Customer Reviews

ComposTumbler 01001 Original 22-Cubic-Foot Galvanized Metal Compost Bin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have had one of these for 11 years now. I am about to have to take it apart and replace the door and door frame, as it is finally rusting out. It probably can turn a mixture of grass clippings, manure, and sawdust to compost in 2 weeks if you feed all the stuff through a shredder to break them up and mix them and the outside temperature is high. In practice I feed it grass clippings, mulched garden waste and leaves (with the mower), sawdust, and kitchen compost on a continuous basis. During peak growing season I probably get 2 months before it is full to overflowing with mostly composted material. I then empty 4 to 5 wheelbarrows of material into a stationary composter, where I let it age until the next growing season. The material from the tumbler is well mixed. Turning it is relatively easy as long as there is not too much snow and ice on it, which jams the gears. We are happy with it, but you have to have realistic expectations. If you are going to feed it cedar and brush trimmings, it is going to take much longer.

I would give the compost tumbler original 5 stars if it wasn't for it rusting out. I have two of these and they both rusted out. I was able to pop rivet some sheet metal over the large holes to get one unit working again. I sent pictures of both units to the manufacture and they sent me a replacement part list. To fix each unit the parts would cost more than buying new ones. It is upsetting after spending so much money that the manufacture does not stand behind there products. Do not expect compost in 2 weeks like their ads say. After 2 weeks the compost will reach its maximum temperature and cool back down (the included compost thermometer makes this easy to monitor) but to have good looking compost you need to wait about another month for it to cure. Clamping pressure treated wood to the legs stops it from sinking into the lawn due to the weight of a full composter. I also found that drilling a hole in the side makes checking the temperature much easier because you don't have to pull the door off .The tumbler rotates better (and will not be lopsided) if you initially pack it to the max. Room for mixing will come as the volume reduces in a day or two. I collect all my fall leaves in a huge pile and over the next summer I mix them in the composter with bagged grass clippings. If your wheel barrow will fit underneath then emptying it will be easy. If some one says this doesn't work then they are either new to composting or didn't read the instruction.

This is a neat machine that can put lawn clips to good use if you can find enough saw dust to go with them.
But the galvanized iron door panels rust very easily. You will be extremely lucky if it lasts for 4 years. That is only 40 loads of compost at most. If you include the labor cost of loading and unloading the compost batches, not to say the long hours in assembling the machine, each load (about 6 cu ft at most) could easily cost you $20.
Don't count on returning it after 30-days trial because you will not be able to disassemble the panels and put them back in the original boxes. The shipping cost could easily be at least $50.
I have gone through at least 3 compost tumblers in the past 10 years. I will not buy another one until they make the panels out of durable plastics.

Wanting to do something for the landfill AND ourselves, my husband and I ordered this composter. It DID take us a couple of hours to assemble (with breaks - it was still hot, here in Scottsdale, AZ!), but it came together beautifully, and over the next 2 days we loaded it up. Wow! The thing works like a champ! We had a bin for a few years, and a pile for a couple of years before that, but neither was good for us, as we're LAZY, and didn't take the time necessary for all that pitchforking. So, it would basically just turn dry and brown - and feed whatever roots were located directly under where the pile was. Not anymore! The composter is easy to turn, keeps things moist, and we are almost ready with our first batch in the advertised 2 weeks. We highly recommend this product.

The only caveat - this model is HUGE! And it needs to be at least 2/3 full to make compost as quickly as 2 weeks. We have a very large yard, so it wasn't a problem for us... but, if you have a normal sized yard I would check out a smaller model.

Happy composting!

I bought this for my wife for Christmas. When I started to assemble the tumbler, (There is a LOT of assembly, btw.) I noticed that the insides of the main panels were not sufficiently painted. I e-mailed the manufacturer and seller - more than once - but never got a response. Boooo! This tumbler also requires that the door be removed completely when adding material. Well, the door is fabricated and shipped flat and when combined with poorly engineered "hinges/hooks" makes for clumsy and difficult use. ComposTumbler claims to have a quality guarantee but they have not proved it. This is not a good value for the money. Also, it also appears like their website might be down. Could they be out of business?

We ordered the ComposTumbler and are generally pleased with it.
We've produced one batch of compost so far. However, when it arrived, the box was so badly broken open we were afraid pieces would be missing. Luckly, none were. So we suggest better packaging in the future. Finally, the advertizing for this product suggested that it was fairly easy to construct. This is not the case. I am a former mechanic and I feel the construction is challenging and the average person would struggle to put it together. I would suggest better instructions.

I would give the compost tumbler original 5 stars if it wasn't for it rusting out. I have two of these and they both rusted out. I was able to pop rivet some sheet metal over the large holes to get one unit working again. I sent pictures of both units to the manufacture and they sent me a replacement part list. To fix each unit the parts would cost more than buying new ones. It is upsetting after spending so much money that the manufacture does not stand behind there products. Do not expect compost in 2 weeks like their ads say. After 2 weeks the compost will reach its maximum temperature and cool back down (the included compost thermometer makes this easy to monitor) but to have good looking compost you need to wait about another month for it to cure. Clamping pressure treated wood to the legs stops it from sinking into the lawn due to the weight of a full composter. I also found that drilling a hole in the side makes checking the temperature much easier because you don't have to pull the door off .The tumbler rotates better (and will not be lopsided) if you initially pack it to the max. Room for mixing will come as the volume reduces in a day or two. I collect all my fall leaves in a huge pile and over the next summer I mix them in the composter with bagged grass clippings. If your wheel barrow will fit underneath then emptying it will be easy. If some one says this doesn't work then they are either new to composting or didn't read the instruction.

WE have one of these Tumblers too. The Metal sheets are rusted and the door fixes are broken. I am trying to buy some metal sheets and replace them since replacement parts are expensive.

I just bought this composter after years of turning a compost pile. I cannot comment on the length of time claimed to make compost with this unit (14 days), so I will stick to the quality and ease of construction. The materials are a good heavy guage steel and what appears to be dense, thick, high-impact plastic/fiberglass. The instructions are clear and all parts were included. After reading the assembly instructions a couple of times, it took about 1.5 hours to get the unit assembled, although I believe it could have been done quicker with another pair of hands. Everything fit together nice and snug. I am looking forward to getting started with my first batch of compost.

It's sad that they used such poor galvanize on the thin sheet metal. I really did like the tumbler when it was functional. I have acquired some stainless sheet metal to try to re-make my tumbler to get it running gain. I would say that it owes me a whole lot more batches of compost for the price I paid.

This gadget is wonderful in concept but terrible in execution. Do yourself a favor an pass on this one. A simple bin or pile will still be working for you long after this piece of cheaply built garbage has itself become compost.