Squirrel Buster Standard Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder w/4 Metal Perches, 1.3-pound Seed Capacity, garden green

I have almost a dozen squirrels that used to regularly come and raid my bird feeder. I've seen eight in the yard at the same time. They're even coming from across the street. It used to be there were just one or two and I didn't mind providing bird seed for them, but with this many they monopolize the feeder and the birds don't even get a chance. I tried various ways of coating the seed with capsaicin, which was said to deter the squirrels. It barely even slowed them down. I bought a slingshot and started shooting dried peas at them. I even hit them a few times. They'd just run to the back of the yard, out of range, as soon as I opened the door, but unless I wanted to chase them they'd just wait down there until I went back in the house and they'd be right back at the feeder. A friend pointed me to the Brome Squirrel Buster Pro. It looked good but was quite a bit more than I wanted to spend on yet another "squirrel proof" feeder. The Squirrel Buster Standard seemed a good way to try out the basic design without spending a load of money. The Squirrel Buster Standard appears well designed and constructed of high quality materials. The fit and finish are excellent. Taking it apart to fill it with seed is simple and so is reassembly. What's not obvious in all the pictures is inherent to the design is a stiff metal hanger that's almost as long as the body of the feeder. Be aware of this when planning on a good location for it. So far, it's working exactly as advertised. The feeder is hanging from a shepherd's hook. I had to put the hook in the ground at an angle to keep the feeder far enough away from the shaft that the squirrels couldn't reach over, but it seems sufficiently stable. The squirrels have tried attacking from below, from above, and from the side. They can't reach it from the side and attacks from below or above shut the seed ports so they can't get to the seed. My only little quibble is that the feeder is quite small. I used a 12 oz. glass to fill it and was able to fit just two glasses of seed into it. That makes the capacity exactly as they say, 3/4 quart, or 24 fl. oz. The small size is a plus as far as the squirrels go since it gives them less to hang on to, but it is going to mean filling the feeder more often. I'm coming to this from a huge feeder. Even with a dozen squirrels feasting daily I still only had to fill it every other week. With a lot of bird activity I'm figuring I'll have to fill this one every two or three days. Still, that's a price I'm willing to pay if it keeps the tree rats from pilfering the seed. I've attached a short video of squirrels trying to attack the Squirrel Buster Standard. Mostly it's failed approaches but about halfway through one gets a good grasp and you can clearly see the ports close and his failure at gaining access to the seed. UPDATE: I've had the feeder for about six weeks now. The squirrels have pretty much given up on attacking it. About once a week one will have a go at it, fail miserably, and then return to feeding from what has fallen to the ground. The lack of an easily-accessible squirrel smorgasbord has greatly reduced the number of squirrels frequenting my backyard. The small size of the feeder has proved to be a bit of an issue. If I don't top it off every day I run the risk of it being emptied on the second day. The weather has been quite mild so this hasn't been a huge deal, but I might be thinking otherwise if there was a couple feet of snow on the ground. I've also had a problem with the rather small opening at the bottom of the tube through which the seed passes before getting to the feed tray. The seed mix I bought has some pieces of dried fruit in it and the fruit has gotten stuck in the opening and blocked the flow of seed. It's really an issue of incompatibility of the seed I have with this feeder, not so much a problem with the feeder itself, but it's something of which buyers should be aware. With seed mix like this the feeder may appear full from a distance but no seed is getting to where the birds can get at it. All told I'm still very happy with this purchase. My only regret is that I didn't find this feeder sooner. FURTHER UPDATE: I was happy enough with this purchase that I decided to spring for the big brother, the Squirrel Buster Plus. That one is a lot larger, but also has smaller holes situated a little bit above the feeding tray. The birds have to poke their beaks in a ways to get at the seed and the smaller opening keeps inside the feeder most of the seed that would otherwise be scattered. This brings up a significant flaw with the Squirrel Buster Standard. The feeding ports are too big. The messy eaters scatter seed all over the place. I just put up the Standard next to the Plus that's been hanging up for a couple weeks. In about six hours the birds completely emptied the Standard, most of the seed ending up on the ground. The squirrels don't need to eat right from the feeder, they just sit underneath and graze on the spillage. I'm going to see what I can do about reducing the size of the openings but I'm not hopeful. This feeder does keep the squirrels out but the rate of spillage is such that it almost doesn't matter. The feeder empties just as fast as if the squirrels could eat from it.

This is my first seed feeder and it’s a hit, with the birds and me. It’s easy to set up. Takes about two cups of seed. So far, the squirrels are having no luck with it. I have it hanging on a shepherds hook far from any trees. I can’t believe I hadn’t done this sooner but glad I got my start with this feeder. It’s a good quality feeder.

Perfect feeder for our yard. Well constructed and keeps the squirrels from stealing all the seed.

