Gardman 7661 Fruit Cage Medium, 30" Long x 78" Wide x 63" High (Colors may vary)

“The connecting fittings are cheap, brittle plastic, that will break and split during assembly.”“The plastic joining pieces aren't well made.”“The connectors on this cage began to break even as it was being assembled for the first time.”“The connections are a little flimsy”“More than one of the plastic joints cracked when inserting the pipe.”“The connectors don't hold the pieces of pipe.”“All the plastic connectors shattered when I tried to attach them to the skimpy little poles.”The above comments are selected from the Amazon customer reviews for the Gardman 7661 Fruit Cage Medium, 30" Long x 78" Wide x 63" High. Anyone see a trend? I found the instructions insufficient, with no text to explain the drawings. I finally realized that since the pipes have different diameters, the connectors also must have different diameters. Trial and error wasn’t effective, as you could force a pipe into a smaller connector (probably resulting in so many connectors cracking). I finally realized that there was a barely visible “D” on one of the orifices (holes) on the triple pipe connectors, indicating in which orifice to place the “D” pipe. The other two orifices were not labeled so I had to guess which orifice fit the “a” pipe and which orifice fit the “C” pipe. My confusion was complete when I discovered that on the two 4 orifice connectors, one of the orifices had an “E” label…and there is no “E” pipe that corresponds.I think many of the negative comments could be addressed by better instructions. I wasted two evenings trying to figure out the “orifice problem”. I haven’t even started on attaching the netting.

Ok, so I don't generally leave comments but I felt this one had so many negative reviews I wanted to pass along my experience. I was certainly concerned about buying it but it was the only one I found big enough so I decided to go for it.First, the package was in good shape and it did not appear to be a returned item just reshipped. The posts had bubble wrap around every edge, the netting was rolled up neatly and all parts were present. So while some may have had a bad experience, mine looked new.Second, it's a bit early to put it outside here in the north east but I did want to see how it went together so I decided to put the frame together down my cellar. I also figured I could then bring sections up when I am ready. The instructions are a bit cryptic but that is not uncommon anymore. It took me about 45 minutes to put it together alone. There were a couple points where I thought I was missing something but the realized where I went wrong and it was very easy to correct. Essentially the 2 end sections are different since one is the doorway. So just keep that in mind and it should go ok.So that is as far as I have gotten so far. It is a pretty big structure so I can imagine the netting will be a bit of work alone. I'll have to update this once I get it outside and see how it works but so far I am optimistic.

I bought to try to see if it worked, to keep deer away. The net didn't fit the frame at all. Way too long on one direction and too short. Tried different ways, but wrong size. Very disappointing.

I needed to protect my strawberries from squirrels, rabbits, and birds. Unfortunately, as the netting is made of fabric, they could eat right through the netting and onto my strawberries.This was very easy to assemble, and as the other reviewer mentioned, the netting is loose, so you have to use the included zip-ties to secure it. There is also no door or hinge to allow you to open it and reach your hand in - you'd have to pick the thing up every time, and it's huge (even in the small size) but lightweight. I was not confident that a squirrel, mouse, or rabbit couldn't just lightly burrow or squeeze underneath it to get to the goods.I went to the hardware store and picked up a roll of metal fencing for $15 and spent an hour or two building a perfect cage for my strawberries that still allows sunlight and pollinators through, but critters don't stand a chance. I wanted the convenience of easy assembly and having it shipped to my door, but it wouldn't suffice for my needs and now I have to return it, which is a pain in the neck as the box is large and there are many parts.

This huge enclosure is working well to keep my fruit from being devoured. Putting it up, the structure, goes well. Tossing on the mesh, well, for one person, it takes some time. One complaint is the many, tiny ties are prone to disintegration in the sun. So, you need to buy some functional, large ties to hold the mesh in place. The mesh given is a generous amount, so it all works out in the end, just takes a while to assemble the complete unit. Expect a couple of hours, at least, if assembling alone. The mesh is very strong, a king snake got tangled in the mesh, but the mesh held firm. It did not break or stretch. So I like the enclosure, but it takes AWHILE to assemble this huge thing. Placing the mesh over the top is frustrating - the mesh keeps sliding back off. Eventually, though, you do succeed. Just hang in there, be tenacious, devote some hours to it.

We purchased this cage to keep the birds away from our blueberry plants and this is the first year that we have not had one bird eat our blueberries. It works fantastic. It is good value for the money. It would cost more to purchase all the items individually and make a cage yourself. There are a few issues though. The instructions are not very good but its not hard to figure out how to assemble it. It took no time at all but it is a 2 person job simply because of the awkward size. The plastic ties they give you to hold the netting in place are very flimsy. I purchased new ones to use for it (very cheap at the dollar store). The netting is one long piece of netting-not shaped like the cage, so you have to drape it over the bars and pull it all the way around to get equal coverage throughout. Make sure to tuck the netting under the bars on the ground or the rabbits get in underneath. Overall, it does the job, I am going to order 2 more for my raspberries. I dont know how it will hold up through the winter but we shall see.

This is a tough review because it was better than expected in some ways but disappointing in others. I was pleasantly surprised that the push-on fittings for the frame were all metal, not plastic as in the description. The frame was also very easy to assemble. The spring buttons that hold it together, however, are a little thin and start to rust after the first rain, so long term reliability is a concern. The netting is a different story! It seems to be of good quality, but it is far too big and not at all form fitting. It is a pain to get it to fit nicely and you have to cut-to-waste quite a bit of it. At over $200 it should have come with a proper form-fitting mesh. Overall I think it will do the job of keeping birds and squirrels and rabbits out of my garden. I just hope it lasts for a few years.

Great product to keep the birds out but Is NOT squirrel and bunny proof they can chewing through the mesh.

Can you please contact me. The netting is twice as long and half as wide as actual frame.