Squirrel Buster Standard Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder w/4 Metal Perches, 1.3-pound Seed Capacity, garden green

I've purchased to large and one small Squirrel Buster Feeders over the last several years. They are wonderful! They do, in fact, keep squirrels from plowing through seed, are easy to fill and clean. Yes, they are pricey, but they are worth it. Lesser priced feeders do not do the job and are a waste of money. These last for years.

I like seeing birds in my yard, so I decided to get a birdfeeder. First I got a cheap plastic one at Walmart. Within two days the pesky squirrels had knocked it down and literally broke it into pieces (broke off the perches and opened the flaps to get the seed. First battle, squirrels win. So I asked around (I like word of mouth). A friend told me about the "Squirrel Buster." I'm impulsive, bought the standard model. It came, I assembled it without reading any instructions (I'm a retired engineer -- we don't need no stinking instructions) but it was very simple to put together. What can I say? IT WORKS! Clever, well-designed, simple. The birds love it and the squirrels hate it. This company is amazing. They will replace any broken parts for free forever! Lifetime warranty. They have videos on their website. They have different models to handle different types of birds and different sizes. The "trap door" mechanism is even adjustable to different weights (I left it as set when it came and it worked). A fabulous product!

Have had several of these feeders, big & small. They deter the squirrels really well, so the birds get all the seed. I will continue to stick with this feeder as it works really well.

Enough people have sung the praises of this feeder, so I won't take up too much space with that. Feeder effectively repels squirrels and is easy to open and fill. Feeder must be installed on a hook that is too far from the pole/tree for squirrels to simply climb the pole/tree and reach over (if their hind legs are on the pole/tree, the feeder will not be triggered to close), or the pole must be set up too far from any trees for squirrels to jump over. You will have no issues with squirrels, although I cannot speak for raccoons or bears.As others have said, slightly larger birds have trouble balancing on the perches, although I have seen cardinals and jays manage. Their fumbling can kind of displace the perches slightly, which is a quick fix but annoying. The dispensing funnel is slightly narrower than I would like and occasionally gets blocked up if you're passing anything other than straight un-shelled sunflower seed through it. If you live somewhere humid, that can be a problem. I daily check it for blockages.The feeder is fairly durable. It's survived being knocked to the ground and banged around by raccoons several times (until I found the proper place to hang it), although I think too much impact would crack the plastic of the dispenser. Squirrels have chipped some of the paint through chewing at the feeder in vain. Instructions say it's dishwasher safe but I wouldn't risk it. Just disassemble it and scrub it with some dish soap and an old toothbrush.A note if you loathe squirrels: They will still be attracted to your feeder by the seeds the birds knock out. They will daily try to get in. It's not a problem for me since I don't mind them cleaning up around the feeders, but they will be foraging around underneath and climbing all over the thing on a near hourly basis. This does sometimes spook birds away. It's unavoidable. Perhaps filling the feeder with some sort of hot seed would stop this, but I don't mind.Birds I've seen at my feeder (I live in Florida):Northern CardinalTufted TitmouseCarolina ChickadeeBlue JayCarolina Wren (rare)Red Bellied WoodpeckerDowny or Hairy Woodpecker, can't tell whichI have not had doves or crows attempt to get at the feeder. If raccoons can reach it, they will dislodge it from the hook or smack it around till all the seed falls out, so be aware. As-is, it's nearly perfect, and by far one of the best feeders on the market.

