Review on Dreambaby L820 Retractable Gate in White - 55 by Erin Brown

So I like the look compared to the big chunky wooden gates. It takes up very little space and is much more convenient to carry. It works well for keeping our dogs and baby in specific places. Yes, it's true if someone REALLY wanted to get through they could probably get under it, but with our dogs it's a matter of training. The same applies to the child. They know that if it's upstairs it means they have to stay in that room and they shouldn't be putting any pressure on it. The opening and closing mechanism is what I see as a problem for most people. There is a lever to push and turn when you want to open or close it. If you don't open the gate all the way in one motion to hook it to the opposite wall, it will lock and you'll have to start over. That means you have to let it retract, press the lever again and open it in one movement without stopping (hard to explain, but it's like when your seat belt is locked in a car). This is for safety and can prevent children from constantly opening and closing it. We have a particularly large distance that we limit, so sometimes I have to do this process. When it's time to retract the gate, the net can also get stuck on the ground if it doesn't come straight back. You need to push the lever again, pull it out and straighten it. Again, it doesn't matter if you're an adult. It will be difficult for children to understand. But we don't want our kids messing around with it so it's not a problem for us. Some reviewers have mentioned that you need two hands to make it work and I disagree. Once I get comfortable with it, I can do it with one hand. I would NOT recommend it for use in high traffic areas where you need to be constantly opening and closing. Then I saw that the opening and closing mechanism was starting to get annoying. We use it rather sporadically when we're cooking dinner or entertaining guests and don't want dogs walking under our feet. I'd rather give 3.5 stars but since that's not an option I think 4 is ok. It fits well with what we need and I think it looks better and has a good price compared to some other retractable devices.