Squirrel Buster Plus Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder w/Cardinal Ring and 6 Feeding Ports, 5.1-pound Seed Capacity, Adjustable, Pole-mountable (POLE ADAPTOR SOLD SEPARATELY), Green

L Parr United States

Finally a truely squirrel proof feeder!! Several updates!

I have purchased this feeder about a week ago and I just love it. I'm back here to purchase 2 more. I live on 3 acres of wooded land and I have a ton of squirrels that have defeated every feeder I have ever tried. After a week they are still trying but they have not been able to beat this feeder! Easy to assemble, easy to fill and holds a lot of seed. After a week of heavy activity I still have 3/4 of the feeder still full. My woodpeckers are back and goldfinches which were a rarity are now a common site several times a day! I'm using the same high quality seed, but they just seem to like this feeder better. I thought they might be able to chew through the cylinder but so far so good. That this is covered for life makes it a worthwhile investment. I just wish I would have gotten one sooner...I would have saved a fortune in bird seed. I've never been cheap on my feeders...always getting the best of what I thought was available and this feeder is actually less expensive then the last one they destroyed so I feel it is well worth the money. I have yet to take it apart, clean it and put it back together...I only do that once a month. If I find any issues with that I will update and lower my stars. I plan I purchasing several more for holiday gifts. UPDATE: I've had the feeder for about 4 months now. The squirrels gave up after about a month and don't go near it anymore. I found that as long as I clean the feeders every month or so, the seed stays dry even though I don't keep the feeder in a covered area like an overhang. CLEANING: it's important to clean these feeders or else mold will accumulate by the feeding holes and can harm the birds. I found disassembling the unit very easy and although it can go in the dishwasher, it cleans so fast with hot water I just do it by hand. I know this next warning is wasted on the guys but I will say it anyway: GO TO THE YOU TUBE VIDEO on how to disassemble before you try to clean this or I promise you will regret it. Even though I had watched the video once I still forgot the trick about sticking your fingers in the feeding holes to release the tube for cleaning (when you see the video you'll understand). Once taken apart it is a snap to clean and very easy to put back together. Just go the the Brome site or do a youtube seach on “How to clean a Brome birdfeeder”. I can say I am more than happy with the money spent on this feeder, it was more than worth the price tag and I highly recommend it. UPDATE: well I've had the bird feeders for over a year now and they continue to work wonderfully. The squirrels have given up on them although occasionally they pop by to try to foil them but are unsuccessful. The birdfeeders remain in good working order and they are very easy to clean. These feeders are worth every penny I paid for them. UPDATE: OK, I don’t remember the year that I’ve purchased this but it’s been a long time. I’d have to say over five years… And I wanna say closer to 10, but I’m not sure. So after all of these years, the plastic cylinder that holds the seeds cracked. I called Brome and all they needed was my name and address and they sent me out replacement parts, including a couple of extras that I wasn’t sure about. All at no charge. This is why you spend the extra money for this feeder! UPDATE: OK so I just checked the date and I bought this feeder originally in 2016 so it’s nearly 10 years old as I thought. The parts came but I didn’t think they fit, so I called customer service. That woman stayed on the phone with me for over 20 minutes and walked me through what I was doing wrong until I had the entire feeder back together! This is why you pay the money for this feeder, 10 years old and she treated me like I had just bought it last week! It just doesn’t get any better! The second photo is of the feeder now nearly 10 years old with the new replacement parts.

Outdoorsy Type United States

Wild birds approve! Squirrels… not so happy.

