TL;DR, I personally like this cage better than the Midwest Critter Deluxe! Not as sturdy, less heavy, takes up far less space while being an appropriate size, prefer the door and latch.Okay, so I'm weird about rodent cages. I've variously owned hamsters and rats, and right now I have two young rat girls. I ordered the Midwest Critter Deluxe, which I think is a great size and option for adult rats, but I live in an apartment. You can see in the photo that a cage any larger than this one would be far too large. The Midwest looked ridiculous and was too big for my petite girls. People like the full size doors on the Midwest, but personally I like the door on this cage a lot better.The latch is not as shown as others have said, I like this one better and I like it better than the Midwest. The cage has great air flow and the sizing is small enough to contain small rats. The extra openings for birds are totally manageable and easy to secure. The vertical space is great for rats. The platforms are adjustable. It's all around a great cage.Cons: takes a long time to put together, about 2.5 hours. My instructions were wrong and i spent a lot of time with the Allen wrench. It doesn't seem like it would be sturdy on its stand, but I've had no problem. The bars are on the thinner side, but as long as you're not banging it around it's not a big deal. THE WIRE ON THE BOTTOM AND PLATFORMS AND LADDERS ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR RATS. I used a shelf liner that I cut to size and Velcro attached to the platforms and ladder, and I put the pan on the inside of the cage.Other pros: lots of storage. Easy to accommodate to rats. Great door. Lightweight compared to the Midwest. Great size for 2 rats, MAYBE 4 smaller adult females. Attractive, easy to clean.I'm really picky about cages. It's SO HARD to find large cages that have tight wire spacing, which is critical to prevent escape, especially for hamsters or rats. I highly recommend this cage as a quality and affordable option for your critters, and I personally prefer it to the Midwest for home use. If i had the space, sure, I'd have kept the Midwest because the size could accommodate 4-6 rats easily. But I prefer the features on this cage :)