PF-21B Remote Controlled Automatic Pet Feeder Programmable LCD Control with DC adapter

I bought this because I read some reviews of people who also had the previous model, and really liked this one. I requested a return on the 2nd day because the thing just stopped working and I couldn't figure out what was wrong, but canceled the return when I figured out it was jammed. One week later I am about to re-request my return because in 1 week this thing has given me more problems than the previous model gave me in 2 years. With the previous model I only had problems when the batteries died (and I didn't realize it, which made my dog not get fed) or if we went 9+ months without brushing out the food crumbs which in turn played a part in causing a jam. In 2 years I had maybe 5 jams with the old model, and I only decided to buy a new one because the last 2 jams were in the past month, and others said they got about 2 years before it started to die, so I just decided maybe it had run its lifespan and it was time to upgrade. I will be returning and looking at other brands.PROS:- This model plugs in instead of solely relying on batteries like the previous model.- The digital screen with the time and the buttons are on the front this time.- They give you 2 disks to provide options based on the food size you have.- I originally chose this brand because of how large their food container is compared to some other brands.CONS:- Starting on day 2 the thing jammed and therefore didn't feed my dog.- This model provides no indication there is a problem - the lights stay normal, there is no error message. The previous model at least said ERR across the screen (which was difficult to know about since the screen was in the back facing the wall!)- I tried both size discs, as our food (Nutro Large Breed Adult) is 1.5 centimeters which is the cut off from the small to large disc. The large disc has jammed at least every 3rd feeding, and the small disc repeatedly jammed after putting out about 4 pebbles.- Because the thing has jammed so much, I am repeatedly tipping the thing upside down in order to take the food container off to get the jammed food out - this lid is designed in a way that allows food to get stuck behind the sliding locks which makes it so you can't take the lid off until you shake the heck out of the thing to get the food unstuck. The previous model had a pretty flat designed lid and I never had that problem.- With this model and the previous model, the shape of the food container makes it so the food near the dispensing area gets dispensed, and the food not near it, just stays in its spot (imagine an upside down ant hill), so looking at it, it seems there's a bunch of food in there, but in reality, it doesn't dispense out the right amount. My solution to this was to just nudge the thing every few days when I walked by to level out the food again.

I believe this is the successor to the topPets Large Automatic Pet Feeder Electronic Programmable Portion Control Dog Cat Feeder w/ LCD display I bought from Amazon last Summer and which is still widely sold by pet stores. There were enough issues with the earlier model that when I saw this version I ordered one. Its price point is about $15 higher than the earlier model, but it has significant design improvements as follows:1. the mechanism uses a rotating wheel to dump dry food pellets rather than the hollow cylinder used by the earlier design, producing a more accurate food measure - a replacement wheel is supplied for those who want to use the feeder with larger dry food pellets.. The unit comes with the wheel for smaller pellets installed, and it handles the same sizes as the earlier design, dumping food in 1/4 cup increments consistently rather than the 1/2 cup increments the earlier design dumped (despite its being spec'd as 1/4 cup).2. the control panel is on the front instead of the back, making it easier to reach ... it is also considerably easier to program, which was a significant draw back for the earlier design.3. the unit comes with a power plug that can be used in place of batteries (or with batteries, which then serve as a back up power source), something the earlier design lacked.4. the unit has a remote control allowing ad hoc feeding without changing the programmed feeding schedule, another significant improvement from the earlier model.5. powering off the unit does not reset the programming, a major annoyance for the earlier version.6. the lid lock has been redesigned to make it much easier to engage.7. the unit has an off/on rocker switch on the side, a definite improvement over than the underneath slide switch the earlier unit employed.8. the battery box is accessed from the top (inside the hopper), which avoids the problem some had with the earlier unit of the battery weight dislodging the battery door on the bottom, causing the batteries to disengage - for either design, the unit pretty much has to be emptied to change the batteries.The removable tray design is basically the same, and there are the same spring loaded retention clips for the food bin to allow removing it for cleaning. The new model provides for up to 5 feeding times, a minor change from the earlier model, which allowed up to 4.My only beef with the new design is that the food comes out biased to the left side of the chute, so I need to devise new means for separating it equally between my two cats. The old model had a more even spread so using a (hand fabricated) dual chute automatically divided the food equally. Also be warned that the stated capacity, like the earlier model, does not reflect the maximum amount of food the unit can deliver, since the hopper does not channel perimeter pellets into the food distribution mechanism.This unit is a definite improvement over the earlier model and has features justifying its somewhat higher price point. I liked the earlier model well enough to give it four stars. That makes this version a 5 star unit.

Worked ok for 3 months then the motor stopped working. Automatic pet feeders are notoriously terrible products, so it looks like I'll have to try to find another brand.CONS* device constantly makes a light whirring noise when it has power.* even on smallest setting device distributes 3/8 cup of food minimum* motor stopped working within 3 months* difficult to program* front panel stopped working within 2 months, remote control only for last monthPROS* right size feeder for 2 cats* like clockwork (until it broke)