Mantis CT02001 Compact ComposTumbler, 88 Gallons, Red

Using the correct recipe you can hot compost in this thing as well as cold compost. I currently have a hot compost batch running right now though I am continually adding to it because the compost quantity really reduces in size once it starts breaking down. The gear mechanism is very nice and solid engineering. The air vents are also well built but the green air pockets seemed to have loosened slightly but nothing I am concerned with during this batch. I will re-tighten and add some lock-tite before next batch. I have not experienced any rust as of yet but I am going to put this in my shed over winter in hopes to prevent any rust issues like others have mentioned. the frame doesn't seems very sturdy when you look at it but for now it is holding up and once all bolts are connected is a pretty solid frame. The door has a post and a latch mechanism I recommend leaving the bolts a little loose then putting door on to adjust the locations of post and latch brackets then remove door and make tight. I did use lock-tite on the bolts for the door. There is a word of caution while operating the handle on this composter. If you let go of the handle while the weight inside is shifted off center the handle will KICK back and if your face (Or your daughters) is in the way the handle will come back and hit you. She is okay but has a small scratch and bruise from the impact. Also keep long hair away from the gears and handle as it could get wrapped around the handle during kickback and could potentially rip out a person's hair. No this did not happen, though I started thinking of other safety concerns after the first kick-back. Summary: Works very well and I would have had my first batch of compost by now but I keep adding more material into this composter so I get more product once it is full. It is easy to take door off and add more material. In a home of 4 people who eat vegetables, eggs, and healthy foods as well as grass clippings, a maple tree leaves and a willow I can keep this composter running continually and have a stockpile of material ready to go. Only downfall I have now is I can only make one batch at a time. If they made this same style with two doors/ two sections I could have started once and then started another 4 weeks later. If this all works out I may just buy a second one of these. Once batch is complete I will add pictures of the final product.

I keep coming back to get two more as I have 2/3rds an acer., but they are always unavailable. I love making my own dirt and recycling/composting. But with 3 dashhounds., I couldn't keep them out of my ground ones AND it took forever to compost. My friend has one and its almost 20 years old so I said, YEP I am getting this. It's a great price compared to getting it direct. But darn if they have been unavailable since I purchased my last one almost 2 years ago. If your on the fence. GET THIS. From start to finish here in my summer heat ( usually 110° ) takes about 4 weeks for everything to compost and turn. In winter it takes about 6 to 8 weeks and with that I need to say, I forget to turn. It in the winter sometimes for up to a week or even two. So far no rust. I also love that we have no flies and no smell no matter what I toss in there. I will put shredded paper, torn cardboard, all sorts of food scraps ( not oil drippings though ), grass, leaves, weeds.....all turns to beautiful black composted dirt and smells AMAZING. I have even put turkey and chicken bones in there. No issues. This thing is a power house and breaks down everything. I got two things of flowers for my birthday and once the flowers were done dead and wilted, I tossed them in there. I make a weekly batch of turmeric ginger shots that I press out the juices and all the pulp goes in there. As of yet ( knock on wood ) I haven't had to add any amenities. But then I alo never take all of the compost when I dump it. I leave about 1/4 behind.

Got tired of messing around with less expensive and poorly made composters and finally got the one I always wanted. Should have just started with this one. It wasn't easy to put together but I managed it with a little help. Solid, well made. Turning it can be a workout but it is easier than the other spinners.

This product may be sturdy, it may be easy to use and it might even be a good value, but I can not report on that, because I can not complete its assembly. When I received the order it was missing a package of parts to complete the frame. After reaching out to customer service it was quite apparent that there is NO customer service. I believe that if you have customers you should have customer service. I say don not give them your business.

This is my 2nd Compact ComposTumbler. The first Tumbler lasted for almost ten years of constant use before it became too rusted to use anymore. The rust started around year 5 at the removable door cutout corners on the body of the bin and eventually compromised the door attachment points, and I also noticed a couple of rust cracks in other locations on the bin body. Yeah, I wish the bin lasted a "lifetime" but, frankly, the bin was easy to use, worked very well for almost 10 years and I got a lot of great compost from my household and yard waste during that time. Considering that composting involves constant moisture and heat over time, I'm not surprised that rust is an eventual problem. It'd be great if the bin was made from stainless steel but I suspect it'd be so expensive that almost nobody would buy it. All in all, though, not a bad tradeoff for a modest cost amortized over a decade. As for assembly: I'm moderately skilled with tools so I didn't think assembly was very difficult (but this was the 2nd time - albeit in ten years - that I assembled a ComposTumbler). Challenging, yes, because setting the partially assembled bin into the exact locations in both end cap slots was tricky and a 2nd pair of hands would've been very helpful. A note: as an experiment to deter rust I sprayed the interior side of the bin body sections and removable door with two coats of clear silicone sealer and allowed the silicone to thoroughly dry before final assembly. The silicone sealer is still intact after three months and several compost cycles, but I'll have to wait years before I know if the silicone sealer experiment works to delay or deter rust.

Time will show success but easy to assemble provided assembling ikea furniture or completing a lego set is not your nightmare lol. Limited tools needed. Amazing design.

Natürlich "lohnt" der Kauf nicht mit Blick auf die Kosten von Gartenerde und öffentliche Plätze zum kostenlosen Grünschnitt-Abladen gibt es ja auch. Ich habe aber Spaß an meiner Garten-Kreislauf-Wirtschaft und das lästige Kompost-Drehen mit der Gabel satt - und nun versieht das Teil seinen job wie versprochen. Dass es 14-Tage-Kompost nur unter Labor-Bedingungen geben kann, war mir schon vorher klar und ich bin nicht enttäuscht, dass es in echt natürlich nur für 3-4 Ladungen im Jahr reicht. Das Material ist solide und lässt sich ganz gut zusammenbauen, ist ja kein Raumschiff. Natürlich könnte die Anleitung besser als die beigelieferte sein - wie fast immer. Dennoch - für Kompost-Freaks der Mercedes unter den Kompostern...

il faut absolument lire attentivement le mode d'emploi du composteur pour apprécier le fonctionnement.

Der Composter wirbt mit dem Versprechen, daß innerhalb von 4 bis 8 Wochen fertiger Kompost entsteht. Wenn das Gerät geliefert wird, steht in der Beschreibung, daß diese kurze Kompost-Dauer nur durch die Zugabe von Blutmehl erreichbar ist. Was ist das denn? Kompostiere ich oder betreibe ich eine Schlachtabfall-Verwertung. Für diesen Preis und mit diesem grossen Versprechen ist das schon Etikettenschwindel. Am Besten den Kompost auf einen Haufen werfen und 2mal im Jahr umsetzen. Ist billiger und das Ergebnis ist besser zu überprüfen.

This came in a cardboard Flat Pack which was quite heavy. It needs assembly and previous experience of assembling Flat Packs is useful. I recommend carefully reading the instructions and following the sequence strictly as shown. I also carefully got the Screws, Washers etc for a section out and put them in a dish so you ensure you have the correct items. There are a couple of pages that show what various items are, I kept them visible at all times to ensure I was using the correct items. You need a reasonably large space to assemble the Compost Maker, I did mine in my Conservatory so I was under cover as it took me a couple of days and it rained! There Instructions are quite good, but a couple of items were not shown clearly enough to be sure how to connect them, I of course did it the wrong way round the first time. Generally all the Bolts and Nuts went together easily, but 2 large Bolts would not take their nuts and without the aid of a friend with taps and dies I would have had to send away for replacements. All in all not an easy job, but hopefully the results will justify the effort.