Customer Reviews

SmartScoop Self-Scooping Litter Box SSD400

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

I purchased the SmartScoop after having tried the LitterRobot and have now moved on to the ScoopFree. SmartScoop was by far the worst of the bunch.

The mechanism and tray together are about the same size as the ScoopFree if you have any experience there. The tray is very large and so can accomodate a large cat if need be; my cat has aim problems and so the large tray was a good thing.

I used World's Best Cat Litter with the SmartScoop. WBCL is a great great clumping litter. Unfortunately it didn't fair well with the SmartScoop. Even using the SmartScoop non-stick spray, the clumps wouldn't budge from the plastic tray when the rake tried to take them. Also, the rake only reaches down half way through the litter and so rather than grabbing the entire clumps, it only grabbed their top halves and left the rest.

The rake then gets to the end of the tray and flips all the way over to toss the junk in the removable waste tray. Not good! The rake literally catapulted the half-clump that it picked up out of the litter box.

My cat never got a chance to poop in the box (because I was done testing it after the catapulted pee incident), but maybe the solid waste would have faired better with the rake?

I definitely wouldn't recommend this one.

I've been using the new SmartScoop self scooping litter box since mid September and highly recommend it!!!

The design of this product is more robust and reliable than anything in its price range (e.g. LitterMaid's product...I owned and saw it break down right after the warranty period expired, of course). We dreaded every having to go on a week's vacation having to come back to a mess on the floor. One time, we came back and there was waste built up in the litter box and the rake was jammed in the middle of it and the motor was still going, wearing out the gears. After our LitterMaid unit bit the dust, we threw it away and we switched back to the regular litter box (back to the messy clean up) until something better came along!!

We bought the SmartScoop when it first came out. We've since taken a 3-day long weekend vacation and were curious to see how it would hold up when we got back. We were pleasantly surprised! There was very little litter outside the box (probably from the cat jumping out of the litter box). There was waste in the receptacle and NO waste left over in the litter box area. The unit was not jammed or anything like that!! So far so good! : )

I like how the removable waste receptacle bin is simply lined with an inexpensive disposable plastic sleeve type bag instead of the more expensive and bulky plastic tubs and lids that you have to buy with the LitterMaid unit. SmartScoop's disposable bags are easier to dispose of and change out once a week...very refreshing! I didn't buy the deluxe model (with the sample sprays) but I did buy them separately and they do work to keep the waste from sticking to the box as well as keep the smell down to unnoticeable levels...I see the price that Amazon is selling the deluxe model at now and I definitely would have gone for that instead! The sprays go a long way and are not something I see myself having to buy very frequently.

I also really like the fact that the SmartScoop does not have a lot of "other expensive things" you need to buy to keep maintaining its operation. All you'll really need to continuously buy are the plastic bag liners (which comes in ample supply with the SmartScoop in the box to get you going).

Most importantly, the unit is very quiet and my cat took to it very quickly...I just placed it in the same spot where the regular litter box was. The unit automatically cycles about 15 minutes after the cat does it's "business" in the laundry room so he never notices the SmartScoop moving.

So far, the SmartScoop is everything that we hoped it would be. I could never see myself buying a litter box system for anything more than the lower $100's. Again, I highly recommend the SmartScoop litter box!! Finally, someone got it right! : )

L. May

Akron, Ohio

This is the first automatic litter pan I have ever purchased. So I can not rate any other one against this one first hand.

Smart Scoop is a real time saver for the most part. It works on a fairly simple principal that has motion sensors that activates the rake mechanism while your pet is doing their business. Once they leave within 15 minutes the rake mechanism begins the raking process to remove the waste into a holding container. One snafu I have encountered is that sometimes the solids tend to fit through the rake and get left behind. My opinion rake tongs could be a little bit closer to prevent this from happening.

**Update** (12/24/07) I fixed the problem of solids left behind. I simply bent each rake slightly inward starting at the middle and working my way to the next to last rake. This helped tremendously. No more poo left behind...

The quality and workmanship seems top notch and maintenance is minimal to maintain consistent operation for the owner.

To be totally honest depending on your pet and how much of a digger they are depends on what litter ends up on the floor around the box. My grey tiger refuses to use the ramp but chooses to jump over the side so tracking can be an issue at times. Sides of pan are adequately high enough to prevent scatter if you have an zealous digging, but a canopy would be a great addition but not sure if one is in the works by Smart Scoop or not. Corners do have holes for such an application but not sure if one is available at this time.

