Pet Supplies · Head-to-head
MidWest Homes for Pets Foldable Metal Exercise Pen with Door vs Richell Convertible Indoor/Outdoor Pet Playpen 6 Panel
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Pet Playpens: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The MidWest wire pen wins on the thing that decides this category, which is buying enough height for the money, and it folds away and survives chewing. The Richell costs more but fixes the wire pen's one structural flaw with vertical slats, and it converts into a gate once the puppy phase ends.
MidWest Homes for Pets Foldable Metal Exercise Pen with Door
Buy itThe default pick: five heights, folds flat, chew-proof, and cheap enough to overbuy on height.
- Sold in about 24, 30, 36, 42, and 48 inch heights, so you can match the pen to the dog
- Accordion setup takes seconds with no tools, and it folds flat for storage
- Steel construction shrugs off teething puppies
- Add-on panels expand the footprint or reshape it around furniture
- Horizontal cross wires act as a ladder, and agile dogs are widely reported climbing out
- Many owners end up buying the separate wire top to close that gap
- Slides on hardwood and tile unless anchored or set on a mat
Richell Convertible Indoor/Outdoor Pet Playpen 6 Panel
Buy itVertical slats give climbers nothing to grip, and the panels lock into a gate or divider when the puppy phase ends.
- Vertical-slat panels with no horizontal rails, which removes the usual climbing foothold
- Locking caps hold panels at 90, 120, and 180 degrees for pen, divider, or gate layouts
- Molded plastic is mold and mildew resistant and hoses clean
- Wide plastic base is gentle on hardwood
- Large or pushy dogs can shove the whole pen across a smooth floor, and there is no built-in way to anchor it
- Costs well above a comparable wire pen and stores far less compactly
- In room-divider mode an agitated big dog can knock a panel out of alignment
Side by side
| MidWest Homes for Pets Foldable Metal Exercise Pen with Door | Richell Convertible Indoor/Outdoor Pet Playpen 6 Panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Most puppy owners, and anyone who wants maximum containment height for the least money. | Owners of climbers, and anyone whose pen has to live permanently in a room they care about. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $$$ · premium |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the MidWest Homes for Pets Foldable Metal Exercise Pen with Door - The default pick: five heights, folds flat, chew-proof, and cheap enough to overbuy on height. Choose the Richell Convertible Indoor/Outdoor Pet Playpen 6 Panel instead if owners of climbers, and anyone whose pen has to live permanently in a room they care about.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Pet Playpens: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).