Safety 1st Bamboo Baby Gate for Doorways, No Drill Gate with Door, Dog Gates, Fits 28"-42", 24" High, Bamboo and Black

I bought safety 1st stuff when my eldest was a baby 30 years ago, I still have two of the gates. They were starting to need replaced, and these are a huge improvement. This company just always seems to get it right. the supports in the corners are keeping the pressure off the joints, where the others started to bend after 30 years. Just well made over all. A bit too hard at first to unfold, but eventually the metal bit released. No problem since removing and moving it. I find the black plastic a much more stylish choice than the white from my old ones.

I had a very old gate like this that finally broke down so I ordered this one. It is much more attractive and very sturdy. Since I had one like it before, it was pretty easy to put up, but the instructions were not very good if you didn't know how to do it. Also, the locking lever is hard to move because it is still new, but I assume after it is used it will loosen up a bit. After I find the right groove for the door, I mark it so the next time I don't have to try to find that perfect groove again. Also, I don't use the wall cups that you screw in the door frame. The gate works fine without them and I use the gate on multiple doorways. I thought the black insert might have sharp edges, but it doesn't. It is what you see in the pictures.

Quick look notes: +++ Well built, strong gate +++ Dark plastic web material is durable +++ Secure locking mechanism +++ Pleasant looks --- Rubber stoppers will mark light colored paint --- Locking mechanism has a slight learning curve What is immediately evident upon handling the gate for the first time is the fact that Safety 1st obviously spent a considerable amount of talent and effort in the design and construction of what my seem like a simple product. It's the type of item that supports the mindset of investing in one quality, reliable product as opposed to cycling through cheap, poor quality junk. The wood frame, plastic mesh construction is unique, pleasing to the eye, and, most importantly, solid. The gates (I quickly purchased a second two days after using my first) have shown no weakness in keeping our two dogs constrained to a specific section of the house whilst we are away. The elderly whine-master basset hound, well, it's likely a simple 2x4 would have been enough of an obstacle for her to just yawn and not give second thought to leaving the room. Our lab/pit mix, though also on in years, is a more enterprising, athletic sort. She's found ways around or over makeshift blockades in the past (she's simply devastated if she can't spend a majority of her day napping on our memory foam bed), but she's yet to attempt any Ocean's 11 shenanigans with the new gates. We keep them at a relatively low height, and I honestly think that she could hop the gates with a running start, but she's also frightened by pretty much anything, and so I think the gates are simply too daunting for her. I have to say that while I can be quite dim at times, I was surprised with just how much I initially struggled with the locking mechanism. There is a learning curve, but a few minutes of practice revealed its secrets to me. It's simple resistance notch system that allows the gate to fit a wide variety of openings. There is a substantial difference in size between the two doorways we use our gates on, and each gate fits perfectly. TIP 1: Find the notch where the gate fits perfectly between the two surfaces, then go one notch tighter. It will take a bit more effort to close the latch, but this guarantees a solid resistance and a gate that isn't going anywhere. If you go up just one notch, it will be tight, but there is no fear of breaking the unit. TIP 2: To save time I've made markings in red sharpie on either side of the perfect tension notch for each gate. This will save a moment in each setup, as you can simply hold the bar in the specific notch, lower the bar, and you're all set up. I would love to give the product five stars, but there is a definite down side that I feel bears mention. The sides of the gates have black, solid rubber stoppers (two on each side) that support it's structure against the wall and also help with tension and non-slippage. Unfortunately the material will also leave slight but noticeable black markings on light colored paints. A little bit of elbow grease has been able to remove them, so the damage isn't permanent, but you would think that non-marking would have been somewhere on their design list. Perhaps in future iterations. I'm sure the handier among us could come up with some kind of temporary solution to prevent the marking, but my SO and I honestly don't mind that much. POSSIBLY DUBIOUS TIP: We in fact use the subtle markings as placement guides when we put the gates up (don't judge). Overall, I'm quite impressed with just how impressed I am with an indoor gate. I sort of enjoy putting them up, actually, quickly nabbing the duty when the SO and I are planning to walk out the door. I can tell our two gates will last a good long time and then some, and they are surprisingly pleasant to look at. I'd only knock off 1/2 a star if there were an option, but, as it is, the marking rubber keeps the gate from a perfect score. Something tells me that Safety 1st is already aware of the issue and will hopefully update the material in future iterations. Drop me a comment if you have any questions about the gate; I reply fairly quickly. Safe shopping, folks!

