Customer Reviews

Safety 1st Perfect Fit Gate

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I purchased this gate because I really wanted a pressure mounted gate to use at the bottom of the stairs but I had read some reviews about pressure mounted gates sometimes failing so I figured with this gate we at least had the option to hardware mount if needed.

When installing, we encountered a few problems. First, we have a narrow stairway with a baseboard on one side and a railing on the other side. We found that, although the gate is supposed to automatically adjust to acommodate baseboards, it just wasn't as secure unless we tilted it a little. It did fit nice and snug if we lifted it off the baseboard. But then it was hitting the top of the railing on the other side of the wall. We finally got it to just the right positioning to get a nice secure fit while pressure mounted. But each time we fit the gate in place it takes some finagling to fit it in just right.

Which brings me to my next problem. The other major downside to this gate is that it is really designed to be more of a barrier than a gate. And I guess this is my fault for not fully researching before buying (which is why I'm writing this review, to help prepare others) but when I think of a gate, I think of something that will swing or slide open. And this gate does have that feature - but only when hardware mounted. When pressure mounted,this is more of a temporary wall than a gate. If you plan on using the pressure mounting, then you will have to completely remove the gate each time you want to go through it. Our stairs are high traffic areas. It was a total pain to physically remove and replace the gate every time we wanted to go up or down (especially while holding a baby). After just an hour in place, family members were "jumping" the gates to use the stairs. Not what I'd envisioned.
So, now we're looking at hardware mounting it. I will update this review if we have any new problems with that, but I'm hoping it will solve our problems.

I did rate the gate 3 stars because it does exactly what it says it does and seems to be constructed with high quality materials. My only advice is to make sure you know what you're getting before buying.

I've seen just about every kind of pressure mounted gate. They all suffer from one or more usability problems. This gate solves them all. I bought one to use at my in-laws' over Christmas and couldn't wait to buy another one to replace the pressure mount gate we currently use at home.

This gate is locked and unlocked by raising and lowering an ergonomic handle on the top-center of the gate. Pulling the handle up will shorten the gate slightly, allowing it to be removed. Pressing it down will expand the gate and lock it place. The handle can only be pulled up AFTER releasing a locking catch. Operation is simple and secure.

The size of the gate is adjusted for your doorway using the same handle. When the handle is in the "open" position it can be raised further after releasing a second locking catch. This ingenious design allows the gate to be adjusted once and then operated over and over again without readjusting it. Furthermore, adjusting the size is virtually automatic. Just raise the handle to the adjustment position, slide the panel by hand until it touches both walls, then press the handle down in two distinct steps (to prevent adjusting it too tight). The gate is then ready to use, and should never require adjustment again.

Next we come to a common problem with pressure mount gates - non-parallel walls. Lesser gates are often difficult to adjust tightly on both the top and bottom of the gate, leaving a loose and dangerous installation. The Perfect Fit gate solves this problem with a spring loaded arm that contacts the wall in two places (top and bottom) but pivots in the middle at it's single point contact with the gate panel. Please note that this feature is not intended to accomodate large steps in the wall surface (thick baseboards for example) but to achieve a "perfect fit" between virtually any two flat walls. In my experience it worked like a dream.

Now, what I was after in a gate was reliable one-handed operation. This can best be achieved by mounting the gate with the optional hinges. Yes the hinges are plastic, but I found them to be well made. They should not break unless you try to adjust the gate too tightly and put excessive pressure on them. A bonus feature of the hinges is that the gate can easily be lifted out of them when not in use, and put back when needed. No tools are required.

Yet another option to choose whether or not to use are the recessed contact pads provided for the moving side of the gate. These provide extra security against pushing the gate out of place and are NOT optional when the gate is used at the top of stairs. They have a tall ramp on one side and a short one on the other. Install them to allow the gate to swing AWAY from the stairs. One minor gripe is that the short ramps are a bit higher than they really need to be. They sometimes keep the gate from swinging open easily but I plan to sand down the short ramps just a bit.

In summary, this gate is clever, well designed and sturdy. Like anything else it can be broken if abused, but I expect it to stand up to our daily use just fine. And all this in a product at the lower end of the price range! What could be better?

