Customer Reviews

Kidco Safeway Gate

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This is an attractive, sturdy gate. Because it's metal, the pieces are thinner than they would have to be for a wood gate. And the white color will blend in more for some decor.

The design is fairly clever:
- It works easily with one hand, to release the gate latch and open it.
- The gate can be installed to hinge on either side, and to swing either way or both ways.
- Almost the full width is usable, it doesn't narrow the opening down a lot (just by the width of the brackets and gate). That's the benefit of having something permanently installed, vs. pressure mounted.
- It can adapt to various widths. The box says it fits openings of 24-3/4" to 43-1/2".
- It will adjust to slightly uneven widths. All 4 attachment points have an adjustment, with sturdy threaded bolts, that can move in or out a little to fit the space. But you still need to have 2-3" of flat vertical area to attach each of the 4 mounting brackets - 2 on the hinge side and 2 on the latch side.
-It's also easy to remove the gate when you don't want it there - press a release and remove one plastic piece and the spring. It only takes a few seconds, you just have to make sure you don't lose track of the loose pieces as the gate is useless without them.

The gate can also be installed in some angle or other nonstandard locations. Because it swings on the hinged side, the place where you attach the hinge brackets doesn't have to be at right angles to the gate - it can be at an angle or even parallel to the gate. But you'll have to give some thought to whether having the gate swing on that side works for you. And you do need to have the latch side wall at right angles to the gate for it to latch properly. (Unless you use your own latch - see the photo someone uploaded using a garden gate latch. A very creative idea, which might work for dogs but give some thought to whether it works for children.)

The gate itself is about 28-3/4" high, though again the mounting brackets extend a little above and below each of the mounting points; and even a little more above where it latches on the top - about 2-1/2".

It comes with wood screws to attach it to the wall, so that assumes you have a solid wood surface to screw it into. You'll need to do some additional work to mount it if you don't have a wood surface.

Some installation suggestions:

- Don't start by putting on the mounting brackets, as the instructions suggest! Start by putting the big gate parts together and screwing in the hinge and latch bolts. That will give you a much better idea of how it works. Put the gate parts together and hold it up to your space to get an idea of how it works before doing any installation.
- Similarly, before you install anything, hold up both templates to see how they fit - the bracket types and heights vary on either side. That way there won't be too many surprises. Unlike others, I found the templates useful, but I did have to fold over the bottom as I installed it lower than the templates suggested in order to fit my railing. I really can't imagine not using the templates on the hinge side and getting it lined up well enough for the hinges to work right while holding the gate in the air. BUT ...
- Install the hinge side first, and assemble the gate and install it before installing any of the latch side brackets. Because unless your house is perfectly square and level, the latch mounts may need to be moved from where the templates suggest. Once the hinge side is installed, you can easily see where the latch mounts should fit. Just be sure they are set so they bolts fit all the way into the latch.

Installation isn't all that hard, but the instructions make it harder than it has to be. There are tiny diagrams of the parts at the front, with tiny letters indicating which is which; the pictures are in the back; and the text is on the pages in between. There are numbers on the text paragraphs that correspond to the images in the back foldout. But it would help a lot if they'd put the images and the instructions on the same pages. And have larger images of the various pieces.

A few things I'd add about installing it:

- The dimpled areas around the holes where you attach the two parts of the gate go out, so the bolts can set in there. However, it does seem to work fine the other way, if that works better for your installation. (It changes the way the latch is offset relative to the hinge.)
- If I had it to do over, I'd install the brackets on each side slightly offset (about 3/8" either side of center), since the way the gate works the hinge side and the latch side are offset because of the two-part gate design.
- Use a level if you have one to check to see if the area you're installing it is level. It's easy to raise or lower the bracket heights before you install them so the gate is level, a little ugly to move them after the fact and leave extra holes.
- The kit includes a little wrench for tightening, but use a real wrench if you have one. Other than that, all you really need is a screwdriver, though a drill might help because stair post wood is sometimes chosen to be extra-solid wood.
- You can't really tighten the hinge side nuts that hold the mounting bolts at the right distance out, because tightening twists the bolts so they jam onto the hinge mounts and the gate won't work. So just hand tighten the nuts, that should be OK given that the bolts can't work loose given the way the hinges keep the bolts from turning.