This review is for the Squirrel Buster Standard Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder w/4 Metal Perches, 1.3-pound Seed Capacity.I only wish we had done this years ago. Prior to the feeder, we would occasionally get a glimpse of colorful birds in the neighborhood, but never regularly on our property or trees. It took about a week for the birds to discover the feeder in our yard, but now it's a regular stop for several species who's colors vary wildly from bright red male Cardinals to the muted browns on the Morning Doves. Ultimately we did adjust the weight setting slightly lighter after seeing some of the larger birds that couldn't roost without activating the sleeve had learned to start to land and then hit the feeder hard enough to dump seeds to the ground. Adjusting the weight threshold is easy, but it does require the feeder to be disassembeled in order to make adjustments. Essentially, you are adjusting the internal spring tension to set the level at which the outer shell will move downward and cover the feeding ports on the inner sleve. Once adjusted, the larger birds hit and run tactics were defeated, but they still drop by to scavange under the feeder on the ground. This adjustment also meant some of the 'mid' sized birds we were previously feeding could no longer feed directly from the ports so they too scavange on the ground. The squirrels continue to be completely defeated and have never been able to get food from the feeder (they join the larger birds on the ground seeking scraps).Observations for consideration:- We initially had this hanging from the outer edge of our covered porch so we could see the birds clearly. While that was very visually satisfying (and drove our indoor cats nuts as they have several window perches), the spilled and discarded seed/husks that scatter over five foot diameter around the feeder are a pain to clean up. The bird poop was worse and required a broom and high pressure hose to get off the concrete. We ultimately moved it out into the farthest reaches of our yard - still visible, still captures the cat's attention, but the mess it creates is now in the grass under the tree were it's not a daily pain to clean (especially the poop).- You may also want to consider what other critters the scattered bird feed will bring near to your house and plan appropriately. Had I thought this through initially, squirrels (aka tree rats) are enough reason to put the feeder farther away and not attached to my porch.- This only holds 1.3 pounds of seed and runs out in two days. We didn't want to spend a lot on our first bird seed dispenser, but in hindsight - I do wish we had gone ahead and purchased a larger feeder so I only had to fill it once a week.- We leave it empty for at least a day between refills so the birds will eat most of the spills that fall to the ground. So far that seems to work pretty well and I'm not seeing a lot of uneaten seed when I refill on day four.- Adjusting the weight is easy, but it does not have any markings besides the '+' and '-' indicators. The + will allow heavier birds to use the feeder, and adjusting toward the '-' will activate the outer shell sooner so that only lighter birds can feed. You will have to do a little trial/error to dial in your feeder if you don't like the factory default setting.- In order for this to work on squirrels, you cannot give them a perch to reach across to the feeder (resulting in their weight being low enough to not trigger the outer sleeve to pull down and cover the feeding ports. The feeder needs to have several feet to the sides and ground to work properly for squirrels. Note the manufacturer states this does not deter juvenile Red Squirrels or Chipmunks (we do not have either of these where I live).

After spending a small fortune on different kinds of baffles, feeders, and springs, etc. only to have the squirrels give me the finger, I was pessimistic about another “squirrel proof” bird feeder, but this one really works! I have seen them try to steal bird seed but they can’t. The only thing I don’t like is the feeder is too small for large birds like Mourning Doves and Grackles to fit on the perches to feed. They will have to eat the seed that falls to the ground. Excellent product! Wish I’d bought it first!

I've been fighting a losing battle to keep squirrels away from the bird seed in the feeders - the problem is that squirrels are quite bright and have found ways around the other so-called squirrel proof feeders I've tried. As far as I can see and after some weeks of use, this feeder really does keep the squirrels away - I can's see how they defeat the spring mechanism which lowers a barrier when they put their weight on the perches. The mechanism can apparently be fine-tuned to stop heavier birds from feeding too, though I don't have this problem. The feeder looks well-made (and so it should be for the price) and its straightforward to clean. All in all it's worth the money to me - song birds are feeding from it regularly and squirrels no longer even try to get the seed.

Great customer service. I have 5 different style feeders. I got my first about 10 years ago. Twice I have needed parts and they replaced them free of charge. The birds like them and the squirrels don't. They use quality materials and innovative designs. Good Canadian company.

I have several of these feeders around the garden and the squirrels can not get into them so long as you don't have them near a handy places where the squirrel could reach out to them. They are excellent feeders and the birds love them. They do get messy sometimes so need cleaning from time to time.I fill them with sunflower hearts which the birds love particularly Goldfinches ! My only negative about these feeders are that they are expensive but they do last !!

Wanted to find an affordable feeder that could be used by birds and limit other animal activity... The mechanism works/have not had issues with squirrels!