Tanstic 270Pcs 3 in 1 Furniture Connecting Hardware Connectors Kit, Furniture Cam Lock Fasteners Including Cam Lock Fittings with Dowel, Pre-Inserted Nut, Wood Dowel Pins Furniture Crib Screws

Why I picked up this kit

Flat-pack furniture is great until a cam lock cracks, a dowel shears, or a cabinet starts to wobble. I wanted a single, organized stash of the most common connectors to repair and reinforce pieces around the house—think wardrobes, bathroom cabinets, a sagging media console, and a couple of IKEA-style shelves. The Tanstic 3‑in‑1 cam lock kit promised exactly that: a compact box of cam locks, M6 connecting bolts, plastic insert nuts, and wood dowels in the sizes I reach for most. After a few weeks of using it on repairs and a small cabinet build, here’s how it held up.

What you actually get

The kit is a 270‑piece assortment packaged in a clear, compartmented organizer. Inside are:
- 15 mm cam lock nuts (zinc alloy, nickel plated)
- M6 threaded connecting bolts in three lengths: 30, 40, and 50 mm (zinc alloy, nickel plated)
- “Pre‑inserted” plastic nuts (ABS) sized for M6 bolts
- Solid wood dowels in 32, 35, and 40 mm lengths with beveled ends

Everything arrives separated by type and size, which makes it easy to grab parts mid‑project. The nickel‑plated hardware has a consistent finish, and the wood dowels are straight with crisp chamfers that feed nicely into holes without crushing.

A few dimensional notes that matter if you’re planning new holes: the cam housings are the classic 15 mm diameter profile common in 16–19 mm panel furniture, and the metal bolts are M6, which pairs with standard 6 mm pilot/clearance paths. The plastic insert nuts measure about 11.3 x 6 mm, so they seat into typical 6 mm bores in particleboard or MDF. If you’re repairing existing furniture, those specs align closely with the most common Euro connectors you’ll encounter.

Build quality and performance

• Cam locks: The cam faces are cleanly cast and the slots accept both flat and Phillips without chewing up under moderate torque. In use, they rotate smoothly and bite decisively on the bolt head. I didn’t run into misaligned eccentric faces or cams that slipped under load.
• M6 connecting bolts: Straight, clean threads and consistent head geometry. The neck under the head mates well with the cam keyways; no noticeable burrs that snag. The nickel plating is even and resists fingerprints and surface rust in a damp garage environment. These aren’t stainless (nor should you expect them to be), so I wouldn’t spec them outdoors, but for indoor furniture they’re plenty robust.
• ABS insert nuts: Handy when you’re repairing a panel that doesn’t have the original captive hardware, or when the original plastic has cracked. They press in snugly and hold the M6 thread reliably, but—as with all plastic inserts—don’t overtorque. I set a clutch driver to low and then finish by hand to avoid spinning them in the hole.
• Wood dowels: Surprisingly good. The grain is straight, the diameter is consistent, and the ends are beveled enough to self-start. They held tight with glue without swelling excessively. For quick reinforcement—think adding a hidden dowel across a cracked shelf corner—these are perfect.

Real‑world use

I put the kit to work in three scenarios:

1) Rebuilding a wobbly media console: The original hardware used brittle plastic cams and short bolts. Swapping to the Tanstic cams and M6x40 bolts tightened the whole carcass noticeably. With the cams set and a pair of wood dowels in the shelf pins for good measure, lateral racking dropped to near zero.

2) Repairing a bathroom cabinet: Steam had swollen an old particleboard side panel and the captive nuts had loosened. I drilled fresh 6 mm bores, pressed in the ABS insert nuts, and reused the existing holes for the 15 mm cams. The repair took under an hour and the door alignment finally stayed put.

3) Assembling a small shop cabinet from scratch: I used the 15 mm cams with M6x50 bolts to join 18 mm melamine panels. With a 15 mm Forstner bit and a simple drilling jig, the cams seated perfectly flush. The nickel plating helped the bolts run smoothly without galling in the cams.

