RSPB Ultimate Easy-clean® seed feeder

2.801369863 out of 5

73

Having fed the birds in my garden for over 40 years, I must have tried every feeder going. I can honestly say this is the best I've had. It overcomes the perennial problem of taking a feeder apart and cleaning it regularly. In the old days many feeders could not be taken apart at all, then came removable ports which were fixed by screws but these were so difficult to undo as they rusted and very often fell out never to be seen again. Then ring pulls were invented and they were a big improvement as the ports were held in place by a metal needle which was the full length of the tube. This RSPB version is an extention of that idea with the added advantage of a short needle which is removed from the bottom of the feeder rather than the top. This makes removal of the ports easier and less unwieldy if you prefer the longer feeders as I do. The ports are metal and squirrels cannot damage them and the tubes are a lot sturdier than other makes. So I give this 10/10 and I am now in the process of changing out all my feeders to the easy clean RSPB version. As for the comments about seed clogging - all feeders clog sooner or later in our damp climate. The answer is regular cleaning. My garden is very exposed to wind and rain and these do not clog any more than other feeders I've had. Clogging is certainly not a design fault, it is caused by driving rain and lack of shelter.

I purchased two medium seed feeders both with Rain Aways (R421190) just over a month ago. Plenty of rain since. Each day the remaining seeds are dry. The metal feeders have stopped damage by squirrel teeth and the Rain Aways often deter them too. The visits by birds have genuinely increased.

I have one of these in each size, and while they look robust - unfortunately, they don't last long. It only takes a few months for the plastic to crack and break around the holes in the tube that the perches slot into, resulting in the bottom falling out and your seed along with it.

As others have also mentioned, unfortunately the seed does tend to get damp - even when using rain guards (rain isn't the only issue, it's condensation as well). As a result, the seed gets stuck at various points in the plastic tube, and doesn't drop down as it should without you going around and tapping the feeder to dislodge it. The green paint on the metal components also tends to peel. And while that can be overlooked (naturally, anything left outside will weather), you can't buy replacement tubes so you end up left with a whole heap of metal parts.

They're expensive, but I was prepared to spend the extra money as they are definitely easier to clean than many other designs, and I thought they looked tough enough.
I have had several of these over time and the older ones are all still going (though now in my sister's garden), but all of these more recent ones have had the same problems.

Not sure if there's been a change in manufacturer or material, but given I have just lost 2 in one day due to their plastic tubes cracking (hence me being on here looking for replacements), I'm struggling to bring myself to buy them again.

I bought 2 of these, a small and a large. From the point of view of cleaning they are fairly easy. However the seed gets damp, clogs up and the birds can't get anything out. I've never had this problem before with cheaper feeders! Also there is a large crack in the tube of the bigger one. I haven't had them for more than a few months. I won't be buying these again.

I have had one of these for just over a year and am very pleased with the build quality band ease of cleaning that I am about to order another. I was surprised at some of the reviews as I have had no problems. I find it easy to dismantle, clean and put back together. It seems to me to be well designed. All the metal parts are nice an chunky. Glad to know that you can supply replacement parts as if anything is to break I suspect it will be the tube. I haven’t had any problems with the birds not feeding, they just eat me out of house and home! I do however have the optional perch rings so maybe that makes the difference. I understand that these have been discontinued so I am just having a few doubts about buying my second one because of the comments about the perches. Perhaps the answer would be to supply them all with perch rings.

Bought this as I liked the easy clean features and the solid tube. Really happy with it, just need to remember to regularly clean it as some seed can get stuck in the bottom. The birds in my garden love it and I can spend ages watching them enjoy their feed.

This is the best design feeder I've used so far (hence the tick to recommend) as long as I fit the clear plastic snap on round perches.
But there is one major design flaw. The cylinder frequently cracks around the small holes when trying to fit the metal perches after cleaning, since the holes are such a tight fit. That means that when a weight is placed on the lower perches (such as a woodpigeon or collared dove going for a swing) the plastic frequently gives way altogether and the base, and any seed remaining in the cylinder, ends up on the ground. This leaves me with all the sturdy metal parts, with no usable cylinder to fit them to.
This flaw might not be so frustratingly annoying and wasteful, if there were spare cylinders (including the top bar for attaching the lid) available for purchase at a discount....

