XCEL - Black Steel Anti-Rust Fence Gate - Flat End Pickets - 4ft W x 5ft H - Easy Installation Kit, for Residential, Outdoor, Yard, Patio, Entry Way, on Soil or Concrete, 3-Rail Metal Gate

We needed a compliant pool fence and gate because we are fostering my great grand son and the house had to meet several requirements. After making several calls to local fence installers we were getting quotes upward of $3500. for the 40 feet of fence and gate we needed. While browsing Amazon I saw the Xcel fence components. I ordered what I needed for 40 feet which was 8 sections and a gate, all told $1000 and change plus free prime shipping! BTW ordering 8 or more sections gets you a good discount on the sections. The shipment was from a local source so it arrived in two days, all 9 boxes.I opened the box and found the gate components neatly packaged along with the instruction sheet. I soon realized that the measurements on the instruction sheet were incorrect but fortunately there as an addendum that had the correct measurements.You need to attach brackets to the posts, cut the post and attach a plate only if bolting the post to a concrete slab, otherwise it goes into a hole in the ground dug with a post hole digger. Once the post is in the hole you pour a 50 lb bag of post hole cement and add water on top as directed.Once the posts are in place and spaced according to the instructions you then add the rails. One on the bottom and two near the top or vice-versa depending on the style you selected from the instruction sheet.Once you have the rails in place you slide in the pickets, the pickets take no screws or bolts, they just clip into the grommets that are on the rails. You can install the pickets with each section you do or install them after all the sections are in place.Although I was apprehensive about the work that was required, I’m 63, I soon found the fence was easy to assemble even by myself. It is well designed and is a good quality fence. While it doesn’t substitute for a professional fence installation that is welded in place and made to fit the area perfectly it is a very good fence option for the budget minded do it yourselfer.Included are, screws, brackets, plastic caps, anchor bolts, concrete is not included however.As for tools, you will need a post hole digger, hammer drill if bolting to concrete, a level, tape measure, a metal cutting chop saw to cut the posts going on concrete and rails if a section ends up being shorter, the usual hand tools. I found the Bosch 12 volt LiOn drill and impact driver indispensable. Bosch Power Tools Combo Kit CLPK22-120A helper would be helpful as well.

I gave this product 5 stars because the gate is very well made, the parts all fit together nicely and the finish is excellent. All in all, I would buy it again. My only criticism is that the instructions did not explain how to use the tec screws. People who regularly use this product might know how, but I did not. I had to google the name to see how they functioned. There is a blog associated with the tec screw site that cautions against using any drill that has an impact feature. I found it necessary to use an ordinary drill at the lowest rpm possible. The screws do not tap easily into the steel. I experimented a little and found that drilling a 1/8 " pilot hole first and stopping before the screw was all the way in worked the best. I then used a hand driver to finish the installation. That worked fine. Again, I would buy it again. The dimensioning in the instructions is exceptionally detailed.

Overall, this product met expectations. You could get pieces at some big box hardware stores as well, but they charge for the panel, for the posts, etc. I needed a quick fence up to meet HOA requirements in my neighborhood.As you can tell from the pictures, the fence was installed on a slope but it worked fine. On a slope the top rail didn't align exactly so cutting the top rail where I needed it worked great for me. Angle griders are cheap at harbor freight, and cut this pretty easily.I ended up installing eleven posts for 6 panels and 3 gates. I used an angle grinder to cut some of the panels to the width I needed them to be.I also installed a removable post in the center of two gates. My wife found a perfect piece of a square two inch metal pipe that we cemented in the ground, about 20 inches long. we put the post inside that, and can be removed if we need to get something wide through two gates, like a truck.Just know that this is not an easy DIY project. Digging post holes with rocks, mixing and pouring cement in the post holes, getting the posts to line up side to side, front to back, and even with each other, and at the right height requires some skill and it's back breaking work.Make sure when you put in the vertical fence slats that you have them in the right way. The clips lock forever so pay close attention to the instructions there.Our bid for fence installers was about $7000 US. Going to a local fence supplier was about $3500 in parts. This system was about $1300 in parts, but I spent probably 40 hours on the whole project, and another $200 in tools.

Good design with solid material. Recommend to purchase

When we installed the gates, the would sag a few inches when the latch was opened. I called XCEL, and they said we need a tension bar, which is an accessory. Waiting to see how this comes out, whether it will remedy the problem or not. Will repost when we try that.

Assembly was straight forward and it looks fine.

They utilize plastic clips, hinges, etc on the connector parts. I destroyed half of the clips for the middle rods trying to put it together. The outside ells that hols it together are all plastic. The hinges are plastic. These are all going to fail. DONT BUY THIS.

This is an attractive but flimsily made gate. The plastic hinges cause a lot of sloppy sag. There are many parts that are loose fitting that cause sag as well. It has taken a number of trips to the hardware store to build compensating rigidity into the gate. But the hinges themselves do not appear that they will hold up. I’ll probably have to find steel replacements. I estimate it will take $30-$40 in additional structure reinforcement to make it useable for 5 years