having such a simple system saves you from having to put whatever’s in your arms down and use both hands. this may not seem like a big deal, but if you are going in and out of the gate throughout the day you would definitely get tired of having to use both hands.
the fact that the gate can swing open in any direction is a nice feature. it means that no matter which way you are working, you can just unlock the gate and push it in front of you. this saves you from having to take a few steps back while you swing it opened towards you, but you 