I've had a small and large of each for a few months and I found them good and reasonably easy to clean. Some problem with the plastic cracking at the bottom holes on one of them though.
Recent problem is somehow rain is getting in and the sunflower seed is getting damp and clogging up and not dropping down as it should. I've had to open them and clean out the gunge, and I can't do that every day. So I'm disappointed. This didn't happen at the beginning?? Perhaps it's something to do with the recent batch of seed?

I bought one of these because I loved the previous design. The previous design was plain metal fixings. Now the metal has been coated. The coating hampers the seed falling past it, requiring frequent knocks to make the seed flow. On a wet day the birds starve unless one braves the rain. It says twist the base to undo, but with my old hands that is a task beyond me. Give me a screwdriver any day and the old design was extremely easy to dismantle. I shall no be buying anymore of these.

Out of my four seed feeders this one is the least used, I’m looking at them now my original 3 are half empty but this one is still full. Although it’s good quality, the birds don’t seem to be able to get the seed. Waste of money.

I’m in agreement with most of the other reviews on this bird feeder. I have had this feeder up all summer and the birds hate using it. I tried to order the push on round perches for it but they were out of stock. I’m wasting loads of feed as it ends up going mouldy inside the tube. My other feeder in the garden using the same feed is used all the time but it has the round perches for the birds which they readily use. Bought this as I liked the design of the squirrel guard to use with it which unfortunately doesn’t fit my other feeders so all in all a disappointing purchase. Usually very pleased with RSPB products but not this time.

Have bought a couple of the medium size of these feeders & the birds love them Am generally pleased with the quality, but one major flaw - despite the claims in the product info the polycarbonate tube will go murky with use and WILL crack particularly at the base where the 2 bottom perches are inserted into small holes in the tube. Due to the cracking the tube eventually becomes useless and renders the entire feeder redundant, hence my rating of only 3 stars for value and quality. Rather than be forced into purchase of an entire new feeder, a better solution would be for replacement polycarbonate tubes alone to be available for purchase by customers. If this option were to become available I would increase my ratings of the product to 5 stars.

Easy clean and often easy to fall apart. Cannot understand RSPB retaining this feeder when less than half the people giving reviews recommend it. I keep looking at the website hoping a better version has become available.

I bought a few of theses 4 port feeders. They are well constructed, easy to take apart and clean, but they have a major flaw...the birds don't like standing on the perches unless the optional extra bedd feeder percehs are also attached.

It mat just be the birds in my garden being fussy, but they simply dont seem to like the perches that a fixed to the feeder.

I thought i was seeing things when the birds tried to stand on the percehs but gave up. i fitted one pair of feeder perch loops (purchased seperately from the rpsb shop website) and fitted them to the top two fixed perches. the seed would be eaten to the level of these perches but never below it. so i moved the ring perches to the two lower fixed ones, and the birds ate from their instead and never from the top.

i took the pesrches off and the seed never got eaten.

so i thought it must be the ring perches making it easier for the birds to graps, face an dlook out for predators, but i can no longe rpurchase them because the rspb shop website no longer sells them so ive now got a feeder that is only half used and two others which are never used!

complete waste of money, unless im prepared to try and cobble somehing together that resembles the loop perches.

why oh why oh why would a company just drop this?

Need to buy more sunflower seed and had hoped a better designed feeder was available. I have had problems assembling and even small birds feeding have knocked off one of the perches. How can RSPB keep selling this model when more than 50% of people have raised dislikes of it?

Pleased that feeder looked robust and easy to clean (yet to try), however feeding ports are in wrong place so if placed on a stand or in our case on an extended hook, 1 port is facing inwards which will restrict access? Some birds quickly used the outer port but a pity that both can’t be fully used.

I bought this feeder recently. On the whole it is very good in that it is easy to clean BUT the flat, metal perches are definately NOT good. The Greenfinches can perch ok but no Tit species has yet to land on them successfully. They are too wide. This needs to be addressed to allow all species to be able to land effectively.

