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This was the tallest gate I could find, it's metal, so it's really heavy-duty, it has a door, so no more stepping over and it has a cat-door. This gate has everything you need if you own a big dog and cat it's such a relief! It solved all our problems with one gate and the cat-door was a clever bonus.
My only concern is that if you brace the gate in the doorway with tension as tightly as you'd like, the door won't open basically the tension pinches the gate sides against the person-door and I don't really see a way around that, design-wise. So our gate is in place with a little less tension than we would like since it's meant to keep a big dog contained, but they do provide you with holders that you would have to screw into the doorways to hold the gate in place, which we plan on doing if our dog figures out that she could probably get the gate out of the doorway if she put in a little effort.
It also comes with an extension for wider doorways, which we didn't need think you can buy a height extender, for extra big dogs as well. Another note is that there's a bar across the bottom, so you need to step over that, which I don't consider to be an issue. Lastly, I like the gate latch in that it has a little spring-lock mechanism which is kind of nice mostly we don't latch it all the way to trigger that we just shut-and-latch rather than triggering the lock the spring-lock has however, confused some of our slower friends.
Oh one more thing! This gate is not built for big people! I was surprised by how narrow the person-door is! If you look at the photo you can probably see that it's not very roomy I guess we'd need to take it down if a larger person came over...?
All things considered, I still think that this gate is the best combination of necessary elements, including price, and that there are work-arounds for its lesser-features. I'd recommend.
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FINAL SUMMARY (2013):
It's pretty well built, I haven't seen anything better. We've used ours for several years in 2 houses. It still works and looks like it's new.
Cats may get their head stuck or may be able to squeeze through the bars.
Expect to make some modifications. For example, Rebecca has a pic of her mods on the product page. We only had to tape a yardstick to the bar on the door where it opens to stop our cats.
The reason for the low rating is only because of the issue with cats getting through or, rather frighteningly, getting stuck.
You can most likely make some minor changes to have a 4-star gate.
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UPDATE (2008):
This morning I found one of the cats with her head stuck through the gate. She got panicky and struggled for a few seconds to escape. (This is a fully grown, typical sized house cat.) I'll have to add some extra bars or a panel to the gate to make it safe, it'll be easier than returning it and buying something else.
If you have cats, please consider some other gate.
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ORIGINAL POST (2008):
I'd have given this gate 4 stars, if there had been more details in the product description.
One Way:
This gate opens in only one direction. Of course, you could install it to open in the direction of your choice.
The latching mechanism:
Refer to the product picture. On top, the red bit is a spring-loaded release that locks the lever in the closed position. The lever is the diagonal bit you see (above the part with the blue sticker). It is all plastic and works the all plastic latch. The connection between the two has worked fine so far, but looks like a weak link to me.
It can be managed with one hand. If it is fully locked, you hold back the red lock with your thumb and forefinger, while lifting the lever (free swinging) with your pinky. We just forego using the lock and so only have to lift the lever.
Installation:
Easy & fast on your own, but a second pair of hands is nice.
Without the "cups", this requires no tools and should take less time than it did to unpack the gate.
...however....
Your gonna want to use the cups (or alter the pads to be sticky), at least on the top.
Your first thought on seeing the latch may be, "uh oh.. we got a problem..".
Back to the picture.. the bottom has a solid bar all the way across, right? So the lower pads (the bits that hold the gate against in the door frame) have solid backing.
The upper pads aren't so lucky. You can't have a bar all the way across here, so the gate frame has to push against the upper pads like a spring.
Without the pressure from these pads there's a large gap at the latch.
This is by design.
As you tighten the upper pads the gap will close.
The "cups":
The cups are simply plastic receptacles that attach to the door frame with a single screw. The gate's pads then fit into the cups, which stops them from sliding around.
Like other, we found that without at least the top cups installed the gate would easily slip and could fall out of the door frame. Installing the cups was very easy with someone holding the gate in place. I expect repairing the door frame when the gate is no longer needed to be trivial. A dab of any kind of filler and a drop of paint.
Overall:
The gate works well. The cats don't even try to jump it, nor would it be likely they could get their heads stuck in it. (I *would* worry if we had kittens.)
It's a very simple, if not crude, hinge. Meaning it's likely to be reliable, but it does make some sound... think of an old garden gate squeaking open. (a tiny bit of lubricant is probably all it needs)
The majority of the gate is metal with a nice paint finish.
The tensioners for the pad are plastic or nylon. They could probably be easy to strip. Maybe tightening the top pads first would provide an idea of how tight to go since it's regulated by the latch gap.
The walk-thru gate latches with a spring loaded pin.
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I just installed my new gate. First, you HAVE to screw it into the wall as you can't tighten the top without blocking the door (I accidentally snapped the handle due to pressure, thankfully the handle still works). Second,once installed it looked great until I opened the cat door and my 45lb Aussie Shepard/Spaniel mix jumped through the cat door. It was very funny as I bought the gate to keep the dogs out of the cat room. We are going to do some D-I-Y to make the cat door smaller. I would buy the gate again (I can't find anything on the market as good as this one) but I would be prepared to do some adjustments.
Honest reviews on Carlson 0941PW Extra-Tall Walk-Thru Gate with Pet Door, White
So we bought this to keep our 10 month old from tumbling down the stairs while still letting the cat pass through. When I opened the gate I was a bit surprised by the explicit warning not to use it for children (maybe it is written somewhere online but I missed it).
We use it anyway and while I wouldn't leave my child unattended with it I'm sure a child could crawl through the cat openingit serves the purpose well (the instructions also write that if used with children use the mounting hardware so the warning might be for legal reasons).
Biggest complaint is that the pressure mounting is useless so it has to be permanently affixed to the doorway.
This wouldn't be awful except that the swing gate opening is very narrow-located at the top of stairs, it is quite dangerous trying to pass through with anything (e.g. laundry basket) in your hands. Passing through with baby in arms is fine though we're a thin lot. Since the permanent mounting is a must, we're stuck with the narrow opening even when we don't need to worry about the child.
I'd buy it again only because it seems to be the only option out there.
BTWwe love this gate: The First Years All Clear Swing Gate. So much so that I'm tempted to buy another and cut my own cat hole in the middle!
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Carlson 0941PW Extra-Tall Walk-Thru Gate with Pet Door, White
This product is perfect for our home. It was easy to assemble, is sturdy and safe for our dogs and grandchildren. The height is perfect for large dogs and just the right height for people to open without having to bend over. It also has a security latch if needed so small children can not open. The "cat door" at the bottom also makes our feline very happy! The price of the gate (we bought two) is much better than any of the other gate products I researched. My husband and I would recommend this gate highly.
