After testing the AceMining Portable Door Lock across hotels, Airbnbs, and my own home, I'm torn between praising its convenience and warning about its quirks. Here's the real deal:
✔️ PROS:
• Insta-Security Anywhere: That satisfying 'click' when the red handle locks into place? Chef's kiss. At a Cancun resort, my girlfriends and I tested it - even with a keycard, staff couldn't budge the door.
• Pocket-Sized Peace of Mind: Weighing less than my phone, it lives permanently in my toiletry bag. The ABS plastic coating prevented door frame scratches during my 3-week Euro trip.
• No-Tool Setup: Perfect for bleary-eyed arrivals at 2AM hotels. The dual hole sizes (0.78" & 1.2") worked on every standard latch... except when they didn't (more below).
❌ CONS:
• Door Lottery: Failed spectacularly at a Hilton where the latch had a weird tab. Later learned it only works consistently on inward-opening doors with specific clearances.
• Potential Death Trap: Had a TERRIFYING bathroom lockdown incident when my aged door latch didn't fully retract. Needed pliers to escape - not ideal during a bubble bath.
• Humidity Woes: In Bangkok's monsoon season, my swollen apartment door became permanently 'secured' until maintenance sawed through the latch.
💡 Pro Tip: Always test with someone outside BEFORE fully committing. I now travel with a backup rubber doorstop after that bathroom fiasco.
Verdict: 7/10 - Brilliant when it works, potentially hazardous when it doesn't. Best for new construction doors or as a secondary lock. Not the security panacea I'd hoped for.