Having taken the feeder apart for cleaning I spent over 2 hours studying the base from every angle in attempting to reassemble it, without any success. I am extremely disappointed with this particular product. As a member of RSPB I like to support the Society whenever I can but I certainly can't recommend this product to anyone.

I bought one of these feeders nearly two years ago, the birds hate it , the flat perches are no good whatsoever, RSPB gave me the same advice then as they are still giving and the birds still hate it, I have bought cheaper ones and also found the original RSPB design with round perches out from the back of our garage and what do you now the birds are back. It is not natural for a bird to stand flat their feet are designed to grip round branches and perches, when was the last time you saw a flat tree branch, come on RSPB start to listen to the people who are paying a lot of money for something that doesn't work and bring back round perches with correctly positioned ports. Thankyou

What a terrible disappointment this has been. The feeder fails completely . The birds have tried using it but they soon give up and now only an occasional bird will try. I have put back my old cheap and cheerful feeder and the birds are feedin happily from it and ignoring the new and costly one. I think the feeding positions are badly designed and the birds cannot hold on to them. I see one person had feeding clips included with his order. I did not and now I am told they are out of stock. If they do not come soon I shall be returning the product.

I bought this feeder with perch rings about a month ago and the birds don't seem to like it. I would usually refill a feeder 2-3 times a week. I haven't had to refill the new feeder once yet - its still a quarter full. Birds arrive on the perch and then fly off immediately. It's very disappointing. I'll keep it for a while longer but if the birds don't adapt to it, I'll have to purchase another one from elsewhere.

This feeder is a disaster. Dismantling and reassembly is tricky, the older ones with metal fittings were so easy to clean. Other problems are in wet weather when the contents get damp and the feeder clogs solid. The large sunflower seeds in the feeder mix extra block the feeder.
Please bring back the older style feeders they are hassle free, easy to dismantle and re-assemble and therefore clean regularly and the don't jam or clog in wet weather. Not good enough RSPB!

These feeders are great. I have 30-40 goldfinches daily in my garden and I wanted to have large feeders to feed them. They are so easy to clean have also bought niger seed feeder.

I bought the Ultimate from my local RSPB reserve. It is beautifully made and disassembling for cleaning is a joy.

But it doesn't work. So disappointing. The port quick-release pin effectively halves the contiguous internal diameter, which is the principal cause of seed clogging in damp weather.

But the main problem is the wide, flattened perch design. Birds hate it. Their feet can be observed scrabbling in their attempts to find a secure hold. This behaviour is absent in perch designs that are simple cylindrical, or simicircular looped. It is good of the RSPB to supply perch rings free of charge with the feeder (albeit not by default). These lessen the problem, but in so doing, eliminate the ease of cleaning advantage the Ultimate was designed for.

I understand the perch design (with, or without rings?) was tested by the RSPB for ease of use by multiple species. But I would be interested to critique the full method and results of the test.

In my opinion, the idea that birds take time to adjust to a novel feeder is a moot point. When I replaced my Ultimate with a brand new, highly colourful design the birds had never seen before, they took to it within hours. This design has non-opposed ports with semicircular loop perches. There is minimal internal impedance to seed flow and birds can perch with security.

I have no receipt, so probably cannot return the Ultimate. But very sadly, that's exactly what I will attempt to do. I hope this review is taken constructively for future designs.

I choose not to go with the few bad reviews and buy this good quality product. Our birds and that includes an adventurous nuthatch took about a hour to start using this new feeder. No problems with the perches or any flow problems. Now my only problem is keeping up with the filling!
One thing please could we have a tray as the birds have no table manners.

Purchased the large seed feeder from the RSPB shop in Rainham Marshes. I’ve since read other reviews on here and am baffled by some of them as I have had no problems at all with this feeder. I fill it with sunflower hearts and have not had any problem with clogging. Maybe this issue is concerning whole sunflower seeds?

I also note another review stating how tits and finches seem to struggle with this feeder. Again, I am totally perplexed by this as my feeder has steady flow of blue tits, great tits, goldfinches, chaffinches and house sparrows feeding from it on a daily basis.

