Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
by Contech
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List Price: Our Price: $34.99 You Save: $25.00 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
Customer Review: Review of Contech Scarecrow
Summary: 5 Stars
My home is at the edge of a parkland forest, and there is a severe problem of deer encroaching and eating the flowers and shrubs. For over a decade I have tried many approaches to repel the deer, including barricades, taste and odor repellents, electrical shocking devices, noisemakers, and sprinklers. The most successful repellers are those that use infra-red motion sensors to frighten the deer by suddenly flashing a light, making a sound, or squirting them with water. However, all of these electronic devices, except for the Contech Scarecrow, suffer from problems of short battery life and unreliability. The Scarecrow is the only such device I know of that seals all of the electronic circuits in a solid block of cast plastic to keep out moisture, insects, and fungus. It operates reliably, day and night, in all kinds of weather. I bought my first one almost ten years ago, and currently have four of them at work in my yard. The purchase cost is more than other deer frighteners, but they last so long that they are cheaper in the long run. Sometimes "false alarms" are caused by sunlight reflected from moving foliage, but this can be eliminated by turning the Scarecrows off in bright sunlight. You have to remember to turn each Scarecrow off before mowing or gardening in front of it, and you can't use the Scarecrow when the temperature is below freezing.Customer Review: Scarecrow Sprinkler 1; raccoons, 0
Summary: 5 Stars
I was really upset when I discovered that a posse of raccoons had discovered a corner of the yard that I had just gotten around to cleaning out and planting. I didn't want to the kill the buggers; I just wanted them to discover some neighbors' property which would offer them the privacy they craved. When cayenne pepper didn't work, I feared my only option might be to trap the critters and drive them to the other side of the mountains. The Scarecrow Sprinkler seemed like a compromise: cheaper than a trap and kinder than rigging up giant spring hammer that would clunk them in a cartoon inspired fantasy. The raccoons fell into the sprinkler trap the first night: I could see the line of water; there was no evidence that they had settled into my yard with their reading in the loo. The second night it was also activated; after that, even though I keep it set up, they haven't returned. Score: Scarecrow Sprinkler 1, raccoons, 0. As other reviewers point out, you will spray yourself until you get the hang of using the device, and you might be alarmed with the plastic spike that I'm sure will break long before the battery wears down. Until I see the raccoons sneak up behind it and turn it off, I think it's a humane and easy solution to dealing with neighborhood pests.Customer Review: Not tonight, deer!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the ONE thing that actually kept the deer out of our garden all last Summer. All of the various repellents, sprays, dangly-things, and even electric fencing, only held Bambi and Bambi's mother off for a week at best, then they would either get used to them or (in the case of fences) just jump over them.
They can't seem to get used to this Scarecrow though - I guess it's just too unpredictable for them. It held them off all season and I actually got veggies from my garden, whereas my neighbors got nothing but deer-droppings.
So I'm here to order another this year, to protect my flower garden as well. (I'm also considering using one to ward off pumpkin-stealing pranksters at Hallowe'en - that ought to be a good "treat"!) Oh, yah- that reminds me: don't set this device up where the mailman has to cross its path. Mail carriers can get a little grumpy about being squirted with water out of the blue - go figure... :)
--- Just editing this a year later to add: Not only is it still working (imagine that: getting an electronic product out of the potting shed after winter is over, putting in new batteries, and it STILL WORKS!) but the deer are also still completely put off by it. Can't ask for better than that!
Customer Review: Sweet Revenge!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The moment I hear the sound of water sprinkler, a smile lights up my face. My neighbor's cat and dog have been claiming territorial rights in my yard for the past 7 years. I wrote to the association, they can't do a thing. I bought repellant sprays, dusts, anti-bacterial sprays, even salt or pepper, nothing worked. There's just like a virtual bathroom sign inviting the dogs and cats to do their thing. At last, my sister bought one of these to scare the birds and animals off their swimming pool and lawn, she told me about it, I immediately ordered it on Amazon. Sure enough, after it is installed, during the night, it was "activated" for about 3 times (what I heard, maybe more after I have fallen asleep.) And nothing new was found in my yard in the morning. It is exciting to have a thing that actually works.
Revenge is SWEET!!! Buy it if you have pest problem.
only one improvement, the peg going into the ground should be metal. I fear it will break easy so I had to hammer out a hole with a large nail first before I really pushed it in. They should include one of those camping steel pegs for this.
Side note, Amazon is like $20 cheaper than the manufacturer's website.
Thank you God for infrared.
Customer Review: Cats Scatted & More
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading the reviews of other items used to get cats from making a litter box out of yard gardens, I went straight to this item which had great reviews. The others that used everything from coyote urine to cayenne pepper. This item had a long, wide, and selectable spray area and there were not complaints about the sensitivity of the detector. I got immediate and effective results. The offending cat left some disturbed mulch where he sprang out if there so fast! In fact, my neighbor decided to give this cat, that was not litter box trained, to relatives in the country, and to keep his other cat which he could keep indoors. He was even very nice about it, finally, and was intrigued by the motion detector sprinkle. The only question I have about this item is that I'm not sure if the washer that is meant to make the seal to my hose could be improved or not. It may have been my hose end, but I didn't get a perfect seal and had water seepage at the hose connection that would have been a problem if I had to use this long term. IF it was because of the washer, that would be cheap enough to replace, and since it was so effective and my neighbor responded extremely favorably, I don't need to use it anymore. 5 Stars!