I recently upgraded the Revel's cabinet latches with Owl Vans' metal latches. It was a little bit frustrating, since 2018 Revels have an unusual latch position, and required a special catch for the latch. Installation instructions are online, but here are a few comments from my experience.
There are 6 latches to replace, and I spent a few hours doing the replacement and adjusting them to fit properly. As ridiculous as it sounds, I found the removal of the chrome plastic discs to be a real pain, and although I tried hard to save them intact, I ended up destroying them with brute force by the 2nd or 3rd latch.
The positioning of the 2018 latch required a CUSTOM catch mechanism for $30 from Owl, and I was kind of irritated that the screw holes did not match the previous holes from Winnebago, meaning that I had to put new holes in the cabinet frame. Not sure why this is the case - - is it somehow bad practice to reuse the holes?
Note that the new custom catch mechanism for the 2018's extends an inch or so into the cabinet opening, unlike the Winnebago version, which was tiny & minimal.
In spite of my best efforts, these latches are not quite as tight as the originals, so I added some adhesive foam pads for any vibration that I may have introduced.
It was a bit of an expense for something that is mostly aesthetic, but they do look better (IMHO), and they definitely feel better under your hand - - higher quality, and with a more durable mechanism.
2-May-2020
There are 6 latches to replace, and I spent a few hours doing the replacement and adjusting them to fit properly. As ridiculous as it sounds, I found the removal of the chrome plastic discs to be a real pain, and although I tried hard to save them intact, I ended up destroying them with brute force by the 2nd or 3rd latch.
The positioning of the 2018 latch required a CUSTOM catch mechanism for $30 from Owl, and I was kind of irritated that the screw holes did not match the previous holes from Winnebago, meaning that I had to put new holes in the cabinet frame. Not sure why this is the case - - is it somehow bad practice to reuse the holes?
Note that the new custom catch mechanism for the 2018's extends an inch or so into the cabinet opening, unlike the Winnebago version, which was tiny & minimal.
In spite of my best efforts, these latches are not quite as tight as the originals, so I added some adhesive foam pads for any vibration that I may have introduced.
It was a bit of an expense for something that is mostly aesthetic, but they do look better (IMHO), and they definitely feel better under your hand - - higher quality, and with a more durable mechanism.
2-May-2020
6 comments:
It appears Owl no longer offers these latches. Do you know of another source for better quality latches?
I've been told that this is a supplier for them, but haven't tried them myself. https://www.boatoutfitters.com/hardware/latches/push-button-latches
lavenderlime is correct that Boat Outfitters carries the push button latches featured in the Owl Vans videos (exact match). I received a set of latches from them this week and installed 5 of 6 (one of the toothed lock washers was missing) in our 2020 Revel. Customer service is good and a replacement latch is in the mail. Swapping the latches was particularly important to us because we had problems with the pantry latch getting stuck.
For those looking to swap latches, recommendation is to order 5 oval push button latches with perpendicular awl (SKU 064-2989-CP) and 1 oval push button latch with inline awl (SKU 064-2991), all in satin chrome plated (matte style). That mix will allow the ovals to all be oriented the same direction as the pantry has a side latch vs. top or bottom for the overhead cabinets and drawers. The inline awl only comes in satin chrome plated (matte style).
I appreciate all of the great ideas posted on this blog by the author. You are prolific and your ideas have been very helpful as we work on outfitting our van.
Did you have to purchase these as well?
Black Plastic Hooded Keeper 2.5" by .565" by .38"
No, I didn't have to purchase those; just used the material listed above.
Awesome..thanks for the speedy reply.
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