New SS cage with sharp edges

[WakaWaka]

It was obvious you were talking about the KC 506 by reading your previous posts. It was probably a test cage they had extra because the welds were not polished like the other poster wrote.

Personally I only had good experiences with dealing with Kings Cages so I was surprised by your thread, but your happy now and your awesome B&G.

Merry Christmas :xmas_lol2

View attachment 19944

Actually, 90% of the welds were very good. They just left a a lot of seams without welds.
I would not use a pressure washer on the cage. Too many places for the water to get in and possibly take forever to drain out. I would have to drill drain holes to ensure all the water came out of the hollow tube SS. After all the de-burring, I'm done.

It was suggested previously that this cage may have been a test piece used for fixture setup.
I have photos from Kings that shows a sample from their existing inventory exhibits the same issues with sharp edges. The photos were taken from pieces that they offered to send as replacement parts. Also they confirmed verbally that they do not sell any test cages and that their cages are made in Turkey.

After discussions with a friend that my wife works with, they have a Kings SS 506 that was purchased a few years ago and it does not have any sharp edges. They are very happy with it and feel it is a safe home for their green wing.

I promise to post the remaining pics and wrap up the rest of the facts as soon as possible.

We wish you good luck with your future purchase, flock, and also a Merry Christmas too !

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[Timneh]

Turkey? Interesting I though their all made in China.
Thanks for your update.

 

[WakaWaka]

Turkey? Interesting I though their all made in China.
Thanks for your update.

Yes, two different people in their customer service department informed me that they are made in Turkey.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl and Arika

 

[Timneh]

Turkey? Interesting I though their all made in China.
Thanks for your update.

Yes, two different people in their customer service department informed me that they are made in Turkey.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl and Arika

I called myself because I think I will buy this SS506 for my future macaw rescue.
The SS506 cage is not made in Turkey, they are made in the Czech republic, maybe you misheard them.
Also they got in a new shipment of them without any sharp edges.
The man I talked to who told me they are made in Czech rep. also said they open them up and double check the Czech (joke) welds and edges before sending to customer. If they find a sharp edge they take care of it.
$2550 is a good price for this size SS cage made in Europe, I'm getting close to buying it, and even though I hate spending that much it's a cage for life.

 

[WakaWaka]

It sounds like they realized they have some issues and switched manufacturers.

If they agree to check every nook and cranny for sharp edges and will only ship ones that are verified safe, then it may be worth a try. Just make sure you keep all the boxes and wooden skid in the event that it has to go back.

SS is really nice, but as Birdman has stated, expect to get many years out of a powder coated steel cage too.

The one we had for PJ was powder coated (I don't remember who made it). We had him for 29 years and the cage lasted well over 20 years before showing signs of paint wear. Of course he was a Severe and I can only imagine a full size Macaw putting more wear and tear on it.

I sincerely hope that Kings has realized that they were shipping cages with sharp edges and took corrective action. If you decide to go with them, please be careful unpacking, examine everything, take inventory, and follow up with your experience.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[WakaWaka]

I'm enclosing the pics that are of our cage detailing the unfinished welds (possible places for water to enter the hollow SS tube). One pic shows the sharp edges and small tack weld on the bottom tray. I sent these pics to KingsCages so they could see the issues and compare what they had in the warehouse before sending parts or a new cage for replacement that had the same or similar defects.

To ensure that the pics (ours vs theirs) stay separated, I'll include their pics in the next post.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[WakaWaka]

Enclosed are the pics sent to me from KingCages showing a cage in their warehouse. One pic shows the sharp edges on the round bars that are sheared off. The other shows a small tack weld on the bottom tray and sharp edges (same as what we have on ours).
We politely declined the replacement and/or exchange of parts since we had already invested many hours correcting the unsafe issues on her cage.

While someone could argue that the bird is not exposed to the bottom tray, think again. Arika has express interest in the tray and seed catcher many times while we are playing with her on the floor. Plus it is something that we are exposed to while cleaning her cage.

Bottom line, we were very concerned that they considered this lack of quality acceptable and were willing to offer replacement with the same defects.

Hopefully they have improved their QC and will not ship anything like is shown above.

Mods, we have covered this issue factually and accurately based on our experience. Hopefully anyone purchasing cages, toys, accessories from any manufacturer inspects them carefully before allowing their feathered babies near them.

Like we said before, think like a bird, put yourself inside the cage and see what kind of trouble you would like to get into, then do something about it to make it safe.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[Timneh]

Yeah that's kinda crappy workmanship

 

[Scott]

Outstanding information and posts, Kelly and Karl! Taking care to source a safe cage, and following up hazards with text and pictures is admirable and helpful! Arika is so fortunate to have you as parronts!!

 

[WakaWaka]

Just to follow up on Arika's cage.
Everything is holding up well with one exception.

W noticed her bending one of the short round bars on the top that now has a broken weld.
I took two pieces of wood, bolted the pieces inside and outside the cage to clamp the broken rod to the square tubing.
This will have to do untill we can remove the top, take it outside and TIG weld the broken area. At least it will keep her from prying the bar further, possibly getting cut or falling and also prevent a larger hole from developing if she manages to break the other weld.
I'll do a more thorough inspection on the rest of the welds while we have the cage apart and touch up anything that needs it.

Frustrating !!!!

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[Scott]

Well, that is frustrating! Seems Arika is performing quality control tests of the welds! Typical macaw behavior!!

 

[WakaWaka]

Well, that is frustrating! Seems Arika is performing quality control tests of the welds! Typical macaw behavior!!

LOL, Yes and unfortunately doing a very good job

Just a quick pic of the temp fix to prevent it from getting worse. I'm sure it will get a few laughs.

The sections of java wood were originally cut and drilled to remove space from one of her other big block toys. They fit just right with an oversized stainless bolt to keep the loose rod on the left from moving.

This new anomaly has attracted her curiosity of course and she is trying to exercise her beak on it. You can see where she started peeling the bark off the short piece inside the cage.

I managed to secure the bolt very well and so far it's holding. I know it's only a mater of time before she manages to work it loose but this should buy us some time. We'll either need to come up with a more secure temporary fix or have a warm enough day to get it outside and weld it properly.

Sometimes you have to make do with what you have on quick notice.
We've learned that we need to keep a lot of extra stainless hardware handy.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Welding QC Inspector Arika