The feeder is sturdy but very easy to dissemble for cleaning and reassembly is a doddle.

I can recommend it highly enough.

I just wish the RSPB did a large guardian for this feeder.

Some time ago I needed to replace a broken seed feeder. Like other reviewers, I was a little concerned by the new style perch. However, trusting the RSPB I bought one. What a waste of money! I have to report that, although it is easier to clean, the birds do not like it. I have several of the older style with the ridged round perch and have conducted a survey this past winter. The birds prefer the older style by 4:1 - when the older two are empty, this newer one is still half full. Every time. And the birds then move away leaving the half full one until I refill the old ones. Changing the positions of the feeder has no effect on the result. It appears that my concern over the new perch design are justified, not least by the recent offer of free perching rings which seem to acknowledge that the designers got it wrong. I regret that I will not buy any new feeders from the RSPB until the old style perch is brought back as I consider this design to be a waste of my money.

Have the nyjer version of this in large, which is great, but until there's a squirrel guardian for the large feeders I won't be able to get this one.

Had an older style rspb medium seed feeder, it had screw-in metal pole pegs and apart from the middle through feeder pole that rotated freely, was very pleased with it.
I saw this new style ultimate easy clean medium feeder on the site and thought that it looked much improved. I bought it to replace an old sunflower heart feeder I had which was a plastic tube with two metal rods pushed through it and little round cut-outs for the birds to pull out the hearts. Over time it had become frosted from uv rays and the holes in the plastic tube had been widened by beaks causing all the sunflower hearts to quickly empty out onto the ground after a few days.
This new ultimate easy-clean feeder is simply excellent as a replacement for the sunflower hearts, in addition now I have the four perch and access points, I can add black sunflower seeds into the mix as well as the birds can access them easily also, (my old tube feeder with little holes used to cause the birds to struggle to pull out the larger whole seeds).

In addition, this new ultimate feeder has a much simpler twist-lock base and much better flat perch brackets that connect together inside the tube with a plastic long rod that pushes through the connected perches to hold them together inside. The old RSPB feeder I had, had metal round pegs that screwed together and into the base metal part which was much more difficult. However from my old RSPB feeder I know that the polycarbonate tube doesn’t discolour over time and stays crystal clear. Much better.

Lastly, the new flat perch pegs also came with a free set of perch rings that simply slide over the perch’s and clip on allowing more birds to land and feed.
I highly recommend this feeder.

Easy to take apart to clean; all parts go through the dishwasher, except the plastic tube, due to height. Appears robust - well the squirrels haven't attacked it! So impressed, I'm just buying another to replace a very old, worn feeder.

I am really disappointed after being persuaded by one of the your staff to buy this easy clean feeder. The seed in the feeder does not naturally drop down the feeder tube. It requires tapping the tube to allow the birds
to feed. It is a very expensive feeder and have bought much cheaper ones that have a natural flow of seeds. Needless to say the birds as well as myself are finding it very frustrating!!

I have 2 of these feeders. One with the perches made of metal the other plastic. Whilst the young squirrels can sharpen their teeth on the metal perches they can chew right through the plastic ones destroying them in 2 hours. Please revert to the metal perch feeder

I purchased 4 of the new easy clean medium sized feeders and I also wish I had read these reviews because seeds do not flow easily and you have to keep shaking them to help the birds feed. Considering the price of 4 of these feeders, I'm really disappointed and I'm now having to look elsewhere as these are too frustrating. I have a couple of other feeders the birds clearly find easier to use so you can tell the birds are equally frustrated! It is a shame as I prefer to buy from the RSPB but not where these feeders are concerned

I use two 6 port feeders and was concerned going from the previous design to this one as I felt the perches were quite wide. I need not have been concerned as all species of birds readily accepted them and they are being well used. I have found no problems with any seed used albeit I focus these on a mixed seed,

I have both 4 and 6 port feeders and they are the best value, quality and easy to clean feeders I have ever bought. I am ordering more to replace older not so good ones. Great purchases

This new style easy clean feeder has far too many fiddly bits to clean. Not easy to take apart and not easy to re-assemble. Also as others have pointed out the seed clogs. It happens in all weather conditions. Please bring back the previous version.

