Dreambaby Retractable F820

Don't buy this!!!! Zero stars! – The idea of a retractable gate sounds good but it really is not! This gate has a release button in order to pull the gate shut but it does not have a release button to undo this gate. We find it a rather flimsy shut and even our cat can just paw it open very easily and quickly. When it opens it makes a horrible loud screeching sound. While I… Read more

understand this is to alarm a parent when the gate is being used we now have to deal with a screaming baby that got woken up by it flinging open, a scared cat and useless nails in the wall with an unusable gate!

Now we need to go and purchase a proper gate and hope the plasterwall will not weaken with additional screws we need to use!!!

Where do I get my money back for this useless gate???

Ps: a baby gate should be designed so it's difficult to open and not difficult to shut. It needs a latch on the close!

Great gate, pity about the recent changes to latches – We purchased the F820 retractable gate a while back when our toddler worked out how to open the doors to the study / bedroom and bathroom. This gate is perfect as it stops her from going where we don't want her to and retracts at night when we need to go in and see her. The product was easy to install and I liked the fact it came with a second set… Read more

of latches and can be moved from one location to another. Not that we have utilised this function. The ratcheting sound can be a tad annoying, particularly at night, however, we have found that if you hold the button down it reduces the noise. It is a great feature to have the noise as you know when the gate has been opened by a little person in the house. It takes a bit of practice, but you can actually operate the gate one-handed without too much noise.

A few days ago, our one-year-old managed to climb up the steps to, and almost fell into, our spa bath in our ensuite. We went out and purchased another gate as we love the one we have. To our great disappointment, the F820 model was replaced with the F820N which has a totally different latching mechanism. The product did not have the latch handle, square shape, with square latches. Instead it came with a round rod and round, open half moon, latches. It took my one-year-old less than a minute to open the gate by simply putting his hand on the mesh screen, yes we did ensure the gate was latched properly. Even the adults and toddler could open this gate without unlocking it. We have returned this model and thankfully we were able to see source an old model.

I would not recommend the F820N (in purple/white packaging) as, in my mind, it does not meet safety standards. I would definitely recommend the F820 in the blue/orange packaging.

Can be fiddly – The idea is absolutely fantastic for this gate and it has saved us a lot of mucking round with other gates. I have one at the top of my stairs so my daughter cant get down. It works well, however if you don't lock it in properly (and sometimes you don't even realise) the kids can pull down on it. My husband doesnt think to check the tension on it… Read more

and make sure it cluxls to lock the retract. I was down the bottom of the stairs and saw a foot trying to get over it. It's just being aware of how it locks in and making sure it is and no slack in it.

The retract function can be fiddly and winding it back can tangle around itself.

Apart from that it is quite a good gate which has been a great help at bath time.

Good idea, just way too difficult to bother – I bought this for the bottom of our staircase. Being a relatively wide staircase 1350mm it seemed like the perfect solution. It is not. it is clumsy and difficult to close. Noisy when it retracts. Care must be taken to extend it in one motion and get the bottom and top to hook into their respective catches at the same time. This sometimes… Read more

requires you to kneel and latch the bottom of the gate.

The noise when retracted is horrendous, and once again a clumsy two handed operation and need to be guided back onto its roller to ensure a neat retract.

I wish I went for a more conventional child gate and save myself the frustration.

Great concepts, shame it is designed based on the 'perfect house'! – The concept of this gate is great which is why I purchased it! Unfortunately, there is a very small difference between the width of the doorway at the bottom of the gate and the top. I imagine like the majority of homes this is a very common thing as not everything is built or stays mm perfect! This means the gate does not tension and requires the… Read more

use of two hands, and bending down to release the lower locking hook.

Without being tensioned, it defeats the purpose of having a gate. Needing two hands and having to bend over to operate it make the gate more frustrating to use than worth bothering with. Sent back.