Extra Long Baby Gate
Feb 3 '10
★
The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate measures 24” in height. This height is perfect, even for a short mother like myself. I was easily able to climb over the gate when attached to a doorway.
While the height is perfect, the width leaves much to be desired. The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate is marketed to fit doorways ranging from 26” in width to 42” in width. This is a plain lie. The gate may be sized to fit a 42” doorway, but the construction does not allow the consumer to actually use the gate, in a doorway this wide. Once spread to full width, the gate becomes flimsy and either falls down or breaks in two. Not the safest thing to happen.
Staying on the topic of safety, consumers can only use this safety gate if they live in a home with even doorways. As a person who used this gate in a home built in 1900, I can assure you with uneven doorways, the gate never fit properly. Either the top cushion pad was attached in the doorway and the bottom was not, or vice versa. My twins were forever spinning the gate off and foraging though the house, while I was doing laundry or taking a shower.
The final safety concern I believe should be voiced about the Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate, is the large open spaces. Parents always think on a tiny scale when it comes to safety. A hole that seems minuscule to an adult, can fit a little hand easily. The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate is full of nooks and crannies just waiting for tiny hands to get stuck.
Moving away from the safety aspect of the gate. The material used to manufacture the gate, as well as, the construction is sub par at best. I was constantly reassembling the baby gate only to have it fall apart again only minutes later.
The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate is one of the worst gates I have ever purchased for my children’s safety. The product just slips by with one star, and is not worth ANY amount of money a consumer will spend.
I installed the retractable ones because I like the way they mostly disappear when not in use. I don’t worry about tripping over the gate or having it in the way when it is not in the latched position. I do like both of the gates but I do not like them for the same purposes.
I first purchased the Lascal KiddyGuard gate to put across the stairway. The gate can mount directly to the banister (if you don’t mind screwing items directly into the wood) or you can mount it to the spindles with an extra attachment. I mounted it directly to the wood. What I like most about the Lascal KiddyGuard gate, besides the way it rolls away, is the tautness when locked into place. I have one at the top and one at the bottom of my stairway. My 19 month old can push or fall into it and it doesn’t move. When she gets older, I don’t think she will understand the button system to open and close it either. She knows the button does that but will not be able to figure out how. For that safety reason, it is a good feature; however, it does have a down side.
The two down sides to the gate are the clicky noise and the tricky button operation to open and close it. If you are using one handed operation of the gate (because you have a baby in the other arm), it makes a loud clicking noise when rolling back into place. The button, itself, can be tricky at first because you have to push in, then press down, then pull back. This three step approach is what will make it tough for any child to figure out but can also be a pain for me when I’m in a rush. There is also a fine line between the one hand operation and it clicking back into the locked position. Sometimes I have to attempt the button multiple times before it will stay in the unlocked mode for one hand operation (again, this is probably a good safety feature just a pain sometimes.) If you have two hands free and want to avoid the clicking noise you can hold down the button with one hand while releasing it with the other. However, with baby in tow, this isn’t always possible.
I have the Retract-A-Gate separating the family room and kitchen. I decided to try the Retract-A-Gate because it was the only one that came in a length that was long enough. The Lascal KiddyGuard gate can only fit openings up to 51 inches. The Retract-A-Gate can fit up to 71 inches. The button is much easier to use and there is no annoying clicking noise. This gate has a lock on/lock off button that merely turns and stays in one place. There isn’t the problem with the button accidentally clicking into the locked position, but if you forget to lock it yourself, then the gate rolls open when pressed, allowing the child to go over or under the gate.
The lock/unlock mechanism is easier to use but not self correcting like the Lascal KiddyGuard. Also, I don’t think I would use it for stairs even though the website says it is fine for stairs. I don’t find the mesh to be as taut, even in the locked position, as the Lascal KiddyGuard for the very reason that it is easier to use and has no noise. So this is a plus and a minus for me.
Another good feature is that you can take this gate off and use it in another location just by purchasing an additional set of mounting brackets. The Lascal KiddyGuard gate is permanently attached to one location.
I hope this helps anyone make a decision regarding the two different brands of retractable gates. The gates aren’t really much more expensive than any other gate on the market. The Lascal KiddyGuard runs about $110 and the Retract-A-Gate runs about $90 for the 51 inch model and $120 for the 71 inch model.
