Baby Gate Comparison (Summer Brand)
About 5 months ago, we installed a couple Summer brand baby gates. Jocie purchased them from Babies-R-Us and I thought a comparison would be really useful. Despite both being from the same manufacturer, each gate is very different and both have their pros and cons. Even if you don’t purchase one of these gates, this post will cover a few details you should consider.
Sure&Secure Extra Tall Top of Stairs Gate with Banister Kit
The name gives you a pretty good description. This baby gate is designed for the top of the stairs in conjunction with a banister. Banisters create a unique challenge for baby gates because you don’t want to drill any holes but need to securely anchor the gate in place.
The Pros: This gate includes hardware for mounting in several different scenarios – round banister, square banister, and directly to the wall. The “buckle & strap assembly” is like a very strong, heavy-duty zip tie. Orange guides make it easy to know where to drill.
The Cons: The gate can shift a little making it tough to latch accurately every time. Unlatching is also a little challenging. The directions are rather confusing.
Overall: This baby gate attempts to work in a very difficult setting- top of the stairs with a banister. It provides a secure barrier but at the cost of being a bit frustrating to install and operate.
Sure&Secure Baby Gate Review
This white gate measures 33″ tall and can span a distance of 30″ to 54″ wide. There are two sets of bars that overlap allowing you to set the appropriate width. The hinged side is secured by two heavy-duty, buckle and strap assemblies. Make sure to really crank these as tight as possible or you may notice your gate shifting. The latch mechanism is divided into an upper and lower portion. Each has it’s own orange guide to help with drilling. The latches are held in place by two screws. Drywall anchors are included.
To open this gate, you press the thumb tab on the upper latch while lifting the gate straight up. You have to really pull before the gate swings open. To close, you simply push the gate until it latches. Make sure the gate connects with the upper and lower latches.
Overall, this gate does what it’s designed to do. It creates a safe barrier at the top of the stairs and even mounts to a banister. What really keeps me from recommending this gate is the cumbersome installation and operation. The difficulty arrises because there are lots of different pieces- each needing to be installed in a very exact location.
Stylish&Secure Extra Tall Decorative Walk-Thru Gate
This stylish gate features a sort of “aged bronze” finish that works well with many of today’s contemporary homes. It’s a pressure mounted gate that will swing open in either direction.
The pros: This gate is easy to assemble and operate. It goes up quick and doesn’t require any screws (no holes to patch later). The gate also has a spring to latch the gate automatically.
The cons: While it includes hardware for mounting at the top of stairs, this gate is still not the preferred option. You’ll need to re-tighten the pressure mounts periodically.
Overall: This gate has a good latching mechanism that you can operate with one hand. It’s an ideal choice for hallways and open doorways but I wouldn’t mount it at the top of stairs.
Stylish&Secure Baby Gate Review
This baby gate measures 36″ tall and can fit an opening 28″ to 48″ wide. You can achieve this maximum width by inserting the included extension frames (similar to dining room table leaf inserts).
This gate is pressure mounted meaning that the gate is held in place by tension bolts and is not actually screwed into the wall. There are optional mounting cups that are screwed into the wall but ultimately the gate is still held up by tension. This gate is also a walk-through style meaning there is a bar along the base that you step over. It’s a small bar but a tripping hazard nonetheless. For these two reasons, this gate is not a preferred option for mounting at the top of stairs.
You may notice that the gate looks “bent” before it’s installed. Your gate is not damaged. It’s bent to help generate more tension. The downside is that the latching mechanism isn’t aligned until the gate is under the appropriate pressure. Periodically, you’ll have to re-tighten the tension bolts so that the latch continues to function.
Overall, this is the gate I prefer in my home. It looks nice and is easy to operate. The installation was quick and easy and I won’t have to patch any holes after we take it down. Unfortunately, this gate is not an option for the top of our stairs (with a banister).
What do you think? What baby gate do you have?
January 13th, 2010 4:44 pm
Hey Ethan,
thanks for the reviews. We are looking for a good gate for the top of the basement stairs that will allow cats through, but not children… anyone have any suggestions?
For our upstairs, we bought this gate: http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-G20-WHITE-Safeway-Gate/dp/B000BQKWHE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top a little while ago to block the cats from getting upstairs, but it is horrible. It didn’t come with the drywall installation screws\anchors and the ones we used have since pulled out of the wall. It was also very difficult to install. We will probably get this one to replace it :http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-G20-WHITE-Safeway-Gate/dp/B000BQKWHE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
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January 14th, 2010 12:01 pm
Our babies have all grown up into elementary and middle schoolers so we don’t need a baby gate per se, but we definitely need a doggie gate at the top of our basement statirs to cordon off the kitchen from hound invasions from time to time. We are redoing our kitchen and the old baby gate (still working) may be functional, but UGLY! Do you have any suggestions for basic half-door gate replacements? It would not have to be baby safe i.e. an official for babies product.
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