Graze vs Outward Hound: Which Slow Feeder Bowl Is Better?
Outward Hound's Fun Feeder is the better buy if you want the lowest price, lots of pattern and size choices, or a cheap way to test whether your dog accepts a slow feeder. Graze's stainless steel bowl is the better buy if you want one bowl that stays hygienic for years, survives a chewer and washes at high heat. Both slow eating.
We make one of these two bowls, so weigh what follows accordingly. We've tried to keep it fair: everything said about Outward Hound here comes from the brand's own published product information, and where its bowl is the smarter choice, we say so.
Graze vs Outward Hound at a glance
| Factor | Outward Hound Fun Feeder | Graze Stainless Steel Slow Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Food-safe ABS plastic; listed as BPA-, PVC- and phthalate-free | Food-grade stainless steel |
| How it slows eating | Raised ridges in several maze patterns | Raised maze pattern |
| Pattern choice | Several designs and colours | One design |
| Listed sizes | Three: about ¾ cup, 2 cups and 4 cups of dry kibble | See the product page for current sizing |
| Base | Non-slip base | Non-slip base |
| Dishwasher | Top rack | Dishwasher-safe |
| Scratch resistance | Plastic marks with use over time | Hard surface resists scratching |
| Chew resistance | Can be gnawed by determined chewers | Very little for teeth to damage |
| Food types | Dry, wet or raw (per the brand) | Dry, wet or raw |
| Upfront price | Lower | Higher |
| Where to buy | Most big pet retailers and marketplaces | Direct from Graze |
The pattern is the same in every row that matters: Outward Hound wins on price, choice and availability; Graze wins on what happens to the bowl after a year of daily use.
What does Outward Hound get right?
Quite a lot, which is why it's the name most people know.
Choice. The Fun Feeder line comes in multiple ridge patterns, and they aren't all the same difficulty. If your dog finds one design too easy or too frustrating, there's usually another to try without leaving the brand. We sell one pattern. That's a real limitation if it happens not to suit your dog.
Three clearly stated sizes. The brand lists capacities of roughly ¾ cup, 2 cups and 4 cups of dry kibble across its small, medium and large bowls. That makes it easy to match the bowl to a meal, including for very small dogs who get lost in most slow feeders.
Price and availability. It's stocked almost everywhere and costs little. If you don't yet know whether your dog will tolerate a slow feeder, a low-cost plastic bowl is a sensible experiment.
Sensible materials for a plastic bowl. It's listed as food-safe ABS, free of BPA, PVC and phthalates, with a non-slip base. As plastic feeders go, that's the standard to look for.
None of this is faint praise. For a gentle eater, on a budget, washed by hand each day and replaced when it gets tired, a Fun Feeder does the job.
Where does a plastic slow feeder fall short over time?
The limits are those of the material, not of this brand in particular.
Scratching. Plastic is softer than teeth, kibble and scouring pads. Over months, the surface picks up fine marks, especially along the tops of ridges where teeth scrape. Scratches are hard to clean properly, and they're where the slimy film in a dog bowl gets a foothold.
Heat. Top-rack-only is the normal instruction for plastic bowls because the lower rack runs hotter. It means the bowl can't take the hottest wash you have.
Chewing. A bored or frustrated dog can gnaw ridges and rims. Chewed plastic has rough edges, and swallowed pieces are a hazard.
Smell. Plastic tends to hold on to food odours and grease, particularly with wet or raw food.
Skin. Some vets and owners link worn plastic bowls with chin irritation in certain dogs. It's far from universal, but it's a commonly given reason for moving to steel.
A plastic slow feeder that's scratched, cracked, chewed or permanently greasy should be replaced. If you're replacing one every year or so, the price advantage narrows.
What does Graze do differently?
One decision: the bowl is stainless steel.
- It's non-porous and hard. There's far less for residue to cling to, and it doesn't develop the scratch pattern plastic does.
- It takes heat. It goes in the dishwasher without warping, so you can wash it properly after wet or raw meals.
- It gives a chewer nothing to work with.
- It doesn't hold smells.
- It should outlast several plastic bowls.
Our stainless steel slow feeder pairs that with a raised maze pattern and a non-slip base.
Now the downsides, because there are some. It costs more upfront. There's one pattern, of moderate difficulty, so you can't step up or down within our range. Steel can't be moulded into the very intricate mazes plastic allows, so if your dog needs an extreme challenge, a plastic design may slow them more. Steel is also noisier — tags and kibble clink. And you can't pick it up at the supermarket.
The broader material comparison, beyond these two brands, is in stainless steel vs plastic slow feeders.
Which one slows eating more?
This is the question people most want answered, and the honest reply is that it depends on the pattern and the dog, not the logo.
Outward Hound advertises that its ridges can slow eating by up to ten times. Any figure like that is a best case: a very fast dog, the hardest pattern, dry kibble pressed into the channels. A dog who already takes a couple of minutes won't see anything close to it. The same caution applies to every slow feeder, ours included.
