Customer Reviews

Petmate 22501 LitterLocker Plus with Microban, White/Planet Blue

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I bought the LitterLocker Plus last month as a trial-run because if it didn't work, I was going to send it back. The refill already came with so I didn't buy anything extra. The refill (with 2 cats) lasted about 3 weeks. I decided that I couldn't shell out that kind of money for a refill, so I took the empty refill to Wal-Mart and matched it up with a Diaper Genie refill from the kid's section and they are ALMOST a perfect match AND they are under $5.00. I use the white ones.

So, I think it's a good buy if you are tired of using plastic bags to scoop you kitty's litter and it really helps that you can use Diaper Genie refills.

We have a small house and just got our third adult cat. Since I am always concerned about litter box odor I thought the Litter Locker looked like a useful product for isolating waste without running constantly to the trash can in the garage. Similar in concept to a Diaper Genie, the Litter Locker turns out to be precisely what we need. It fits neatly by the side of the litter box, making frequent scooping (you need to use clumping litter) a breeze.

Even with three cats, we only need to empty the Litter Locker once every 3-4 days. I was concerned about how long the refills would last, but we are still on the first one and it's a month now since we started using it. We've had to take some stuff straight to the garage but 90% of the box contents has gone through the Litter Locker and we are just now getting to the end of the first refill cartridge.

The convenience of not having to go the garage in my PJs and slippers to dispose of the box waste every morning is wonderful! Since it's so easy to keep the box clean we can use just one box, so the savings on litter and plastic liners and disposal bags more than pays for Litter Locker refills.

The only reason I don't give the Litter Locker 5 stars (I would give it 4.75 if I could) is that the sides are a bit flimsy and it can be a little awkward to get a very full load out of it. However, it's completely sanitary, and even if I let it get too full it's not messy or disgusting to change. All the parts can easily be taken apart and washed if necessary - a very important feature. The bag is strong enough to hold the waste with leaking yet flexible enough to tie off easily for disposal.

The directions are great! There are two pages with pictures, which may look a bit overwhelming when unpacking it, but it's really easy to set up, use, and refill. The directions cover absolutely everything, but do it once and you don't need them again. It's a simple assembly that goes together very logically.

So ... one cat or a dozen, apartment or huge house, the Litter Locker is a great way to keep the place clean, sanitary and odor-free.

This product is great!

Its primary use for me is that it (1) keeps my outside trash bin from smelling (and p'eeew! how it was smelling bad) (2) is a convenience saving me to walk to the outside bin ever morning. I also think people living in apartments might like this quite a bit for the same reasons.... it turns a daily walk into a weekly walk, and is really is good at preventing odor from escaping.

In a nutshell the system works via a canister of "tubular plastic wrap" and every time you add the "scoops" from the litter box, you rotate the wheel 180 degrees which "seals" the recent scoops from the air supply within the "tube" as it is turned around itself.

Regarding odor the locker does not smell at all, although we store it in the garage nevertheless. I "reset" the system once a week (this is NOT mandatory) by taking a pair of scissors and cutting the "tube" and then discarding the waste for the previous week. The "output" of the locker is literally a "roll" (looks like a cross section of a garden hose roller) of cat refuse clumps within a rolled tube. You simply open the case, cut the tube, and discard the waste -- ODOR FREE! :)

I agree with other reviewers that the "high" estimate of canister life should not be interpreted as a mean. I get about 2-3 weeks on average (but I like to take extra "turns" now and then just to ensure odor control, as I stated, I "reset" the system once a week meaning I loose a couple "turns worth" in the resetting process (you have to tie a knot at the end of the plastic tube wrap which is what is "grabbed" onto by the locker's mechanism so as you turn the wheel the wrap advances).

I did calculate a cheaper solution would be to go to a warehouse club and buy bulk sealable pint size bags and simply seal and dispose of them daily; however, this would be less convenient although the odor control would remain the same. The price is well worth it to me but everyone's income, budget, and time preference is different. In any event, for one cat I estimate the total cost of ownership of this product for a year to be between $100 and $150.

Lastly, my only real complaint on this product (and the reason for only 4-stars). I can almost not believe they did not put a carrying handle on the unit. A simple plastic handle like on a child's sand bucket would have sufficed. Hence, one has to "carry" the unit by holding its sides or sort of by the bottom as in a waiter holding a tray. :(

In summary however, I love this product. It does exactly what I bought it for and for me it is well worth the money.

The Litter Locker isn't a bad product. It does effectively give you a convenient place to dispose of kitty litter waste, but it's got its drawbacks. First of all, setting up a new cartridge, although easy, is a bit combersome....you have to pull the bag out of the cartridge, tie a knot in it, then hook it around the axel just right so that turning the handle will pull it out correctly. When it's full, you have to dispose of the bag, then do the process all over...it's not entirely difficult but a bit time consuming. Secondly, you have to be careful not to overload it before turning the crank, otherwise it will be hard to turn. Most of all is the price and limited availability of the replacement cartridges; I can usually find them only at pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart, and they usually run about $10.00. So it is a bit costly over time. Also, it's hard to know when the cartridge is about to run out, so if you run out before you're finished, you have to wait until you get a new one before you can dispose of the rest of the waste. And the more cats you have (we have four), the faster your cartridge will run out, meaning you have to replace it more often, thus spending more money.

