Customer Reviews

STC 33301 Green Ecomposter

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Note: Apparently they have changed the composter since some of these reviews. I have no metal parts that will rust and I could jump on top of this thing and not dent it. ( I even had a 12 year old do that when rolling it so I found out through no method I would want to test again, how sturdy it is.) Fortunately, I think they must have made improvements. The seams are SOLID...follow instruction directions. They apparently listened to complaints since mine didn't have metal parts to rust and is apparently stronger than the old ones.

I began looking at this composter when it came out and was $500. The stand shown in the picture is the old stand. The new model looks better if you google it and see the newer models...and you'll find it for various prices all over the net. It now looks more like a sculputral ball in your yard rather than a giant spider and the stand being very small rather than tall with legs as seen in this picture makes it easy for me to turn...and I'm not a big gal. It also makes it a better height so you can more easily put items in to the bin.

First, I'll touch on the things I love about it. It's the only composter I've ever seen that looks cool in the yard and doesn't proclaim "compost heap! Garbage in here!" I have an uber modern home and, I kid you not, people have complimented me on my orb sculpture, thinking I bought art. And it's right next to my deck. But remember, mine didn't come with the funky spider legs...I think it's aesthetically better, but that's just me. Looks more like a riveted gazing ball sculpture on the new model.

It's engineered brilliantly with oxygen tubes you can't see that go from the outside to bring oxygen to the middle of your compost.

There are both small and large openings on both top AND bottom. If you have large items, you can open the larger opening. Small items go in the small one. The nice thing about this is I can turn my compost and I don't turn the opening to the bottom...it always ends up with an opening on top no matter where it winds up.

You can't see it from the photo but there are handles you can pull out too to move it easily around. On both top and bottom.

It's frickin fun or I'm just crazy. This can make your kids want to garden. You get to either roll it easily on the new stand (I heard the old stand was not so easy) or pop it right off the stand and have fun in the yard rolling your compost! I have actually put it out on a windy day because we live at the top of a hill and have massive winds and I let the wind roll it for me. It was kinda funny to watch. I don't mind turning this bin; it feels like a big funny ball.

It doesn't look like green plastic. It's very dark and the rivets that you put in somehow make it look like riveted metal. That sounds crazy but it doesn't look cheap at all.

It is creating great compost, easily. You need to know the correct percentage of dead material to live material in order to make correct compost; although it goes into it in the manual, you can't put in tons of veggies and get compost that isn't yucky, you need to also have your dry material such as dead leaves, paper etc. I haven't gotten bad compost yet from this and it's always the perfect moisture level because it gets just enough dampness through the air holes that I've never had to add any.

To me it's way easier to turn than those I have tried with handles. And more fun.

NEGATIVES:

Okay so the negatives? This thing took me HOURS to put together. And I mean HOURS. Look, they are just molded heavy duty plastic parts...could they have not molded a few together so that I didn't have hundreds of rivets and snaps and stuff? I was shocked when I got this box, totally flat, not big at all, at the door wondering how that big orb could possibly be all in there...it was, after hours and hours of place, snap, hammer, rivet...you get the picture. If you have little patience, you best know that going in. You'll need it. If you accidentally forget one of the steps, the good news is it's made well enough you'll have to break a rivet to fix it but don't panic like I did, the other good news is they apparently expect you to mess up a little because they send LOTS Of spare parts!

Don't think this will fit through a sliding glass door when you are done building it like I did. No sir, this is a BIG orb. But quite sturdy because I had to carry it out the front door and then we have a 14 foot drop from the top of my front door balcony down to the backyard or I would have had to roll it a very long way to the gate on the other side of the house and have to go down several steps...so I chose the high dive compost action. I held my breath and tossed it down the 14 foot drop to the backyard. Not a scratch. Not a dent, Not a problem. In all honesty, this thing comes out so dang sturdy if there is ever a Texas tornado I am forgoing the "hiding in the bathtub" theory and just climbing inside. After the hours it took me building it and how hard it is to get a rivet out, I'm safer just flying around in here like "the Balloon boy" no doubt.

Conclusion: If you have the patience to put it together, (and the hours) it's the coolest looking comppost bin you'll find because it looks more like art than a trash pile, the build of it and the aeration tubes give you great compost, it's fun to roll, and I think it could survive a tornado.

