Is a Cheap Security Gate Worth It?

Updated September 2026 by Mikael Harris, Sales & Commercial Manager.

A cheap security gate is worth it when it is a named product with a stated warranty and a finish matched to where it stands. Robo Door's Econo range is that: trellis doors from R3,500, burglar bars from R1,000, five-year manufacturing warranty. It is not when the low price means finish, lock, zone rating and warranty were left off.

What a low price usually leaves out

Missing line	What it means in year two
No finish stated	Usually red oxide and spray paint, or bare powder coat. In a fully exposed position the paint warranty is six months to a year, then rust
No product name or warranty	Nothing to claim against. Robo Door names the product line and its 2, 5 or 10 years on every quotation
No zone or exposure rating	A coastal or sprinkler-sprayed opening treated as sheltered inland; the coating fails and nobody is responsible
No locking specification	A single lock on a wide leaf, or a lock that does not line up after the first summer
No site visit	Made to a guessed size; binds, gaps or does not stack where it must
No installation line	Dragged across paving, mortar left on the coating; both are warranty exclusions when others install

What cheap can honestly be

Econo Trellis Door and Econo Burglar Bars are Robo Door's entry products. They are made in the Alrode factory to the measured opening, carry a five-year manufacturing warranty, and are offered in finishes from plain powder coat to hot-dip galvanising like every other steel product. For a sheltered inland opening, Econo with a powder-coat finish is a sound buy. What you give up against Deluxe is the ten-year manufacturing warranty and the Break-In Repair Guarantee, and on a scullery door or a bathroom window that trade is usually right.

What cheap cannot honestly be

A fully exposed garden gate in red oxide or bare powder coat. A sea-facing balcony barrier in plain steel. A front door barrier with no named warranty. A driveway gate with a motor and no battery, manual release or safety devices. In each case the low price is the cost of a repaint, a replacement or a failure moved from the quotation to a later date.

The finish is where the money hides

Finish	Paint warranty, sheltered	Paint warranty, fully exposed
Red oxide and spray paint	1 year	6 months
Powder coat, no primer	1 year	1 year
Sandblast, primer and powder coat	3 years	2 years
Hot-dip galvanising and powder coat	5 years	3 years, plus rust warranty by zone

Two quotations for the same gate can differ by the whole cost of sandblasting, priming or galvanising, and the cheaper one will not say so unless the finish is written down. Ask for it.

Cheap done right versus cheap done wrong

	Done right	Done wrong
Product	Econo Trellis Door, named on the quotation	"Security gate"
Warranty	5 years manufacturing, in writing	Not mentioned
Finish	Powder coat, chosen for a sheltered inland opening	Unspecified paint on an exposed opening
Site	Measured on a free site visit; zone and exposure recorded	Sized from a phone call
Fitting	Installed by Robo Door, or supply-only with instructions	Whoever is available
Outcome	Does its job for the warranty period and beyond	Repainted or replaced within two years

Where spending more pays back

Front door and patio slider: Deluxe, for the ten-year manufacturing warranty and the five-year Break-In Repair Guarantee.
Anything within 500 metres of the sea: Alu-Deluxe, because steel at the coast is a repaint schedule.
Fully exposed gates inland: Hot-dip galvanised steel, for the five-year paint warranty and a rust warranty of up to ten years.
Driveway automation: battery backup, manual release and safety devices, every time.

Where spending less is fine

Sheltered inland windows and secondary doors: Econo Fixture or Econo Burglar Bars, powder coated.
Openings you can fit yourself: supply-only, especially Robo Clear polycarbonate bars, which ship as a kit.
Phasing: the front and the patio now, the rest when budget allows. The quotation is itemised per opening for that reason.

Five questions that separate cheap from bad

What is the product line, and what is its manufacturing warranty in years?
Which finish, and what paint warranty follows from it?
What zone and exposure has been assumed for my address?
How many locking points, and what lock?
Who installs, and who carries the workmanship?

Robo Door's quotation answers all five on one page, whichever product line you choose, and the site visit that produces it is free.

Next step

Put two quotes side by side on product line, finish, locks and warranty before you compare totals; ours lists all four. Request a free quote, WhatsApp +27 82 888 1919 or call 082 888 1919.