Shipping- item came in its box. Arrived in perfect condition. it has a plastic wrapper, a piece of thin plastic/ felt thing on the lid, and one cardboard piece inside to keep it in place. I did not need any tools to open this (yay), and along with the minimal use of materials it gets 5 stars for packaging.
Appearance- it is stainless steel with black plastic accents. The design is sleek and very modern, with rounded edges, and looks very clean. There aren’t many buttons, one handle, and one logo on top. It looks way more sturdy and high end than the weight suggests. The inside initially looks like a hassle to clean, as it has a few nooks and stuff, but it has an inner can that comes out. On the exterior, it looks like the metal parts would hold up to scrubbing, but I don’t think the plastic would be shiny if you scrubbed it with anything besides a soft sponge.
Functionality- I give it a WOW! first off, it is super light. I lifted it out of the box easily, and I would say this thing looks like a tank but weighs as much as a plain plastic trash can. I am a woman with no upper body strength and carpal tunnel, but I can lift this above my shoulder with one arm. There is also a handle built into the back to make it even easier to lift.
It is simple to start and operate. It just takes 4 AA batteries, and the battery compartment has a smart little twist closure which is much easier and sturdier than the typical push tab thing that most battery compartments have. Then just flip the power switch in the back and it’s ready.
The sensor works great, you really can operate it by waving your hand 10 inches from it. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t read the instructions before I played with it- so it took me a minute to figure out that the sensor only opens, it doesn’t close it. But you don’t need that feature because it closes automatically after about 5 seconds. There are also two flat buttons that will open or close it on the top of the lid- and all you have to do is run your finger lightly over it to operate. There is a mere whisper when the lid opens and closes. The whole lid lifts up easily, there is no clasp or anything holding it in place, and is also super light. Very cool and easy.
The inside has another plastic bin, and this is the only place I run into trouble. I have to take the whole thing out to put the plastic bag on, and I think over time, if this trash can isn’t cleaned regularly and well, it could get gross. It is also not really sealed around the lip- the lid functions as a seal of sorts, which could cause leakage into the trash can outside of the actual trash compartment if something wet was thrown in at an angle or something. The inner can does have a few nooks and crannies but nothing that looks too problematic as far as cleaning.
Overall- I did not know how much joy I could have in a trash can until this. The entire family is enthralled and not only is it fun and functional, it looks awesome in the kitchen. We feel like we finally live in the future that Duck Dodgers led us to think the year 2025 would be. My only complaint is that I have to take the whole inside bin out to replace the liner, but I am totally willing to do it for this trash can. Other than that, it is very usable, easy, and has all the features I could possibly need a trash can to be.