Summer Infant Extra Tall Decorative Walk-Thru Gate

There is a lot to like about Summer Infant Walk-Thru gate, but it also has some (in my eyes) serious drawbacks.

Pros -

+ Installation is relatively painless

+ Sturdy construction this is a product I am confident in leaving in place without fear of accidents

+ Nice appearance it certainly does not look cheap

+ Has the ability to adapt to span openings from 28-48" this is the SPAN that the entire gate covers "from rail-to-wall"

Areas for improvement

The gate opening is just not wide enough I dread trying to go through the gate with suitcases or anything of width. This is different than the gates span ... what I am referring to is the actual fixed opening that you walk through.

The catch mechanism sticks into the opening by about 2" It is positioned perfectly to catch onto clothes and pockets. I see things getting caught and ripped in our immediate future.

For some reason our gate does not automatically close.

Final Verdict While I can't give this gate a hearty recommendation I am still not convinced that it is not the best baby gate on the market. I know that sounds crazy, but I have not found a product that I don't have major complaints with so with that

3 Stars

We have purchased many gates since our two kids arrived, and this one is the first one I like. Actually, we love this gate. The other plastic, pressure mounted ones are ugly and impossible to use. We gave those away. Then we bought wooden ones that were so flimsy they fell apart. Then we bought the XT Superyard, which is great as portable enclosure, but simply is not a gate for room entry or stairs. I was able to mount this gate in just a few minutes. The assembly was very intuitive, and they DO provide simple instructions. The gate is sturdy, surprisingly stylish, and works, very, very well. Only because we have wasted so much time and money do we truly appreciate this particular model. FINALLY a gate that works as promised!.

I will note that the auto-close feature can be defeated if the turn knobs are not adjusted properly. Other reviewers complain that the gate ceases to close after a bit of use. But this is only a matter of adjusting the knobs properly not just the top one necessarily, but all of them. It's not rocket science, and the adjustment of knobs (there are only four) is not nearly as trying as it sounds. They also include a specialized wrench for turning the plastic knobs well and accurately. We are very pleased with this purchase, and have recommended this gate to any friend in need of one. Our 16-month old son, who is very good at destroying things and escaping most enclosures, has yet to defeat this gate. He throws all of his weight into it, but this gate does not budge. Our four-year old, on the other hand, figured out that lifting the door straight up is easier than using the latch. Now we just lift, and swing it open, then close it. Makes the latch superfluous. The lift trick also makes is very easy for their grandmother (who suffers from arthritis) to open the gate too.

Installing it you will notice that the doorway of the gate is not square when you first position it across the hallway or entryway. This is by design, as turning the knobs applies the pressure necessary to make the gate swing shut. As the knobs are tightened, the gate squares up. Brilliant. The gate we bought also came with two extra panels, to adjust the width. Four metal pins hold the panel in place. We only needed one panel. The whole design is so incredibly simple, it's quite astonishing that it works so well.

And finally, there is some hardware provided for screwing the seats for the knobs into the wall. If you're going to use this at the top of the stairs, DO NOT rely on a pressure mount. While this is a great gate, you never want to rely on pressure-mount only to keep your toddler from falling down the stairs. Sacrifice a little putty and paint rather than your kid's neck, and install the screw mount if you use it for the stairway. Common sense is common sense.

While I agree that some Summer Products have been a bit flimsy, this particular model of gate is a real star. We recommend it without hesitation, and we're very demanding consumers. If you find some defect, take it back and swap it out. Both of our gates are perfect.

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We really like this gate. We have two big dogs, and we put the gate up in between the living-room and the kitchen, to keep them out of the living-room. It is really nice they cannot break the gate down. We have one dog that is a Irsh Wolfhound, and weights 120 lbs, and a Black Lab weigh 80 lbs. The gate is tall enough too. Our son also brought one for his house when he saw mine. He has also a Black Lab.

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Installed two of these on a stairway. The construction is solid, quality materials. The only issue I had was that the width of my opening is variable top versus bottom due to the baseboard, and the difference was right in between needing the small extension and the large extension.

The way the extensions work is if your doorframe is 28-31.5in, you use just the gate, if it's 32-36" you use a small extender, 36.5-40.5 you use a long extender, etc. My particular stairway had a baseboard at 35.5" apart, but at the top it was 37" apart. Using a smaller extension made it unstable at the top, and the large extension was too big to fit in between the baseboards.

The solution is to suspend it over the baseboard so you have a consistent width, or do some finagling with the tighteners so you only tighten on one side. Neither is necessarily optimal.

For your reference, this is from the instructions, so you can measure your doorway properly:

28" 31.5": no extensions

32" 36" one short extension

36.5" 40.5" one long extension

41" 45" one long and one short extension

45.5" 48" one long and two short extensions

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I did a lot of research before purchasing this gate. I had a long list of criteria I wanted a gate to meet and this one fit the most on my really long list. I should say that I have not found ANY gate that meets all my requirements, but this one has worked well so far. This gate is used on the bottom of my really long, steep, wide staircase. My gate is for use with kids, not dogs which is a major distinction. My son is only five months old but this gate has been getting lots of practice for the past 8 months with my nieces and nephews and friends kids, along with my husband and myself.

Pros

The height is great at 34 inches tall (note, it's only 36 in at the top curve of the walk through portion). Mine is mounted on the first step of my staircase, so when the kiddos approach mine, it actually stretches to 44 and 46 in respectively.

One of the few that could fill my wide staircase opening of 47 inches.

The bronze color is attractive and blends really well with my decor.

The metal gate feels very sturdy and shows no wear despite being bumped and banged into repeatedly with luggage, snowboards, vacuum cleaner etc.

The latching mechanism is easy to maneuver with one hand. Great when I have an arm full of clothes or my son in tow.

It is safe as it has stumped even some adults who have come to my home. Most people need to be shown how it works in order for them to open it. Big plus for me trying to keep kids from opening it. I should note that pushing the black slider on the top latch is not enough to open the gate. While many adults have simply done that and been able to yank the gate open, no child under the age of five has been able to do the same. The bottom latch has remained engaged until someone has come and lifted the door to get it to open. The added height has made it near impossible for the younger kids to maneuver both the latch and the lifting the door requires to get it open.

The gate is easy to adjust and tweak to keep it working properly. This is huge, especially with kids constantly jostling, yanking, and pulling on it to try to get through. I should note that it annoys me to have to adjust it, but I know all gates need to be checked and tweaked occasionally in order to keep them performing their function.

The walk through opening is wider than a lot of gates I looked at at 17 inches across. My 6'4 husband fits fine through it.

It automatically swings shut and locks. Big bonus as I have it at the base of the stairs for a reason, to keep my the younger kids from climbing the stairs.

Cons

I don't like the bar that stretches across the bottom of the walk through portion. It is only 1 inch high, but it is a nuisance to step over. It is also a reason I would not mount this gate at the top of my stairs. I tend to be clumsy. :)

The walk through opening is only 17 inches across. This is a pro for me in the sense that it is wider than most I've seen, but still would like it to be wider.

The gate is noisy when it slams shut. But it latches and locks so I don't mind this so much. And my infant son is now used to the sound so it doesn't disturb him when he is asleep.

Overall, I would highly recommend this gate for both form and function purposes. It has been up in my home for 8 months, and with only minimal tweaking, has stood up to the punishment of five rambunctious kids and their little friends. I will admit to searching for a different option for the top of my stairs since my banister poses mounting issues and the bottom bar of this gate scares me as a tripping hazard. But, since none have meet my rigid criteria, the search continues. :)

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