I got 2 of these gates because there are no holes in it for little fingers and toes to climb up and it had the option of being hardware or pressure mounted. However the main reason I got this gate was that it has a feature that allows it to fit into the odd spaces where there is molding and baseboards. It has a special locking feature for when you find the perfect fit for your space. It's a nice tight fit that supposedly can't be moved.

However after opening and closing the gate 4 or 5 times I found that it moved and had to be constantly re-adjusted. This got so tiresome that I went out and bought 2 new gates to replace these.

I didn't see this information listed, and it's very important: the gate only expands to 42''. I ran out to Babies R Us this evening and bought one, thrilled with the online reviews and happy to see the end of my daughter's dashes toward the kitchen . . . and found it falls about 1'' short of what I need.

Edited to add: we kept this gate anyway and placed it in a different location than originally intended. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, and it's only satisfactory. I do like the one-handed open and close mechanism-- very handy when I have my daughter in one arm. But I wish it had a pre-measured setting. Our Evenflo Position & Lock has measured notches so you can set the gate to the exact width necessary (so I can always be sure ours is in the 43'' notch.) To get this gate the appropriate width, you just pull the sides out as far as possible while it's in the doorway. I think it could be a little bit wider (ours are pressure-mounted, so this is crucial) BUT when I try to pull it out a tiny bit more, it just "bounces" off the doorjam and rebounds.

This seemed like such a nice gate when I bought it-- I loved the fact that it didn't have a lattice or holes for my son to use as grips to climb up with, and I liked the way it looked in general-- but as soon as I got it installed I realized it was a mistake. I have the same problem others have mentioned here with the gate refusing to stay the same width after it has supposedly been locked. Every time I open and close it, the one of the sliding panels inches slightly outward, so that by the 3rd or 4th time it's been open and shut I have to readjust it again because it won't open at all, which is REALLY annoying. It might work well as a pressure-mounted gate, but as a swinging gate, it's next to worthless.

Also, did anyone else notice that the screws they included were really cheap, and started to strip very easily?

We bought this gate to place at the bottom of our staris so our 15 month old would not climb up. But it has never remained in place and falls with the slightest touch. No matter how hard I tried to apply pressure to secure a snug fit against the banister and the wall it never worked. I do not recommend this gate. Waste of $.

I am completely satisfied with this gate. The installation was so very easy and my husband had it installed within 10 minutes. I love the fact that it is a smooth surface and the baby can't climb up it. It opens easily and the self-leveling side makes installation with moulding easy. We also have the First Years All Clear Gate which is good too, but more expensive. But personally, I like the look of the Perfect Fit Gate better and it is definately easier to use !!! I would recommend this to anyone who has kids.

I searched high and low for a baby gate that could be hinged and one that small toddlers wouldn't climb or attempt to climb. This is the most wonderful gate I have ever had. It can be mounted or used by tention. Mine is in a normal door way opening hinged and mounted for double swing. I love the fact it is easy to open and lock. Since I provide child care in my home it is also nice to know I can remove the gate leaving the hinges when not in use. This is A+ for homes that have curious climbers, NO foot holds or metal mesh to get those little arms stuck into either!

We bought this gate after having the first years all clear swing gate which we loved. We looked at this one at BRU and it seemed fine for $10 cheaper than the other. We hardwear mounted it in a doorway, just like the other one is. As another reviewer mentioned, we had the same problem in that this gate seemed to expand every single time it was used, making it so you had to readjust it every single time in order to use it! This really makes the idea of a baby gate pointless to me, as if I wanted to go through all that hassle I could just buy a cheaper pressure mount gate that I would need to readjust each time I wanted to go through. Don't waste your money on this- spend the extra $10 on the first years one which is extraordinary.

After about 2 months of use, our gate has gone to the trash. I hardware-mounted mine at the top of our stairs and I encountered the same problem as others here have noted, with the plastic hinges splitting and of the unreliable pressure lock that "pops" open.

So I went to the local Toys R Us for a different gate and while I was there, they had one on clearance because the locking mechanism had broken on it too - why they would try to sell it is beyond me. Anyway, since it was open I looked at the construction of the lock. It's all plastic, and it is a zig-zag channel with a locking piece that bites into one of the indents when the pressure lock is pushed in. Over time, the channel wears down and the locking piece can't get a good bite in the channel, hence the "pop" you hear when the lock begins to fail.