Surprise surprise...
All these years and I didn't realize that my dear wife actually has wanted a hamster as a pet!
So of course, I bought out the store by getting several of the Habitrail habitats and putting them all together in a creative expansion system.
This is the first component/cage that I bought based purely on its popularity here on Amazon!
The Habitrail Cristal is the standard rectangle with wire bars throughout the upper half and solid clear plastic apron down below, which connects into the opaque white basin as the bottom where most of the activities will be happening. Plenty of ventilation and well-appointed closing system.
Everything you need is included and I like the overall arrangement.
The Habitrail Cristal arrived basically already assembled, with the water bottle, clip, feed bin, ladder, and loft all individually wrapped in plastic.
I lubricated the axle for the exercise wheel with olive oil... if you don't want to hear your little nocturnal pet running through the night, do that!
I did measure the base, as square inches of living space is a benchmark for sizing a habitat.(147 square inches) A mouse may find this space adequate, however, if you're housing gerbils or hamsters, this cage will probably become a component of a larger network of cages rather than a stand-alone habitat.
You'll actually want to expand the system until you are in the 350-400 square inch range to allow your pet plenty of exploring range.
Additional things you will need that are not included in this package:
Bedding (get plenty of bedding as you will be changing some of it out each week)
Chewable toys
Appropriate Pet Food
***Highly recommend connecting this to other Habitrail Cages***
I give this five stars as you can see your pet well, the components are well arranged, easy access for cleaning, steel bar spacing is good and bars are nice and stiff. Price is right.
I would definitely recommend this cage for your starter pet without reservation.
Don't forget to get your cage and all necessary materials prior to learning about and buying your pet.

This is too small for a hamster to live in full time. We bought it for a cross country move where we needed a smaller cage for the car. There were a few minor issues. It was mostly assembled, but the clip for the door was installed upside down. This made it impossible to latch the door securely. My husband was able to reinstall that correctly. The wheel had a large gap in the middle and we traded it out for our silent spinner. I was worried our hamster would get his foot caught in it. The ramp was way too steep for our hamster, but we placed his old house underneath which served as an extra ramp to climb up. He eventually learned how to get up there and loved sleeping there. The bottom out design was convenient for cleaning. I would only recommend this as a temporary home or some kind of expansion for something larger.

Was looking for a new cage for my Winter white dwarf hamster. When I was reading the reviews a lot of people mentioned they had difficulty putting it together and I was a little worried. There were also a lot of mixed reviews about whether the door of the cage was plastic or wire. The cage I received in the mail has a clear plastic door. One of the things that drew me to this cage over others was the combination of colors it wasn't anything too crazy and has mostly positive reviews. When it arrived, the cage was already assembled I just needed to attach the little alcove on the side of the cage. It's pretty easy to take apart when I need to clean the cage. I removed the wheel it came with because I was worried about my hamster getting her foot caught in the little hole along the wheel. The water bottle that comes with the cage is just a little smaller than an iPhone 5s (attached a photo for reference). Overall I'm very happy with this cage.

I actually purchased this way back in June of 2015. I wanted to wait and see how it held up and review it later, but forgot about it until now!
I've had a few different cages over time, and they were all a PAIN to clean! One of the main things I was looking for in a new cage was something that'd be easy to clean, and this cage definitely fits the bill! It's SO easy, you just take the clear top part off (which doesn't ever put up a fight! There's a spot on each side that you push in & then it picks right up!) and from there you can just dump the shavings from the bottom tray part in the trash. SO easy!
It came with accessories, which was nice. I had the loft in for a while, but ultimately decided to take it out. The ramp to get up there kept falling off and my hamster would climb up the bars to get to her loft, which I didn't like because I'm overly worried about her falling. So I put in a little house I already had and it works just as fine! Everything else it comes with is great. The wheel is nice, and definitely the quietest one I've had but it's not silent by any means.
The only thing keeping me from giving this a full 5 stars is the size. It's much smaller than I was expecting, and I really wouldn't recommend it for a syrian/teddy bear hamster. I have a teeny-tiny little robo hamster so it's not too bad, and I take her out often to run in her ball or play in her playpen. Other than that, it's perfect! Nice looking, good quality (there are barely any signs of wear after having it for so long! My hamster doesn't chew her bars though) affordable, and easy to clean!
If you're into tubes there are 2 separate spots for them. I'm not sure of the size but I bought tubes from a different brand and they fit nicely & weren't overly challenging to put on.
I included some pictures for reference. -Size of the food bowl, which is so big my robo has to sit inside of it to get her food! -How the cage looks once it's set up. -And a panorama of the inside. (Which is why the wheel looks messed up)

I captured a mouse using a Havahart catch and release trap. I was under the impression it was The Mouse. And it seemed very clever. (I've since realized that there were at least three mice. One remains at large.

In any case, expecting the seemingly clever mouse to be equally cute, I had a Habitrail Cristal in hand. Indeed the mouse is super cute.

It didn't like the wheel, at all. It immediately took to the loft sleeping area, without using the ladder. I'm pretty sure, having watched it, that it's a kangaroo mouse. It can leap from the floor of the Mouse House (Habitrail Cristal) to the ceiling, where it catches hold and scoots around as if it has a Spiderman complex.

I had to get another Habitrail so I could clean the first one. I chose the Twist for the second Mouse House.

Cleaning the Cristal was a lot easier than I expected. I hadn't really thought people were being entirely accurate when they said it was Easy. But, it is. I don't know what that plastic is, but spraying Glass Plus (Windex look alike) on even the worst bits of mess, totally dislodged the mess which I then "picked up" with a paper towel.

The only problem I've had is the little round thingies on either end: When I was transferring the mouse it did some rather fast moves, it is VERY FAST, and I was afraid it was going to escape. I'm pretty sure it now has a clear idea of the danger involved in taking a peanut out of a Havahart... In fact, I'm pretty sure it's warned the 3rd mouse which has not taken a peanut that's even close to the Havahart. Anyway, in reaction to my Mouse's quick moves I somehow jammed the plastic bit that fits into the aperture, that little round hole, unevenly. And, it's totally stuck. It is not flush anymore, nor can I get it to be flush. I tried heating the outside bit of plastic by soaking a paper towel in hot water... that did expand the plastic, making it possible for me to wiggle the bit... but I could not get it flush, nor did WD40 help. I mean, it helped, but not enough to get the bit flush, and cleaning the WD40 off was another chore all on its own. So, when dealing with the Cristal, stay calm and avoid hard to reverse jams.

My jumping mouse has no need of the ladder.

I tried Timothy, 2nd cut, for bedding on the floor, along with bits of a wool sock in the sleeping loft. The timothy was pretty sticky (lots of sticks)... so for the Twist I used peanut shells for the floor, with just a bit of timothy on top of the shells, cut into smaller bits.

The mouse sometimes comes when I call it. And, it appears to like to play peek a boo. When it goes into its house, the sleeping loft in the Cristal, I say, "Where's the mouse?" over and over again... Then when it comes Out I say, sounding very happy, "There's the mouse." It seems the mouse likes hearing a happy voice at it's appearance.

From there I went on to naming the little creature John Henry, though I think it may be a female. My favorite kitty was John Henry and I loved the horse, which I was lucky to see years ago at Santa Anita.

So now, when I call, "John Henry" the mouse comes out... sometimes.