I find a better, less costly solution to be to buy a pack of brown paper lunch bags (usually about $2.00 for a pack of 100 depending on where you look) and simply use a paper bag to dump the waste in, then roll up the top and throw it away. The bag will keep in the odor so it doesn't stink up your trash can (or the room that it's in), they're much cheaper than the cartridges, and you know for sure when you are about to run out. I've been using this method for the last couple of months and find it works much better for me. Overall, if you have just one or two cats and don't mind putting in a little effort every once in a while and spending the extra money on the cartridges, you may find the Litter Locker to be a very fine product. It is convenient (except when you have to change the cartridge) and does a great job of locking away odor. However, for a more convenient and cost-effective solution, particularly with multiple cats, I'd recommend my paper bag method.

First, let me say that this is a great idea - but the Litter Locker, as others have said, is really flawed. I won't bore you with all of the details because Steve T in his October 28, 2007 review pretty much sums up the design problems - all of which I experienced for myself. Instead, I will share with you what I have found to be most effective.

I have 5 cats, so I really need odor control (no, not me personally). After doing some research, I bought the Diaper Genie II Elite and, let me tell you, it is PURRFECT. Don't confuse this with either the original Diaper Genie or the Diaper Genie II. Only buy the Elite model for cat litter. The other products are made for diapers only and will not work for cat litter. The Elite model has a foot pedal that opens the top for you so you can just drop in the droppings. Then, when the pedal is released, the droppings fall into the bag material, the bag is automatically sealed shut by a couple of plastic parts and the top closes. Genius. Simple. It's easy to see when the bag is getting full, it's easy to remove the filled bag and it's easy to make a new bag. The Litter Locker, by contrast, has none of these characteristics. I find that the unit has to be emptied about once a week. It completely eliminates the odors. I have teamed this up with the Bionaire Odor Grabber Litter Box and guests never "know" I have cats when they walk in my door.

Playtex Diaper Genie II Elite Pail System
Bionaire Odor Grabber Air-Cleaning Litter Box 78800-100

I bought this and it does keep me from running to the outside trash twice a day. Still, my 2 cats must produce a whole lot of waste because the refill cartridges don't seem to last more than 2 to 3 weeks and the litterlocker fills up about 2 or 3 times a week. Still, it does a good job of concealing the odors and I can pretend that I don't have indoor cats in between cleanings.
If I could improve it:
The refills would last longer
The container would be a little bit bigger
The blade for cutting the bags would be sharper
I'd add a little barrier to the hole where the waste goes so kitty litter isn't easily spilled out when you dump it in

Overall, I'm glad I bought it. It wouldn't be big enough storage for more than 2 cats, and as it is, my two give it a run for its money. I guess I should just be glad that my cats are regular and leave it at that. ;)

So we are a 4 cat household and thought the litter locker would be just the thing for keeping down odors with multiple scoops per day. We used it for three days and it fell out of the round track, it leaked litter all over, and it stunk up the bathroom worse than an open litter box. Maybe this would work well for a single cat home, but for several it's not worth the investment. Plus, they're not made well. The plastic is cheap, the parts barely fit together, and nothing holds in the odor with the plastic bags. We've decided to go with a diaper genie. At least those twist off the "deposits" and keep the stench from spreading.

This probably isn't for everyone, but I live on the third floor and almost a block from the dumpster. This little container means I only have to cart out the litter twice a week at the most. It contains odors perfectly and makes disposal easy. The refills aren't that expensive since it saves me double bagging the waste. If you've got more than one cat and a long trip to the trash, get it.

When I purchased the Litter Locker, I was tired of lugging bags of litter out to the dumpster on a daily basis.. It also made me procrastinate emptying the box itself.

The fact I can empty the box daily with ease is the major plus in this review. Secondly, the cartridge plastic really holds in odor. The plastic liner is a bit thin, so I was a bit skeptical when I initially set it up.

The container itself should be a bit sturdier plastic casing. The front button warps on occasion, so I have to be careful when picking it up. What I usually do, is take the wheel portion out(yes the wheel inside the case is removable) with the litter wrapped around, and carry it to the trashcan, leaving the case in the bathroom.

The refill cartridges are a bit pricey, but if you are careful not to wind the plastic wastefully, you can get average 1 1/2 months worth out of one refill.(this is what I get with 2 cats) I used to get mine at Walmart for around $6.50. Some people claim spending 10 dollars for one, which I find a bit hard to believe. If they are, they're not looking in the right places. I bought my recent ones online which averaged $7 a piece including shipping(I bought 5).

In conclusion, $25-29 for the original case which includes a cartridge, and at most, using one refill per month = $111 the first year and $84 each year after. That may seem like a chunk of money, but thats 365 days worth, 12 months; IF you use one cartridge per month, which isn't likely.

I rate this product 4 stars, because 5 is perfect, and not many items, even expensive high quality, are perfect.

This review is for the litter locker.

I bought this item at my local grocery store (stop&shop) for roughly 30 dollars. It looked a little flimsy, but turned out that once it was closed, the case supported itself nicely.

The only problems I've had with it:

1] It does not hold a lot before needing to be emptied

2] Sometimes the wheel won't continue to click forward without half a turn backwards first.

3] The opening for the dump area is a tad small, however, even if you spill some onto the edge of the bag cartridge, because of the way the bags are fed, any spillage goes right into the dump area when you turn the wheel anyway!

These however are not near enough to make me give a bad review of this little gem! Changing bags is a breeze, the cartridges of bags last a **long** time (over a month and a half so far on one bag cartridge, and I have 8, yes, EIGHT cats.) Replacements are roughly 8 dollars. A dollar per month per cat, for no litter smell and no mess? No problem!

It also features a wonderful scooper/sifter that tucks neatly into a removable and cleanable tray at the back of the unit.

If you have cats, you shouldn't be without this and good clumping litter!!!