Compulocks Blade Universal Lock Slot Adapter Silver

After reviewing the various designs of a macbook “adapter” for a Kensington lock. I settled on this for the price and how it would work.1: It can raise the macbook by a little and so it would still have a sleek profile.2: It is not heavy so it would not add much to my gear.3. It would still make use of my existing Kensington cable lock – though there are some out there that comes with a cable lock.4. It would not hamper the quick closure of macbook.5: It is easy to install.The thing that made me pause before clicking add to cart were:1. I bought a hardcase for the macbook and I wondering if it would hold in a snatch-and-grab scenario if I attached it to the case and not on the macbook itself.2. Other customers made this comment before - If you line up the Compulock against the base of the macbook, you can feel that there is a spot as there’s a slight curve where it’s supposed to go. Just about where the pertinent information is printed. It seems to settle there and it matches the instructions provided. It may partially cover the information printed at the bottom.So… I decided to cut off the part in the case to ensure that the Compulock Maclock is firmly attached to the bottom of the case and bought the device.This is how I did it after I removed the case from the macbook.1. I took a picture of the pertinent information before I installed the Maclock.2. I measured the part that will be occupied by the Compulock and made an additional 2mm allowance.3. I gathered the ff: tools I have around – a steel ruler, a heavy duty box cutter, a corner punch, an old nail file, and a permanent marker.4. I marked the part I would cut off from the hard case with a permanent marker.5. Using the steel ruler and cutter I started cutting from the corners out using many passes until I cut through the hard plastic case. (I used gloves, a cutting mat and safety googles as I anticipated it would be tough to cut as I was also wary I might snap the heavy duty box cutter end.6. After removing the rectangular extra part, I use a corner punch to round the corner edge.7. Using an old nail file/emery board, I sanded it smooth so there would be no burrs. As you can see I made some scratches on the case – that’s okay with me, at least it is not the macbook that has scratches.8. After cleaning any dust from the case, I attached it to the macbook first before I attached the Compulock.I hope this review and hack helps.

Update (few months of daily use):Added another two stars (now 5) for having already saved my laptop from a snatch and grab while studying in a cafe. I was previously concerned with the wiggliness however as long as I’m careful with handling it myself the adhesive does NOT get (gradually) pulled away from the shel like I was worried about. And since a majority of laptop thefts are opportunistic snatch and grab jobs in my area there’s very little chance that even a thief aware of potentially prying the adhesive off using the blade arm intentionally in a crowded cafe. As far as I’m concerned the only flaw is with Apple in this review. This thing makes the absolute best of our shared awkward situation. Good show!Original review:I love the form factor and design, but its realization feels wiggly and floppy. The super convenient blade also presents a lever with which a would be thief could actually use to pry the adhesive strip from the laptop. I think the wiggliness of the blade is intended as a compromise between strength and simultaneously making for an inefficient level. And if this is the case I'd absolutely choose utility over "feel". Also I understand a lot of the fault is with Apple not including any security help from a complete lack of design effort. But for the price, and considering one still needs to buy a cable lock for this adapter, I was hoping to get a higher degree of confidence in safety than this provides. As it is, a significant part of why this is effective is that the product seems be relatively lesser known. But someone interested in stealing laptops is exactly who'd have incentive to research this. The problem there is that as this product becomes increasingly popular, its design weaknesses will become increasingly known. I'm willing to pay a higher pricepoint if that's what's necessary for a better model to come out for MacBooks. As it is this is sort of the best there is. And given my 3-star review that should be taken with a large grain of salt.

I don't think it's the sturdiest thing and if someone was really trying to steal your computer, they could probably rip this off, it'd be a deterrent though. I also didn't find it necessary for the reason I bought it. Also costs WAY too much for what it seems like it's worth.

It makes me crazy the Apple makes a $3,000 laptop with no way to lock it down.I did a lot of research on what to use to lock down my MacBook Pro. I even called Apple to find out what they recommend. (For the record, Apple didn't have a good solution!) I looked at the little things where you take out a screw and put the little thing on, which puts the safety of your Mac on one tiny little screw. I looked at the ones where you replace the whole bottom of your laptop with a lock thing and Apple said that will void your warranty / AppleCare. The ones that go over the hinge are awkward and everybody I know that has them rarely use them. This thing just works and is easy to use.This bracket uses some kind of super-tape to stick to the bottom of your laptop. (Be careful when you put it on, you only get one chance!) The thing isn't coming off! It puts the cable lock behind the computer, out of your way. It adds a tiny bit of thickness to your computer, but I like it because it actually raises the rear portion of the computer a slight bit which makes typing easier. The metal is high quality steel. The "blade" is flexible but you're not going to be able to bend it far enough to damage it. AND it tucks away when you don't need it.My dad used to say "All a lock does is keep an honest man honest." I think this unit will even keep a lot of dishonest people honest, too.