The media could not be loaded. I typically don't review a lot but after having spent so much time trying to find a pet fountain that meets our criteria, I decided to share the knowledge I acquired after reviewing almost all available fountain on amazon and ordering 4 different fountains. We were looking for a fountain for our soon-to-be bengal cat who tend to be attracted to moving/flowing water sources. We also have a dog and were hoping to find one that can be used by both animals. Our main criteria were: (1) no or minimal plastic as it is less hygienic, often questionable dishwasher safe, especially over time, tends to collect biofilm and there is always the concern for chemical leak with prolonged exposure, it tends to be less durable than stainless steal/ceramic. Some animals develop acne with plastic which we were wanting to avoid at all costs. Bottom line of my search re plastic: minimizing plastic is possible but there was always going to be some plastic parts involved, mostly the pump container, tubing and some filter holders. We ruled out all plastic water fountains from the beginning which is why I was very intrigued by these two options. (2) Noise level of both water splashing and the pump (3) Smart features and safety features: does the pump run 24/7 or does it have energy (and filter) saving modes/does it turn off automatically with low water levels. (4) Backup mode for power outages? (5) Ease of cleaning / assembly (6) Design and durability (7) Filter efficiency (8) Cost of replacement filters as well as footprint on the environment with waste production by the filter (7) Suitable for both cat and dog? Larger dogs tend to require access to the reservoir given the anatomy of the drinking process which is why this specific fountain was very appealing Re (1): Biggest plus: Given that the entire bowl is made of ceramic/stainless steal, there is minimal exposure to plastic, exception being the filter/pump housing and power cord. It is not clearly labeled as BPA/BPB free. One downside of the ceramic version is the fact that the power cord wiring is not separate from the water reservoir (see picture) and ends up running through the water quite a bit with a few sharp angles and kinks. Re (2): It is LOUD! One of the main reason why we ended up retuning both bowls was the annoying and loud hum produced by the pump. It was audible even from other areas of the house and an absolute no-no for us. The splashing sound was not bad with the water bowl being full but once about 1/2" inch was gone, it was very audible. In addition, due to the vibration of the pump, the stainless steel version vibrates and worsens the noise, especially with lower water levels (see videos). Our dog who LOVES water wouln't even come near it and she has used other fountains without issues before.... I wonder how disturbing the noise may have been to her... Re (3): No smart features to turn the pump off during certain hours or periodically throughout the day which is not energy efficient and runs the filter down faster. Being environmentally conscious, we prefer to save some energy and minimize the amount of filter changes/waste production. Re (4) There is no backup mode for power outages but given the open reservoir design, this wouldn't be an issue for this model as pets can always access water from the large side opening. Re (5) One would think with a two piece bowl, cleaning would be easy, however, I found it quite cumbersome as the cord had to be de-attached from the power adapter and then wired through the hole each and every time you take the pump apart to put the pieces into the dishwasher. More so the ceramic version as the cord hole is built into the reservoir instead of having a separate area (see pictures of other reviews). Once I filled up the ceramic bowl and forgot to wire the pump through and then had to empty it out again as the cord comes out from underneath and can't be wired once it's already filled with water. The stainless steal version is very prone to resistant water marks, I had to scrub off water spots after 1/2 day of testing. The pump cover itself has lots of little edges, angles and creases that over time I can see being difficult to maintain clean and didn't appeal to me. Re (6): In theory a nice resign that allows both flowing water and access to the main reservoir. I am not sure how effective the filtering is though. All water that goes through the pump must pass though the tiny filter as it is enclosed within the pump housing, although the pump itself appeared very weak and was barely able to get the water to "sprinkle" up. (Re 7) The filter size is relatively small compared to the container volume. Other fountains seem to have much bigger filter surface area to water volume ratios. Aside from the noise, the major reason we decided not to keep either fountain was the design flaw of how the power cord has to take multiple sharp angles though the housing and in case of the ceramic version, also through the bowl itself before coming out. Over time, this just seems to be screaming for failure but this is just an assumption and I may be wrong. The ceramic fountain is sleek and good looking but definitely heavy. Some reviews had mentioned the ceramic version may leak because of the position of the cord opening. I found that even with a fully filled bowl, there's enough room for it to not flow over, provided that the bowl is filled on the ground and not carried while full (see picture). Lastly, replacement filters are relatively affordable but they do come assembled within the piece of plastic that cannot be removed and has to be thrown away each time. Not the most environmentally friendly setup, I wish there was a way to just replace the carbon bag instead of the entire plastic holder. One pro: the pump itself can be replaced separately in case of failure. Bottomline: Overall nice dog/cat open design, minimal plastic but it does come for the price of a loud pump and some design flaws and inconveniences. We decided to keep the Petkit ultraquiet cat/dog fountain in the end https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X8MHYSS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which is also not perfect but definitely meets our personal needs a bit better based on the above mentioned criteria. I also tried the "Intelligent Ceramic Pets Water Dispenser" (Ceramic white/blue bowl with red fish design) and that one i didn't even attempt to fill with water as it had no effective filtering whatsoever. Hope this helps!
