This is a very small watering bowl, but it gets the job done. It is super nice to have when you have pets. You don't have to go out in the hot summer days and refill your pets water bowls a hundred times a day. I have dogs, and they have huge 5 gallon buckets and other types of water bowls that I used to fill in the heat for them. They would empty them out by the afternoon, or the sun would cause them to evaporate quickly. Well, this little tool saved the summer! You do have to manually clean it out, it gets film and dirt that floats inside of it. But a small chore compared to what it used to be.

OK. I bought this bowl, and it is a quality Stainless bowl ! Works Great right from the beginning.
Here are some things you should know before buying.
1- There is no mounting hardware or garden hose connector included with this bowl.
( In fairness the seller does not claim that there is hardware or Connector)
2.- This is a better quality stainless waterer than some that look exactly the same. ( That's why I chose this one.)

----Some kennel installation tips-----
* You will need to buy a hose adaptor connector, Toilet tank mounting bolts, and possibly some concrete blocks.
* The hose connector. You will need teflon tape or it will leak. If you try to put on a bunch of teflon tape all at once it will want to cross thread ( even if you are careful) I finally just gave it like 1 wrap then would screw on the connector and remove it. this would compress the teflon tape into the threads. I would do the same thing again over the existing teflon tape four to five different times. This worked perfect and it is leak free. (sounds difficult but only takes less than 5 minutes)
* I put this on concrete paver blocks which support the weight.
* I used toilet tank mounting bolts to seal the two mounting holes , and also mount to the outside of the dog kennel.
This just anchors it in place, ( the holes are 3.5" on center so that's the distance you should drill your holes on the
board,)
* Lastly I used large zip ties to help secure the bowl . One around the top just under the rolled brim, and one around
the top and under the first block, ( a little overkill, but it's not gonna fall off the blocks.)
* Finally I am very happy with the waterer so far. The dog likes it,and it is really easy to clean. The only reason I would
give four stars instead of five is that it doesn't come with the the hose connector or mounting hardware.
--------Overall very happy---------

We had to replace the plastic waterer we had because my horse has a big butt and kept backing into it. This one seems strudier although smaller. The horses like it and it, being much smaller, it can easily be cleaned. This is so much easier to clean than the old one. You can just scoop out the water with any debris and you are done. The other kind are so big you have to take them off and empty them to clean. the stainless on this one seems that it will hold up well. Being smaller, we can install it in a corner out of the way so "big butt" doesn't hit it and bend it up. We have had it about 2-3 months and so far are pleased.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of the Automatic Stainless Steel Waterer.

I know, I know - It's somewhat cliché to use this old cowboy movie reference, but it is really most appropriate in describing this product (and my experiences with it).

So let's start with...

The Good:

1) As most reviewers noted, this product is INDEED very high quality and sturdy.

It is STAINLESS steel (so should not EVER rust, as it supposedly uses a higher grade 304 steel).

Note: I learned (the HARD) way, that stainless WILL rust, IF you use chlorine [or bleach] in the water, as it is a ACID (so thus, breaks down the rust protection). I tried a few drops of chlorine to kill the [green] algae from the water (and saw, shortly afterwards, rust forming).

Previously, I had the galvanized one (and it rusted REALLY bad, after a while [much worst than the stainless]).

Then, I ordered the "Epoxy-Coated" version, and it worked GREAT (no rust), that is, till my Shepherd dogs literally CHEWED some of the coating off --- And once the galvanized steel showed, it eventually began to RUST.

Even another [galvanized] one [see here - Miller Mfg. 88SW Automatic Stock Waterer ], I got eventually started rusting, as well.

2) As with any auto waterer the obvious good is that you'll NEVER have to fill (or, re-fill) this thing again, as it [truly] has that "auto" filling feature (although, if you have a dog, you WILL have to clean it out, now-n-then, due to all the dirt, leafs, and "slobber" that, over time, settles in the bottle of the bowl (turning off, and spraying with the hose usually does it).

The Bad:

As with the galvanized and epoxy versions, there were a few NOT-SO-GOOD [bad] things that you (the buyer) should know about -

1) The size is a little smaller than the picture would imply. Only around 9 inches or so across. This is OK for dogs (or other smaller animals) but not for horses, cows, etc.

2) The hose connector WILL leak, unless you use the standard plumbers teflon tape [on the treads, on BOTH sides of the adaptor] and rubber washers, within the garden hose [on both ends and sides], and TIGHTEN it REALLY GOOD (with pliers, not just "hand" tight).

3) There was no "mounting" equipment provided to speak of. There was a little steel "bar," with two holes, that was included - but NO bolts or nuts to speak of! -- I had to "drill" two holes, in the top, just so I could use some strong Tie-Wraps to mount, to the wired mesh of/on my dog kennel. I guess I could have purchased some special bolts, nuts and "hooks" to do the same thing (a more sophisticated mounting), but Tie-Wraps did the same job (and Cheaper).

The Ugly:

I saved the WORST for last!

That being, they [the manufacturer] not only did not supply adequate mounting and/or ANY garden hose attachments!!

This is an ENORMOUS "hassle," to have to go to the local hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) to try to find the appropriate adapter! -- Regardless of this extra effort, I did NOT find this special adapter, even at Lowes or Home Depot.

The adapter in question is this one ( Gilmour 1/2-Inch Brass Double Female Swivel Hose Connector 5FPS7FH ), which you can only find, at a specialized hardware place, or here on Amazon (and of course, you have to pay an EXTRA $5-10 BUCKS FOR THIS!!)

Lastly and overall, I AM please with the quality of this product (regardless of my limited displeasure), BUT...I think and feel it is an "UGLY" THING to not provide good [more] mounting hardware, and the most standard hose adapter!!

So if you REALLY need it, Buy It - But KNOW what you're IN for, and be ready to buy/do a little bit extra to use this product (my 2 cents :-)

Works great. The float valve is extremely straightforward which is encouraging. It's plastic, which seems a little flimsy, but quick to replace. It'd be nice if the connection were tapered - it's a bit hard to get a leak free fit. Super straightforward and reliable though. I've had a bit of trouble with the entire float valve turning, but tightening down the plastic nut seems to address that.

One of the bolts that fastens the top "flap" to the bottom was missing, but simple enough to pick that up when I was picking up the bolts to mount it