Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I spent 3 months undecided about what gate to buy to keep our small dog (about 6 pounds) in our kitchen area but still allow easy access through the doorway for our family including 2 children ages 5 and 7. Our doorway was exactly 48 inches (4 feet) wide and we wanted something that was pressure mounted so as not to have to drill into the wood. We have had the gate now 2 days and I only wish I had ordered sooner. Here are my thoughts about the gate: 1) Cheap - wow - for a metal wide, step through gate, you certainly can't beat this price (bonus - even has super saver shipping!) 2) Easy to install - my 5 year old son "helped" me. Was out of the box and ready for use in under 10 minutes. Notes - we have exactly a 48 inch opening and used both extensions (6 inch and 12 inch). If you have a space that is just under that - say 47 or 47 1/2, I don't think this gate will work for you with these extensions. We had JUST enough space to get the gate in place and tension it enough to hold in place. I believe they do sell a 3 inch extension separately however. For the price, however, you may still come out ahead of other gates even if you have to buy that. 3) Sturdiness - certainly sturdy enough for a pet and heavy everyday use. We used both both extensions and because of that, there is some flexing where they connect. Not sure I would 100% trust it for use with a strong toddler, but works great for our needs. 4) Latch / opening mechanism - I have uploaded pictures as this gate has a different latch than any of the other Regalo gates I have seen pics of. Maybe they changed it recently as I did see one review involving harm to a child from the latch mechanism. It is a very simple mechanism - basically a locking pin attached to a plastic slide piece. You slide it and then you can lift and swing the gate open. Since we are using only for the dog, the slide step is overkill for us (and my 5 year old could NOT do it). To "fix" this, I simply slid the lock to the "open" position and used a white zip tie to keep it in place. Now all we have to do is lift and swing - easy as pie, but obviously still works to keep the dog in place. 5) Step over - this gate does have a 1 inch bar you have to step over. Yes, I did already stub my toe once, however we are used to our other gate which has a threshold you step on, so just a matter of getting used to it no doubt. 6) Width - The walk through width seems just fine. Not quite as wide as our other gate, but easy enough for both hubby and I to walk through without turning sideways or anything. 7) Gate portion - STAYS OPEN - this was a key feature for me. I needed the gate to stay open at times, when the dog was hanging out with the family or was outside. It also swings open in either direction which was also important to me. 8) Width of bars - I read some reviews that the bars were wider on the side - as you can see in the picture, the bars are nice and narrow. No way our pup can get through!!! All in all, I would highly recommend this gate. I am soooo glad I finally bought it!