Aspects 278 Vista Dome Feeder

Just the feeder I was looking for, at a reasonable price. I made a point to look carefully at the device that holds the dome lid in place on this feeder, as well as on other similar domed feeders that are available. This one had by far the most sensible and sturdiest method of supporting the dome and attaching the feeding tray. There is a thumb screw clamp that supports the weight of the dome, and makes raising and lowering the dome much easier than trying to slide some sort of rubber washer up and down. I found the rubber washer type of support to be totally inadequate, even on a small version of this feeder made by Duncraft. It had a very tiny, very thin rubber washer that broke within a short time. I had to wrap the main rod with duct tape to support the dome lid after the washer broke. This mechanism appears to be very sturdy, made of brass, and should hold up indefinitely. The dome itself is thick enough to not appear too fragile, but could possibly crack if the feeder should fall from much height. The feeder tray itself is very sturdy and has a rounded lip that ought to be easier for birds to grip. Some other feeders of this type seem to have a straight edge at the top, which would seem to be more difficult for birds to perch on comfortably. All in all, I'm very happy with this feeder. It's quite large enough to not need constant refilling, and the dome is wide enough to completely protect the seeds, as well as the birds while they're eating. Putting it together is easy....although it took me a little while to realize you actually have to screw the main rod down through the domed top, and not try to force it straight through without the screwing motion. It appears to be too big for the hole in the dome, and there don't appear to be any threads on the dome to screw it through, but with careful, slow twisting...i.e. screwing...it does go on through, then screws easily into the brass fitting in the bottom of the feeder tray. Some feeders are only plastic at that point, and couldn't possibly hold up as well as the brass fitting on this feeder. My birds flock to it each day. The seeds stay dry in rain or snow....unless the wind is blowing hard. Nothing stays dry in those conditions, but at least the birds have some overhead protection at all times. Highly recommended!!

This feeder earns 5 stars because:1. The birds like it.2. It holds a good amount of food, but not so much that it will go bad until the birds get to it.3. It's easy to clean:-)4. It's very easy to assemble.5. It's very easy to adjust the height of the dome.6. It's appears substantial and well-made.The downsides:1. The dome seems large enough to protect against rain/snow if it is coming directly down, but probably not sideways.2. While you can adjust the dome lower to discourage bigger birds, the crows dive bomb the feeder, causing food to tumble over the sides, whereupon they eat the seed off the ground.3. It's not squirrel proof (however, when hung on the "Squirrel Stopper" bird assembly post, the squirrels can't touch it - but the crows can)Overall, I would recommend the feeder with the above mentioned caveats.

I own several bird feeders and so far, this is my favorite! I bought this feeder to hang on my gazebo in the winter. The birds love it, the squirrels can't get to it, and it's virtually weather proof! Very sturdy and easy to use and clean!

I like this feeder and we've been using them for years. They work well and you can adjust where the roof of the feeder is to prevent larger birds from sneaking in and grabbing all the seeds. Yes, lower it right down and the chickadees get to feed nicely! However, you get any moisture and then cold, and the mechanism is instantly frozen. You cannot get that dome up unless you bring it into the house and run warm water on it. At that point you can finally lift it up to refill it, and that's my one big frustration. I'm the one who fills it up, and all winter long I'm battling that issue---it's completely frozen and you can't get it up. Drives me NUTS. Also, when it crashes to the ground because of high wind, the bottom part has been known to break, and more easily than I would like. It's an expensive thing to replace, so we've glued them and hoped for the best.

We love this bird feeder. You can adjust the dome higher or lower to accommodate the size birds you're trying to attract. It's easy to assemble, and clean. Adding birdseed is easy. So far, no squirrels have successfully gotten any of the food. And a nice surprise is how rainproof this is if you have the dome set for very small birds. This was a great seller and purchase...I recommend.

We had this feeder for many years, until a raccoon managed to get to it and knocked it onto the brick patio which destroyed the plastic hanger sleeve. Purchased this same feeder as a replacement. We tape four plastic soufflé cups into this and use as a grape jelly feeder for our Orioles. They love this feeder! The four soufflé cups keep plenty of grape jelly available for the Orioles. They won't even look at oranges, they love their jelly and they let us know in no uncertain terms when they run out! You don't have to buy a whole package of plastic soufflé cups, just save the sample ones that are given out in stores. Aspects makes terrific products. We have several of their feeders and all are well made. Highly recommend this for peanuts, seed, mealworms or as a jelly feeder.

Very light weight, so be sure to anchor it on to a hook or you will find it blowing to the ground, with all seed flying out in moderate to high winds. Otherwise, the songbirds love it and I like that it has an adjustable top ~ lowering to keep out the Doves who love to just sit inside and eat all the seed.