we find that the usual tits and finches, who use happily our other feeders, check up this feeder but don't seem to be able to reach the sunflower seeds. The aperture is quite narrow and the light sunflower hearts don't descend properly, so that the birds cannot access it.
We need to shake it regularly, otherwise no seed gets eaten. We even tried taking away the other feeders, but it still doesn't work with sunflower heart.
Also, the perches are not adapted to small bird claws.
We are sending back this product, which we can't use.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry you are unhappy with these feeders. We understand there have been ongoing reviews regarding clogging issues with our Ultimate's. We are keen to resolve this issue and are currently testing possible options. Please be aware that the current season and temperature changes will contribute to clogging.

They are easy to strip to clean but the sun flower seeds are clogging around the parts inside the tube, you have to keep tapping the feeders to get the seed to drop for the birds. I bought a small & a medium one it happens on both. When I replaced my old feeders with these the birds started using them straight away I was getting loads of birds on them but now hardly any because they cannot get at the seeds because the seeds do not feed down, I will have to put my old ones back up to feed them

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry you are unhappy with these feeders. We understand there have been ongoing reviews regarding clogging issues with our Ultimate's. We are keen to resolve this issue and are currently testing possible options. Please be aware that the current season and temperature changes will contribute to clogging.

This is the best RSPB feeder we've bought. We live in a suburb, near a park with many squirrels, parakeets and pigeons. The last feeder, same size and with the appropriate guardian, was emptied daily by parakeets and squirrels. With this one they can reach to clean the dropped seed on the tray but can't reach the feeder ports. The last design of feeder and guardian allowed squirrels to get close enough to damage the ports. This feeder is still damage free after nearly nine months, very easy to take apart and clean. We've recently bought another one so one is washed and drying while the other is in use. We use premium sunflower seeds and have had no clogging problems. The instructions for taking the feeder apart and putting it back together were adequate but perhaps could be even clearer, with better diagrams? I'm so sorry other people have had problems because it really has been the "ultimate feeder" for our purposes.

The 'easy-clean' feature of this feeder is brilliant. However, why have you changed the size of the perches? My small birds immediately stopped using this feeder and moved over to my clinger feeder - even if they are not the clinging type (which means that some are struggling to get food). Whilst I note from your earlier comments that the birds will eventually get used to it, why are we forcing them to cope with change when there appears to be no need for it?
I'm ordering a new 'old-fashioned' feeder - more cumbersome to clean perhaps, but at least it will allow my smaller birds to feed easily (which surely is the reason we leave food out for them, isn't it?)

The birds ignore this feeder as the seeds don't drop down to the level of the feeding holes. A waste of money!

Since putting these feeders up I have had fewer birds coming to them. The finches and sparrows do not like them at all. The tits eventually started using them after several weeks but I have to keep shaking the seed down as it does not drop down on its own. The port holes seem
extra small compared with other feeders I have had and combined with the quick release mechanism behind each set of holes which prevents the seed descending properly, the birds are unable to reach the seed. The wider perches may also be putting them off. I will have to look for an alternative until this design is sorted out. This purchase was an expensive mistake for me.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry that you are unhappy with this feeder. We have carried out further testing on these feeders, and as you can see from the photos on the product page have had a lot of success with a variety of birds being successfully able to feed. We would recommend persevering with the feeders as birds do take time to adjust to new feeders.

They've tried to be too clever with this feeder design. It clogs up much more readily than before. The birds don't seem to like the perches either. The best all round design was the previous one with hand screw in post perches and deeper apertures for the feed to be presented and not clogged.

Such a disappointment! I use no mess seed mix, and it doesn't flow down the feeder. I have to shake the feeder frequently during the day to get the seed down to the feeding holes.
I cannot recommended this. It may be easy clean, but doesn't function as it should. Waste of money.

I have two of these and though they're easy to take apart and reassemble to clean, I find that sunflower heart seeds don't drop to the feeding ports as the birds empty them. Several times a day during winter I have to shake the feeders to allow more seed to drop down to the ports when ideally gravity should take care of this and provide a constant supply of seeds for the birds with no need for me to disturb them. These feeders are very well made, but they need al little modifying before I'd think of buying another one.

