BabyDan Premium Hearth Gate Fire Guard (Black)

This is quite easy to put in the shape you require and stays there once put. You can use the included fittings to attach to the wall, which are rather heavily engineered, or if you get hold of some pipe clips you can screw it to the skirting board to save the wall: this will be ok until the baby gets a bit bigger. It is large enough to enclose the hearth, coal bin, tools etc without a problem, and solid enough so that when he uses it to pull himself up it doesn't come away.The gate is quite easy to open for an adult, but the littlest fingers haven't attempted it so far. It is easy enough for an adult to lean over the top to adjust the fireplace, but the child will have to be quite big to do the same, so I think it looks relatively safe.It gets warm with a roaring fire but not hot.Does the job right now, and in black is not bad looking. It allows the baby free roam of the lounge without fear of going near the fireplace.

I opted for this hearth guard as I didn't really like the wire mess type of fire guards. I was not sure if the guard would be too imposing and difficult to install and take down ... however I've been pleasantly surprised.good points:1. Once the wall mound brackets are fixed it is easy to fix and unfix the guard from them. Some reviewers said they made their own brackets but the supplied ones work really well so I didn't bother. Anyone who knows me knows that I am no DIY expert but I found it easy to install so that has got to tell you something about the product.2. I had been worried the wall brackets would be imposing but you don't really notice when guard is up or down.3. I've found it easy to detach and fold away the guard when not in use. I tend to put up when the kits are awake and the fire is on (log burner) and then take down whenkids are in bed. You have to take the guard section apart into 2 pieces to fold away/open out but this is a 2 minute job. Folds flat enough to lean against the wall behind my TV.4. Having the gate at the front give excellent access to the fireplace and I had no issue loading logs into my stove.5. Flexible nature of the design is great. it allow for most angles of installation and is so easy to adjust.Not so good points:1. getting the screws into the plastic brackets that wrap around the guard (the bits that clip into the wall fixings) is a bit of a pain. the screw supplied are only just big enough. I found applying a lot of pressure helped ... as did some swearing.2 . I'd say the price is a down side ... but that could be just that I am always looking for a bargin and it is well made.3. the footprint of the guard is quite large. the recommended space between the gate and the fire source is greater than the average 40cm hearth so it does stick out into the room a little more than those wire-mess versions. I recommend sticking to the install guidelines for distances as little hands can easily get through the bars and get burnt if too close.Would I recommend this to others? yes I think I would.

We initially had an issue, as many others, with receiving a different configuration of guard to that described. The size described in the product we ordered (5x60cm) has been discontinued, and we were sent out 2x34cm and 3x72cm panels instead, which just didn't fit our hearth.Amy at Safetots did an exemplary job; she asked us exactly how big the area was, and sent out additional panels that made a perfect fit to our hearth. It is customer service above and beyond. We've ordered two BabyDan gates from Safetots now too.To the guard itself, it’s extremely solid, the main bars are thick-walled metal tubes, and they’re firmly fixed in place. Assembling it once you figured out how to slot the removable tubes into the spring-loaded ‘cone’ is very easy, I put up the guard, which was now 7 panels, in about 5 minutes. You could get away with not attaching it to the wall for very small babies, I let our 1yo/9kg explorer have a run at it unattached to see if she could pull it over. She pulled herself up on it and gave it a good shake, and it stayed put. She could likely get it over with a bit more effort though.Attaching the wall panels is also nearly foolproof, as you can realistically mount them anywhere in the vertical plane; the receiver slides up and down on the removable tube, so it’s hard enough to get wrong. You only need to ensure that the wall-affixed pieces are the same width apart as the width of the gate, or you’ll have a trapezoidal shape. Depending on how neat a fit it is, this may or may not be possible in your installation. We got very close to square, and if it’s a few mm off it’s my error.As it happens, we ended up with sufficient panels that we can just about stretch it around the fire, around the AV stack and attach to the opposite wall to shield our Christmas tree from the little terror, so that’s a lovely bonus, so long as you don’t mind making and covering some more holes.

Bought this to go around a wood burning stove fireplace. It is elegant and practical as well as being adjustable so the shape can be altered to suit different rooms. The gate in the front means that the stove can be accessed and re-stocked without having to remove the whole guard and expose potential hazards. It was one of the most expensive guards we considered, but absolutely good value for money and worth the cost. Smart matt black is in no way unsightly.A year later we have used these adjustable guards in many ways (we bought another one!), in doorways when carpets and floorboards were up, and around items that had been painted. Also useful for protecting Christmas trees, tools and decorating equipment stored when rooms are being decorated, paint tins etc