Customer Reviews

North States Supergate Stairway Gate

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I just purchased 3 of these gates since they were so cheap. We own the playpen that North States makes, and are quite happy with it, so we thought we would try their gates.

PROS:
Inexpensive
Functional
Lightweight yet durable
Easily adjustable

CONS:
Installation is a pain (tips on how to best install below)
Gates only open one direction
Must be manually locked, and may require a bit of fiddling
If baby leans on it or puts pressure, it can bend
Gate cannot be locked into a specific width

So as I said up above, these gates are really cheap! Compared to what else is out there, these gates are at least 50% cheaper. They are functional, but opening and closing them can require a bit of work. They don't open as easy as simply turning a doorknob, and don't close and lock as easy as closing a door. There is a tab you must pull to open the gate, and this tab can sometimes get stuck on the gate. It is hard to explain in writing, but I know with time it will get easier and easier to open and close. In the present though, it is a bit of a pain, especially if you are carrying your baby.

These gates are extremely lightweight yet durable enough to not snap. They can bend though. As one reviewer said, these are simply gates and meant only to keep your baby contained. They are very easy to expand and shorten. One potential issue with this though is that they cannot be locked into a specific width. Since they are so new I am not sure if I want to lock them in a particular width yet. Sometimes when I need to open or lock the gate, I have to adjust the width slightly, but I imagine this will change once I get used to the mechanism. If I want to lock them in the future though, I will probably simply use tie straps. Maybe not pretty, but it will do the job.

One particular annoyance is that the gates only open in one direction. According to the directions, they have that set up as a safety feature since they are designed to not open up over stairs. This way there is little risk of one accidentally falling on the stairs with your child in hand. I can understand this, but it is annoying nevertheless, especially if you don't install them at the foot or head of the stairs. We have them installed in hallways and don't need this safety feature. I'm sure we will get used to it but it's annoying right now.

INSTALLATION
So this is pretty much the key to having your gates operate properly. You have to take the time to install these correctly. It looks easy in the manual to install them since all you have to do is screw in 4 clips into the wall (2 on each side). Easy enough right? WRONG! And the reason it is not easy is because you have to make sure they are all aligned and level with each other. I can only speak for my house, but I am sure many homes are the same - nothing is level in our house! So when you think you have it aligned to one thing, it is not aligned to something else. Take your time to install these. Here are a few tips, based on my experience:
1. Measure at least 2 times before drilling your first hole.
2. Use a long level, and use a pencil to mark your lines on the wall.
3. Measure from every angle to ensure that everything is correct.
4. The gates install approximately 1 inch off the ground, so if you have cats, take that into account. Mine are installed 4.5 inches off the ground (so the cats can go underneath), therefore all the measurements are 3.5 inches higher than what is in the manual.
5. Try to drill into a stud (especially for the hinge side), but if you cannot, be sure to use screw anchors.
6. Once you have your marks on the wall per the manual, put one of the anchors on the wall and mark exactly where you will drill. You will NOT be drilling where your initial markers are.

I will post an update once we have used the gates for a month or so, but overall, they are great for the price. You do get what you pay for, but in the end they are functional and safe.

It does it's job. My sister bought this same gate from PetCo for $42.00 and was so pissed when I told her I got it on amazon for $14.00. The mounting is a hassel and it it's a bit difficult for some people to open and close but overall it's a great buy, here. If only it included 4-8 extra mounting brackets so I could put it in different spots easily.

This is a great gate. I bought two of them and installed one at the bottom of our stairs and one at the top. They would have been relatively easy to install except for the molding next to the floor. Unless you have a completely flat wall from top to bottom where you need to install the gate, it will be a real challenge to install. I had to cut small small blocks of wood and place them strategically to make it work. Now that they are installed, they're great! It was just a pain getting to that point.

It does what it says it will do, confine a young child to a safe area and keep them from areas where they might come to harm. The only reason that I gave the gate four stars instead of five is the difficulty operating the locking system when closing the gate. It is somewhat difficult to get it lined up but on the positive side, once it is latched shut it will not open even when being assaulted by a very determined would be escapee.

Up date 1/12/2011: Gate is still functioning well and has stood up to repeated assualts by both 16 month old and her side kick Beagle.

I do like the gate and it did work great for our daughter and pets. We installed the gate higher so our pets could crawl under the gate. Once our daughter turn 17 months she found out she could crawl under the gate, my husband put pieces of wood on each side so there was just enough room for the cats. Now our daughter has found out you can climb the gate, she has almost figured out how to get over the gate completely. If you do not have a climber, it would work perfect for you.

We love these gates. It swings the full 30 inches in the doorway and in the hallway. The locking mechanism is a little strange at first, but you get use to it. The gate is plastic and does not look as nice as the metal ones, but the advantage is the full swing and no bottom rail. So for our purpose it is great. We bought two: 1) for the mud room where we keep the dog (instead of a crate) this is also the entrance to the kitchen so I needed the full swing gate. 2) for a hallway to block the dog from going into the rest of the house. Yes, we bought these for a dog! Happy training.

I read the reviews and thought...hoped this product would be adequate for my simple needs: holding back a handicapped housecat. Well, it can do that, however it is remarkably weak and poorly designed. I had low expectations for the price and was willing to take the chance, but in hindsight I would have paid twice as much for something twice as strong and more secure in closing and opening. Really...I don't see this gate holding back a rambunctious cockerspaniel let alone a toddler. To say I would not trust this at the top of a stair for a child would be an epic understatement! I'm sorry...wish I had a kind word here, but if I owned the company I'd rename and remarket this as an "economy small pet gate."

I ordered this gate and received it the following day! Unfortunately, I did not receive the gate that is shown in the picture. The product name and number match, but the product itself is different. It would not be easy to open and close this gate with my 9 month old in my arms, so I will be returning it.

I purchased this gate to contain my small dog.

When it arrived, it was not the same gate pictured in the previews despite that the item number is the same. Please be aware that instead of coming with nice rounded bits that fit down into a piece fastened to the door, it only includes plastic sockets that hold the round cushions that nearly all gates of this type have. As such, I've chosen to just use the gate without mounting anything to the wall because the included mounting brackets simply don't seem to be sturdy at all. Furthermore the 'swinging' brackets do not work at all when applied the way the directions suggest, however with some difficulty we did get them to work but they were not sturdy and the gate slipped off of them easily.

If you need this to protect a child, I would definitely recommend getting something better. If you just need a basic gate, though, it works well enough.

This gate is garbage, too much hassle locking/unlocking. Better off to buy a tension lock gate, just as cheap and easier to lock.