NOTE: I found my bin on an Overstock site. The model shown here is the old model with spider legs. If you want the new model I got with the low stand, you should verify with the Amazon seller what you will be receiving. You may like this better, but the stand varies so it's best, no matter where you buy it, to ensure you get the one you desire. My guess is they made the lower stand so it's easier to roll and probably too so people don't think you have a horror movie tarantula in your garden. Just sayin'

UPDATE: I have been using this now for many loads of compost and I love it more because, just as it claims, it makes compost probably 4X faster. I just keep spitting out the stuff with no work. The oxygen tubes that deliver oxygen to every place in the bin are what do it. It seems as soon as I throw something in it turns to deep soil. I LOVE it!

I also wanted to note, however, that after I had a few difficult times trying to close the lid, I realized I need to clear the rim of dirt first because otherwise it seemed like it stopped fitting...once I realized the cause it was good.

I will not repeat the assembly issue. This thing has so many parts, it took a good 2 hours, and at a crucial finishing point (two 1/2 spheres coming together, where all teeth have to match simultaneously), it took two people and about 10 minutes just for one step. If you are not the patient assembler, avoid!

The biggest problem since we had it is that ... it's not as easy as the product video suggest. The manual gives detailed instructions, hard to follow in everyday living (things like the % balance between different types of materials). The worst part ... after we loaded the compost full within 2 weeks, it was TOO HEAVY to turn. There are no handles. So you are turning a giant heavy ball with no handles. We had a hard time.

And when happens when you go out of town? We did, for a month. When we came home, the weight of the Ecomposter dented the ball in two spots -- one in the middle of a panel (the plastic warped, and cannot be reversed) and the other at the seam, which openned the seam a bit.

The marketing video made this look so painless. If we knew all these drawbacks, I don't think we would've shelled out the $200+ in the first place, and would've continued to use our trash can.

Oh, one last note ... don't expect the compost to be like rich dirt in 2 - 4 weeks. After 8 weeks, I'd say that we had black-looking stuff about 1/2 or 2/3 of the way through. It's not dirt. And then we still had about 1/3 of the stuff recognizable as original kitchen scraps or yard waste.

Overall, sorry, avoid.

I'm sure, if I ever get this thing assembled, the composter will do the job. Just be aware, it comes in a million pieces. Look at the picture, you will be pinning all those small panels together to create a globe/orb. I think there are 12 panels on the top of the orb and 12 on the bottom. Be sure to read the instructions (they are clear enough) carefully and do exactly what it says. I still haven't gotten the top and the bottom to join together well enough to get the last set of plugs/pins in - there seems to be some excess material I might have to file off.

Back to work. If you have help 1-2 hours might work. If you are by yourself have someone come over to help and bring a six pack. Sigh.

I rate myself average at assembling things. This one was hard. And I haven't even tackled the stand yet, LOL.

eta: 5/31/2009 My son put the stand together for me today and we put the half full composter on the stand and guess what, not only would it be impossible for a child to roll the thing, I can't do it. Is there a trick to this? It's too heavy and it's only half full. Does look like it's composting quickly. I've been rolling it around on the patio until we got the stand together.

First, I agree with the 1st poster that this thing takes a long time to assemble, and that putting the two halves together could be frustrating.

On composting, I am sure it will do but I doubt the claimed 4-6 weeks unless you are in a controlled, lab-like environment, then maybe.

For the build, a few things that I have doubts:

- The lids (outers and inners) locking mechanism utilizing loosely screwed on cylindrycal plastic parts which are either too tight or too loose. I'm not sure how long until the screws get rusted and/or the plastic parts get lost.

- It is a lot harder to roll than it looks. With just a little weight (weeds with some soil attached, less than half the capacity) those wheels already left impressions on the shell. No kids are able to roll it!

- The base materials do not look to be weather friendly.

It is too new for me but I feel the urge to express some of my impressions. If I remember, I will come back in a year's time for a follow-up.

8/23/09 - Update:
I do not need a year. The base has long been decommissoned as it would destroy the shell. The screws for the lids are now badly rusted as suspect. Based on all reviews I have seen (mostly at [...]) not many people paid attention to this. It will be fun in a few years when people start to find it out the hard way. Email to [...] bounced; contact form at [...] never sent the comment. Will have to do the old fashioned way, call, to see if they have any solutions. If not, good bye ecomposter! Good luck to all!