Terrible design. I bought two of these feeders and in both of them the seed gets clogged up in the tube and fails to reach the feeder port at the bottom. This can only be resolved by a good shake whiich is extremely inconvenient and given the price paid exceedingly disapppointing.

The only alternative seems to be feeders which have a screw and bolt type fixing to dismantle it and they are too fiddly to reassemble. I've previously had very good rspb feeders with a screw assemble perch which were relatively easy to clean but you don't seem to stock these anymore.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry to hear of the issues you have had with these feeders. Please contact our customer service team who will be able to assist you with a refund or replacement.

Yet another RSPB supporter who has had a problem with this feeder - wish I had read all the reviews. Must be a design fault.
Maybe you should stop selling until resolved?
I will also phone for refund.
Small birds definitely do not like it, the perches are peculiar, the seeds clog and there is wastage. First time have ever had problem with a RSPB feeder.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry that you were unhappy with this feeder. Whilst we understand that we have received reviews regarding the product's suitability and are looking to update the design, the amount of negative reviews compared to the number of feeders sold is relatively small, and we have received positive responses to the feeders, not just negative, therefore we will not take it off the market. Again, I apologise that you are unhappy with the feeder. Please contact our customer service team for a full refund.

It took some time for the birds to get used to the perches but now they are v happy. I am happy because they are easy to dismantle and clean.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, it is great to hear how happy you and your birds are with the product. It does take some time for birds to adjust to new feeders, but it is always worth it in the end!

I have the large feeder and the medium feeder I agree with other comments about the perches not been right , despite the goldfinches fighting to get onto my other feeders with round perches they generally ignore these feeders.
Easy to clean and dismantle facility is great, I do struggle to get the base and the tray back on though.

RSPB response: Thank you for you review, I am sorry that you are unhappy with these feeders. We have taken on board customer feedback regarding the perches used for the Ultimates, and are currently looking to improve the range based on these reviews.

I've bought RSPB feeders and bird food for many years now and recently replaced an old feeder the newer style one. However the premium sunflower hearts just stick in situ so that after a initial feed the birds cannot get to the food. I have to shake the feeder daily so that they fall down. Disappointed as there's been a significant decline in birds coming to feed over the 3 months That I've been using the feeder. Don't want to buy a non RSPB type as I like to support you but this design just isn't working.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with this feeder. We are aware of some issues with food getting stuck, and are currently working with our suppliers to update the feeders to resolve this. Please contact our customer service team who will be able to offer a replacement or a refund.

I do like this feeder, unfortunately so do the starlings. It only took about a week before the birds started to use it but not as many as my last feeder. i think it is the wide perches they do not like especially the smaller ones.
The starlings usually stick to feeding on the ground or fighting over the fat balls, but they have realised they can use the perches on this one and regularly scare the other birds away. They have even had a go at my new niger seed feeder!

This feeder (the 4 port one) was recommended to me by my son. I have bought 3 of them and our garden is constantly full of birds. They are the best quality I have seen on the market and really easy to use. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

The new style feeder are hard to take apart and if you manage that they are harder to put together. Not a patch on the old style feeders with the screw in perches.

My feeders get a lot of use and are emptied regularly, I am not sure how long these will last..

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry to heat you did not find this product easy to use. We are currently developing a new easy clean design of feeder and will take your comments on board regarding this.

I have a lot of trouble re-assembling this feeder after cleaning. Sometimes I manage it but cannot be sure to repeat my success next time. You once had a truly easy clean feeder, which hade a long rod that humid from the top and held the perches together at the bottom. I bought one but by the time I tried to buy another it had been discontinued. There's never been anything to match it. I prefer the feeders with screw-in perches to this one.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry to hear that you have had difficulty with this feeder. We do have instructions available on how to take this feeder apart and put it back together, or you can visit your local reserve shop who will be happy to go through it with you. We are also working on a new, easier mechanism for our feeders.

