This crate is sturdy and pretty simple to put together. My dog has been able to break out of every single crate I have ever gotten her except for this one, and that is saying a lot. However, make sure not to expose it to any elements as components of the crate can rust pretty easily. I also like how it can fold up fairly easily making it surprisingly portable (albeit very heavy).

WARNING:
Unless times have changed, do NOT expect wonders from their customer support. When you buy this crate, you are pretty much getting it as-is, even if it has some issues. My crate arrived slightly warped causing some of the bolt-holes not to line up properly making me unable to completely put it together. After getting in touch with support and telling them the issue, they seemed very skeptical (as if I was making the whole thing up for some reason). They wanted to see photos of the problem before they would take my word for it that it was defective, which would require me to take the cage out of the box and put it half-way together so I could take a picture of the problem, instead of them just taking me at my word that it was indeed defective.

Since I refused to go through so much effort just to take a photo so they would believe what I was telling them, they told me that I could send it back. However, if they didn't see the same issue I had described, I would be paying for both the shipping to them and back to me with no refund or replacement crate. Due to the size and weight of this thing, shipping costs a lot so I didn't think I could trust them enough to not just send me an email back saying "we don't see an issue, now pay for the shipping to get it back". It didn't seem worth the risk. So instead, I ended up bending the crate a little and get the holes to line up. After which I haven't really had any issues.

I had very low expectations considering my 50lb Pit mix has broken out of every wire and plastic crate I've owned.

Initial inspection was like many other reviews here. It seems that the packaging does not properly protect the product during shipping and the finish gets a little damaged. Other than that, the crate arrived undamaged.

After opening and assembling the crate, I can see why there are many problems with this crate. The bars are NOT as sturdy as they look. They are very thin and hollow and I could see how a dog could easily bend or break them. The locks are okay if properly used and the frame itself is very sturdy.

If I was judging solely by quality, I'd give this crate a 2 or 3. However the price is right and my dog seems to really like this crate! So far there hasn't been a single escape attempt!

I will update this review if and when my little escape artist tries to break out. We'll see how it holds up!

This crate is bad news. We crated our dog twice. Once for about a half hour and the second time for 20 minutes. Within 20 minutes our dog was able to do this much damage to this "heavy duty crate". Our dog is a female black lab, five years old and 60 lbs. We bought the 42" crate. We purchased this "heavy duty" crate because she was able to bend the flimsy metal bars of our old crate.

Keep in mind that the kennel seems heavy duty. When you look at it you have no doubt that it will get the job done. I was astonished that the metal was as weak compared to how it looked.

I contacted the seller and they stated that they have sold thousands of kennels without problem. I let them know that if that has been the case then obviously I received a defective item. They responded that pet damage can occur if it is a large breed, rowdy or a pet that has been crated too long and in that case they do not offer any exchanges or refunds. When I informed them that the timeframe was 20 minutes and attached the photos of the damage and my dog, they stated could not do anything due to pet damage. Being that the item is a "heavy duty" pet crate, I am not sure what other damage they assume the crate would be exposed to.

IF you are purchasing this item due to it being "heavy duty" then I would advise against the purchase. If you are purchasing it merely for containing your pet then I believe it should do the trick.

Keep in mind that my personal experience with the seller has not been satisfactory. While they do offer speedy responses, the messages are "canned" and in no way customer service oriented.

Sorry for the lengthy review but I wanted to give as much helpful information as possible. I would NOT suggest this item for purchase.

Poorly designed and not worth the money!!!!
We have a chocolate lab that bent and tore out the bars within the first week of using this kennel. If you are purchasing this kennel because your dog has escaped others- this will be no different. It certainly did not live up to it's description of being "built to last a lifetime". More disappointing is when I contacted customer service to get a refund. I was told that it probably meant I kept the dog in the kennel too long (he hasn't been in for more than 2 hours) or he wasn't properly crate trained. The customer service was far from acceptable and they wouldn't do anything to accommodate us as their customers. Disappointing and not worth the money.

Purchased this crate to hold my 90lb greyhound who bent his last two "heavy duty" wire crates to the point of unusable. Delivery was quick (3 days) and it came undamaged. Crate is very heavy (listed as 91lbs). Easy to set-up with a 10mm socket. I did not tighten the bolts until all were in place. Everything lined-up and the crate was square. I did not add the wheels. The instructions were bare-bones and could have been better.

The size of the 48" crate makes it look like a jail cell. It is certainly "heavy" but whether that translates to "heavy duty" we shall see. The coating on the bars is better than expected. The bars are hollow, half-inch diameter, and seem sturdy. My dog would not do well on the wire flooring, so I used the included metal pan as his floor instead.

Day 1: Louie locked in at 7am. First, he took a nap to build energy and mental alertness for his escape. By 8:32am he was biting the bars. It appears he was unsucessful. However, by 9:12am he figured out how to unlock the door and get out. Clearly the locks are worthless.

***** UPDATE ***** I borrowed an idea from another reviewer and used two luggage locks to secure the slide locks (see photo). Seems to work like a charm. Luggage locks are just small enough to fit, but just big enough to prevent slide movement.

Day 2: With slide locks in place, Louie spent most of the day biting and pawing at the door (the obvious weak spot, he learned on Day 1). However, he was unable to escape, and grudgingly accepted his fate as a caged animal.

So far, Louie has been unable to damage the crate, and with luggage locks in place, unable to escape. I will update this review if he figures out how to escape or damage the crate. Four stars. Would be five but for the crappy locks and bare-bones instructions.