UPDATED REVIEW February 2024: I'm upgrading my rating from two stars to four stars because this feeder has lasted for five and a half years, longer than any previous feeder I had. When I purchased this feeder in 2018, my state had a overpopulation of squirrels due to high acorn production. The problem was so severe that I had to trap and rehome six or seven squirrels; they were just incredibly aggressive at the feeder and the birds couldn't get any sunflower seeds. It also turned out that only very rare smart and athletic squirrels could jump from the porch roof to the feeder. This behavior was rarely repeated in subsequent years. Initially the cardinals would not eat at this small feeder. I got two small sticks about 1/4" in diameter and 6" long and taped them between two of the metal perches on both sides to create a longer, thicker perch. That modification convinced the cardinals to use the feeder. It also attracted bluejays, but they normally prefer to feed on the ground. Occasionally a bluejay will perch on the feeder and devour a large quantity of seeds. Of course, how long a feeder lasts depends on protecting it from bears and raccoons. When you spend this much on a feeder, you're motivated to bring it in at night. This feeder is not convenient to fill, but I've gotten used to that, I suppose. ORIGINAL REVIEW 2018: This feeder works as intended. The ports close under a squirrel's weight. But when a squirrel jumps on the feeder quite a bit of seed is spilled to the ground---enough seed that they associate jumping on the feeder with a reward. I've been watching them do this every couple of minutes for the past hour. It's very clear that they feel the effort is worth it! One agile squirrel is feeding himself and three or four friends. They've given up trying to open the ports by hanging from the top. They just jump, which produces better results for them. ***Now let's be logical: if you have a place to hang the feeder where the squirrels can't get to it, YOU DON'T REALLY NEED AN EXPENSIVE SQUIRREL-PROOF FEEDER, DO YOU? A $10 plastic feeder would do. Such a place would be about 10 feet above the ground and maybe 15 feet from anything they can climb onto, like a roof or tree. What makes people look for a squirrel-proof feeder is their lack of such a place. So in fact, the LOCATION needs to be squirrel proof. Most people want the feeder to be within sight of the house so they can enjoy the birds, which imposes further limits on the placement. A truly squirrel-proof feeder needs to fulfill a lot of criteria: (1) Squirrels can't destroy it by chewing. (2) They can't open it. (3) They can't get to the seeds. And (4): SEEDS ARE NOT LOST IF THEY JUMP ON THE FEEDER. The Brome standard fails at #4 pretty badly. In fact, the amount of seeds that squirrels are able to spill to the ground is greater than the amount that the birds contribute to them, so it's a winning situation for them. It seems that the amount of seeds spilled depends on the size of the opening. Perhaps that's where this feeder could be improved.

Tried hanging it from a shepherd’s crook clamped on a second story deck railing. In the night something (large black squirrel or raccoon) got it. Found it dismantled and empty on the deck. Amazingly it was totally undamaged. This feeder is well made. It now hangs where only birds can reach it. I have several feeders. This one is preferred by smaller birds like nuthatches and chickadees. It gets constant visits. It is a bit small for blue jays and other larger bird so most eat the seeds dropped onto the deck by smaller birds. It has minimal spillage so I’ve just ordered another feeder more appropriate for a larger bird. You can’t have too many feeders. Some people don’t want larger birds so this Brome might be a good choice for them. I’ve had squirrels in my attic in the past so I don’t want to attract them. Reliable squirrel resistant (nothing is perfect if you have flying squirrels) feeders and clever placement does the trick. The Brome feeders are an excellent choice although I like a Woodlink feeder I have too. I don’t mind a premium price if the feeder works well and is quality construction. One of my sons and his wife just bought a new house and I’m getting them a Brome feeder as a house warming gift.

I've been fighting a losing battle to keep squirrels away from the bird seed in the feeders - the problem is that squirrels are quite bright and have found ways around the other so-called squirrel proof feeders I've tried. As far as I can see and after some weeks of use, this feeder really does keep the squirrels away - I can's see how they defeat the spring mechanism which lowers a barrier when they put their weight on the perches. The mechanism can apparently be fine-tuned to stop heavier birds from feeding too, though I don't have this problem. The feeder looks well-made (and so it should be for the price) and its straightforward to clean. All in all it's worth the money to me - song birds are feeding from it regularly and squirrels no longer even try to get the seed.

I have several of these feeders around the garden and the squirrels can not get into them so long as you don't have them near a handy places where the squirrel could reach out to them. They are excellent feeders and the birds love them. They do get messy sometimes so need cleaning from time to time. I fill them with sunflower hearts which the birds love particularly Goldfinches ! My only negative about these feeders are that they are expensive but they do last !!

Easy to fill, always good quality from brome. Squirrels leave it alone so the birds are happy.

Great feeders and easy to clean