Great solid, sturdy gate...

I've made it a point to rate every one of these metal gates on Amazon. I'm amazed at the extremely low reviews these Summer Infant gates are getting. These gates are absolutely wonderful. They are very sturdy, smooth in motion and they latch with a nice, solid feel. They look great and can easily be painted to match your decor. I didn't want hideous plastic gates uglifying my nice house.

I played with all kinds of gates, from plastic ones to wood ones to wire ones. I have 2 of these. I bought them because they are strong metal gates with reliable locking mechanisms and are extremely adjustable to varying-sized openings. I have one opening that is 5 feet wide and another that is 3 feet wide. My dogs and my son all beat on these gates and they're both doing great after 2 years.

Just like with any semi-permanent gate structure, installation is VERY important. Don't let someone with no mechanical ability install this(OR ANY) gate. You need to know where the wall-studs are and you need to properly install gates plumb and level to be happy with the functionality. If you don't know what you're doing, find your neighborhood handyman and pay him(or her) with the beverage of their choice. :) You know your abilities/shortcomings.

ALSO, realize that you still need to watch your baby or dog. No gate is 100% infant proof. Children are baby adults and are very smart. They learn and will improvise. If they learn that repeatedly ramming the gate with their sister's head will unlatch the gate, or that by standing on a chair they can leap over the gate and plummet down the stairs, they will. :) I think most of these bad reviews were by people who were buying a gate for the first time and never saw the other gates on the market. This gate is amazing compared to others. Seriously.

[Tuesday, April 15, 2008]