Customer Reviews

PetSafe Freedom Door, Premium White

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So I previously had the plastic version of this PetSafe door. We used for several years and it served us well enough, although it probably ended up costing us hundreds in extra energy costs, but at least our cats could get to and from the screened in porch easily.

We had a new door installed during a recent home renovation and had to decide whether to keep the old plastic PetSafe or upgrade to something better. I looked around quite a bit, online and at local home improvement stores. To my surprise, I really didn't see anything better.

I decided to go ahead and order this Aluminum version, my logic being that an aluminum pet door was probably better than the plastic version I had. Right?

So was it better? Well, the plastic door insert that comes with this aluminum door is better because it has a small metal locking mechanism, so it is slightly more secure than the plastic insert of our previous version. I liked the tinted door flap, which makes it more difficult for people outside the door to see light from inside the house. That also seems to offer slightly better security. The aluminum frame is not really that ornate, however, with screws and metal bolts clearly visible. It looks reasonable once installed however.

The seal is about the same as the plastic version, but the magnet that keeps it in place is smaller. The stripping on the sides also pick up cat hair like crazy and really need to be cleaned daily. We didn't have this problem with the plastic version side stripping.

Others have mentioned this, but let me put this issue to rest: the plastic screws that ship with this product are completely unacceptable! These "screws" are what hold this door in place, and they are made out of plastic, for Pete's sake. And, being plastic, they perform exactly how one might expect plastic screws to perform. Your drill or screwdriver will strip the heads simply by screwing them in, and most likely, they are going to snap and break off if you ever have to take the door off. I tried taking this cat door off to paint the door, and had one break off completely, and the others were a serious pain to remove. Why were these plastic screws shipped with this product?

After a trip to the local hardware store, I found the correct metal screws and reinstalled the door without any trouble. With proper metal screws, the door can be installed much more securely with little worry about anything breaking or stripping if you need to remove it (or even installing it in the first place).

Don't buy this product unless you don't mind going to the hardware store and buying the proper mounting hardware yourself. At least the plastic screws that ship with this door give you something to hand the hardware handyman. "Excuse me, do you have any of these screws in metal?"

We have two vary large dogs, Leonbergers, and they love this door. It is sturdy enough that I expect years of good quality service. As for the plastic screws, they door is secure, and I appreciated not having to dig out the hack saw to cut off the extra length. Good product.

The installation went fine, but, like most everyone else, we did not use the flimsy plastic screws that came with the door. The plastic screws were so soft that they flexed like old string beans. The main disappointment is that this door does not stop drafts at all! The weatherstripping is so small that it does virtually nothing. And, if any sort of breeze blows toward the flap, the flap sails open as if an invisible dog were standing there. We knew that it isn't an insulated pet door but would have liked better performance than it offers. Heavier duty weatherstripping and/or magnet could do the trick. Next time, we will buy a serious weather handling pet door.

First off, this thing is huge. A normal person will easily fit through the opening. I knew this of course, but I needed enough space for a 150 lb dog to fit. Overall, install is pretty easy. The hardest part for me was to get the screws through. If you don't drill the holes perfectly level, you'll have a hard time lining up the two sides of the dog door. There's a piece that goes outside and one inside and they bolt together. I know people complained about the plastic bolt, but if you're not perfectly lined up, the plastic bolts will allow some movement. I found them to be plenty sturdy, and I'm not worried about someone forcing them off. As stated earlier, the person could easily just come through the dog door itself. The way I look at it, do you really want to sneak into a house with a dog big enough to require a door this big???

The only negative that I see, hence the 4 stars, is that with very little wind, the sides of the flap bellow, letting air in. The bottom has a magnetic strip so it stays put, but there is enough flexibility in the flap for it to bulge out and let air through. Other than that, it's great.

We ordered this door because the rating was for an up to 40 lb dog and the door size was stated to be 13 X 21. No where does it state that the actual door opening is 11 x 8 which will not accommdate any 40 lb dog I know of. The larger door would be more appropriate.

Getting a doggie door is the best thing I ever did for myself and my dog. I had someone else install it so I can't speak to the installation process. But I agree that the size is misleading. My dog is only 16lbs and he barely fits through the small door. Also, after time, the magnetic strip doesn't always pull the flap closed. The romovable locking door works perfectly. Overall, I am very satisfied with this product.

I got this pet door at a hardware store about a year ago for about a 100 bucks. Thought to myself hmm, way too expensive but it's aluminum, must be worth it. Was a little sceptical about the color, but they all come in white, I have no idea why. Installation was quick and simple. As for the product itself, well here it is:

First, mine came with metal screws and twist on bolts that hold the plastic flap in place at the top. Once tightened the screws protrude from the bolts because they are too long. This can scrape your dogs back if you don't grind them down like I did. Second, after several hundred openings of your dog going in and out the bolts come loose from the vibrations and eventually fall off and get lost. I replaced mine with bolts with nylon fittings so that this would not happen. Third, the flap is very thin and the magnet holding it shut very weak. Once it gets windier outside the flap just flies around, this is specially a problem in the winter when cold air gets in, I had to add a piece of sheet metal to add some weight to the flap and keep it shut. Fourth, the flap is cheap plastic vinyl and the dogs just chew it up like paper, I replaced it about 5 times so far at about $35 per flap ( that is worth $5 at the most ). So finally, today I needed to order another flap, but PetSafe changed their web format and are asking me to include my two digit country code when I need three digits...

I eventually got this one:
[...]

so far so good, best of all NOO modifications.

We are very pleased with this product. We bought it to replace a previous door that my dog distroyed in a matter of months. (100 lb German Sheppard) This porduct has an aluminum frame and a sturdy security closure. I recommend it.

I recently replaced a RuffWeather dog door with this Pet Safe brand due to our dogs requiring a larger door than the one the house came with. The RuffWeather one was plastic, but had two flaps and a nice gasket seal around the edge which allowed to be virtually draft free even with the howling winds we get here in Colorado. The PetSafe brand however has no gasket, and the flap does not fit the hole precisely which allows a lot of draft to flow through. I would not recommend this door to anyone unless it is being used to go from one insulated area of the house to the other. If you need a door to go to the outside I would highly suggest the RuffWeather brand as it is comparably priced and is of much higher quality.

I wish we had bought this a long time ago! We have a Border Collie, a miniature Dachshund and a Beagle, and they all learned how to use it right away (the mini dachshund learned the quickest) and they all fit through it perfectly! My husband was against installing it because he was sure we would lose heat in the winter (we live in VT) and our kitchen is one of the coldest rooms in our house (where the door is that we were going to use for it) but I convinced him to install it because we were going to be gone for a couple of days and that way the dogs could go in and out as they needed. He said he wished he'd have installed it years ago! We could have saved ourselves a lot of "clean-ups" and especially since our Border Collie is getting old and not able to control his bladder like he used to. Every once in a while, I need to clean the edges of the door to keep the seal good but we can't feel any cold air coming in around it in the winter. I had debated on buying a more heavy-duty door because of VT winters but am very glad I went with this model. And the price was 1/2 of what I would have paid at the local pet store! (I checked) I love it!