Customer Reviews

Evenflo Top of Stair Gate

5 star:		(171)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

We bought a few of these gates after our son began to climb the other gates we had. These wooden gates are a bit more expensive but are well worth the price. They are easy to install, heavy duty, better looking and vitually impossible to climb over. We feel much saver with them on the stairs. Our previous gates were made of plastic and were the type with the large "holes" in them. When our son began to pull up to standing we noticed the plastic gates swayed and twisted a bit. A few weeks later he figured out how to get his little feet in the holes and climbed to the top of the gate. Spend the little extra to get a gate that will last and will keep your climber safe.

I purchased one of these gates originally for the top of the stairs.

My main reasons were the fact that it is made of wood and that it is very sturdy. Forgive my for vanity, but I wanted something that was at least partially tasteful to look at. I was skeptical about the sliding aspect, I felt it might not be easy with only one hand. But it works fine with just one hand. I liked it enough to purchase and install another at the bottom of hte stairs.

The gate is bombproof! I always felt 100% certain my child was safe while he jumped and played on the gate at the top of the stairs.

The other key feature is that the gate can be removed (sans hardware) in 2 seconds. That is more handy than I originally thought it would be.

I think the key to success with this gate is proper installation. I actually hard mounted lumber onto my drywall and then added the gate hardware to the lumber. In that way I mount the hardware with 2" screws into solid lumber. At the same time I could control where I put the screws going into the drywall so that post restoration would be easier. For the Newell post I zip tied a piece of lumber to the post and mounted the hardware to it.

We sold that house and bought another. Our toddler is competent on the stairs but we have another on the way. There is no doubt we will be installing more of these gates here.

We bought two of these gates for our split-level home to prevent our toddler from tumbling down the stairs or exploring the house in the middle of the night and are thrilled with how well they have worked out for us! This gate is easy to install, with the right tools, but MUST be installed into studs for maximum safety. I noticed that another reviewer added additional wood since they originally screwed the gate into drywall which, no matter how thick, cannot compare to the stability of wall studs. We have had great success with this gate on both sets of stairs. It also looks nice with our decor and does not cost a fortune. One note, even if your little one stands on the bottom bar of the gate, they cannot climb over it as there are no footholds for them to climb onto, unlike gates with criss-cross patterns.

I really liked this gate when I bought it but didn't realize the gate can't be mounted higher than 3" from the floor. Our mouldings at the top of the stairs are 3-1/2" above the floor and with the hardware installed the gate is 4-1/4" above the floor. Needless to say, although I really like this product and agree it is one of the better gates, Evenflo should consider designing the gate so the bottom of the gate is lower than the mounted hardware to accomodate all size mouldings. Buyer beware and measure your mouldings first.

We purchased this gate when my son was 11 months old and starting to climb. We installed the gate at the top of our stairs. My son is now 3 and the gate is still standing. This gate is so sturdy that it is the only gate in our house that we have not had to replace. The gate is still in use and he has never been able to open it, climb it or break it. I now have an 8 week old daughter and we are planning on purchasing another gate like this for her doorway to deter her "helpful" brother from sneaking in her room unattended. We love this gate!

After buying 3 gates at Home Depot and toy stores, I finally did the research and decided on this one. Really glad I am. If you've ever put a compression gate at the top of the stairs, you know how inadequate that is. This gate was easy to install, and contrary to other reviews, I can open with one hand. One potential problem is wall moldings, which can get in the way of the bottom wall mounted socket. I got around this by installing the socket at an angle, half on the molding and half on the wall. It still latches smoothly and is a solid, solid gate.

This is a great gate, sturdy and fairly easy to use one-handed after a bit of practice. My wife and I used it at the top of our stairs, initially using just the lumber and hardware provided in the kit. However, we soon found out with the help of our neighbor's eight-year old, that the screws on the hinge side of the gate - set in 1.5 inch drywall at the time - can be easily pulled out when the gate is opened forcefully in the opposite direction it's intended for. We installed two tall pieces of 1/2 inch thick by 2 inch wide hardwood on either side of the drywall and bolted them together with three 6 inch metal bolts. We then attached the gate's screws into the hardwood. That, and a more watchful eye on our neighbor's 8 year old, made the gate increadibly secure.

