Litter-Robot III Open Air Review – Self Cleaning Litter Box
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What can you expect in this review?
- Introduction – A short story
- The Importance of a clean litter box
- What is this litter-robot – What does it do?
- What are the features
- Advantages – disadvantages
- Is it worth the price ?
- What comes with the box ?
- Care and maintenance
- My experiences
- Final recommendation
- Unboxing & First days – Video Review
Introduction
The Litter-Robot III Open Air Automatic Self-cleaning Litter Box was delivered on our doorstep by the end of March 2018. It has this futuristic look, that’s why I often call it a Cat poop Portal into space… but that is maybe a step to far.
Here is my honest review of this product from a cat owner and a cat’s perspective.
This written review is completed with our Youtube Video Review and the end of this article.
The Importance of a clean litter box
As most cat owners know, cats are very clean animals. That is why it is important to keep a clean litter box. A cat’s sense of smell is many times stronger than ours, so a stinky litter box can cause your cat to look for an alternate location to do their business.
A dirty litter box is one of the top reasons why cats stop using a litter box. This means that scooping regularly (twice a day). If you don’t like scooping or you want to get this scooping automated, the litter robot may be a good solution for you and your kitty.
What is this litter-robot – What does it do?
The Litter-Robot is an automatic self-cleaning litter box. After that the cat has visited the globe, containing the litter, to do their business, the rotating sifting system automatically separates waste from clean litter, so you never have to scoop litter again!
The Litter-Robot is equipped with a Cat sensor, a weight-sensitive switch that detects when a cat enters and exits the globe. When the cat enters the globe, the cat sensor will get activated.
Once the cat exits the globe, a count-down to the rotating cleaning cycle will start. This delay will allow the clumps in the clumping litter to form clumps and to set.
After that, the sifting system cycles automatically and will separate the clumpes and dump then in the drawer below the globe.
What are the features
Here are the most important features that makes the use of the litter robot easy and worry-free :
- Timed settings:
- there are three different timed settings available before the globe starts rotating. 3 minutes, 7 minutes and 15 minutes. The timer will go off as soon as your cat steps into the Litter-Robot.
- a sensor will detect a shift in weight inside of the globe and set the timer off to the setting you’ve chosen. If you have multiple cats, a lower setting may be more efficient as to eliminate odors as much as possible.
- LED night-light: the globe automatically lights up at night with a soft blue light allowing your cats to see the unit in the dark.
- 8 hour sleep mode: you can set the unit so that it stops operating at night and continue operating the next day. The sleep mode will repeat each night.
- Safety features – probably the most important in my opinion
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Cat Re-Entry Protection : if the Cat Sensor detects that your cat is trying to enter the Litter-Robot during a cleaning cycle the Globe will stop rotating.
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Anti-Pinch Safety Feature : the Litter-Robot comes equipped with an Anti-Pinch Safety Feature to make the Litter-Robot extra safe for your cat. If a potential pinch condition is detected, the Globe automatically stops and then reverses direction for approximately 2 seconds.
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Internal Shield : the Internal Shield provides a barrier between interior working surfaces of Globe and interior area used by your cat preventing waste and litter residue from coming into contact with your cat.
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Automatic Shut Off : if the Globe becomes jammed or overloaded, the motor will stop automatically.
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- Money-Back Guarantee & Warrantee: the Litter-Robot Open Air comes with a 90 day money back guarantee and an 18 month warrantee.
Advantages – Disadvantages (Why you might want a self-cleaning litter robot)
Let’s start with the advantages
- Time saving, freedom from scooping, removing the clumps is easily done by removing and emptying the drawer, just as easy as taking out the kitchen garbage.
- Cost saving (litter) – the Litter-Robot only disposes soiled litter, preserving the maximal amount of clean litter each cycle, which means you’ll use just a fraction of what a traditional litter box requires. This results in a considerable cost saving.
- Reduced odor of the litter box – due to the way the Litter-Robot works, odor from the unit is much less noticeable, in comparison to both traditional litter boxes. The prompt cleaning cycle, a few minutes after your cat uses the Litter-Robot, the waste clumps are deposited in a drawer below the globe preventing odors from escaping. There is even a carbon filter in the waste drawer to eliminate the odor.
- The drawer underneath the globe, has plenty of space for several days’ worth of pet waste
- Always a clean
- Although you can buy special Litter Robot plastic waste bags, you can use any type of plastic bag that fits in the bottom drawer.
