We were VERY skeptical about ordering this - wondering if it would fit well, how economical the bags would be, odor control, etc... - But now that we've had it over 4 months (at the time of this review) I think it's safe to give experienced opinions. First opinion - GLAD WE BOUGHT THIS! * THIS REVIEW/RESULTS BASED ON USE FOR TWO ADULT MALE CATS, POPULAR CLUMPING LITTER, BOX SCOOPED EVERY DAY * * THE PROS: - VERY SIMPLE TO USE. It's so easy to remove a full bag and start a new one. - SMALL STATURE / BIG CAPACITY. fits well in most cramped places, but still big enough to hold plenty of waste. - NO MORE SHOPPING BAGS - Anyone who has toiled with this knows - it's a hassle and not environmentally friendly. The "green" plastic bag supply for Litter Champ is way better to deal with and more biodegradable. - HOLDS A LOT OF WASTE - Even with TWO cats, clumping litter, and daily scooping, we only have to change out the bag every FIVE DAYS! - BAG/LINER LAST A LONG TIME - FOR US ONE TUBE LASTS OVER 3 MONTHS! Yes, really! The "bags" are actually one very long "tube" of bag/liner material that you simply snip/tie off to remove pieces of when full. We just recently ran out of the one that came with it - the first bag supply just lasted us from March 20th to July 15th! - LIFE IS BETTER - Dealing with litter removal is simply more pleasant than before. Pressing with a foot to pop the lid and simply dump clumps into Litter Champ is SO much easier than what we were doing before. - REFILLS ARE ECONOMICAL - At the time of this review (July 25, 2012) refills are available 3 for $22 at [...] - based on our experience with the first roll that's OVER 9 MONTHS SUPPLY for $22! From our calculations based on the first roll, the bags cost us less than $30 per year! - REFILL ROLL EASY TO REPLACE - We were concerned that it might be a pain to replace the bag since it's one long continues tube, but the refills are extremely EASY to replace. Most people won;t even have to read the directions, but if you do it will probably only be once. Very simple / fast to replace! - REMOVING A FULL UNIT - So simple - open the front door, grab the green plastic and pull it out a little, and use the built-in slicer right in the door to chop the top and tie it off. Done! ----- * THE CONS (really only one worth mentioning: - THE SCOOP THAT COMES WITH IT - As other reviewers have mentioned, the holes in the scoop that comes with it (and fits the lid perfectly for neater scooping) are a little wider than most other scoops, therefore it misses some of the "finer crumbles" of clumped litter, so we use a finer scoop most of the time. This is not a big deal if your finer scoop is small like the one that comes with this unit, but if you use a larger scoop like we do then it's harder to get everything into the unit as neatly. So for us this means a little extra cleanup on the top / around the unit itself if we're not careful. - CLEANING INSIDE THE LID - This really shouldn't even be a "con", it's a fact of life when dealing with cat litter. The top area surrounding the hole for dumping the scoop into the unit gets litter crumb buildup on it and occasionally you have to brush the litter crumbs into the unit so the lid will close firmly. ----- * THE DEBATABLE: - ODOR CONTROL - Some reviewers complain that there's not enough odor control. For my family the experience has been different - we think the odor control is very good EXCEPT while you're scooping or removing a full bag. When the unit is open like that, then yes it can be a bit stinky in the room, BUT the other 99% of the time while the Lid and Door sit closed then the odor control is fine. (At least in our experience after almost 4 months using Litter Champ). ----- ** BOTTOM LINE: HAPPY PURCHASE - The Pros FAR outweigh the Cons and we highly recommend the Litter Champ! It has made our daily scooping and litter room maintenance a much easier / more pleasant experience. We save time, trouble, and mess. Way less hassle that shopping bags, and better for the environment since the green bag/liner for Litter Champ is far more biodegradable than plastic shopping bags. WORKS GREAT, MAKES LIFE EASIER! STARS - Taking off one star for the scoop holes being too big and having to use a different scoop. ----- UPDATE - JUNE 2013: We bought this Litter Champ on March 16, 2012 We bought our first Litter Champ 3-Pack Refill bags July 11, 2012 We bought our second Litter Champ 3-Pack Refill bags December 31, 2012 As of today June 3, 2013, we still have one Refill bag/tube left to go. So doing the math, we're averaging one Litter Champ 3-Pack Refill about every 4 to 5 months = about $48 a year WAY more economical than the competitor product we tested, which required a refill bag/tube within 3 weeks. So even after testing out it's biggest competitor (which now sits in the garage collecting dust) we're still VERY happy with this purchase. It saves us a lot of time, hassle, and money. (And although there is no solid proof - the bags are much more biodegradable / exo-friendly than using plastic shopping bags). At less than $50 per year (at current price) for refill bags/tubes, this is SO worth it! Very convenient, easy, clean, and economical.