Baby Gate Safety
Evenflo is a trusted name in baby gear. From car seats to strollers, bottles to safety gates, when it comes to the name Evenflo, you expect good things. The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate does not live up to these expectations. Poor materials, cheap construction and ineffective safety, leaves this safety gate at the bottom of the proverbial pile.The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate measures 24” in height. This height is perfect, even for a short mother like myself. I was easily able to climb over the gate when attached to a doorway.
While the height is perfect, the width leaves much to be desired. The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate is marketed to fit doorways ranging from 26” in width to 42” in width. This is a plain lie. The gate may be sized to fit a 42” doorway, but the construction does not allow the consumer to actually use the gate, in a doorway this wide. Once spread to full width, the gate becomes flimsy and either falls down or breaks in two. Not the safest thing to happen.
Staying on the topic of safety, consumers can only use this safety gate if they live in a home with even doorways. As a person who used this gate in a home built in 1900, I can assure you with uneven doorways, the gate never fit properly. Either the top cushion pad was attached in the doorway and the bottom was not, or vice versa. My twins were forever spinning the gate off and foraging though the house, while I was doing laundry or taking a shower.
The final safety concern I believe should be voiced about the Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate, is the large open spaces. Parents always think on a tiny scale when it comes to safety. A hole that seems minuscule to an adult, can fit a little hand easily. The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate is full of nooks and crannies just waiting for tiny hands to get stuck.
Moving away from the safety aspect of the gate. The material used to manufacture the gate, as well as, the construction is sub par at best. I was constantly reassembling the baby gate only to have it fall apart again only minutes later.
The Evenflo Position and Lock Safety Gate is one of the worst gates I have ever purchased for my children’s safety. The product just slips by with one star, and is not worth ANY amount of money a consumer will spend.
I installed the retractable ones because I like the way they mostly disappear when not in use. I don’t worry about tripping over the gate or having it in the way when it is not in the latched position. I do like both of the gates but I do not like them for the same purposes.
I first purchased the Lascal KiddyGuard gate to put across the stairway. The gate can mount directly to the banister (if you don’t mind screwing items directly into the wood) or you can mount it to the spindles with an extra attachment. I mounted it directly to the wood. What I like most about the Lascal KiddyGuard gate, besides the way it rolls away, is the tautness when locked into place. I have one at the top and one at the bottom of my stairway. My 19 month old can push or fall into it and it doesn’t move. When she gets older, I don’t think she will understand the button system to open and close it either. She knows the button does that but will not be able to figure out how. For that safety reason, it is a good feature; however, it does have a down side.
The two down sides to the gate are the clicky noise and the tricky button operation to open and close it. If you are using one handed operation of the gate (because you have a baby in the other arm), it makes a loud clicking noise when rolling back into place. The button, itself, can be tricky at first because you have to push in, then press down, then pull back. This three step approach is what will make it tough for any child to figure out but can also be a pain for me when I’m in a rush. There is also a fine line between the one hand operation and it clicking back into the locked position. Sometimes I have to attempt the button multiple times before it will stay in the unlocked mode for one hand operation (again, this is probably a good safety feature just a pain sometimes.) If you have two hands free and want to avoid the clicking noise you can hold down the button with one hand while releasing it with the other. However, with baby in tow, this isn’t always possible.
I have the Retract-A-Gate separating the family room and kitchen. I decided to try the Retract-A-Gate because it was the only one that came in a length that was long enough. The Lascal KiddyGuard gate can only fit openings up to 51 inches. The Retract-A-Gate can fit up to 71 inches. The button is much easier to use and there is no annoying clicking noise. This gate has a lock on/lock off button that merely turns and stays in one place. There isn’t the problem with the button accidentally clicking into the locked position, but if you forget to lock it yourself, then the gate rolls open when pressed, allowing the child to go over or under the gate.
The lock/unlock mechanism is easier to use but not self correcting like the Lascal KiddyGuard. Also, I don’t think I would use it for stairs even though the website says it is fine for stairs. I don’t find the mesh to be as taut, even in the locked position, as the Lascal KiddyGuard for the very reason that it is easier to use and has no noise. So this is a plus and a minus for me.
Another good feature is that you can take this gate off and use it in another location just by purchasing an additional set of mounting brackets. The Lascal KiddyGuard gate is permanently attached to one location.
I hope this helps anyone make a decision regarding the two different brands of retractable gates. The gates aren’t really much more expensive than any other gate on the market. The Lascal KiddyGuard runs about $110 and the Retract-A-Gate runs about $90 for the 51 inch model and $120 for the 71 inch model.
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