I love this gate, and have 3 of them - top of staircase, bottom of staircase, and doorway. Here are the reasons why:

VERY STURDY: My 1 year old loves to stand at the one at the top of the stairs and shake it back and forth with all of his weight - and it doesn't budge. I put my full body weight into it and it is there to stay. The wood slats don't move at all.

GREAT DESIGN: No crisscross hazzards, no horizontal bars for little toes to get a foothold on. Wood slats are vertical, and the height is perfect.

HARDWARE: All metal and very sturdy. Also a great neutral tan color.

SWING OPTION: It has the option to swing both ways, or you can use a part that is provided to make it swing only in the direction of your choice - great for high traffic areas.

WALL MOUNTED, YET REMOVABLE: One of the key selling points for me was the fact that it is permanently mounted to the wall (to ensure safety and stability), though it can be removed in one easy step, and replaced just as easily.

ONE HAND LATCH: Also, the latch is one of the easiest I've used. It only requires one hand (while I'm holding a 20+ lb. baby in the other arm), yet there is no way a baby or small child can open it.

NO FLOOR BAR: I also love that it does not have a "floor bar" to step over - I felt that would be a bit of a hazzard, especially at the top of the stairs.

NICE STYLE: It blends in well with our modern decor. And because it's wood, you can easily paint or stain it to match your decor if you want (with a non-toxic paint, of course). I have been told numerous times how nice they look and asked where I got them, as so many people I know have the ugly, cheap plastic ones.

LOW PRICE: I was surprised at how inexpensive these were - it makes it affordable to buy several for the same price as only one of the higher priced models.

EASY INSTALLATION: For installation, I did use the "mounting kits" for both sides on all of the gates - it makes them that much sturdier (plus they are required if you have any kind of molding or hollow walls). I did not use the template that comes with it - I never found a need for it - it is just as easy to install without it. Installation took a bit on the first one (I will admit the instructions were a bit tricky to figure out) - but the other 2 were a breeze, though I did have some hollow walls, some studded walls, and one with a metal plate. And I'm not particularly known as "Miss Fix-It!"

SIDE NOTE ON KITS: I will recommend one thing - don't buy the $10-15 kits in the stores! Go to the hardware stores and get the parts yourself. I spent $20 on 2 kits for 1 gate (as each gate requires 2 kits), and then once I saw that the "kit" only consists of a 1x2 board and some screws, I went to Lowes for the other 2 gates, and only spent $13 for enough supplies for both of them, as well as extras for future gates. I even found the contents list and instructions for the mounting kits on the internet, though I'm sorry I can't remember the website address.

All in all, I LOVE this gate, and would recommend it to everyone. I hope you find this review helpful in making your decisions on which gate to purchase!

We had a baby safety company baby-proof our home, and several safety gates were installed. The Kidco, inc pressure gate works well in our hallway and is easy to open and close. We have two Evenflo Walk-through stair gates. One, at the top of the stairs, works fairly well, but you need to use two hands when opening and closing this gate (which means putting down a crying child momentarily while wrestling with the gate). The one at the bottom of the stairs is useless, since the wood appears to have warped and can not be closed without pulling the entire gate (screws and all) out of the wall. We're in the process of looking for another gate (anything-but-wood)which can be opened easily with one hand. Hope this helps.

The is a great gate for the money. My husband installed it in no time. It is fairly attractive and safe/sturdy. The nicest feature is that the gate retracts somewhat so the overall gate width is narrow when the gate is open. We intalled this gate on the top of five steps. My husband stained a few pieces of wood and attached them with strong cable ties to the banister post. He then drilled the gate into this wood. We needed to do this because there wasn't enough flat, vetical room on the post of the railing to secure the gate latches. I don't think I would have been too comfortable with this if this was on the top of a flight of stairs.

Overall, I am very happy with the quality, price and look of this gate.