KC Hardware Door Bottom Sweep with Rain Drip Cap| Exterior Door Rain Guard| Bottom Door Weather Stripping| Door Rain Drip Guard |Black Anodized Aluminum with Grey Vinyl Insert| 48 Inch

I have a large front door, and needed an oversized sweep for the bottom. This 48" sweep looked good, so I ordered it, planning to cut it down to the 42.5" that I need.They ship it in a long cardboard box of triangular dimensions, and it is flimsy in such a very long length of cardboard that is only about 6" on a side (triangle, three-sided box, 4.5 feet long). As you might expect, it came to me bent from transit. The box was clearly collapsed and bent so many times it was just flexible, no strength left in it. The metal sweep was of course bent as well, which is a problem to mount on a straight, flat door.I was thinking of sending it back, but pretty sure others will be shipped just as poorly. So I undertook the effort of straightening it out, which is fairly time-consuming and challenging, since it's well-made enough to resist either bending or straightening. I used some clamps along a length of 2x6, and put shims under the bent parts to allow the clamps to apply variable pressure in ways that eventually did get it straight enough to use.If this had been any more badly bent, that would not have been possible - basically, if any of the metal had "kinked" into a point. But it was all just curved type bends, allowing for straightening. With this very poor shipping material, it could easily have arrived in an L-shape, and forced a return. I got lucky, plus had the skill and clamps and time to fix it.I'll add some pics if I get a chance, but to summarize:1> works fine, once I cut it to length and straightened it out adequately.2> The manufacturer needs to ship it in a strong cardboard tube, such as you'd use for a rolled up picture or poster, or other long, skinny, fragile things. I've had many things shipped in that manner, never had one come in crushed or bent (although that is possible regardless how strong of a tube you use). Just - as it stands, my guess is that 90% or more of them arrive bent. That's just stupid and thoughtless, and no doubt results in lots of needless returns.3> Installing this was fairly straightforward, since I had the needed drills and drivers. But they should include the right bit with the screws, for those who do NOT necessarily have the exact bit needed here.4> Aesthetically, this sweep is good looking and well-made.5> I have a side cutter (rotary blade grinder type) that cut this to length with ease. A hacksaw would work too, but lots more work. A saws-all (reciprocating saw) with a hacksaw type blade would also work, but these last two would need clamps and things I was able to avoid using the side cutter. I did it by hand, easy peasy. Note that any of these should involve eye protection - saws and bits of metal are nothing to mess with, protect your eyes (goggles), protect your hands (gloves).6> All told, this took about 2 hours. It was about an hour to straighten it out (could have done it in 20-30 minutes without distractions), and another hour or so to measure, cut it a bit long, hold in place, measure again, cut more carefully for the final length and shape, then clamp it to the bottom of the door and drill/screw it into place. Not trivial but not especially challenging either.In the final analysis, I don't know whether to recommend this or not. It's quite a nice sweep, but it could arrive too bent to use, and will do so on many occasions if mine is any example. That box is just stupid bad. So, your call on if you want to risk having to return it two or three times before getting a straight one, or if you want to look at other similar solutions. But there aren't a lot to choose from in the length I needed, and that 48" length was perfect for my outsized needs. Good luck!

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