I have been pleased with the quality of this gate thus far. I use it too keep both my 2yr old and our yorkiepoo out of the laundry area and bathroom. It is small enough to fit the bathroom doorway but also expands wide enough to block the hallway opening to the laundry area so it is the perfect size for my needs. The height is good. I have no problem stepping over it multiple times a day (and I have fairly short legs) but the dog doesn't jump over it and the toddler has not climbed it yet. It is also short enough that my kitten has no problem getting over it to get to his litter box in the bathroom. The gate fits firmly and securely in the doorway. This has been toddler tested regularly because he likes to try to shake it loose if I am on the other side. The cat also jumps on/over it multiple times a day. It has yet to budge. At the same time, it is easy to take down and put back up and has held up well to this so far. I was leery of the plastic at first, but it seems pretty sturdy. It has yet to come loose or crack or show any wear. It really feels more sturdy than similarly styled gates I have used in the past that had the crosshatch plastic or coated wire. I think the black plastic and accents and the bamboo wood are more aesthetically pleasing as well. I am very satisfied with this product and wish I had found it sooner. A couple of these gates would have been extremely handy for blocking off rooms in my previous house when I regularly had two young children and three small dogs running around. We did have a similarly styled gate at one point bu were very disappointed because it did not hold up as well (the wooden arm broke). I am glad I decided to give this one a shot even though I was initially leery of wooden pressure gates due to that previous bad experience. I also purchased a very similar bamboo and black plastic pressure mount gate of this size by another brand (Summer Infant). While that one is a little nicer aesthetically (darker stain, fancier plastic design), it does not feel nearly as sturdy and well made. I will now be purchase a second one of this Safety 1st gate to use instead.

Modern life is overwhelming for such banal reasons. Let me try to spare you one little problem. First, this bamboo gate is well-made and sturdy. It works excellently as advertised. We bought two, 2-3 months ago, and we use them daily with our toddler. No breakage, no problems. However, honestly, installing and uninstalling these things 3x/day (or more) gets old pretty fast. I know that sounds lazy, and it is; but hear me out, esp. if you plan to use these in a medium to high traffic area. I'm tall and earthy, so I should have no problem stepping over these gates, either physically or philosophically. But it's really annoying to do so, esp. when you have bags in one hand and the baby in the other. Or if you need to go back and forth to the kitchen 3x. Or if you are trying to get out the door and forget 2 things. Then its off to the steeplechase: 3 round trips x 1 gate = 6 high steps; 2 round trips x 2 gates = 8 high steps. Once you step over this thing 4 times in 2 minutes (which will happen), you start having melancholy thoughts about the insanity of modern life. This high step problem is worse for my wife, b/c she's not a giraffe like me. So we started to take the gates down when we don't think we need them. But how many times have we stashed a gate to the side, then later bumped into it to have it crash to the ground? Or, our little peanut darts over and pulls it down on her head (it has some sharpish metal I'd rather not have scrape her face). So we put them back up ... but we have a dog, so we need to move a gate every time we take him out for a walk, aaaaand--you guessed it--every time we come back in. You get the picture. For all these reasons, instead of purchasing these bamboo knee traps, I encourage you to fork over a bit more for gates that mount permanently and open and close. About a week ago we purchased two "North States Supergate Easy Close Metal Gates" ($12 more per gate than the bamboo). The verdict? Bliss. Bamboo, time for craigslist.

Works great for my 2 elderly dogs .

First of all I have to say that I have had many different baby gates over the years between my 3 kids, my several puppies and grown dogs and my granddaughter. This bamboo gate is the easiest and strongest and best gate I have ever used - better than the metal ones, better than the ones that open with a door, better than the one-handed plastic ones... better than all of them. Why? Because it's light in weight, but strong. It is easy to set up and once you have it sized properly for the doorway, it goes up and comes down in seconds. It really isn't a problem to take it down and put it back and I do it many times a day. Since it's so light weight, you can take it down with one hand and put it back with one hand. But its strong enough to hold a 2 year old back - even a rambunctious 2 year old that runs right into it and shakes it and leans on it. BUT you have to make sure you have it installed correctly, which means you have to open it a little further than you think you need to and make sure that the center bar that locks down needs force to push it into place - in other words, the gate needs to be really really tightly fitted into the doorway to hold it's place. Don't worry about breaking it - the bamboo is strong and flexible. Just make sure that the gate is installed tighter than you think you need, and you'll have it correctly installed. After a while it gets a little easier to push down and lock the center bar. Worth every cent. I liked it so much I bought one for my daughter who sometimes needs to barricade her dogs in her kitchen area.

Definitely not ferret proof. While he won't fit through the holes he can climb then and he also sticks his lil weasel hands through the holes and yanks with all his like stinker strength and yanks it right out of the doorway . While I won't be able to use it the quality is good. Not that easy to install imho tho takes screws into your wall which I wasn't aware of. Opening it is a puzzle lol I had to double check the instructions. So I have issues adjusting the width. It locks tight . Works great tho for it's intended purpose. Not super tall typical baby gate size . Light weight.