🚨 Updates at end of review, very important to know before buying! Original review — Don't worry about the review regarding this bird feeder dropping seed when the birds fly away. She must have been using feed that was ultra-fine grain or had a defective unit. My unit does not drop seed, even the fine stuff. I've watched it take squirrel impacts and no seed has fallen out. This is the best bird feeder I've ever had. The birds possibly love it more than I do. It's very high quality, has a great warranty, great unboxing experience obviously put together by ornithologists. Mechanics reading this will feel right at home, as every part has an ID that can be requested for replacement (and free of charge). You're getting your money's worth here... bravo Brome! The adjustable weighted counterbalance spring system is genius. It not only gives me the ability to cut off certain larger birds (like the mature male Grackle who must weigh 7oz. and is a messy eater) but also most importantly: squirrels. I live on a forest edge and my backyard is squirrel territory. Maybe you can relate, after all, you're looking at squirrel-proof bird feeder reviews on Amazon. Let me tell you, my squirrels (even flying varieties) have been attempting to Mission Impossible into this thing literally 24/7. Some are able to reach the bottom of the perch, which is counterweighted and promptly closes. Based on my birdseed usage, I can tell you – Not a single squirrel has gotten so much a seed directly out of this feeder. They have been, overnight, downgraded to bottom-feeders in this particular area containing the Squirrel Buster Plus. Don't be too excited to put it up and forget to MEASURE. It's the most important part. Make sure there's clearance around the feeder at recommended distance. Another really important thing is something they don't tell you: Make sure you don't have any smaller branches/twigs that can possibly be bent by the squirrels to use as a makeshift bungee to hang off of above your feeder to circumvent the counterweight. If attaching from a tree branch, make sure the branch you hang it off of is clear of any smaller branch offshoots or tree vines. IMPORTANT UPDATES – UPDATE 1: Squirrels managed to outsmart ME, not the bird feeder. They used their little hands to unhook the feeder from my carabiner and dropped the entire feeder onto the ground. The thing weighs a a lot, so shows me how strong these little buggers are. DO NOT use carabiners! Only use a metal chain that has a hard-to-disconnect latch. They WILL chew through rope and CAN unhook spring-loaded carabiners! UPDATE 2: Apparently 🦝raccoons🦝 can unscrew U-bolts and slide things out of keychains. I’m honestly astonished. Most recently caught them at 1am before the feeder fell down. It’s an ongoing battle. The issue isn’t with this bird feeder, it’s with whatever is holding it up. Chains, rope, hooks, straps, nuts and bolts; That’s the weak point. These nocturnal critters have a lot of time to experiment. Unfortunately for them, so do I. My latest plan is using an automotive U-bolt bracket over the tree branch. The bird feeder’s hook is locked into the bracket via two nuts. I plan on using Loctite Blue thread locker soon to cement the bolts in place. Unless the raccoons have an electric impact drill, this should buy me some time. I suspect their next gambit will be chewing through the bird feeder itself or perhaps the tree branch. I’m sure this will give me an opportunity to try out Brome’s replacement part program. Update 3 – I fought the squirrels and the squirrels won. They chewed through, to the core. Am contacting Brome to see what we can do. – Last updated on May 14th, 2022 Follow these tips and you'll have the same awesome experience I've had! :) Happy birding!

