Customer Reviews

Automatic Cat Feeder Combo CSF-3XL 1.8 Gal. With Analog timer, Stand and Bowl

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We've been through every automatic feeder there is. No, not just the ones on Amazon -- we also went through 2 "Perfect Pet Feeders" -- yes the $450 polished chrome thing you see online. Both units shipped broken with different problems, I wouldn't recommend that feeder to anyone.

Nothing was working -- the cheapest feeder on Amazon was inconsistent and the first one shipped broken (wouldn't feed ever).

What I liked so much about this feeder when I finally saw it was the *lack* of frills and the use of an external (replacable) timer unit. While we all like glitzy/expensive machines to do our bidding (especially me), I was so fed up with ultra-fancy, computer-controlled machines that never worked that the utter simplicity of this device really got me intrigued.

NOTE: I was a bit turned off by the pictures of this, thinking there was going to be a lot of complexity with putting it together and wiring it up -- don't worry, it's not complex. The pictures just make it look like some sort of electronic science kit. It's just as easy to put together as anything else you've ever bought that needed minor assembly.

Anyway, we got the feeder, plugged it in, adjusted the size of the mouth (to match the food pellet size) and then the duration of the motor run-time (which determines how much food comes out with each feeding) and then on the dial-timer, set it to trigger the feeder every 3 hours.

That was 6 months ago... we've never messed with it since and just make sure it's filled with food every few weeks.

The cats are happy and go running every time it turns on, we're happy... everyone is happy.

Absolutely recommend you give this one a try.

This is the best feeder ever. We purchased it from super-feed.com -- and they are very helpful and accommodating. We have NO complaints about this feeder. Fill it and forget it. Totally reliable. We have three cats -- and one overeats. This is just the ticket for regular feeding during vacations, so that one cat doesn't pig out. Takes a couple of hours to get it calibrated to the correct feed amount (very adjustable). Recommend getting your own timer -- cheaper -- but get one that has a battery backup so a few hours of power outage don't affect the time or settings. We replaced the SS bowl with a much wider flat plastic one (actually a takeout food container) -- so that all three cats can eat at once. We also tilted the bowl forward a bit, screwing it down to an inclined board, so that the food doesn't gather under the dispenser (causing the kitties to jostle each other, as well as the feeder). This is the first review I've ever left -- typically this isn't my style but this is just too good not to recommend.

2011 update: We bought this in July 2008; it's now June 2011 -- we are still very satisfied and using the exact same setup described above. MAINTENANCE: The feed mechanism requires some cleaning once or twice a year (we feed 3X a day and use the auto-feeder for all feeding). It could be the food we use (Purina One), but the roller that adjusts the feeding amount can get a little greasy after constant use. When food begins to stick a bit on the roller teeth, it can lessen the delivered amount. It requires some disassembly to clean the roller. My kitties notify me vocally when the feeder is not "putting out". But if we haven't cleaned it for awhile, it's something we check before leaving them with a house-sitter for extended periods.

The CSF-3 quart superfeeder has worked out very well for me so far. It has made feeding my multi-cat household a controlled amount of food very simple. The cats no longer bug me for food because the feeder's set schedule removes me from the equation. Now they just hang out by the feeder when they know food is on its way. Cats do really well with routines so this worked out perfectly.

This is a great product for people looking to control their indoor cats' weight without the hassle of having to be around for multiple small feedings. Works great as a vacation feeder too!

I love it, it's totally worth the investment considering how expensive and low-quality the other automatic feeders out there are.

This is a nice feeder. I happened to have purchased one a few years

back.

The super-feed company was very quick in answering a question that I

had by

e-mail within an hour or two! I think they are family owned so they

appear

to be "on top of things" when it comes to customer service and

quick

shipping. This feeder is by far the best in the world for feeding cats.

What makes it so great is that you can calibrate how much food comes

out at

once with a volume control and the time cycle. I am amazed that I

haven't

seen it in the big stores, although, this is the first time I have seen

it

on Amazon. I finally get to sleep without my cat waking me up!

Considering

what other reviewers have stated on other brands, I rank this feeder a

5

star!

I've been thrilled with my Super-Feeder. It wasn't too hard to set up and worked perfectly from the beginning. Now my cat's on a regular eating schedule with just the right amount of food for her, she's less anxious and "pesty" around feeding time, and I don't have to feel guilty if I'm gone during her mealtime. She may actually have transferred her affection from me to the feeder ...

