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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 The only top and bottom of stairs gate you'll ever need. Jul 24, 2011
By issimo
I bought 3 gates to compare: Munchkin Extending Metal Gate, KidCo Safeway Gate, and Evenflo Top of Stair Plus Gate. The Evenflo is terrible so no additional comments there. The Munchkin and the KidCo gates are nearly identical except for 3 key differences that make the Munchkin by far much better:
(1) The locking mechanism of the Munchkin is solid, whereas the KidCo is an absolute joke! Yes, installation is a bit tricky but the locking mechanism has to be secure for any use around children.
(2) The Munchkin provides you two options in terms of swinging the gate. You need to make up your mind ahead of time since the hardware is different (both provided by Munchkin). KidCo only gives you hardware for "open swinging". I think, in terms of safety it is much better to prevent the gate in the direction of the stairs (especially top of the stairs) so kudos to Munchkin for giving me the option.
(3) Both sets of gates (KidCo and Munchkin) consist of 2 separate metal parts that need to be assembled. Both are very well built. However, the way the Munchkin unites the gates is aesthetically more appealing.
All in all, I can recommend the Munchkin and KidCo for base of stairs but for top I definitely prefer the Munchkin. Both are a bit involved to install but it's worth the peace of mind.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Perfect gates for our house, but installation is not foolproof! Jul 20, 2011
By V. Williams
I purchased two of these gates for my 4th child. After going through the "toddler" stages with my other children, I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted in a gate. We have three kids who need to be able to get through them on a regular basis, so I knew that I wanted a gate that would swing open so that they didn't have to climb over gates to get around the house, and especially at the bottom of the stairs. I also wanted a gate that was "installed" rather than pressure mounted because I did not want to have the bar at the bottom, and I also had trouble in the past with pressure mounted gates pulling paint off of the walls.
I only purchased one of these at first, and installation was not a breeze. I used the template, but I lined up the bottom part with the top of the baseboard rather than the floor, so that I didn't have to drill into the baseboard. The template was slightly off, I would recommend installing the hinge side first, then seeing if it looks like it will line up on the latch side before drilling those holes. I didn't do that the first time, and I ended up having to figure out how to move it half an inch AFTER drilling holes and putting anchors in. Once I made a few adjustments, the gate was opening and closing easily. I was able to teach my children (6 yr old twins and a 9 yr old) how to use this gate easily. They have had no problems getting through the gate, and it's tall enough that they are not tempted to try to climb over.
When our baby started climbing stairs a few months after our first gate purchase, I knew I wanted the same gate. I was not looking forward to installing another gate, but it is a nice looking, sturdy gate, and I knew that my older kids could get through easily. I followed the instructions and used a 1/4 inch drill bit, which was a mistake! Once I got it installed, they pulled right out of the wall. Do yourself a favor, and use your own hardware! I found better anchors and screws, and now I have the second gate installed on the stairwell.
I have gone through several other baby gates, and if you know you're going to need a gate somewhere for a while, I do recommend this gate. Once we got these in place, we didn't have any problems with them. I also like that you can take the gate off of the mounting hardware if you are having company and don't want to have gates in the way. Then afterwards, you just snap it back in place without needing to readjust anything.
Strong and awsome May 25, 2012
By Song
This is strong. If you want something strong and safe, you should choose this one. Installation is not that simple like other ones, but I like it because it is stable and strong.
 dangerous! Mar 30, 2012
By J. Davis
I bought this gate because it specifically states that it is suitable for the top of the stairs. After having it installed for about 2 months, the hinge that attaches the gate to the wall broke. When it broke, the whole gate came off. My 2-year-old was the one who happened to open the gate at the time, which caused him to fall down the stairs. Luckily my husband was on the stairs at the time and caught him halfway down. My son was fine, no injuries. However, the worst part of the ordeal was when I called customer service. I called the next day to let them know what had happened, and the lady that I spoke with implied that it was my fault that this happened because I was not at the top of the stairs with my child. Never mind that someone was about 6 steps behind him on the stairs. It was one of the worst customer service experiences I have had, in addition to the dangerous product.
 Solid gate, poor hardware Jan 02, 2012
By NYBiker
This gate is pretty solid. The gate material itself is all metal, while the hinge hardware is hard plastic. Even though the hinges are made from plastic, it seems to be sturdy enough to hold the weight of the gate when it's open and not supported by the locking side -though I will update the review in the future after the gate has been up for a while. At present, it has held up to my one year old pulling at it as if she's trying to escape from a jail!
The installation was not too difficult, just use the template that comes with the gate, drill the holes in the banister (or wherever it's being mounted), hang the gate, then line up the other locking side hardware.
My only complaint about the gate so far is that the screws that come with it are extremely cheap metal. I installed the gate hardware into an oak banister, drilled the pilot holes for the screws and as I was screwing them in, the heads of two separate screws twisted off. I stopped at two and used my own screws (which I should have done after the first one sheared off) Granted, oak is a hard wood, but the pilot holes were drilled, I used a lubricant on the screws and I'm not superman. The heads should not twist off like that; one was even so far into the wood that I was unable to back it out causing another set of holes to be drilled. So use your own screws if you install this gate into a hardwood, and minus one star for that
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