What decides the result is how deep and narrow the channels are relative to your dog's muzzle. Within the Fun Feeder range, the more intricate patterns will slow most dogs more than our smoother steel maze. Our pattern sits in the middle, which suits the majority of dogs and frustrates few. If you want to understand how to read a maze's difficulty before you buy either, see our guide to the maze dog bowl.
Whichever you choose, time a meal before and after. Going from under a minute to a few minutes is a good outcome. Barking at the bowl, flipping it or walking away means the pattern is too hard.
Which costs less in the long run?
We're not going to quote prices; they change constantly and vary by size and retailer. Here's how to do the sum yourself.
Take the price of the plastic bowl and be realistic about how often you'll replace it. A gentle eater with careful hand-washing may get years out of one. A strong chewer, or a bowl that goes through the dishwasher daily with raw food, may be due for replacement much sooner. Multiply by the number of bowls you expect to buy over, say, five years, and compare that with a single steel bowl.
For a careful household with a gentle dog, plastic may still come out cheaper. For a chewer, a raw feeder or anyone who simply doesn't want to think about it again, steel usually wins. If the budget is truly tight, there are also free ways to slow a meal — see DIY slow feeder vs buying.
Which slow feeder should you choose?
Choose Outward Hound if:
- You're testing the idea and don't want to spend much
- Your dog is tiny and needs the smallest size, or huge and needs the full 4-cup capacity
- Your dog needs a specific difficulty — very easy or very hard
- Your dog is a gentle eater who doesn't chew bowls
- You want it today from a local shop
Choose Graze if:
- You already know slow feeding works for your dog and want a long-term bowl
- You feed wet or raw food and want to wash hot
- Your dog chews, scrapes or has wrecked plastic bowls before
- Your dog has had chin irritation and your vet has suggested moving off plastic
- You'd rather buy once
Consider neither if your dog is flat-faced and both patterns are too deep for them, your dog eats at a normal pace already, or the fast eating comes with vomiting, weight loss or a swollen belly — that last one is a vet visit, not a shopping decision. Dogs that shouldn't use a slow feeder at all are covered in are slow feeder bowls good for dogs.
Plenty of owners do both in sequence: a cheap plastic bowl to prove the concept, then steel once it's clear the slow feeder is staying.
How do you switch from a plastic slow feeder to steel?
Most dogs don't notice. A few do, because the pattern is different and steel sounds and feels different.
- Feed half the meal in the old bowl and half in the new for two or three days.
- If the clink of a collar tag on steel bothers your dog, take the collar off at mealtimes or use a tag silencer.
- Put the bowl on a mat if your floor is very smooth.
- Wash it after every meal — steel makes that easy. Our routine is in how to clean a slow feeder bowl.
The verdict
Graze vs Outward Hound is plastic versus steel. Outward Hound makes an effective, affordable slow feeder with more patterns and sizes than we offer, and it's the right first bowl for many dogs. Graze costs more and gives you less choice, in exchange for a bowl that stays cleaner, shrugs off teeth and doesn't need replacing. Decide by how your dog treats a bowl and how long you want to keep it.
👉 See the Stainless Steel Slow Feeder Dog Bowl →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Graze or Outward Hound better for slow feeding? Both slow eating. Outward Hound's Fun Feeder is cheaper, comes in several patterns and three sizes, and is widely available. Graze is a stainless steel bowl that stays hygienic longer and resists chewing. The better choice depends on your budget and how hard your dog is on bowls.
What are Outward Hound slow feeder bowls made of? The Fun Feeder Slo Bowl is made from food-safe ABS plastic that the brand lists as free of BPA, PVC and phthalates. It has a non-slip base and is described as top-rack dishwasher safe.
What sizes do Outward Hound Fun Feeder bowls come in? The brand lists three sizes: a small bowl holding about three quarters of a cup of dry kibble, a medium holding about 2 cups and a large holding up to 4 cups. Check the current listing before buying, as ranges change.
Is a stainless steel slow feeder better than a plastic one? For long-term hygiene and durability, yes. Steel is non-porous, resists scratches and chewing and can be washed at high heat. Plastic is cheaper and comes in more intricate maze patterns, so it can be the better choice for testing or for dogs needing a specific difficulty.
Do plastic slow feeder bowls cause chin acne in dogs? Worn, scratched plastic bowls are often suggested as a contributing factor to chin irritation in some dogs, because scratches hold residue. It does not affect every dog. If your dog has a sore or spotty chin, see your vet and consider switching to stainless steel.
How often should a plastic slow feeder bowl be replaced? Replace it when you see deep scratches, cracks, chew marks, warping or a greasy film or smell that will not wash off. For a gentle eater that may take years; for a chewer or a bowl washed very often, it can be much sooner.
Can I switch my dog from an Outward Hound bowl to a stainless steel one? Yes. Most dogs adapt immediately. If yours is unsure, split meals between the old and new bowl for two or three days, and remove a jangling collar tag at mealtimes if the noise on steel bothers them.