My honest opinion is this Smart Scoop is definitely worth purchasing. You no longer have to daily scoop clumps and poo and your pet has a clean and sanitary litter box thats free of odor and bacteria to use each and every time. All you have to do is empty the waste container every day or two and replenish the litter level once a week. I find that I use much less litter as the waste no longer sits there stinking up the fresh litter in the pan. My pet loves it and took to it in moments and is also memorized watching it go to work after she does her thing in it.

I think this is a great box! I have 7 cats so this is just one of many pans, but its nice to have one always clean for the pickier of my cats. Instead of wasting clean litter like littermaid, this rake scoops the clumps & dumps them into the bin instead of pushing it all, including clean litter into the bin. I just leave one of the liners in the bin & dump the bin every day or 2 & we're good to go again! Similar to the littermaid, you have to be sure not to over fill the litter as it jams the rake up, but there are lines in the pan that make it clear where the litter level should be. One thing I thought might be a problem, the rake does not go all the way to the back of the pan, I thought my cats would pee thru the rake & the rake would be "stuck" in a litter clump. This has happened, but it doesn't lock up the rake. When I see it, I just flip the rake up & scoop that particular clump. None of the automatic litter pans are totally maintenance free but again, its nice to have one pan thats generally clean all day long with out me scooping it 2-4 times a day!

Our cat has taken to the litter box but it does have a problem flinging waste over the end of the box and the tines for the rake are too wide. I called the company and they have fixed these problems and are sending out the fixes. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Our cat refused to use the crystal litter for the scoopfree box so we tried this one. The motor is quiet and the box is nice and large.

Oh where to begin with this complete waste of money.

From the get-go the unit never really seemed to be free of issues. For the first few goes (without even having a cat use it), the rake would only go half way, seem to get stuck, go back a forth half an inch a few times and then finally retreat to the start position. So in other words it never got to the end of the box so the rake never flipped up.

After making it go through several cycles it finally began to function properly.

But the rake is a major design flaw. I don't know about your cats, but mine don't make waste the size of a dog. They are what I would consider to be cat size. The rake though, the strips of metal are just too far apart. So even if it does get the pee clumps, it will leave the solid waste behind because the rake just goes by and the waste turns and slips between the rake.

I managed to get this product for a much lower price (79.99), but it wouldn't even be worth twenty. At this point the unit is nothing more than a box, which could be purchased for just a few dollars.

Maybe I expect too much?

Don't buy. It is a piece of junk. Plastic teeth on motor broke off, noisy and it flings litter outside the box. Made in China junk. We call it the "Who Flung POO" ritter box.

I purchased the Smartscoop to replace my Littermaid. Out of the box, the smartscoop would not detect when my cat entered the litterbox. I called the company (Our Pets) and they sent me a new motor unit. I received it within a week. The customer service department was very nice and apologetic for my inconvenience. The new unit did detect my cat. As far as how well the Smartscoop works, well it does not scoop up nearly as much of the waste as the Littermaid. I did try bending the tines as suggested in a previous review. That definitely helped.

The reason I did not purchase another Littermaid was my cat would sometimes urinate over the back of the unit and this caused the unit to short out after about a year. Also, the Littermaid was difficult to disassemble and clean. I don't have either of these problems with the Smartscoop, because all of the electrical components are outside the box and the Smartscoop disassembles in just a few minutes -- everything but the motor unit can be submerged in water for thorough cleaning.

If the people at Our Pets would address the tines of the rake being too far apart, I would rate this product at 5 stars.

I purchased this self scooper litter box after a littermaid stopped working. The first test run I did was a failure. It missed the litter completely. I called the customer service number and although they didn't answer, called me back in a short while. After describing the problem, they asked me to count the tines on the rake. Apparently there is an upgrade. Why they don't just tell you that in the first place I don't know. I got the upgrade a week later and it was easy to install. It works great now, and it cleans so much easier than the litter maid I had owned. I am so far happy with the purchase. I have had it one month.
Oh no......
Now I have had the product 3 months. It has stopped working and I am waiting for the company to respond...more to follow

This thing is worthless. Due to the wide spacing of the tines it misses a lot of stuff. It often throws stuff over the end of the box onto the floor. It requires daily manual scooping and clean-up.

We had a littermaid 700 for 3 years before it broke and it was far superior. It never threw stuff on the floor and the tines were close enough that it did get most stuff. Not great but it was worth using.

The littermaid creates as much work for you as a completely manual box.