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Powder Coated VS. Stainless Steel Cages

sarahw

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As I am looking for a new cage for my parrot, I wanted to hear from owners here how many years they are able to get out of the cages that they have? When a powder coated cage is not longer usable, do some of you sandblast and repaint, or just toss?

Stainless steel seems to be the preferred cage material, but it is cost-prohibitive for many. Are owners with SS cages happy with their purchases?

Thank you in advance for your responses, and I look forward to hearing from the community here.
 

fashionfobie

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Not all powder coated cages are equal- some are pretty good, many are poor.

The thing with stainless is that you can buy with more confidence.

If you can't afford a stainless at the moment I have found that the paint jobs with the dimpled texture last much better than the high gloss paint jobs. These photos are for reference as to what I mean about the paint jobs.

Dimpled texture

51bu7ukU24L._AC_.jpg

High gloss
PET-BIRDCAGE-H173-05.jpg
 
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Mizzely

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I prefer high gloss powder coating as it's easier to clean :shrug: My Avian Adventures cage has some rust on the tray but otherwise it's finish is holding up well. I got it second hand in 2012, had a Hahns in it for a while and now it has a quaker in it.

Powder coating can easily cost more then the whole cage, so unless it's only one panel, I would probably repurchase.

I have a King's Aluminum that holds up well to my Jardine's. It's also second hand; I've had it for 6 years now.
 

camelotshadow

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Just because its stainless does not always make is a good/better cage. They have inferior made stainless cages too. Some stainless is just not as good. Could be thin & flimsy etc. Just saying a very thick powder coated cage coudl last better than an inferior weak cheaply constructed one made of stainless.

I've had 3 avian adventures one is the poquito hotel. They are strong cages & hold up well. Not bought one since 2014 though & around then the cage design changed a bit so can't say how the modern AA which is now called Midwest are constructed.

Penny has a Cal Cage & its made well but its a 22 plus year old cage.

Unfortunately now most of them are made in China so the quality may not be like they once were..

I have the kings alum travel cage & its very nice
 
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Shezbug

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Ohhh I would love a SS cage! My powder coat cage has been used for 2 1/2 years and has lots of the powder coat worn off in certain areas, it also has some rust on it, and some of the welds have been broken.
If you know where the SS for your cage is made and where the cage itself is made that should be more than enough information to give you a fair idea if you are buying an inferior SS product- there are only a few places I am aware of that have been known to make and sell inferior SS. I have seen a few secondhand SS cages for sale that have claimed to have been used for over ten years and they still looked brand new- if they had of been bigger I would have bought them but they were not big enough for my bird :(
 

dollfish

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fashionfobie

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@fashionfobie I thought the dimpled ones were wrought iron?
It is possible that is where the look originated, though I doubt mass produced cages are using wrought iron. It would be fairly heavy to ship. I currently don't have steel cages, though I do highly recommend one for a person considering it. The dimpled look is a textured powered coat. If you google that you can learn more about it :)
 
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