( 13 reviews )
-
Posted: Aug 7 2009
We've had this gate at the top of our stairs for almost 4 years now. It closes securely, it is easy to open with one hand once you get the hang of it (and you're tall enough). The only problem we had was that our kids thought it would be fun to swing on the gate and broke the hinges and a screw inside the at the top of the stairs. While that was a pain to repair, I'm pretty sure it was NOT designed for swinging. The gate has help up extremely well for us. Given the permanence of the gate, we took out time installing it. It was a little tricky to mount so that it fit into where it needed to be and where it would catch on the other side. But once it was up, it was up for good.
-
Posted: Aug 6 2009
I seriously think those that have a problem with this gate perhaps installed it incorrectly. We had this gate up for over two years and it performed fabulously! We had a split entry home at the time so it was used *constantly* (had it at the top of the stairs) I actually don't normally write reviews, but was looking up the information for my sister on which gate we had and saw these reviews (she liked ours so much she wants to get one) and just had to say that we loved this gate! I know it's spendy, but if you have stairs, it's invaluable!
-
Posted: Apr 19 2009
We have this gate for over two years now. I agree with other reviewers that this gate is overpriced. It is made from flimsy pine - just the color is beach - not the wood. However, the majority of complaints are installation related. This gate cannot be installed in 5 minutes. You need proper tools and some home improvement skills to install it: throw the included screws away and use proper drywall screws which you screw into a stud. You need to fasten both sides to a stud! Use a router to make a cutout for the base board or simply cut off few inches with a saw. Drill holes through the pine bracket instead of forcing a screw through to avoid that it splinters. You may want to mount it with more than two screws. Use additional screws to avoid that the bracket comes apart when you lift the handle to open the case. Carefully adjust the gate so that the spring pins reach deep enough into the bracket. Use a quality screw driver to tighten all screws. It is a bit hard to open and you may need a hand and a foot to do it. But then your kids may also take a bit longer to find out how to open it themselves. For us it survived two years abuse of two very active kids. And it certainly looks nicer then those sterile plastic or metal gates which one would rather expect to see in a hospital environment than in a home. It looks very nice "built-in" and not just like an afterthought.
