I received the gate about a week ago and it is a beautiful looking gate.The wood is a beautiful dark tone and it will hide any scuffs and scratches. This is important since I have a 6, 3 and 9 month old at home. I have a similar model but it has light wood and has picked up a lot of scuffs and dirt. The gate lock controls are simple and easy to use but not easy enough for my 3 year old. The expansion feature is just what I need since my house is older and has larger entryways. A standard pressure gate just won't do it.  The one down side is that sometimes the top piece sticks a bit when I open and close the gate but with more use I think this will be resolved.