycle number.

Construction: Solid. Others have complained about the build quality, but this is one of the best-built locks I’ve ever seen, and I have seen a lot. The cable coil is coated in a thick layer of nylon, ensuring a longer usable life. The number dials move smoothly and click firmly at each indent. The lock button is a big chunk of metal that is easy to push and provides excellent feedback. The reset tool is permanently attached to the lock loop so you won’t lose it.

Setting the Lock: Easy. So easy, in fact, that I had to double-check my work. People have been really critical of this process and I’m guessing that Kensington redesigned the instruction guide. If you bother to read the instructions, you cannot go wrong with setting this lock. Really.

Usability: Again, super easy. If you follow the manual, you cannot go wrong. Until you get some practice, it’s a two-handed process, so put down that latte. The large size is actually a good thing. I want my lock to deter a potential thief, not have him (or her) cause mayhem and destruction trying to run out the shop with it. I want the thief to take a look and just move on in search of easier prey. This big ugly thing sticks so far out the side that it would be almost impossible to miss. Also, I want it to remind ME that I’ve locked my computer, so don’t knock everything off the desk/table when I go to put my computer away.

Summary: Great product at a great price. It’s close enough to perfect to get an enthusiastic thumbs-up.