I'm wondering how the latch will wear, as the plastic piece gets knocked by the end of the bolt every time you open and close it, but only time will tell. I also hope the tiny little pieces that keep the gate from swinging the wrong way work better than they look like they will!

I can't express just how much I love this gate! I searched high and low to find a suitable gate for the top of my staircase and after trying several gates I purchased the Safeway Gate from kidco...and couldn't be more thrilled with my decision! There are not many gates on the market designed for a wall to banister mount, I thought the only choice I had was a presure mount gate but, after my son took a spill I decided there must be something better. The Safeway gate was so easy to install! Granted, I needed to buy a installation kit so the gate would mount to the banister. But, to my delight there was no need to drill holes into the banister, it mounted securily with plastic tie straps. I could seriously put all my weight against the gate without it budging! I know some people have expressed that the gate is not easy to open but I would disagree, I can easily open it with one hand. Do yourself a favor and don't bother with other gates! This is the only one you need to buy!

I just installed this gate and it took me about 45 minutes. The mounting hardware is sturdy and the instructions are clear. From what I can see it appears to be a pretty nice gate and gives me a little more piece of mind than the #1 and #2 gates (according to Consumer Reports - see below). Really, I don't think you could go wrong with the Safety First - Simple and Secure or this one.

To clear up a few things that have been mistated by others:

1. This is not the same gate available from IKEA. The Patrull Fast gate may have the same hardware but the gate from IKEA is one piece and it's width is only adjustable for openings 28 1/2" to 31 1/8" (that's about three inches!). The Kidco version is for openings 24.75 to 43.5. That's a big difference.

2. This is not the #1 baby gate. It is actually #3. For hardware mounted gates, it goes (as of 08/04)
- 1 The First Years Simple & Secure Stair Gate 3620 $70
- 2 Evenflo Secure Solutions Swing Gate 1050 $35
- 3 KidCo Safeway Gate G20 $65
- 4 Cardinal Gate Stairway Special SS-30A $80
- 5 Safety 1st Swing 'N Lock Gate 41780 $30

We purchased this gate when my son was 10 months old and climbing like a pro. We installed one at the top of our stairs and one at the bottom, in our living room. Not only is the gate simple in style (not an eyesore in our main living area), but it was easy to open and close with one hand. The sturdy construction of this gate assured me that my climber would be safe and unable to scale to the other side. Three years later and we just reinstalled the gates for child number 2, who is determined to outdo her brother's climbing abilities! Purchasing these gates was one of the best investments we made!

I spent a lot of time researching all types of gates, and this one sounded the best. We purchased 2 -- one for the top of our basement stairs, and one for the bottom of our main staircase. It was easy to install, extremely easy to operate, required minimal adjustment and very secure. Even though it is mounted into the door frame and/or wall, it doesn't marr up the surface badly at all. Just a few drill holes, and the mounts are very inconspicuous. When researching, I asked the manufacturer exactly what was in the installation kit used to mount this to an iron spindle or rail and was told basically just a couple of pieces of wood and some hardware to secure it to the rail -- "just going to the hardware store for you..." they said, so we didn't even bother. My only suggestion is to have longer wood screws. The ones included are too short -- just like everyone else says. The mounting template made installation a breeze. I also like the fact there is no bar to step over on the bottom like a lot of other gates. Much more economical that some of the pressure mounted gates that require so many extension and additional installation kits. Great value!

We originally thought that we were going to be gate-free since we lived in a ranch house with pocket doors blocking off the kitchen and hallways. However, we soon realized that the best-laid plans are often thrown aside when it comes to a mobile baby. Yes, we could block off areas of the house with the pocket doors, but we couldn't see our son and our son couldn't see us, which soon led to our search for baby gates. Soon after the search began, my husband came home with a Labrador puppy (surprise!). Now we had an active seven-month old and a new puppy to keep out of trouble. The gate search went from a priority to a TOP priority.

We had been all set to buy the Hands-Free gate from The First Years, but decided against it because of the plastic pieces. The puppy would soon make lunch out of those, and the gate would then be useless. We decided to try our luck with the KidCo, and we're very glad that we did.