In each case, the hardware behaved predictably. The cams didn’t cam‑out, the bolts didn’t strip, and the connections stayed tight after several cycles of loading and moving.

Compatibility and fit

If you’ve ever worked on IKEA or any Euro‑style flat‑pack furniture, this kit will feel familiar. The 15 mm cams are widely used across ready‑to‑assemble lines, and the M6 bolts cover most panel thicknesses when you choose the appropriate length (30, 40, or 50 mm). For furniture with unusually thick joinery or oversized cams (e.g., 20 mm housings), you’ll need different hardware, but for the vast majority of home pieces, this kit slots right in.

A quick fit tip: if you’re replacing existing hardware, measure the bolt length from the underside of the head to the tip and match like for like. If you’re drilling fresh, plan your bolt length so the threaded tip engages the cam by at least 6–8 threads without bottoming out the cam housing.

Workflow tips

• Drilling: Use a 15 mm Forstner bit for the cam housings and a 6 mm bit for the bolt path. For the bolts’ head pockets (if required), a shallow 10–12 mm counterbore helps keep the head flush.
• Depth control: Tape flags or a stop collar are your friend. Over‑drilling a cam housing breaks through, and under‑drilling leaves the cam proud, leading to misalignment.
• Torque: Set your driver clutch low, especially when threading into the ABS inserts. Finish by hand to avoid overtightening.
• Layout: A simple edge‑guide jig or dowel jig makes hole spacing repeatable and saves time on multi‑panel assemblies.
• Organization: Label the organizer compartments by size with a marker. It speeds up grabbing the right length bolt mid‑assembly.

What could be better

• Packaging robustness: My organizer arrived with a few parts cross‑migrated between bins. It took a couple of minutes to sort. It’s not a deal‑breaker, but stronger latches or a cushioning insert would help keep everything in place during shipping.
• Instructions: There’s no drilling template or chart in the box. If you’re new to cam locks, you’ll want to reference a standard minifix drilling diagram. The sizes in this kit are “standard,” but a quick guide would lower the learning curve.
• Plastic insert strength: The ABS inserts do their job, but they’re still plastic. In high‑stress joints or in crumbly old particleboard, I prefer metal cross‑dowels. Consider this kit a broadly useful repair set, and supplement with metal inserts for heavy loads.
• Size coverage: The selection is well‑chosen for common furniture, but if you regularly work with thicker panels (22+ mm) or need longer M6 bolts than 50 mm, you’ll need additional stock.

Durability over time

After a few disassemblies and reassemblies, the cams and bolts still engage cleanly. The nickel plating has resisted corrosion in a humid bathroom environment so far. Wood dowels, once glued, are of course permanent, but they’ve held tight without telegraphing through to melamine faces. As with any cam system, the strength depends as much on your drilling accuracy and panel integrity as it does on the hardware. Used correctly, these connectors deliver the rigid, square joints you expect from Euro‑style fittings.

Value and who it’s for

This kit hits a practical sweet spot: enough variety to cover most household fixes and small builds, without drowning you in obscure sizes. For homeowners, landlords, and set builders who constantly inherit flat‑pack repairs, it’s a ready drawer‑pull. For small shops, it’s a convenient backup so a missing bolt doesn’t stall a job. Buying these individually from a hardware store adds up quickly; having 270 pieces on hand makes troubleshooting fast and cost‑effective.

The bottom line

The Tanstic kit does what a good connector kit should: it’s consistent, compatible with common furniture, and easy to work with. The cams and bolts feel solid, the wood dowels are better than average, and the organizer makes it simple to keep everything at arm’s reach. I’d like sturdier packaging and a simple drilling guide included, and I’m mindful not to over‑rely on the plastic inserts where metal would be more appropriate. But those are manageable caveats.

Recommendation: I recommend this kit. If you repair or assemble Euro‑style furniture even occasionally, having a reliable, standardized set of 15 mm cam locks, M6 bolts, and dowels in one box saves time and prevents project‑stopping scavenger hunts for missing hardware. It’s not a specialized, all‑sizes‑covered solution, but as a go‑to kit for the most common connectors, it earns a spot on the shelf.