HQ Cages vs Copy-Cat Cages

The two cages look just about the same in pictures, right? Well, don't find out the hard way that things that may look alike are not always alike! It's even more challenging when purchasing high priced items over the internet. Even pictures can be deceiving at times.

We offer the cage manufactured by HQ Cages (on the left). Several other online companies offer a cage that appears quite similar, costs a bit less, and is manufactured by a variety of copy-cat companies.

We have been selling the HQ cages for some time now. We did research to determine the best cage to offer. We talked to other businesses selling cages and found out that the HQ cages are simply a great cage with beautiful fit and finish -- but sometimes very difficult to source in the right colors. A copy-cat manufacturer based in Florida approached one of these businesses with a dandy of a deal on buying their product. They brought by a sample cage and the reaction was like, "… hmmm, this looks pretty good". It was basically a copy of an HQ cage. So they bought enough to supply their customers for one month. What a disaster that was! They found out the hard way that sometimes cheaper just means cheaper! Here is a list of problems they encountered with the copy-cat cage. Needless to say, these problems have been non-issues with the HQ cages.

First thing they noticed was that the hardware supplied for the stand was too small for the size and weight of the cage. The stand was too rickety, and the wheels too small for the load (compare the wheels in the pictures above ).

Then, check out this example:

HQ Cages (left) uses full-sized bolts. Copy-Cat (right) uses small screws to hold the stand together. Note the huge difference in the size of these fasteners, given the width of the frame is the same in photos.

The door locks were also inadequate. On the HQ cages, the door locks push back into a fully locked position. In other words, smart critters and young children would have a difficult time releasing this lock and creating freedom mayhem!

The copy-cat cage has a lock that merely drops down without sliding back into a locking position. They've received repeated reports of critters being able to raise this type of lock easily, thus increasing the possibility of easy escapes (and we all know how dangerous that can be with a highly inquisitive Cockatoo or Macaw).

So these cages were not acceptable. They couldn't, in all honesty, sell them as they were. But then the copy-cat seller promised them upgraded hardware and locks. So they thought, OK, easy enough. In the short-term, they bought good stainless steel hardware to replace the manufacturer's pre-packaged hardware, wheels, and locks. And the next shipment would have quality hardware on the cages.

But unfortunately, the bad experience didn't end there. The copy-cat cage has a lot more welds on it than the HQ cages, which is good and fine as long as the welding is done properly. Again, they found out the hard way, from their customers, that many of the welds were broken upon delivery of a brand-new product.

Part of this problem lies in the packaging. We are well aware that as a consumer, you care most about what's in the box. But one way Copy-Cat was able to offer what they tout as a cage just as good as HQ at a cheaper price is by cutting corners on the packaging, as well as the product. They used a single corrugated box with no reinforcement in the corners. The boxes are also packed "loose" which can easily mar paint jobs, bust welds, and bust open the whole box during shipment when heavy metal stuff is rattling around inside. HQ uses double-corrugated packaging, with quadruple strength boxing around the sides. All corners are reinforced and heavy duty stapled, meaning minimum shift during shipment. They filed damage claims on over 15% of the copy-cat cages shipped and they only offered them for a month! They have only filed one claim on an HQ cage in two years and that is because UPS lost it!

At this point, it took about two seconds for me to decide to go with the HQ product line. I realized that persistent inconsistencies were associated with the copy-cat products. The HQ cages have worked exceedingly well for so many people!

The moral of the story is this: Just because something looks the same does not mean that it is the same! Please be sure that you are getting the most value for your dollar when making decisions on products as important as your family members' new home.

Can you tell the difference between these cages by looking at the photos? Perhaps, if the photos are large enough. The HQ cage has a "double bar" above the top door, the copy-cats generally do not:


HQ Cage	Copy-Cat Cage


HQ Cage	Copy-Cat Cage

HQ Cages versus Copy-Cat Cages