petsupplies.co

Rubric v1 · 16 products scored

Dog crate rubric

Every product in this category is scored against the same rubric. Weights sum to 100. A hit on any disqualifier forces a "skip" verdict regardless of the point total.

Criteria & weights

  1. 1. Structural integrity

    Weight 20/100

    Signal: product description + spec sheet

    1. 10Reinforced welded frame, aluminum or steel body
    2. 5Heavy-gauge wire, standard welds
    3. 0Light-gauge wire, no reinforcement
  2. 2. Door security

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Multi-point locking with tamper-resistant hardware
    2. 5Dual latches
    3. 0Single slide-latch
  3. 3. Sizing chart

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Sizing chart with breed and weight ranges in inches/lbs
    2. 5General S/M/L only
    3. 0No sizing guidance
  4. 4. Ventilation and airflow

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Airflow on 3+ sides
    2. 5Ventilation on 2 sides
    3. 0Solid on 3+ sides
  5. 5. Floor pan

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Removable leak-proof pan, cleanable
    2. 5Removable pan, plastic
    3. 0No floor pan or non-removable
  6. 6. Travel certification

    Weight 20/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Crash-tested by an independent lab (e.g. CPS)
    2. 5IATA CR-82 airline-approved
    3. 0No certification (home-only crate)
  7. 7. Finish safety

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Lead-free powder-coat, rounded edges, tested
    2. 5Standard powder-coat, no defect reports
    3. 0Sharp exposed edges or unfinished welds

Disqualifiers

Any of the following forces a "skip" verdict, no matter how well the product scores on other criteria. Non-negotiable.

  • No sizing chart in inches or lbs
  • Sharp exposed edges reported by CPSC
  • Marketed as travel/car crate without crash-test evidence

Verdict thresholds

Total score cutoffs for each public verdict tier. Sum of weighted criterion scores maps directly onto these bands.

Editors' pick
80
Solid buy
65
Situational
50

Below 50, or any disqualifier hit → verdict: skip.