To be fair, I was against the automatic trash cans in the first place. These are a purchase made by my wife. Upon her informing me that we would now be the proud owners of the latest "keeping up with the Joneses" product I was just so excited. I did not see a need that this overpriced trash storing receptacle solved that was lacking from the 100% waterproof, easy to clean, $7 garbage can I got from Walmart 20 years ago. I was told we got this due to the lid being able to lock and to be fair, the state of the art security latch did cause almost half a day of trouble for the child in question. However, let me start from the beginning. Two of these units arrived at my house while I was at work and my wife set them up. At first I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in as the brushed finish housing was several times nicer than the basic black piece of junk I had been just tossing my garbage into. As with every night when I return home, I went to clean the coffee pot and prep it for the next day. I was a bit nervous, but chose to approach this new challenge with as much fervor as I could muster. So with an open mind, I gently lifted the basket of used coffee grounds, then held them in front of the trash can so I could allow the remnants of the days coffee drip directly to the floor as I summoned the trash. I was elated to be greeted with the opening just slightly wider than the basket I would be emptying into it once the secrets beneath the lid we're finally revealed to me as the lid came fully open. It was at the moment I realized two things. First, I had been just tossing garbage like serf in the employ of my feudal lord's instead of summoning my refuse like the wise old wizards in the days of yore. Second, I had been purchasing way too many things with oversized packaging. Eggs for example, sure, I'm cooking for 6 on Saturdays, but having an 18 count package of eggs is so peasant and quaint. Clearly, I should not buy bulk of anything to be sure not to create large debris. I did not realize that once the champagne started flowing and the red ropes split that the rules changed and I would like to credit this amazing spoils containment unit for showing me the errors trained into me by my worthless, former plastic junk bin. So yes, the opening is a bit tight, but I am a modern man and not prone to judge an object just by the size of it's oriface. So I dug deep, after all the elation and excitement so far I was determined to find the flaw with these glorious works of art. At first, I was thrown by the paper thin plastic lid and connection to the anemic sounding motor before I realized that was to increase aerodynamic efficiency allowing the lid to whisk open and save me time. I was also impressed by the construction of these fine units as it was not simply a mold formed piece of plastic like the plebian scum bucket I had suffered though for so long but they have brought screws and some metal hardware into this operation. For the record, by some metal I mean the screws and two itty bitty pins being used as a hinge. Not the gears of the motor that will be held down by a lock while left on, or have to change directions quickly when a hand is detected or be in an area where it could likely get milk, or vinegar or other household chemicals that could possibly be corrosive. No, the gears are made from vinyl so as to offer the quiestest operation possible and while itty bitty hinges may sound bad, it clearly is to reduce the drag coefficient when the lid is in operation. The genuine thought and care put into the construction of this fine Adonis of a litter laboratory doesn't end their. As you get older and slower, the can slows down with you to give you that shot of confidence that, "you still got it!" Replace all the batteries you want, after about one year and one day of operation it will automatically adjust to the ten years you have clearly aged in that time. The lid will begin to slow and no longer open to full height as you no doubt have now achieved the top tier level of purchasing groceries in only the smallest packaging. Once again just showing that amazing forward thinking only certain companies can. Now I know what you're thinking, with all these stellar things going on, why on earth would such a worthy and innovative and device get only a one star review? Well, honestly, it's my fault. You see, I have not been bestowed the wisdom of the newest feature discoveries that have only shown up in recent history and they have behooved me. For example, the lid, built for speed and aerodynamics has proceeded to dislodge itself from the motor making the can a manual operation. I am not capable of the level of genius needed to understand this design. To further display my lack of intelligence I decided to take the mechanism apart in attempts to repair it as I am not ready for the advanced stages of this products evolutionary design. Upon removing the screws I expected to see stainless steel or some other treated, corrosion resistant substance. I was however greeted with 6 rusty, pop metal screws of which my lack of knowledge has left me baffled. I thought, perhaps it is so the can will actually degrade and fall into itself as it does keeping the mess to a minimum further showing the fore sight the design engineers had. However, with all the skill and top level thinking that went into the design and can't believe the answer to be that simple and I am once again thwarted by my own mental limitations. The mysteries this can has yet to reveal to me have left me in such a state of confusion that I had no choice but to give it a one star as clearly this product has somehow been leaked and must be intended for NASA or perhaps MENSA and has just fallen into the unappreciative hands of the masses due to some clerical error. Perhaps one day I will understand the complexities of this space aged utensil but until then, if you have read this in it's entirety then perhaps you will understand that this item is exactly that. It's a solution to a problem no one had. Save yourself the money and stick with the classic garbage can. If the site of a plastic or metal bin so offends you, find a cabinet or spend the money on a more visually pleasing can. With two of them at my house and having used the two at the neighbors I can assure you that it will last only as long as the warranty. It is not worth the money.
