Description
Price: $86.95
(as of Mar 01, 2025 06:49:23 UTC – Details)
The Stairway Special Gate (Model SS 30) is our maximum safety gate designed for the top of a stairway it’s great for all areas. Features include a latch system that baffles toddlers yet allows one hand operation for adults, and an optional stop bracket prevents opening over a stairway for greater safety. The Stairway Special will mount at angles up to 30 degrees allowing location of a stud when mounting on drywall. The gate is constructed of aluminum which is lighter weight than steel and rustproof. A powder coated finish provides a long lasting, easy to clean surface and is available in White and Black. If you’re using this gate outdoors, we recommend the purchasing a stainless steel hardware pack (sold separately). Gate Dimensions: Gate width is adjustable 27″– 42.5″ Height 29.5″ Bar Spacing 2.5″, 10.5″ extension (Model BX1) is available for openings 42.5″ to 53″, 21.75″ extension (Model BX2) is available for openings 42.5″ to 64″
SAFE & SECURE – Our maximum strength baby gate has a latch system that baffles toddlers yet offers one-hand operation for adults. It opens in both directions and has an optional one-way stop bracket to limit opening over stairs. The child safety gate is Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) certified.
EASY TO INSTALL – Choose a wall-mounted dog gate for peace of mind and the Stairway Special for the highest strength of installation. Our pet gate offers hassle-free installation. The pet and baby barrier can be mounted at angles up to 30 degrees. This allows you to locate a stud when mounting the adjustable gate on drywall.
ADJUSTABLE SAFETY GATE – The gate is adjustable and fits openings 27 – 42.5 inches wide. The height is 29.5 inches and the bar spacing is 2.5 inches. For wider openings choose a 10.5 inch extension (model BX1) or 21.75 inch extension (model BX2).
VERSATILE DESIGN – This top of stairs gate is ideal for child and pet safety, supervision, accident prevention, and more. It’s the perfect gate to secure stairs, doorways, hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, and more. Awarded “Best Baby Gate” by The New York Times website Wirecutter (Wirecutter, June 2021).
US BASED COMPANY – Cardinal Gates has been in business since 1993 and our operations are based outside of Atlanta GA. We are a small business that prides itself on the quality of both its products and its customer service. You can trust us with all your safety needs.
Customers say
Customers find the temporary gate easy to install and use. The instructions are clear, and the gate is sturdy enough to hold their weight. They say it works well for most applications and prevents children from falling down. Many customers are satisfied with the appearance and safety of the product. However, opinions differ on how easy it is to open and the latch mechanism.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Vanlove –
Worth every penny
I spent about 4 hours researching gates for my now 11 month old and I wish I found this gate first. Shoppers should be mindful that not all gates are appropriate for your given situation. We needed something for the top of the stairs so pressure gates could not be used. When you think about it, all gates are used for security and are usually all metal for that reason. I did not like that other brands were made out of materials that could easily break with any given force (i.e., plastic notches and cheap wood). This gate met ALL of our needs. I called our handyman to install it because we absolutely hate putting things together. He didn’t call back so I got to work as my baby was dashing toward the stairs every chance he got. I was very impressed with how easy this was to install. My advice would be to check for studs so that you will know if you need to drill or not. I used long anchor screws instead of the included screws for our drywall just to ensure that the system was secure in the wall.I liked that it could swing both ways but that you could stop it from swinging one way- this is what we did for safety so that our baby could not swing it over the stairs. It’s light but very sturdy, has a clean design, there are no parts to trip on, it swings fully out of your way, it’s easy to install, all metal and despite what others have reported, I find it easy to open and close, even with one hand. It can be a little tricky sometimes because you have to hold two notches down at the same time and then pull up to open the gate. However, my baby is fascinated and I watched him try to play with the notches for 5 minutes trying to figure it out! This is at 11 months! So I’m thankful that the gate opening is not so simplified that my baby can figure it out. I understand why others would be annoyed with the latch though, but it’s still easy to use. I chose this one over the auto lock model because the auto lock feature seemed like it was super loud when the gate closed! That noise would annoy us and this manual gate works just perfectly.
