ASOTVI Review of Over the Door Hooks

What is it? A coat rack that hangs from a door.

Rating: Doesn't Work As Advertised

We evaluated two versions of the 5-hook coat rack, a nickel finish version that wasn’t adjustable with respect to the door hooks, and a chrome version that was adjustable.

From a basic conceptual design point, this is a very simple product, with both versions consisting of a strong metal rack, attractively styled, that hangs from the top of a common door. When we placed both versions of the product on a door, it was indeed able to support the weight of a heavy coat, and multiple coats, which is its primary function. So far, so good.

The show-stopping issue we ran into with this product in both versions was its practicality in terms of actually using it. That is, in our evaluation as illustrated in our video, both versions of the product encountered issues with allowing the door to close with the product on it. With the non-adjustable version, the hook’s thickness at the very top came into contact with the door’s lintel (upper door jam) preventing the door from closing. Also, since the spacing of the hook was wider than the thickness of the door, even if it were able close on a door with a larger gap between the door and its jam, it could also be allowed to move when placing items on it and taking them off. Side to side movement might scratch or mar the door, whereas pulling a coat off and thereby also pulling the product forward from its coat hooks, has the potential to allow the hooks at the top to dig into the wood of the door on the other side and thereby damage it.

With the adjustable version of the product, it was possible to tighten the screw tabs such that the product was more secure. It’s top piece of metal was also thinner, allowing it to move into the door jam much better than the non-adjustable version. However, the adjustment tabs themselves, in our evaluation, came into contact with the door jam, thus preventing the door from closing.

Conclusion: If anyone were to use this product, we would highly recommend placing some kind of padding between the metal of this product and the painted surface of any door to prevent scratching or damage. Unfortunately, unless the jam of the door being used has a fairly significant gap (at least a quarter of an inch by our measurement of the product), as we discovered with the non-adjustable version of the product, the door may be prevented from closing by this product. So while it is indeed made well enough to support the weight of coats with its coat hooks, it isn’t reasonable to expect any user of this product to risk damage to a door, nor to give up the ability to close the door.