Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

OK, as per usual my M.O. for reviews, I am going to give "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" of this product: 1) The Good: a. This cage/crate IS INDEED "Heavy Duty" - every one of my huge German Shepherds doesn't even TRY to break out or chew on the bars - while my last steel crate (with thinner steel wire) my Shepherds slowly tore it apart (bar by bar) - the "welds" were just not strong enough on that [other] crate. But with THIS product the bars are absolutely HUGE! (and the welds VERY sturdy!) b. The latches on this are also very sturdy. I like there are one (1) on top, and two (2) on the front, not just one, like with/on 80% of all other heavy-duty crates. Another reviewer noted they had issues with the latch, but it's only a problem if you DON'T know how to "properly" operate them - the KEY is to close the latch, and then SLIDE it backwards, till it LOCKS into place (when locked, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE for an animal to un-latch it, since it is a TWO way action [but see "UPDATE" (below)]). c. I LOVE the top door opening, which is VERY handy for popping-the-top to feed your dog (without letting the dog out, the front part). There is one MAJOR weakness though (listed in the up-coming bad/ugly [#3] section). d. Lastly, the price is Definitely RIGHT on this (over HUNDREDS $$ lower than other "premium" heavy-duty crates). 2) The Bad: a. One of the bars was bent (minor). Looks like a shipment issue (this isn't surprising, as the crate wasn't/didn't ship with much insulation/foam (To manufacturer: If you want LESS "damage" on your stuff then you had better add MORE foam to these in the future). b. Two (2) screws were totally USELESS (being cheap/striped). The screws, in particular, were/was one of the 12 that secured the latches. It was OK since I easily found them at the local hardware store (I could have contacted the vendor but I felt it was faster just to get it locally). - (To manufacturer: Please think about providing an "extra" screw or two, for possible problems/defects [like this]). c. The lower trays are not really "secured" much. I was afraid that the dog would be able to "scoot" [or slide] the grate tray out the backside, but so far, it hasn't happened. I'll probably have to get some self-drilling screws to secure these on the back-side a little better. The crate does come with a "support" bar (in the center), but it is somewhat useless since a welded piece came off during shipping (so it may still "support" but not "secure" much) - but it hasn't diminished the crates overall effectiveness much, so this is NOT a major mark against. d. I am "concerned" [a little] with the "plastic" wheels, since these may not last (I hope I can find/and modify some more [sturdy] steel wheels, in the future). 3) The UGLY: a. The most "ugly" thing with this item is the design of the TOP door. When I first tried to use (open) it, it surprisingly SWUNG open [backwards]...so FAST, that I couldn't catch it in time. In the process, it damaged [greatly] the steel mounts - so bad, that they bent (and almost broke). For better (or worst) the top door is VERY heavy, so be VERY careful when you [first] open it. In fact, if you don't want to damage it then I would suggest you "modify" it, like I did, by adding a thick rubber door stop (on the back) and/or screwing in two "support" cables, on both sides of the top door (so that it can't swing all the way back [wards]), as found [again] at the local hardware store - (To manufacturer: I feel this is a design "flaw" - How about adding this [door stop/protector], or cable, on ALL future crates). Overall, believe it or not, even though I SOUNDED more critical - there really wasn't much "bad" and/or "ugly" with this product. I would say, as a percentage, that there was about 70% good and 30% bad/ugly - so to sum it up, I can say I'm VERY HAPPY with this purchase/product. There was/is a competing product in Pro Select Empire Cage - LARGE - but cost A LOT more then this one (with that kind of money, I'd rather buy an ENTIRE Kennel [at Costco] ;-) So for the PRICE, it is the BEST "Bang-For-The-Buck!" PS/FYI - If you'd like to get a really GREAT laugh then please check out the YouTube Video (titled: Pitbull Escapes From Steel Crate - by Tristan Smith). It shows a HILARIOUS pit bull, tearing apart a "heavy duty" cage (that looks VERY similar to this one! -- [only KIDDING! - This product is GREAT!]) - the video is FUNNY Nevertheless!) >>>>> UPDATE: Well!!! It HAPPENED!!! - Surprisingly one of my dogs was able to UN-LOCK the front door latches. I must admit, that I was somewhat SURPRISED by this, as I always "heard" about/from other reviewers [A LOT] about the latches being a problem, but for Months NONE of my [5] (other) dogs could figure out how to un-latch the doors, but then recently [as of Nov 17th, 2014] my SMART female Shepherd escaped from the front entrance (un-locking BOTH front latches). In the short-term, I used some standard tie-wraps to properly secure the door, but this is a PAIN cause you have to cut/add these constantly/daily, so needed a more permanent solution. I tried to find some large "climbing/climbers" metal latches (as others had mentioned) as double-locks, to support the original door latches, but NOTHING is/was big enough. Then I found these clamps (which worked PERFECTLY!) - IRWIN Tools QUICK-GRIP Handi-Clamp, 2-Inch (59200CD) (There is ONE drawback to using this clamp - since it's Plastic the [smart] dog will try to "Chew" this off - but if you use some HOT sauce on it then this should "discourage" chewing.) So LISTEN UP ALL!! - LEARN from me, and my experiences!!! (The latches WILL [eventually] be "figured out" by a SMART dog, but you can use "Clamps" (like the ones I suggested), or, steel chains (as others have suggested) to easily have as a "back up" security/lock. Lastly, the metal grate [floor] so far is also a PAIN [still], but have found that placing a blanket within the crate does minimize (somewhat) the grate "shifting" around. Other than that, I hope this helps (the People Mad over the latch, that is). --- Again, even with the few shortcomings, it's STILL my opinion that this is [still] the very BEST heavy duty crate out there, for the money$$$)).