Lock Socket is a convenient and durable solution to lock down your expensive Apple charger, and keep the source of power for your iPhone and iPad secure.
Originally prototyped to stop the loss of chargers around the house, the Lock Socket has many applications for homes, businesses, and schools, working best with official Apple charging blocks for the best fit.
Each type of charger lock aptly conforms to the dimensions of each block, allowing minimal wiggle room and allowing the cable to fit through. Fitting on standard or Decora wall plates, the seamless white color blends in nicely with its environment.
The setup for the Lock Socket is simple, with each bag coming with everything you need to install it onto your outlet.
First, plug your cable into the charger brick and thread it through the matching Lock Socket. Then, snap the Lock Socket into place onto the charging brick and remove the screw on your wall plate. Afterward, screw the lock into the wall plate with the given Allen wrench.
It's a quick setup, but unfortunately, the Lock Socket can prevent using the other outlet. Additionally, we found that the USB-A 12W iPad charger cube is too large for the wall plate used in our 1950s-era home. Luckily, This charger isn't used too frequently anymore in place of the USB-C fast charger brick.
For household use, we found the Lock Socket to be most beneficial for those places where you always have a charger in place or where you wouldn't want guests or friends to "borrow" it. On a similar note, we could see this being an excellent investment for business owners; cafes and offices alike could benefit from having their complimentary chargers locked in place for both convenience and loss prevention.
As for durability, the Locks screw and plastic hold pretty well, and if someone were to trip over the Lock Socket or a charger cable, it wouldn't break or let the charger out of place. We think that the Lock Socket would be helpful in pet or child-proofing a house, limiting smaller and more curious lifeforms from getting themselves hurt or unplugging chargers.
Simple, practical, and saves money
For under $20, the Lock Socket is a good investment for saving more expensive charging blocks and cables from being lost or stolen. Its simple setup, minimal design, and compatibility with official Apple charging blocks make it a convenient choice for many different people, even with its tradeoffs of minimizing wall plate space. Overall, the Lock Socket is a practical and reliable solution for those looking to keep their chargers secure and in place.
Lock Socket Pros
- Simple setup with all necessary tools included in the bag.
- Convenient and secure solution for preventing theft or misplacement of chargers.
- Durable and can withstand accidental impact or tripping over the charger cable.
Lock Socket Cons
- The Lock Socket only works with specific types of chargers, limiting its versatility.
- 12W iPad charger lock can be too large for some wall plates.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Lock Socket is available on Amazon:
- USB-C fast charger block ($17.95)
- USB-A 12W iPad charger ($17.95)
- USB-A iPhone charger single pack ($14.95)
- USB-A iPhone charger 2-pack ($19.44)
- USB-A iPhone charger 4-pack ($29.90)
8 Comments
Sorry, but that kludge won’t work with modern Decora style receptacles.
For my Apple chargers I picked up Blockhead sideways charging plugs from tenonedesign.
They replace the folding plug on the charger and it sits flat against the wall, not sticking out, ready to fall out.
It’s MUCH better!
https://tenonedesign.com/blockhead.php
Thankfully, potential thieves can't get their hands on a hex wrench, as we've got common-sense hex wrench laws. Nor would they break off a "lock socket" as that would damage the outlet, which they wouldn't want to do.
For a successor product, the company could introduce the "cable lock socket" which would secure the cable to the lock socket and prevent cable loss. In my view, people need to "borrow" cables at least as often as chargers. You're welcome lock socket company. I am offering that free of charge.
For a few dollars more, you can replace the wall outlet with one that has a built in USB charger. That won't stick out as far, leaves the 120 VAC outlets available for use, and is harder for someone to casually steal.
For instance, Leviton (a brand with a good reputation) offers model T5633A (about $25 from Amazon). It has two 120VAC outlets, a USB-A, and a USB-C. It's limited to 25W total for the two USB ports, and no more than 15W per port. The Leviton T5635 (about $34 from Amazon) offers two USB-C ports. It can put out 15W to each port, or 30W to one port. There are many other brands and options available, some at lower cost and higher power outputs.
Neat idea, but it won’t work on a GFCI outlet, as there is no center screw.