We love this feeder and so do our cats!! They know the sound of the crunchie cat food hitting the metal bowl and they go trotting through the house to eat! My husband and I are routinely gone for 4-6 days at a time working as a pilot and flight attendant for a major airline. We lost our long time cat sitter and we discovered this feeder. It really has taken the worry out of us being gone for more than a day. The customer service is really the best I have ever seen and I am not kidding! You can shoot the owners an email, and you will have a very prompt response. GET THIS, it holds ALOT of food and you can adjust the time and amount of food. We highly recommend.

We totally love this thing. We have a cat who LOVES to eat and was constantly hanging out near his dish begging. The auto-feeder takes us out of the loop, he has slimmed down and , it dispenses as many times a day and as much as we want it to plus resets in a power failure. We left the cat home alone for 4 plus days and he was just fine. Highly recommend

Two of our four cats have no control over their eating, and it has been a real struggle for us to have them eat the right amount of food. This feeder had really good reviews so we decided to give it a try. It has worked really well. The hopper allows us to go 2 weeks without filling and the timer that came with it allows us to do eight feedings a day.

This company really concentrates on the details, starting with the packing. The box was very, very well packed. They didn't waste a single cubic inch of space. The feeder was easy to put together (although the instructions weren't entirely clear in a couple of places) and it has worked very well.

One word of caution. The stand's back piece is high enough to strap down the main feeder, but not the hopper. It looked like the hopper would be supported OK, but our 6 pound kitten got curious and was able to tip it, causing the hopper to separate from the rest of the feeder. I extended the back support and strapped down the hopper and it's fine now. So if you get the unit with the full hopper, get a chunk of 2x4 and extend the back so you can strap down the top of the hopper.

I have been using this product for two years to feed two cats, but I was faced with replacing the unit a week ago because of a broken metal rod that keeps the chute in place. I decided against replacing the assembly and here's why.

The storage bin essentially feeds down into a chamber with what looks like a hair curler. Based on the kibble size, you can adjust the distance of the chute to the curler with a hand adjustable screw. The motor is set to run for a fixed amount of time, where the time is controlled at a granular level by a plastic screwdriver (provided by manufacturer) that you feed into a control sitting on a circuit board. The timer, of course, controls how frequently the motor is powered on.

My frustration is in the tinkering effort for this feeder. Ultimately you are trying to get a certain amount of food distributed across a day, but this is controlled by the aperture between the chute and the curler, the amount of time the motor runs, and the frequency of the timer. The timer is easy to control - it is all digital. However, getting the aperture just right required a significant amount of trial and error, as it was very sensitive to the size of the kibble - way overfeeding if the aperture were a little too big, and way underfeeding if the aperture were slightly too small. Also, I cannot say how many times I adjusted the motor run time with the screw, and the control on the circuit board can be difficult to find depending on where the feeder is placed.

I will say the individual parts seemed to be of high quality, and if you need the most flexibility (see pictures on the manufacturer site of different outdoor setups), then this is the right product for you. But if you want something for indoors that is simple to configure and tweak, there is just way too much futzing to get the feeding just right, which I experienced all the way up until the component failure. If the timer were built in, the dispensing mechanism were more robust and insensitive to kibble size, and all the adjustments were digital and easy to tweak, I would have considered a new one. But instead I went with a Pet Feedster, which seems to have addressed all of these deficiencies. I am very happy with that replacement, and the price point is very close, so I suggest looking at it before making your ultimate buying decision.

I purchased this feeder over a month ago and have been using it to feed my cat who was an overzealous eater. I chose this product (though more expensive than others) because it seemed to have very good reviews.

Assembly:

The assembly of the product was not too challenging. I did watch the online videos from the company's website which were helpful. There was some confusion as to which directions I should be listening to as apparently there are a few versions of the feeder, timer, etc.

Cat's reaction:

My cat was initially afraid of the device. I am sure that the mechanical sound was a bit scary and she was timid about approaching the food dish. Once she realized that it would not make a sound any longer - she eagerly approached and ate. She was quick to pick up on the feeding times and generally waited in front of the feeder for the time when her food would be dispensed.

**Important Note**

There is no battery back-up on the feeder. And if the power goes out - your cat will not be fed. Also to note: Power did go out once and the feeder reset the feeding amount. Unfortunately, I did not think of this occurring, so the feeder dispensed twice the amount of food that my cat would normally get. I didn't notice the problem until my cat was getting heavy and lethargic.

Overall:

Great product which I am very happy with.