Lascal KiddyGuard Accent Retractable Baby Safety Gate, Black Mesh (DISCONTINUED)

I purchased this gate to replace my Summer Infant retractable gate (see all my reviews for my review on that item). I use it as a baby gate between rooms. It is much better quality than the Summer Infant gate and the Kidco retractable gate, which I also own.The latch strip is firmer and less “bendy” than the Summer Infant, making it easier to close on the first try. It also is sturdier and can withstand 200lbs of force vs 100lbs for the Summer Infant and Kidco gates. The build quality is exceptional. I have the ACCENT model, as my doorway is narrow and does not require the 48” width that the slightly more expensive Avant offers. The Accent also has a rounded housing vs the square housing of the Avant, and the latch on top looks a little different. Otherwise, the two gates seem to be the same.It was easy to install (we have no baseboard so didn’t need spacers), and looks great compared to the other cheaper, plasticky gates on the market. I also like how compact the housing for the gate is. It doesn’t protrude very noticeably from the wall.The biggest problem with the gate is the NOISE it makes when recoiling. The ratcheting noise is loud and disruptive enough to make a toddler cry and to wake a sleeping baby. I know this because both of those things happened when I used it.The only reason why I kept the gate is because I was able to hack the latch mechanism to keep the latch depressed, so that it no longer locks automatically on a timer (this is a horrible feature for moms who often have their hands full and cannot open/close this thing in 20 seconds or less). Instead, I manually lock and unlock the gate, bypassing the auto lock feature (and the accompanying recoil noise). I hot glued a tiny, rounded piece of an old credit card in the groove of the latch mechanism and removed the screw in between the lock/unlock positions to allow the plastic to swing freely between positions, keeping the latch depressed under the casing. I’ve attached a photo of what this looks like. Note that the photo shows the mechanism under the casing - you need to snap the casing back on top to make it work.I am begging Lascal to please update this gate to enable manual lock/unlocking (allowing the user to deactivate the auto lock and recoil noise), and then it would be perfect!Of course, if you do not mind the noise, or if you are using this gate for pets (vs easily startled babies and toddlers), then this is a great choice out of the box!

Great product. Installation was not as easy as it should have been. If you have baseboard trim, be prepared to improvise. Had to cut a small piece of trim to attach the top mounting bracket so that the unit would be level top to bottom. While they provide hardware, the hardware only works if there is no baseboard trim. The screws provided were not long enough to go through the top bracket, through the piece of trim used to keep the top bracket level with the bottom baseboard trim, and then enter the drywall anchors or wall stud enough to engage them. I had to get longer screws not only because of the upper bracket issues, but even if you did hit a stud and had no baseboard trim, I did not feel the provided screws were sufficient to penetrate the stud deep enough to be secure once going through the thickness of drywall. If you are going to have this at the top of the stairs to keep your kids from falling, get longer screws and hit the studs. I certainly don't want to risk it coming out of the wall while they are pushing on it. After it was installed, the product itself is great. Very easy to use, and looks great without taking up much room at all. Wish it could move locations easily like some other gates, but overall we are very happy we went with this brand because the mesh is very thick and strong, unlike some other brands we have seen.

We've had these for about 1 1/2 years now, one which has been used constantly for about a year. Both are used at the top of stairs. Only complaint is the installation issue with baseboard moldings. This creates installation complications, the need to fabricate and customize, which is tedious. I went through the effort and am pleased with the result, but for someone who isn't handy, this is a problem. See photos...

After doing some reseach on babygates, I was so excited to receive this gate in the mail! I looked up the different types of gates that Lascal makes, and decided that the Avant gate was worth the extra money over the Accent gate due to the automatic close nature. However, upon receiving the order in the mail, there was a small labeled sticker that said "Retractable KiddyGuard Avant Baby Gate" stuck onto the front of a Lascal accent gate. I could have ordered the Accent gate for $120 from another seller, but decided it was worth it to pay $150 for the Avant. I contacted customer service who was great with the return and advised me to re-order. I'll update this review once I receive another gate to see if I really get what is advertised. Well, I ordered a second gate and it was the same as the first- another accent gate. I re-ordered the avant gate from another seller and actually got what was advertised. Another feature of the avant over accent is that the avant is wider.

The gates served their purpose at first. They are reasonably easy and convenient to use, and they are usually good for suggesting to my two ~25lb dogs where I want them to stay. However, they are only a suggestion now. My dogs can get through the gates from either direction by squeezing under the bottom where the gate remains loose, despite my removing and reinstalling them to tighten the gate as much as possible. For the $170 per gate I paid at the time, their performance of their basic function is unacceptably poor.

Mounting a baby gate in a tastefully modern house can ruin the look instantly, but this looks right at home among the stainless appliances. Also, it works properly every time, one-handed, and the puppy has not been able to get through, so all our objectives are met.

It has worked well. Our toddler mastered the other baby gate. This one he hasn’t figured out yet. So, it’s s good gate.

Good quality for our stair top. Didn’t need the installation attachments that I bought. Bought two different brands first, both did not hold up.

My 3 yr old had worked out how to open the gate on our kitchen. My friend brought one of these 8 yrs ago and it's still in use and no child has ever opened it. My 3 Ur old hasn't worked out mine either, so for me the expense has been worth it. Although I do feel the price could come down.But there's no cost on safety :)

Bought this for my large Belgium shepherd dog, we had a metal one before which she trashed, have now been using this for some weeks and she has not been tempted to jump on it so far, it is easy to fit and use and folds out the way when not in use, wish I would have bought one years ago

This is a great gate for the doors. It is easy to fit, I have it my hall and keeps the dogs away from the rest of the house.

my 11 months baby can open it. So I am very upset I spend so much money on an item it doesn't do what suppose to do.

I was really excited to get this product as it looked great.Unfortuntly it could not have fallen shorter of expectation then it did!Admittedly it did look good....BUT..........Where do i start......1) The handle is only on one side. We tried this at the top of the stairs, putting the handle on the side as you come up the stairs. This means, closing or opening the gate from the other side (Top of the stairs looking down) is very very difficult with 2 hands and alomost impossible with 1. (If you are holding a child!)2) To lock the gate you must first unlock the mesh part (Easily done) and then pull the gate across. As long as this is done in one fluid motion it works ok. However, if you stall and happen to move the gate back at all (Very possible when holding a Child) the gate locks again. Meaning you can no longer move it across! This is a Joke!(I believe in the other model, the unlock switch is twisted round and allows X amount of time to close that gate, this is a fair better idea)3) To open the gate you must unlock it again, and then slide the gate back. The problem is, to stop a very loud clicking noise you need to hold the unlock button in place and slide the gate back.This again is impossible if you are holding a child!This gate should state that you will always need 2 hands to use it.I think this may work across a door way. But not as a stair gate!This was a very expensive mistake on my part.