Peter United States

A Terrific, Quality Product That Really Works

This product has totally ruined the new year -- for the squirrels, that is! I have purchased a large assortment of allegedly "squirrel-proof" bird feeders over a period of several decades. None of them has lived up to this representation -- until now. I had pretty much decided never to buy another bird feeder based upon a representation that it was "squirrel-proof". Everything I purchased before was essentially a trinket, doomed to failure at the paws of the extremely clever squirrels we raise here in Northern Illinois. Then, a few weeks ago, I noticed the Brome Squirrel-Buster Plus on Amazon.com -- and was amazed to see that there were HUNDREDS of positive reviews and NO negative ones, something I have never before noticed in Amazon ratings. So, I purchased two. I have not been disappointed. However, it is sad to see the expressions on the faces of the large number of ultra-plump squirrels who have mooched on my bird feeders for decades. They are genuinely crestfallen. It is a sorry sight to behold -- but my bird food tab is going down, down, down. Try it! Year Later Addendum: It's now over a year since I purchased two Brome Squirrel Buster Plus birdfeeders. Instead of purchasing a 30 pound bag of bird food at Costco every two weeks, I now can get by with a bag every two to three months -- and the birds are just as plentiful. So, these feeders have more than paid for themselves in a single year. This Brome product has to be one of the best-designed products of the past 100 years. It really works, unlike so many competitive products I have tried over the decades. However, Chicago-area squirrels can be tough, greedy and ruthless like some of their political counterparts, and they even try to knaw through the metal housing at the top of the feeders. Therefore, I have placed a small metal band around the wire where it enters the top of the feeder. Now, if they are to chew the metal at the top of the feeder, they first have to get through several layers of the metal band -- which further deters them. I STRONGLY ENDORSE THIS PRODUCT -- AND, AGAIN, AFTER ONE YEAR IT HAS MORE THAN PAID FOR ITESELF. (I CALL THAT "FREE".) Four-year update: It has been almost four years since I purchased two Brome Squirrel Buster Plus birdfeeders. They are unquestionably the best feeders I have purchased in 40 years and extremely effective in deterring squirrels and the like. One caveat: When you hang these, do so with something that will prevent squirrels from dislodging them, causing them to fall on the ground. When this has happened, the feeders have nonetheless survived without damage except for the round bird perch (or "Plus cardinal rings" as they call them). I long ago remedied this by wiring the units so that they cannot fall and then wired and taped the cardinal rings back together as best I could. Last week, however, I finally got around to contacting Brome to order two new Plus cardinal rings. They immediately sent replacements. One could not ask for better customer service. I continue to recommend this product to others whenever the occasion arises.

Miranda Bradshaw United States

Squirrels are gone and goldfinches are back!

We had been at war with the neighborhood squirrels, who had taken over our feeder and driven every single bird away. We got to the point where we had given up, quit buying seed, and our old feeder, which the squirrels had chewed through, was stored away, empty in the shed. The weather was starting to turn colder, with the first of the winter birds making their appearances in the backyard trees - dark-eyed juncos, chickadees, and cardinals. In previous winters, we would start to see pale goldfinches at our feeders, and we would enjoy watching their plumes turn more vibrant yellow as the season turned over to Spring. I was worried that our goldfinches wouldn't have a place in our yard this winter unless we did something to finally get rid of the squirrels. I probably spent about 40 hours researching different so-called "squirrel-proof" feeders before I took a chance on this. I was still highly skeptical that anything could really work, and I was reluctant to spend this much money on a bird feeder. It seemed like it had to be another gimic. Besides, we have a very small space, just a little patio with a shepherds hook for the feeder. Would we have enough clearance to hang it so that the squirrels couldn't reach the feeder from any balancing point? I bought a squirrel baffle for added assurance, just in case. When we installed the baffle and feeder, we had Christmas decorations that were also outside and nearby. The squirrels did try to use these decorations - a set of cone-shaped pre-lit trees-to try and launch over to the feeder, but they couldn't get a grip and their weight still closed the feeding holes. The weight-activated trap mechanism really does work, but if you are hanging this on a shepherds hook, I would recommend that you also use a baffle underneath the feeder and make sure that the shepherds hook is at least 8 feet away from any fence or launching point so that the squirrel can't get above the baffle and hang off the pole to lift his weight off the feeder. We had our feeder out for almost 2 months, the birds and goldfinches had returned, we were saving lots of birdseed cash, and thought the squirrels had given up, when I looked outside one day and saw one take a giant running leap from across the neighborhood, use a post on a 1-foot high garden wall to hurl himself above the baffle, onto the shepherds hook, and greedily start munching away from our feeder. I was so mad!!! We moved the hook an additional 2 feet away from the garden post and that seems to have resolved the issue. Although squirrels are highly determined and incredibly agile creatures who will stop at nothing to feed their bellies, this feeder can really hold it's own against them. It is built to last, incredibly high quality, I do not see it rusting, breaking, fading or even getting scratched anytime soon. I'm more concerned that the squirrels will pull down my shepherds hook and damage that to get at the seed before I'll see any signs of aging or damage with this feeder. Most importantly, the birds love it!