Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We own (3) of these Munchkin extra wide gates and (4) of the matching narrower gates. Yup, we have a total of (7) gates in our house. It allows us to herd and corral four kids and two dogs in just about any location. The first one was a bit hard to install only because anything new can be confusing. But once I had that under my belt, the others were simple. The first one was installed two years ago, so we have a proven track record of using them over the long-haul. We installed more over time as we learned how useful they are. These gates have held up well, but we have learned some things to pass along to other people considering these gates: Although anyone can install one of these gates, it helps to be handy. I recommend using better quality screws. They need to be long enough to go all the way through the drywall and into the wood behind. These gates should never be installed with those cheesy plastic inserts that are supposed to work in drywall. One of our openings was a couple inches wider than the gate is designed to fill. I ordered it anyway because I figured I could rig something to work. I used a 4-foot section of 2X4 on each wall to fill the gap. I used good quality kiln-dried wood, sanded it smooth, then painted it to match our interior paint scheme. It looks like it was designed for the gate and the gate fits the opening perfectly. I have attached pictures to the main page. Some have complained about the difficulty of opening these gates. Although it "can" be an issue, it does not have to be. It all comes down to careful adjustment. Once the fit is properly adjusted, the gates open very easily with one hand. Since we walk through the gates all the time carrying an infant or toddler, ease of one-hand opening is a must for us. We also have an 8-year old who has to be able to get around the house easily and be willing to close the gates behind him. It's not a problem for him. Mounting height is an important consideration. Although it's important to get the gates as high as possible, a little too high and a toddler or a small dog can wiggle under the gate. I would err on the side of a bit too low. Due to the fact that there are no horizontal bars on these gates, it's very hard for even the best climbing child to get over them. One of our main reasons for ordering these gates is that they have no bar or track mounted to the floor. We are as happy today as we were two years ago when we installed the first gate. I was originally concerned about the fact that the hinges are plastic. Fortunately, they are tougher than they look. Our 2-year old has ridden on one of the gates while it swung open. Considering that she is 30-lbs and was hanging on the far end of the gate, the torque on the hinges was significant. It survived without any problem. I recommend these gates without hesitation. 5-stars.