The Best Baby Gate | Reviews by Wirecutter
Top pick
With the most durable frame and latch we tested, this all-metal gate isn’t the cheapest of its kind — but it’s the best value. Opening it is easy for adults, and it’s easier to securely install (in more situations) than its competitors.
Of all the gates we tested, the Cardinal Gates SS-30 Stairway Special offers the best combination of stability, durability, and versatility. Out of the box, the setup is faster and easier than most competitors, taking us less than 20 minutes. This gate also has the rare ability to be installed at an angle, so it can accommodate odd situations where the gate isn’t perfectly perpendicular to the walls. Once installed, it has a simple latch that’s easy for adults to undo, but confounding to anyone under 2 years old. It is the only tested gate with a 100 percent metal locking system and, properly installed, the gate had no problems supporting 180 pounds of weight (me, sitting on it) without any flex. No matter how much we throttled, kicked, and rattled it, the gate didn’t budge, while other gates, with plastic hinges and latches, strained under weight, and even came loose with a few aggressive pulls.
It’s pricey, but worth it. The Stairway Special is one of the more expensive models we tested, but we feel the value you get is worth the investment, particularly knowing what’s at stake when you’ve got a 1-year-old standing at the top of a set of stairs. This gate fits openings 27 to 42½ inches and is available in white, black, and natural wood.
The lock is not only secure, it’s also a snap to use. Like the majority of baby gate locks, the lock here is built around two opposing motions. In this case, you press down on two little metal tabs that unhook the gate from the latch, then the gate can be lifted in order to open it. The metal tabs sit loose on the gate and fall into place through gravity. With this simplicity, we saw little room for any kind of mechanical failure.
Our testing showed no way for the gate to be battered or shaken open. On numerous occasions, we stood and aggressively shook the gate back and forth, side to side, and up and down, and it never released or showed any signs of weakening. Many of the plastic latches on other gates also survived this treatment, but we could see how parts could wear or break over time (one of them, we were able to wrench open with a few rough pulls). No other gates we tested gave us the long-term sense of security that the Stairway Special did.
Once we got used to it (we had to get used to all of the gate locks), we found it to be an easy one-handed motion, and we could do it quickly as we approached the gate, almost without breaking stride. We also liked that the process includes lifting up the gate. This wasn’t the case with all of the latch systems, and we found that we had more confidence in the ones that had it, given the strength it takes to lift the gate.
The excellent instructions make for an easy install. Our main pick was among the easiest gates to put in place, with a setup time of 15 to 20 minutes (here’s a video tutorial). The instructions fit on a single page and are clear, which is in stark contrast to the hieroglyphics supplied with other gates, some of which took more than an hour to install. Along the edge of the instruction sheet is a printed ruler that has the only measurement needed to get the gate in. A lot of the other gates came with cut-out templates that were essential, but a bit of a pain to deal with.
It doesn’t destroy the wall. The Stairway Special uses only four screws. Not only does this make for a quick installation, but when the gate is no longer needed there is also minimal patching to do — in most cases, just a few fingertips of joint compound and a little touch-up paint. No other gate used fewer screws; most needed more, often many more (one gate required 10).
It can be installed at an odd angle, which might be necessary at the top of a set of stairs. Our pick has the rare ability to be installed at odd angles, while many competitors can only install at 90-degree angles, perpendicular to the walls. Most manufacturers recommend that the gates be screwed directly into wood, whether it’s a door jamb or the studs behind drywall. If a gate is being installed in a doorway, a 90-degree angle is easy because both wood sides are directly across from each other. At the top of a set of stairs or in a hallway, though, there is no guarantee that studs or woodwork are going to line up across from one another. Because of how its hinge and lock work, the Stairway Special can be safely installed even if it skews up to 30 degrees. This image shows the gate set up at an angle.
It can handle a fairly wide opening, and additional extensions are available. This gate can be used in any opening measuring 27 inches to 42½ inches wide. If you have a wider than normal opening, additional gate pieces can be added to make it compatible with up to a 64-inch space (a 10½-inch extension and a 21¾-inch extension are available). We didn’t test out the extensions, but just be aware that 64 inches is a lot of gate and would require a good bit of swing room. Like most of the gates we tested, the Stairway Special has a removable swing stop that can prohibit the gate from swinging out over a set of stairs for safety reasons.
Experts like it. Two of the experts we spoke with specifically recommended this gate. “It’s far from perfect, but it’s the best I’ve found,” Schecter told us. Tom Treanor also likes what Cardinal Gates has to offer and specifically called out the SS-30 as one he uses often. Wirecutter editor Erica Ogg used the Stairway Special for several years and found it sturdy and easy to open and close: “It’s been great! I’ve never had any problem with it,” says Ogg, who ended up buying another one for a different part of her home.
The SS-30 is available in a white, black, or natural wood finish. There is also an outdoor version of the SS-30 (SS-30OD) that can be used on a deck. The only difference is that the hardware is stainless steel.
The SS-30 carries a one-year warranty. The Cardinal Gates website also offers a wide selection of parts, should a piece ever be lost.