I am very happy with this larger version of the feeder. It is easy to clean and robust. The birds love it too

They are sturdy and easy to clean. The birds were a bit miffed at first by the perches but it didn't take them long to catch on. I have replaced all my bird feeders with this type.

I have tried with this for several months now and birds just don't use it. I have given up and will look for an alternative. I would not recommend this until the design fault is rectified. It is easy to clean though!

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I apologise that you are disappointed with this feeder. It can take a couple of months for birds to take to new feeders. We are currently in the process of reviewing this product with our suppliers to introduce any improvements which may help with the feedback given by customers regarding the perches and clogging.

I recently purchased two of the ultimate bird feeders, but was surprised when I unpacked the parcel, at how small they were. The measurements given included the wire hanging handle. This is very misleading and I feel that although you state the capacity, the size given needs also to make this clear.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. I apologise for the confusion with the dimensions, we have now updated the product information.

I have persevered with this feeder for over 6 months now and the birds are really not keen on it. I think the thick perches put them off, also it keeps clogging so I have to shake it to ensure the seed moves down the tube. However it is easy to clean but that's no good if it doesn't work!

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, I am sorry you are unhappy with this feeder. We are aware of customer responses regarding the perches and the clogging, and are currently looking into any improvements we can make with our supplier.

I agree with an earlier review about it clogging up. I use it for sunflower hearts for the gold finches, and every morning I have to shake to loosen them, doesn't matter what the weather is like. The birds did take some time to get used to them and I use the perch rings, but I watch daily the finches enjoying the food.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. We're pleased to hear that you have finches enjoying your feeder even though it took some time, however are are sorry to hear of the issues with clogging. After looking at the reviews regarding this we will be raising this issue with our supplier.

Great all round, lasts in all weather condition. We have had this for ages and it still works!

Birds don't like this feeder as the perches are rectangular rather than round. Birds are used to perching on tree and shrub branches which are round - not square!!

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. Most birds will come to the feeder after a period of time once they have got used to the change however we will take on board your comments about the shape. The perch rings that can be attached to the Ultimate feeders offer an increased surface area and are flat so this may help to encourage the birds in your garden to use the feeder.

I ordered this for a friend and we were dismayed that hardly any seed is being taken. I looked at it today and realised that the perches seem too wide for a small bird to clutch. Coincidentally I had ordered two small round, clear plastic perches for my own feeders but instead tried them on his. They fitted perfectly and I hope the seed will now be taken. If so, I will order four more. Although I do feel the feeder should be fitted with perches that small birds can use in the first place rather than having to pay out more money for proper perches. Some people might not do this, or indeed realise they can do it and lose interest in feeding birds which would be a great shame.

Thank you for your review: Sorry to hear that the perches were not well received. We did test the perches and didn't find that they deterred any birds, however we will take your feedback on board and look into this.We do sell perch rings to fit the ultimate feeders but they should not be necessary and are only an add on purchase. In the meantime we're pleased to hear that you have found alternative perches which we hope the birds will use.

Two purchased, both destroyed by squirrells within a couple of weeks.

Thank you for your review, sorry to hear that your feeders were destroyed by squirrels, they are made from very tough polycarbonate and zinc alloy so this is a surprise. Please could you contact customer services preferably with pictures and we will do our best to help.

We find the feeders good and easy to clean but if it's very wet, the seed gets wet. I think it's the clear plastic tube which is flexible against the metal inserts and that's where water tends to seep in. The seeds then become saturated and don't flow down the tube and we have to change and wash everything. They do hold a large amount of seed. Surprising really. The wet seed isn't wasted we put it on the ground for the blackbirds, collared doves and wood pigeons.
It would be excellent if it didn't leak.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, we are sorry to hear that the seed is getting very wet, it sounds like the ports aren't fitting as well as they should. It would be really useful if you could contact customer services with more details and they will be able to help you.

Despite being in the same place as a previous feeder and using the same food, it did take the birds a good few weeks before they decided to use it but once they did they were as voracious as ever. I have not found a clogging problem as one reviewer did. I have just taken it apart for the first time to clean, with some difficulty. My husband had to attack it for me but it is now apart ready to clean, so I live in hope it will go back together properly! I did think the last easy clean feeder I had, with the central pin to pull out from the top, worked fine for me!

