Review on 👶 Munchkin Easy Close XL Pressure Mounted Baby Gate for Stairs, Hallways, and Doors - Walk Through with Door, Wide Range: 29.5" to 51.6" - Metal, Bronze Finish by Adam Smith

Munchkin Gate was a great choice for my home. You have great control over adjusting the width from 29.5" to 54", and we love the height too (36"). I bought two (one at the top and one at the bottom of the stairs). The actual one Installation took longer than expected about an hour to measure and adjust to ensure the best fit The instructions were the worst They were based on pictures but you can find a good video on YouTube Also there is now written instructions on the manufacturer's product page! We learned a lot about the gate that wasn't visible through the cryptic instructions. The gate opening itself is 22" wide with another 7.5" on the sides. This is the minimum width you can adjust. It also comes with a small extension (2.75"), a medium (5.5") and a large (11"). Additional extensions are available from the company if you don't have more than two 11" extensions . Except Stability is not guaranteed with this width. The adjustment rods are made up of 4 independent pieces and can add up to 2.5 inches of extra space to your work. Measure your opening and then plan the best extensions to your opening based on those numbers. If you are unsure, give Munchkin a call and they will be happy to help you choose the best option. Installation was a bit difficult for me due to two things. We needed to have the adjustment rods at a different depth at the bottom than the top due to the baseboards. It was more difficult to get around the railing at both the top and bottom of the stairs on the same side. We ended up putting the trellis on the first step at the top instead of right at the top because otherwise it wouldn't fit the railing. Once we figured out the placement and measured the holes we needed for installation, it was pretty easy. We didn't need to add any extensions (but if so, the first step would be to remove the plastic plugs on the edges of each side). the gate with a flathead screwdriver, add small sheets of tic adapters to connect the extensions, and reinsert the connectors on the outside of the extensions. I've seen gates installed elsewhere look like a straight line. We did not drill the mounting cups into the wall or use wall anchors - the tension bracket holds strong enough for our application. The final step is to rotate the adjustment rods until they are firmly pressed against the wall. We closed the wing on both sides to keep the gate from opening, and then placed it in the center of the opening and screwed in the adjustment rods until the wall was snug against the mounting cups. Finally, we adjusted the swing rails to only swing in one direction (away from the stair treads). The gate door stays open until you close it manually. (Munchkin sells auto-closing models). These gates do not require much effort to close. An adult can easily open it by pressing the locking mechanism at the top and bottom at the same time. The locking mechanism on one of my gates broke: it stayed open about half the time, meaning you thought you'd closed it (but no, the gate could be reopened without pushing anything. I have photos of the open one Tors with the lock attached is incorrectly "stuck" and what the lock should look like when the gate is open.) I called Munchkin to see if they would send me a new mechanism because I was having an issue. I figured if they didn't have the part I would have to return the gate to Revane and order a new one. I didn't complain to Munchkin about this, just asked if parts were available. The woman responded by saying she saw it was a security risk and no they didn't have any details to send me. But. They sent me ALL the new gates to replace the faulty ones for free! It arrived within a few days. I can't say enough about their customer service. I am very happy with the quality of this product. My two-year-old yanks at the gate, unknowingly, and won't budge. (Note: at the top of the stairs we added Vmaisi wall shells for some extra stability, but due to space constraints we didn't use them on the gate at the bottom of the stairs: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072LYNT7N/ref =ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 ).He couldn't figure out how to open it even though he's watching me. If so, I can toggle to lock the swing safeguards in either direction to keep the gate from moving without locking and guarding. He can't get over it, and our little dog can't get over the bars (they're 2.2 inches apart according to Munchkin). there was no accident in the last step. Visually, the gate is dark gray rather than black, but I get by with that. Our black balustrades make it look pretty seamless. Adjusting rods with silver thread - wish they were black too not centered on ours without extensions. In general I'm very happy with it. It looks like a planned part of the house rather than an ugly child's gate.