Scott B. –
Simple but well made and versatile
There’s not much to this gate, but that’s why it’s so nice – all metal construction (except for 2 plastic bearing sleeves so it opens smoothly and quietly) and a really minimal design that means there’s pretty much nothing that can break or wear out.It’s a hard mounted design without a bottom bar, which is necessary for stairs, and it only requires 4 screws in total to install!It’s also super versatile because of the simple hinge and latch design, allowing it to be installed at an angle in case you can’t mount it perfectly perpendicular to the walls. We had a railing that got in the way for most gate designs, but it was no problem for this gate! Check out the attached photo (but ignore the black part near the hinge – I 3d printed a bracket for some elastic to prevent the gate from swinging open too far).The only downside is that because the entire gate swings, it can end up pretty long for a normal width stairwell, getting in the way when left open.
JackOfAllTradesMasterOfNone –
Great Gate – Trickier to Install than you think
So the TLDR review is this: extremely sturdy construction, one of the few gates I could find that you could completely remove while leaving brackets on wall for say contractors/moving something/etc, also one of the few that allow you to install up to a 30* angle which is a tremendous feature even if you *think* you don’t need it.Longer review: I have a toddler and a house with a second level and a basement and there are no doors which necessitated gates that were well made and tough to open to prevent kiddo from doing it. This gate achieves all of these things and once you understand how to unlock it, it’s easy (see my video how to)Pros: all metal construction, good hardware provided, no plastics anywhere, gate can be easily removed while brackets stay on the wall. Relatively easy install with only 4 holes needed in your walls. Gate installs up to a 30* angle which is a huge advantage for walls that are not perfectly level or if you have various molding on the bottom of your walls that can create an issue.Cons: I don’t think you are getting value, I think this should be closer to $50 but I guess you’re paying for the better engineered product with a few features others can’t match (at least what I found). Directions are lacking for tips on how to install/adjust the level of the gate to get a super easy latch/unlatch. I’ve seen some videos/photos of other reviews and sorry to say but it’s a user error in installation. See below for tips on how to install*Install the bracket on the wall first, make sure you level it so rod goes through as straight as possible (other bracket doesn’t need to be level see below as to why)*attach the gate, rod, key ring to lock it in place (this is important otherwise you may be picking up the gate further than what the key ring allows and you’ll be screwed after install), the other gate side bracket and lock it. Essentially install the whole thing as if it was locked THEN it’s time to figure out how/where to mount the other side otherwise you will have a very frustrating day.*here’s the thing, you may need to adjust the metal eye hooks to allow for uneven walls. This is a pain because you won’t know until you line it up. Then you have to take it off, adjust the eye hook(s) to make it fit your opening and keep installing/removing the key hook). If you look at my photos you can see that one eye hook is unscrewed further than the other to account for a doorway opening that isn’t perfectly spaced all the way down (walls rarely are). I also showed in a photo the bracket not being flush to wall which is why I had to adjust.*once you have the eye hooks at proper spacing to level it for your opening, you’re going to want to hold the bracket against the wall and make sure the latch has enough room to lift up/away AND drops right in with ZERO effort (always remember with keyring installed). If your gate doesn’t simply drop right in and latch you have something off. You can also tweak the sliding gate (before you secure with the allen key screws) ever so slightly uo/down to really fine tune it.*after you do all the above and you think it’s perfect THEN mark the wall for where you want to screw it in. Keep in mind IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THIS BRACKET IS LEVEL, it just needs to be secure and installed at whatever angle required for the latch to easily open and drop and latch instantly.Look at my photos and my short video of how to open and how easy it latches. Again if yours isn’t doing this the gate isn’t at a proper enough angle to allow it. You may have to adjust eye hooks, the sliding part of the gage with the allen screws and lastly maybe the angle of bracket on the opposite wall.I know this was long but I’m trying to help everyone else make this as easy as possible because it is truly a phenomenal gate.
Erick Soberanis –
De lo mejor. Lo recomiendo mucho. Compré la extensión por el tamaño de la escalera. No se van a arrepentir. Muy seguro. Para que no lo abran los niños. Muy buena relación calidad-precio. Recomendado.