- Works with any clumping cat litter
Disadvantages
Here are, in my opinion, the most important disadvantages I want to share with you:
- Loss of observing possible problems: Scooping the litter box on a daily basis (actually, twice daily is better) is not only important for keeping the box clean and your cat happy – it’s a valuable diagnostic tool. At the veterinary clinic one of the first questions the veterinarian will ask is whether there has been a change in litter box habits. If you don’t scoop the box regularly you won’t be able to provide that valuable information.
- Initial Cost is higher than a normal classic litter boxes (but it is definitely worth it in my opinion because of the ease of use, no more scooping and the fact to have a clean litter box ready for your cat at any given moment).
- Pretty big for small apartments, so you need to check the size in relation to the room where you want to put the litter robot.
- A minor disadvantage at this moment is, that Casper (and so can other cats) is very attracted by the litter robot, especially when it is cycling and when the clumps are falling in the drawer. Sometimes when he is in a playing mood, he likes to hide in the litter robot and jump in and out. I do believe this will go away when he is more used to the litter robot.
- It is possible that kittens or small cats (under five pounds) will not activate the weight sensor. Therefor it is advisable to use the Litter-Robot in manual or “supervised” mode for kittens.
- Some older or overweight cats (15-20 pounds) may not be comfortable using the Litter-Robot or may have trouble getting in and out of the globe. The ramp may be a solution for this, it provides a gentle entry for your cat and catches litter on the way out.
Is it worth the price ?
This is the hardest question, because every home or household has it’s own budget.
The actual price is $ 449,00 US dollars. The Litter Robot isn’t cheap but in the long run, I definitely believe it is worth the investment.
The advantages I talked here above speak for themselves. So I am convinced!
If you think the same, as an extra you can save $25 off your purchase through this link:
Get $25 off your Litter-Robot 3 Open Air
or via the other links and buttons in this review.
What comes with that big box?
- Litter Robot Unit itself comes fully assembled. You don’t actually need to follow some rigorous installation guide to get it going. This is a very user-friendly. There is no need for the special tools and you can have the litter robot working in less than 5 minutes.
- Quick Installation Manual, which is very easy to understand and use
- AC Adapter, yes you need electric power source
- 3 Disposable Liners, the plastic bags to start with
- Carbon Filter For Odor Control – this filter is already set up in place in the bottom drawer.
Care and maintenance
It is my intention to clean the Litter Robot at least monthly or when I replace the litter bed with completely fresh litter.
Every four weeks I will empty the globe, unplug the litter robot and then I take it apart. Soap and a mild detergent are enough to clean all the components.
Lastly, make sure all the parts are completely dry before adding fresh litter, so it doesn’t clump up due to exposure to wet surfaces.
I will make a maintenance cleaning video soon.
It is my honest experience that
- you can start using the litter robot after five minutes: it comes fully installed so you don’t have to spend any time on assembling the product.
- the product instructions are very clear and easy to follow the product instructions to get it running.
- it can be used for multiple cats thanks to it’s large entry hole and globe, and will provide a clean litter box for every cat after cycling
- it has very handy function buttons with handy features (reset, sleep mode option, panel lock,…)
- safety is guaranteed with the cat sensor and the Anti-Pinch Safety Feature
- it can be used with any type of litter (we use the clumping litter of BioKat )
- it starts operating with just a simple push of a button
- we are going to save a lot of money on the lesser use of litter (my first estimations are that we can save up to 65% on litter)
- it is a very modern looking product that receives a lot of compliments by visitors
- is great for trying and see if it works for you: the litter robot comes with a 18 month product warranty; if you are not satisfied with the purchase there is 90-day-money-back guarantee
- the size of the Litter Robot is considerable so I advise before buying, to check the dimensions in relation to the spot where you would like to put it.
- The litter robot works fine with two cats too.
Final recommendation
I believe that the litter Robot is probably one of the most innovative products that I have seen to improve the life of cats and cat owners.
If you want to save money in the long run and free yourself from the hassle of litter scooping, I’d highly recommend that you give this product a try.
We will regularly update this review with our experiences.
Litter-Robot III Open Air – Arrival & Unboxing Video (FUNNY)
Leave us your thoughts
I can’t wait to hear your opinion about the Litter Robot. So let me know what you think of this product. Ask me any question you have, I will get back to you as soon as possible.
