Drinkwell 360 Pet Fountain 128oz

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I own The Bubbler, The Petmate Fountain (Fresh Flow), The Drinkwell Original, The Drinkwell Platinum and now, The Drinkwell 360. Of them all, my cat loves the Drinkwell line the best. (I think it runs the cleanest and most silently.) And in my opinion the Platinum is the best of that line.

The pump in my Platinum died right before Christmas (after 2 yrs). And my cat, who adores his fountain, was very upset. (This is a cat who will travel all the way from another room if the fountain goes off to see what happened. And he'll sit there hitting it to make "it go.")

Anyway, I thought to buy a replacement pump from the manufacturer, but their shopping feature was down for yearend inventory and wasn't going to be back up till early January. While at the site, I noticed the 360, thought it very cute so I ordered one. (Not there, nor here, but elsewhere) I've had it about 2.5 weeks now.

My cat loves it. At first, I had the 3 spout ring on it, and he was rather hesitant. I don't think he "got it". I then switched to the one spout ring and then he remembered. And he was right over there. There's no problem there. It streams just as he likes. But there are problems.

One problem is that circular design. Unlike with the other Drinkwell designs, there isn't much distance between where the stream hits the still water and the edge of the bowl. So, it splashes onto the floor. Not a whole lot, but after a few hours, you can have quite a puddle. You definitely will need to either use it outdoors or with a mat. There is a valve to control the strength of the stream. A thinner stream produces less splash. But if your pet is like my cat, the stronger stream is preferred. By the way, the more streams you use, the weaker the flow. However, when I used the 3 stream ring, the streams were weaker, but there was still a splash.

Another problem is that it doesn't hold very much water. I believe it lists a gallon. With the Platinum, I can go two weeks in winter and about 10 days in summer before I have to refill. With the 360, I had to refill after a week. (There are marks for Max fill and Min fill. I imagine Min fill is the amount needed to maintain the pump. Awesome new feature.). I have only 1 cat using it. I would guess someone with multiple pets would have to refill even more often.

A third problem is the filter. Recommended duration for filter use is 2 weeks. For the others in the Drinkwell line, it's a couple of months at least. And because of the filter's design, you will likely have to purchase the branded ones unlike others in the line where replacement filters are similar to those used in aquariums. I don't believe the filter is necessary for operation, but if you're like me, you will want to use filter. Like others in the line, filters are about ten bucks for 3, but if you're buying them 3-4 times as often, the cost could add up.

The final problem for me was the way the cone "locks" onto the bowl. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but a plain old twist doesn't lock or unlock it. It takes a bit of frustrating effort. Mainly, because I haven't discovered what the "secret" to the twist is. I twist, I turn, I push down and twist and turn, nothing happens. Until something "magically" does.

On the plus side, the 360 is much easier to refill. Just pour water into the bowl. No taking anything apart. (Generally speaking, you can do this with the others in the line too as a temporary fix.)

It's also much easier to clean. Nowhere near as many nooks and crannies as in the others in the line. There are few parts the bowl, the cone, the spout connected to the pump and a ring for the pump cord, the pump (which comes a part to clean like the others), the filter holder, its top, the spout ring and control "valve". Nothing it very small, and nothing except maybe the pump and the filter holder needs a brush. Most could likely be cleaned with the rough side of a scrub sponge.

Overall, it is VERY cute, and the multi-stream rings could be beneficial to someone with multiple pets. But since I have only one cat who uses the fountain anyway (my other cat prefers a bowl), it's a very expensive novelty feature I may not get make much use of. All in all, I prefer The Platinum.

It's worth noting the pump in the 360 and in the Platinum is the same. Except the 360 has an end cap instead of the control valve. I would imagine as long as the end cap is undamaged, you could use the same pump, just replace the control valve with the end cap.

That said, while I haven't heard any pump/motor noise, the stream of water is VERY loud when on max flow. The first couple of days, I found myself checking the sinks to make sure I had turned off the water. This isn't a bad thing, just something to get used to.

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The design has 4 FLAWS. My solution may help others though. My cats do love the fountain.

One, the neck is too thin to accept a decent sized filter. The filters are clogged (w/slime, not hair!) within days. Even "without" a filter it CLOGS TOO FAST. Cleaning and putting in a NEW filter did not fully resolve the blocked flow. When new, I could hear the waterfall from across the house. After only 1 month, I CANNOT get that flow back!!!

2nd Flaw, the motor is quiet yes, but it also CLOGS too fast...with slime, not hair!!!! My fountain is only a month old and I cannot get the heavy flow back. I have cleaned with soap/water and also vinegar. I do not see hair...I see/feel slimy sludge.

3rd Flaw, it's hard to pick it up when full...no handles or rubber grips.

4th Flaw, even though the cord detaches for cleaning, it comes apart too close to the plug, so you still can't plug it in behind furniture w/o having to move the furniture to disconnect.

RESOLUTION for clogging: TAKE OFF (leave it off!) THE FANCY SPOUT AND JUST POP THE FILTER DOWN THE NECK AND LEAVE IT. There is no "fountain" flow, but the pets won't mind. They still drink from the flow over the 1" neck. Also, every few days twist off the whole neck part and WIPE OFF the slimy sludge FROM THE MOTOR SIDES. It blocks with just a few pet hairs, so dive in and wipe it off. Every few weeks let vinegar/water run through the motor and filters to clean the slim. DO NOT let the pets drink the vinegar water! Just for cleaning!!!

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This is the best fountain ever, and I've looked around. I made the mistake of first buying the Petmate fountain. When I got it, it was so incredibly noisy, the cats freaked out by it, it was so loud I could not stand listening to it from the other room! Thank goodness I bought it at Amazon, because they take returns so easily. I went & spent the extra $ and bought the 360. It is extremely quiet, and the bravest of my cats went right to it to drink. It could be prettier as far as color, but it blends in fine. I have 5 indoor cats so I am happy now as I believe this is the best I can buy my babies. I also own a small pet boutique and would definitely sell these if I knew could compete with Amazons best price! I think it is very well priced overall.The only thing I would love is a chocolate brown or mocha color optionthe fountain's plastic is a speckled grey on white, kind of 80's looking!

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The Drinkwell 360 looks good on paper and will likely run great the first time you plug it in. The positive reviews from new owners on here underscore the need for people to wait at least a month before reviewing any new product.

The Drinkwell 360 is a high maintenance waterer with a badly underpowered pump. We have had two pumps fail. The manufacturer recommends frequent cleaning of the fountain and pump, including removal of the outer casing and flushing out the inside of the pump itself. The filter component needs replaced every two weeks.

We use highly pre-filtered water in all of our waterers and clean the fountains regularly. Despite this, the 360 pumps dropped in pressure output very quickly after only a few days. Cleaning did not help. Eventually the water just dribbled down the center fixture. The pumps were underpowered and two failed after less than two months. The constant requirement to change the filter more often than any other waterer we have used also became costly very quickly. Obviously it did provide a convenient, frequent source of profit for the manufacturer, so it's a plus for them.

pros: will likely run great for the first few days

cons: very high maintenance frequent extensive cleaning required apparently poor quality pumps frequent costly filter changes

Buyer beware.

Updated 09/16/2012 We now own a Pioneer Pet Big Max. It isn't perfect, but we've had it for over a year and in my opinion it is a much better product than any of the Drinkwell 360 models.

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They don't tell you that you need to replace the filter at least every 2 weeks. I have 3 cats, and by the end of the 2nd week, there is no water flow. Filters are about $11 for a three pack...and that adds up! I would give this product 5 stars if I didn't have to replace the filters so much.