The media could not be loaded. We have had this Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler as a pest deterrent now for well over a year so I feel that I can give a fairly comprehensive review of how it has performed for us. It has been in the garden come rain or shine (and even snow) for all that time and so is a bit weather-worn. Our garden is small and surrounded on three sides by other gardens so we don’t have issues with wild deer or anything like that - just cats, or rather a cat who has decided that our garden rather than theirs is a suitable location for its toilet. We have tried the ultrasonic deterrents, but they simply don’t work and putting down cayenne pepper etc. is only effective after the event and until the next time it rains. So, having researched the various water-based options we opted for this as the quality seemed to be the best that was available. It comes at a price though, and it really should be well made for this much money. It feels and looks solid and the mainly metal construction which probably explains why it is still working now (with some degradation of the unit). If we had bought one the competitor plastic ones by other makes I seriously doubt that they would still be functioning by now. It actually looks a bit like some form of permitter defence tool (which in a sense it is). Maybe something from a remake of ‘The Thing’ or a hi-tech home security device. Your neighbour may be very curious, not to say concerned when they see this being set up. From memory it wasn’t too difficult to assemble it and get it ready to go, and so while I can’t now locate the instructions, they must have been adequate. By the way, we are still on the original 4x AA batteries we installed, so provided that it isn’t going off all the time you should get good battery life from it. It supposedly only uses a couple of cups a water per activation. I have no way of measuring that but we leave the garden tap on a low setting and turn it off during the day most days and haven’t noticed a spike in the water bill. We didn’t receive an adaptor to connect a UK hose to the unit and so had to buy one. We got Hozelock adaptor that fitted it from a garden centre or diy store (can’t recall which) and unlike the Hozelock hoses (see below) it has performed okay thus far. A brass connector would probably form a more water-tight connection, but if anything like the one we connect to at the other end to join the garden tap, you might never get the thing off again! As for hoses. Oh yes, therein lies a problem all of itself, finding a hose that can cope with the tap being on all the time and being left out in all that the British weather can throw at it. We have been through two Hozelock ones (one old, and one brand new and supposedly tough) seriously, don’t bother; a so-called non-kink unbreakable and very expensive one (I forget the make but they are British and they even sent one of their reps out to try and discover why its connectors kept leaking - he didn’t we were refunded and then binned it with the rep’s blessing); an expandable one which worked fantastically with the Orbit until it sprung a leak as they are prone to do; and finally (hopefully), on recommendation from another owner of the Orbit, we are currently using a Faithful heavy-duty Builders hose, which so far is working well. The moral of the story is depending on your outside tap connections be prepared to invest in some brass connectors and to try various hoses out, especially if you plan on using the Orbit a lot and intend leaving it on overnight and in all sorts of weather. It will take some adjustment when you first use it to get it right for your intended use and your garden. You can adjust the duration (it is on), distance the water spays, plus have it come on during the day, at night, or always (or ‘off’, of course). The arc of the water spray is also adjustable to cover a wide area (width-wise). The rubber o-ring underneath this turning mechanism, has perished on ours to the extent that it broke and then came off, so that arc control doesn’t function quite as well as it did and it feels a bit loose. This has resulted in it spraying too widely at times when not set to do so. I may buy one of those multi-packs of rubber o-rings to see if one of them fits to solve this problem. The sensor part is adjustable up and down and has quite a wide area in which it will detect movement. At times it seems very sensitive and other times waving a hand or boot in front of it to test it won’t always set it off. There is also a lag between sprays to avoid wasting water so if it has just triggered then it won’t go off again straight away. In general the sensor is, as with our trail camera, generally okay but at times a weakness. Both have a tendency to be set off by fences panels and vegetation blowing on the wind, but conversely will still miss something larger and slower like a hedgehog or broom handle being waved at them. Overall the sensor does a decent job though, but you will have to be patient and try various angles when trying to deter an animal incursion. When it goes off it also makes a rapid clicking noise, which adds to the deterrent, but woke us up a few times in the summer with the windows open wondering what on earth it was. It can also function as a garden sprinkler but we haven’t used that function at all and aren’t likely to so I can’t comment on it. The Enforcer has metal spike with two side plates to stand on to get it securely into the ground (a bit like treading on a shovel). Despite being metal these both bent on ours a while back, which is very disappointing. It is still usable but less secure than it would otherwise have been. Perhaps they don’t have to contend with the Essex clay type of soil in the States? As well as the o-ring and the foot/balance bits for the spike taking a hit, the body itself is showing signs of weathering and wear. It still works okay and has been in some ropey weather and low and high temperatures so that is quite impressive really. In all the time we have owned and used the Orbit we have yet to catch it spraying the offending cat when under the watchful eye of our trail camera, but we have heard it going off late at night and noticed an absence of said moggy’s ‘present’ on that location thereafter so we think it must have worked. The trail camera wasn’t always in-situ and has it own flaws as well. The Orbit has caught out a few unwary pigeons who weren’t harmed but had an unexpected shower. As with all deterrents though you need to keep using it to reinforce the message and we find that we now need to move it to the front garden where the cat poo problem has also moved. This will be a challenge though as it is also the route the postman and others take cutting across our law to next door, plus if the spraying arc goes doolally because of the missing o-ring then we could end up soaking passers-by on their way to the station. It will take some careful placement and switching off early in the morning. Any very early commuters or dog walkers (who have also been know to let their dogs poo on our lawn) will just have to take their chances. PROS: Well made overall, with a largely metal construction and a serious, military-grade ‘secure the perimeter’ type appearance. Really good options re duration, night/day/both use and range, and very adjustable over all. Sensor works okay - not fantastically but okay. It is good at picking up those who try and sneak in from the side (I know because I tried when testing it). The sprayer works well even with the garden tap on hardly at all and apparently uses very little water per activation. Battery life is very good though it may be different for you if you are having constant incursions and triggers. It has largely stood the test of time in all that the British weather could throw at it. Certainly powerful enough and can reach a large area in a small garden like ours. CONS: Although very well made the
