This arrived quickly & in good condition. It is plastic, lightweight & plain. Only about an inch of water stays in the bowl, which is disconcerting, but it refills automatically, so it works perfectly for our 5 dog house. Amazon has several outdoor automatic pet water bowls, I could not decide on any one in particular, so I just ordered this one, knowing I might have to return it, considering the reviews regarding leaks. First, I wanted to install it INDOORS, we live in the desert & it would only collect sand outside - I was unable to locate a similar item designed for indoor use. So, before it even arrived, I knew I would need additional parts. After it arrived, I went to True Value & told them what I wanted to do - connect the bowl to the ice maker water line running to the refrigerator, by running tubing through the kitchen cabinets, & I took the bowl with me to make certain the connectors fit properly. Well, I followed the associate around the store, while he picked up the parts I needed. Then back at home we pulled out appliances & started drilling holes in cabinets & then connecting parts. At the end of the installation all that was needed was some Teflon plumbers tape to secure a connection. In the end, I *believe* we used a tee off the ice maker connector hose, connecting to 1/4" tubing which ran through the cabinets, then at the bowl, a 3/4" hose thread swivel to 1/4" compression adaptor, 3/4" Male Garden Hose x 3/4" Male Pipe Thread Adapter, to the bowl. So you know what you might be getting into, just pay attention to the comments on the previous reviews from Kevin 5/16/13, 06jeep 3/22/14 & Peter 4/2/13. We have had no trouble with water pressure, the float valve, or the bowl overflowing. The dogs adjusted to the new bowl perfectly. I believe the peace of mind of knowing the dogs always have fresh water, & not having to constantly refill bowls, is worth the extra $10 & a little time, to get it working the way I want. So, I'll give it 4 stars, considering that the bowl may not connect directly to your garden hose as it appears in the picture, because of the pipe threading vs hose threading. I also really wish it were solid stainless steel. If you have a problem, I recommend that you head to your local small hardware store for help. I have never gotten good advice from the big box stores, but the True Value employees at my store, go above & beyond to help you. If I have any problems, I will update my review.