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, it's great to hear that the birds like the feeders after a few weeks. We do say it can take time so glad you persevered. With regards to cleaning it is designed to be really quick and easy, taking less than 30 seconds to dismantle. It might be worth popping into your local rspb shop and ask for a demo if you can or speak to our product team at HQ. We hope you and the birds enjoy the feeder for years to come.

This feeder is not bird friendly . I tried it for one month in my garden and 1 month in another. In both gardens the birds would not take to it . They seem nervous of the whole thing, attempting to get to the perches then flying off. Is it the peculiar shape perches? I telephoned rspb who have agreed to refund. Please take it off the market. The birds are trying to tell us something! Ps. They love my previous feeder with the ridged metal perches and seed tray.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, we're sorry to hear that your birds didn't enjoy the feeder, we have sold more of these feeders than our others and most of the feedback has been very positive. As the RSPB we make sure that feeders are suitable for the birds before anything goes to sale and they are tested. The perches are something we can look into if we feel there is a problem, however it is worth noting that with the previous feeders we had more complaints about the perches being ridged. Your feedback will definitely be recorded and if there does seem to be a problem with the perch shape we will of course investigate.

Not only do the birds not like this clunky design, but I just made the mistake of taking it apart to clean it - it seems the dirt was the only thing keeping it together as now the base doesn't seem to lock in at all and it is so loose that one squirrel disturbing it will mean it falling out and all the seed spilling to the floor. Product return I think.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, sorry to hear you are not happy with the product. The Ultimate easy clean is designed to be very easy to clean and the lock should click into place securely not moving at all. It sounds like there is a fault with the product if the lock is not working. Please do return the product so we can investigate, contact customer services to do this and arrange a replacement or alternative.

I have tried sunflower hearts, mixed seed and black sunflower seeds. None of them seem to slip down and I have to go out every morning and shake the feeder! Of the three, the black sunflower seeds being in their shells are better,and maybe in drier weather they will slip down!

It is only really when you come to clean these feeders that you come to appreciate what you have paid all that money for. The simplicity of taking them apart and reassembling, allowing a proper clean inside and out is almost joyous!

I purchased a feeder and perch rings about 6 weeks ago and placed it near an old feeder for a week or so. When I removed the old one it took 3 weeks before the birds used the new one. Ok so far but then it rained! Because the ports are not screwed together pulling them close to the tube water enters around the ports and seed gets wet/soggy and dose not flow. I think I will have to put a squeeze of silicone around the ports. Was the weather not taken into account by the designer?

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, it can take time for birds to use a new feeder whilst they get used to it. The product was tested in all weathers over a period of time and the ports did not get water logged, however your comments will be passed on to our product team who will look into this matter.

I already have 2 large 6 port feeders and thought I would buy this to add extra feeding for the flocks of birds that have found sanctuary in my garden, and probably due to the fact that the word has gone out they know I serve only the best.
I filled it, I put it out, and not a single bird has stayed long enough to eat anything, they prefer to queue for the other two older style feeders, I think I know why, the perches are a lot wider and it seems the smaller birds can't wrap their toes around the perch, they have to stand flat footed and it's doesn't seem to come naturally to them.
I have even left the other feeders empty to encourage them to try the new one, all they do is line up in the trees and bushes and stare at me through the window until I relent.
I will persevere and hope I haven't wasted my money, it is a bit on the expensive side.
I will keep you posted on any developments

RSPB response: Thank you for your review and comments about the new Ultimate feeder. The perches were designed to be wider as we got a lot of feedback requesting this to allow more birds to feed. The wider perches were tested and found to be safe and easy for the birds to use, we also have perch rings(to be bought separately) that allow even more birds to come to the feeder at the same time. The other thing to take in to consideration is that birds will not always come to a new feeder straight away, they can be wary at first and it is worth preserving as you have said. Hopefully you are already starting to see the birds use the feeder now alongside the others.

I've bought two of these recently and am very pleased with them. They look good and are extremely easy to take apart to clean and reassemble.