No hands needed! Simply step on the foot pedal to open this sturdy gate in either direction. Ideal for containing pets and kids — it's made of strong, tubular steel with a non-toxic finish. Once you're through, an audible click lets you know the gate is safely locked behind you. 32 ...
The best gate we have found! (out of 5)
Gift: No
Pros: Easy To Use, Lightweight, Strong Construction, Sturdy
Best Uses: Crawlers, Toddlers, Play Area
Describe Yourself: Parent of Two or More Children
This is THE BEST Gate of any we have tried (We have had 5 types). We also have a metal Dream Baby swing gate, a Summer infant swing gate, all in use at this time.
This is the only truly handsfree latching gate that we have. EVERY OTHER GATE STOPS LATCHING ON IT'S OWN after a month or so. We have had this for a year or so now, and it is the best. I love that I can step down to open the gate, it is so easy and convenient. I have a 22 month old and a 3 month old, so my hands are always full. I can walk through this gate with laundry, babies, diapers, anything....
It does not swing open and shut on it's own, which I initially thought would be an issue, but I actually prefer it to all the gates that do swing shut automatically, because I have a hard time getting through them as they are always trying to shut on me. This one is great because all I have to do is press down with one foot to open it, and then when I am done walking through, I just bump it with my knee or foot to close it, and it auto latches. The other gates may swing shut, but they have to be latched manually. This is SO frustrating because you can bump a gate shut with your knee or foot, but you CAN NOT lift and latch the gate with your knee, and when your hands are full, it's a mess.
This is sturdy. The only time it EVER came out of the doorway was when we were first using it, and we needed to learn that we had to step down and not press TOWARDS the gate with the lever, because this eventually (like once a month) would work the gate loose. My toddler is a very intelligent little girl, and at almost 30 pounds she still can NOT open this gate. I often ask her to shut it for me and she just swings it shut and it latches itself. This is not the case with other gates, as she can't shut them because they won't latch.
The ONLY downsides to this gate are that 1. the wrench is plastic. It would be much sturdier and nicer if it were metal like other gates. 2. The foot pedal is wide enough that if you put this in a doorway with a door, you won't be able to shut the door completely. We are able to shut the door, but it won't latch. And we have very deep doorways in an old house. This is something I was warned about befoe purchasing (by another friend) and it's the only downside that I wish would change. But it's a small sacrifice for the superb quality of this gate, as we have tried MANY others and been disappointed.
UPDATE: We now own SIX of these gates (June 2010) and I am about to purchase an extension set to use with one of them. We use them throughout the house and they have held up wonderfully. ONE Gate had an issue where eventually the step became VERY difficult for even adults to manipulate, and I called ONE STEP AHEAD and they replaced it with a new gate immediately, and sent me a shipping label to return the original. Great Company, Great Product.
