Review: The Wingdow Seat

Why in the world anybody would spend $200 for a silly perch with suction cups, I simply didn’t know, for a very long time.  I though it was a rather frivolous item that could easily be substituted with much less expensive products.  Even after I purchased my Wingdow Stand, which, if you’ve read my review of it, you’ll know that I absolutely love and adore, and I had a much better idea of the extraordinarily high quality of the Wingdow materials and products, I still thought the Wingdow Seat was a bit unnecessary.  I realized that the price was indeed justified through the unparalleled quality, the 100% stainless steel hardware, and the fact that it is made in the U.S.A., but I still didn’t think it was anything special.  Well, I am happy to say that I was indeed quite wrong.

I apologize for the poor photo quality, but right now I’m working with a mobile phone camera. Unfortunately, the lighting is all off and the flash doesn’t help!

The instruction manual that comes with the Wingdow

Before I even get started on the Wingdow itself, take a look at the instruction manual.  It’s a ten page booklet detailing how to put it together, different options, how to clean it, how to use it elsewhere, and more, complete with color photos.  It is incredibly thorough (TEN pages!) and easy to understand.  If you’ve ever ordered a parrot cage from China, you’ll appreciate just how rare and impressive this is.  THAT’s the quality difference when you purchase American-made products with a real, live human being standing behind them and inspecting every single unit before she sells them.

I am completely impressed by this unit.  True to the Wingdow name, the quality is top notch.  First of all, it is 100% American-made, and every single material used has been thoroughly researched and tested.  The owner, a wonderful woman named Aleta, told me that she literally tested hundreds of types of suction cups– YES, just the suction cups!!– before choosing the ones that now proudly adorn the Wingdow.  And they are STRONG.  These guys aren’t budging anytime soon.  The acrylic is high quality, uniform, and incredibly easy to clean, with rounded corners for safety, and the bottom even slopes just slightly upward to keep in the mess.  (She really thought of everything.)  Like I said, the hardware is 100% stainless steel.  If you purchase the optional stainless steel toy hook, it is a fully welded hook so that there are absolutely no beak or toe-trapping spots.  There are even acrylic tubes that go around the stainless steel perch screws for added stability as well as to keep your parrot from gnawing on the metal.

The acrylic tubes that encase the stainless steel perch supports (and an upgraded dragonwood perch)

The 100% stainless steel and fully welded toy hook

But what’s more is that the Wingdow is not only incredibly high quality, but incredibly practical.  Lola adores sitting by the window and watching people, pets, and cars go by.  I’ve actually put her great shower perch on the window before so that she could observe the outside world, but there are a few problems with that setup.  First of all, there is nothing to catch her droppings.  Sure, I could put down newspaper or something else, but this acrylic looks much nicer, plus it is far more convenient and easier to clean!  Second, Lola likes to play with the suction cups.  She will target the knob used to pull them off and slip her beak under it and remove them, causing the whole perch to crash.  If I’m not watching her like a hawk, she will have the perch down within seconds.  It’s her favorite thing to do on it.  Which brings me to the third: there’s really nothing else to do on a plain perch.

That’s one of the best parts about the Wingdow.  It isn’t just a perch.  You can purchase optional food cups, and use it as a feeding station.  You could use one food cup for food or water, and the other for foot toys to turn it into a play area.  Or if you purchase the stainless steel toy hook like I did, you can hang a toy as well.  The bottom area is actually deceptively wide, and you can even put foot toys, treats, or foraging material down there!  Because it slopes up at the end, it really minimizes the chance of anything falling off the Wingdow as well.  Lola’s been snapping foot toys on it and not one has landed off of the base yet.  It’s quite ingenious in its design.  So not only will your parrot have a lot more to do than to play with the suction cups, but the suction cups are completely inaccessible anyway!  They are on the opposite side of the acrylic, as is your expensive window casing or wood trim, keeping your parrot from chewing on the things he or she shouldn’t be chewing on, AND keeping your window sparkling clean!

Lola simply adores it, and hopped on right away.  She was actually more interested in sitting on the Wingdow itself and looking outside than the treat I was trying to offer her for being a good girl and cooperating.

Lola on her Wingdow seat

So, if I was such a skeptic, what got me to take the plunge?  An amazing price, of course!!  If you are interested in a Wingdow but have been deterred by the price, listen up!!  Aleta sometimes gets in a few units that she calls “imperfects,” meaning they have a slight imperfection like a scratch or a bubble/stripe in the acrylic.  She sells these units at dramatic discounts.  You won’t find them for these prices anywhere on the internet.  I got my large Window seat at 35% off, or $70 off the retail price of $199.95. I believe she has another “imperfect” large for sale, and a few medium units as well.  Definitely go to her website and contact her if you are interested!

What was the imperfection on mine?  Honestly, if Aleta didn’t tell me what it was and where to look for it, I wouldn’t have known.  It’s an incredibly tiny and quite invisible scratch on the front of the Wingdow that I literally could not get a photo of because it is so subtle.  One miniscule scratch, still 100% functional, and $70 off.  You can’t beat that!

Lola and I highly recommend these beautiful, quality, and practical Wingdow seats.  She has been on hers for 30 minutes now, playing with a foot toy and watching the world go by!