What we love:
-Sturdy metal construction. The gate has been able to withstand a puppy who hasn't found his brakes yet crashing into it on numerous occasions, as well as a seven month old in a walker who insists on ramming into everything to see what kind of noise it will make. Since it is metal, the puppy can't chew his way to freedom.

-Vertical bars. There is nothing to aid a toddler in climbing the gate. The bars go up and down and there isn't anything for a little one to get a foothold on.

-Versatility. YOU pick which way the gate swings and what side it opens on. This was very important to us, because we were working with a cramped space and there was only one way we could have a gate open.

-No U shape. A lot of gates, even stair gates, have a bar running along the bottom of them. This doesn't seem like a big deal until you trip on it or stub your toe trying to go over it. On the top of a staircase, this bar is a terrible idea for obvious reasons. The Safeway gate eliminates this bar, and still stands sturdy.

What we'd change:
-The installation. My husband did have a few choice words for this gate during the installation process. Once I intervened and we read the directions step by step the gate went up fine, but for someone who just skims the directions this could be a nightmare.

-The latch. Other reviewers have mentioned the latch, and its difficulty. The latch can be difficult to work with one hand, especially at first. What I have found helpful is to push down ON AN ANGLE on the triangle piece with your thumb and use the rest of your fingers to lift up on the top bar (thumb still holding triangle piece at an angle).

All in all, the pros far outweigh the cons and you have a sturdy, well-constructed gate that will give you piece of mind. No gate should be thought of as a baby-sitter, but when used properly this gate prevents nasty stair accidents.

I purchased this gate because I needed something sturdy for the two stairwells in my home. They weren't very easy to install. We needed to buy longer screws and one of the holes didn't match up so we needed to drill a hole through the steel gate. Now that they're up, I'm satisfied that I purchased a pair of VERY sturdy gates. However, I am very DISAPPOINTED in regard to how difficult this gate is to open with one hand. The mechanism to open the gate is somewhat difficult - especially when you're holding a 20 pound baby at the top of a stairwell! But, since they were too tough to install in the first place, we're keeping them up and I'll just have to work on my "opening technique while carrying a baby".

I just bought this one for the top of the stairs and a pressure mounted gate for the bottom of the stairs. My first impressions is that a pressure mounted gate is fine for the bottom of stairs. However, gates which attach to walls with screws are way more sturdy than even the best pressure mounted alternative.

We considered this model and the Evenflo "Top of Stair Gate". After inspecting both gates in the store we opted for this one because the wood spindles on the Evenflo seemeed less sturdy and potentially prone to breaking. If one of the spindles breaks you have to replace the entire unit. Also, why take the chance with safety?

Anyway, here are a few things to consider when installing this item:
1. I took the advice of others and only used the template for the swing side hardware only. This is a must do. It would be a wall-damaging crapshoot to try to get both sides lined up exactly right using templates on both sides of the wall.
2. Unless you are screwing the hardward into a banister and don't want to damage them by having screws go all the way through, use longer screws than the dinky 1/4" to 1/2" screws that are provided in the kit. I went with 2" screws for additional strength.
3) Installation isn't that big of a deal. Just take your time to avoid silly mistakes that result in extra holes in your walls. I found the picture-based instructions at the back of the booklet far more useful than the word-based instructions at the front of the booklet. It wasn't a five minute job but it was not hard at all.

I'll be back in a few months to post my thoughts on the gate after it has had some wear and tear from our 11 months old son and our 100lb dog.

I can only echo many of the things said by others here. This is an excellent gate. One comment for the woman who pops the gate off its hinges - You FORGOT to install the retaining caps at the top of the hinges! Why blame the product for your inability to follow directions? This gate locks in at all 4 corners and will withstand anything a child can dish out. It easily opens with one hand for all but the inept. The width range made it an easy fit for my extra wide staircase. It is very sturdy across all widths. I love it so much I'm keeping it for the presently non-existent grand kids. OK, I have at least 10 years to wait.

We love the gate and finally found a piece of hardware to attach to wall to keep it open when you are not trying to keep babies out.... no more clanging open and closed.
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