Customer Reviews

ScoopFree Litter Tray Refills with Premium Blue Crystals, 6 pack

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I love this company and it's product. Their customer support is second to none. Having said that, I do have an issue with the ever increasing price of the cartridges. When I bought mine, a box of six replacement cartridges was about $75.00. It is now over $95.00. I have three cats which makes this cost prohibitive, as I have to change mine out every ten days or so,making a box of six cartridges last 2 months. Doing the math, I am spending $45.00 a month in cat litter. This is unacceptable. I think this company should drop their price of replacement cartridges!

I have three cats. Two females, and a male. When I bought this unit and started using the cartridges, the oldest female was 13. There was an adopted male that was 1, and a female rescue cat (horribly set upon by mange and god knows what else during the three months she spent in the alley before we rescued her), who was also about 1.

I was concerned that the alley cat would have issues adapting to a new box. She did not - even though she absolutely *hated* the male cat and did whatever she could to avoid him. But she used the same litter box that he did. Almost two years later, she still hisses at the male cat and acts tough with him (he still thinks she's playing, the dork; he has no idea that she wants him roasting over a firepit like a stuck pig and considers his attempts to play an act of war), but she still shares the same litter box.

This was a godsend. If you have problems with the litter or the unit, be sure to call the company first before abandoning it. I noticed one reviewer here who did that, and the solution to their problem was very simple and quick.

EDIT 9/29: The price for this item continues to climb. For a while it was around $70, then $80, now it's nearly $100. This system is becoming more and more popular, so it would stand to reason that the price should be dropping. Go figure.

This product is the best litter system I've ever used. But you don't have to buy these cardboard cartridges. Go to e-bay and look for "forever cartridges" there's a guy that makes these out of pvc and you can buy the crystal litter to fill them. It costs me about 1/2 as opposed to buying the scoop free cartridges.

We adore our ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box - our only point of contention is buying these refills. Yes, the refills work fine. We love the whole concept of this system, the crystals are awesome at absorbing the odor, the tines never clump. However, it is pricey to buy in essence a cardboard box with some crystals in it for this much money. So we experimented and found a solution.

Instead, we take their cardboard box and spray it with a regular spray lacquer like you find at any Michael's store - a few coats. That makes it waterproof. Then we buy standard crystals at a WalMart. We get a ton of uses out of it, and just wash the box itself out every few weeks. We have two cats - one an 18 pounder, so rather large. He doesn't have any issues at all with this. I'll note that he doesn't have his front claws, but our smaller cat (8 pounds or so) is fully clawed and hasn't had any issues with this either. No "claws through the cardboard" or anything. I imagine if you had some sort of tear-happy kitty you could reinforce the bottom with a sheet of plexiglass very easily, which would be quite washable and durable too.

For us, however, that wasn't necessary. Yes we might have to buy one of these every number of months to get a fresh, clean box to start with, but other than that you can certainly "create your own" without having to buy their units.

I'm not sure how to rate the unit then. I'll give it a 5/5 because it is an awesome idea and you should get one or two to start with. However, keep in mind that you don't need to keep buying them if you don't want to - it's just as easy to make your own once you understand how they work.

I bought this system just before Christmas for our two cats. While it significantly reduces the odor and the mess, we go through one cartridge every week to 10 days. With a 6-pack of refills costing about $100 plus shipping, that means I am spending over $50 per month (and possibly up to almost $70!) on CAT LITTER! There is absolutely NO WAY this product costs more than a few dollars each to make. While I really like the product, I really dislike the price, and if the pricing doesn't go down in the next couple of months, I will be looking at other brands/options.

My feelings about this product are mixed. I love not having to scoop out poop every other day, which I've done for over 16 years-- almost 17. I had been looking for an automatic cleaner for awhile and finally settled on the Scoop Free litter box after reading all the reviews. I honestly do not know how people say this box lasts for 20-30 days!! At most, 7 days. I have one elderly cat and I stretch the box to about 10 days before it becomes unbearable to open my washroom (where the box is) because of the strong urine smell. I ordered 9 boxes online in the summer '08 thinking they would last the year at least and I just had to reorder another 6 boxes (December '08). I buy in bulk for the reduced price but am finding that with the rising cost, I'll just go ahead and purchase at Target for about a $1 less. If there is some secret to this product that I do not know about, or if my cat is an aberration, I just do not understand how people with 3 cats use this and change every 14-20 days. Do they store it outside where they cannot smell it? I will stick with this because I figure I have a few more years with my cat and it's not worth purchasing something much more expensive. I've already paid much more than I expected to.

I have been using this for years with my cat, Ricky. One tray refill lasts about 3 weeks with him. So, six trays will last quite a while. I really like this product a lot. It traps the odor and does an effective job. I keep this item in my cart at all times and monitor the price. When it drops, I buy it. For example, on May 11, 2010 it was $85.43... which is $14.24 per tray. Great price, so I bought it. Most of the time, I see the price hovering around $99... so when the price drops, you need to snag it!

In regards to knock-offs... I tried twice another brand. That brand did not trap the odor and the litter smell was gross. The tray only lasted two weeks. I went back to Fresh Step Crystals/ScoopFree litter trays and will not buy an off-brand again.

I hope this review helps you make your decision. Thank you!

i purchased the expensive unit with all extras for $149.99 ..... then purchased these refills...the only word that comes to mind is "false advertising" ... there is no way on god's green earth this a tray can last 30 days unless you have an invisible imaginary cat, virtual reality cat or toy /battery operated cat ... all of which would have invisible imaginary pooooooppppp .... i cannot get even 7 days from each tray with 2 cats .... after 3 or 4 days i have to add extra crystals purchased elsewhere to try and absorb urine and odors.... additionally be aware you need to put the lid on the bottom (unless you want all the urine to leak to your floor) .... furthermore to add insult to injury the expense of these trays that last 1 week is simply outrageous ... i was willing to pay that if they lasted 1 month as advertised or two weeks for two cats but THEY DO NOT LAST EVEN CLOSE TO THAT... the smell is unberable on the 4th day and i have to also empty poop in addition to adding crystals if i want to get 7 days out of a tray....
first time i have had cats, will now go to typical litter systems ... ah, btw crystals get all over (even with the 20 purple mat, yes purchased that too) and crystals and poop get raked behind the back of the unit onto the floor , i assume because these trays are no where near deep enough .... wish i had seen a review like mine prior to investing, i cannot comprehend the great reviews on this unit .... there is no way my cats poop too much or that a universe exists where these trays last 30 days

I love this product and litter system. Originally purchased the system on QVC but buy my cartridges on Amazon because it's cheaper (plus free shipping if you've signed up and this stuff is heavy). I have one cat - a Cornish Rex - who is very, very fussy where she goes. With regular litter boxes, she'd leave a mess if not scooped every day by backing up to hang over the box. Yulk. This system is perfect for her and me. I don't scoop and it lasts the entire month. Around the 20th day, I take a scooper and remix the litter pellets in the main area (not under the lid). Then, you have the fresh smell until day 31. Whoever invented this system was a genius.

For the money, these cartridges should be 100% plastic lined. The current design has a plastic lined base, but urine can still creep up the sides and "wet" the cardboard.

Make no mistake, the system is the best I've used; but Scoop Free needs to update these refills to prevent urine saturation.

My cats:

1) 18lb Russian Blue, 13 years old
2) 10lb Calico, 12 years old

Each has their own Scoop Free litter box. We get about 3 weeks of use out of each refill cartridges.