8/26/09 - Update:
Called STC. According to the person I talked to, they are aware of the problem and are still in the process of looking for a solution. I was given the promise of "a new lid" when they manage to come up with their solution. It is farfetched, but I urge you, if you did buy one and have the same concern (you should) to call them! Their number is on the manual.

OK so, yes it's hard to put together, well, tedious is perhaps a better description , with lots of places to screw up for not-careful-enough instruction readers, like moi (mixed up green and white tabs.... then had to undo a ton of work when almost finished...)

It does get heavy.. I didn't put it on the stand, it just sits in the front yard and I give it half a roll a day, so I don't know about problems with the stand. I can push it, but I'm pretty strong .. I can see if it were full of dirt from your yard where it might get very hard to turn. I filled it with too much grass+soil from my yard, so that's my bad. It seems to me if it's filled with "brown" leaves or paper towel and "green" table scraps and fresh-cut grass (not to say soil) it would not be so heavy even if it were 3/4 full. Since I filled it with too much dirt+grass, I am leaving off putting anything new into it.

O.K. so I haven't had it long enough to see if dirt is being created, but when I open it to put stuff in, it's steaming inside, and that's good, I think. I'll report back after 6 weeks.

It does dent or compress if it sits on its side. You have to leave it parked on its "pole" (as in north/south pole)... so I roll it 180 degrees from one pole to the other. It seems to be more resistant to denting sitting on its poles.

There are two openings into which to put stuff. One is large and the other is small. Both of the openings open via a twist of a segment of the sphere at the poles. So you can twist the north pole off and put stuff in then close it up again or, alternatively, you can twist a larger section, almost a hemisphere, off and put stuff in that way. My advice- be satisfied with twisting off the smaller (north pole) opening and using that. Twisting off the hemisphere size opening only leads to sorrow , regret and the gnashing of teeth, as others have detailed. You basically have to declare war on this larger opening to get it back on.

When you twist off the smaller "pole", opening, the key to having a good experience is to USE THE INCLUDED KEY.. it makes everything so much easier.. if you're not using the key to produce leverage on the "pole" opening, it's very very very hard to get back on. Very hard.

It looks so cool in the yard. Everyone wants to know what it is. Rolling it is really not a problem if you're young and fit. It's one of those things where the design triggers an emotional response that exceeds the actual utility. Probably other composters do as good a job and are easier to put together (without being cheaper though I notice....) but this one is cool like no other. It makes me happy every time I look at it. It looks modern, sophisticated and sculptural just sitting casually amongst the trees in the lawn. I would buy two more if I could justify the expense.

The phone number nets you a real and helpful human being. They don't seem interested in denying any issues their product has and offered to send me more tabs (a part of the composter) when I screwed up and used the wrong ones. They also were very persistent in returning my calls and leaving me helpful messages. The overall impression I got from my interaction with them was that they're a straightforward company sincerely interested in improving their (very cool) product and anxious to be as helpful as they can be. I like that, a lot.

Our garden is large: it generates a LOT of weeds. I'm using three composters to keep up. Years ago, I had a composter that required shovelling out the developing material from the bottom, and putting it back on top. HARD WORK. My next composter is a cylinder on a metal frame. It tumbles nicely, but takes much longer to finish compost than the Ecomposters. I liked my first Ecomposter so much that I bought a second one. It IS tedious to assemble, but then I always enjoyed my Erector Set..... The composter gets quite warm to the touch. I'll post an edit later about whether it inactivates any stray weed seeds. I don't put in obvious weed seeds, but they do lurk about. After using the composters for a few months, I can vouch for how hard it can be to turn the sphere IF YOU OVERLOAD IT. The manual says only half full, and it makes all the difference. (It also says that you shouldn't turn or lift the sphere by the handles on the larger lids.) I use the holes where the air tubes pierce the sphere to help me turn the sphere.
One thing that can be a negative: when it rains hard, the composters take on too much water. The "compost tea" then leaks out on the ground, taking nutrients with it. I put a plastic garden trug under each composter to catch the "tea" (my composters sit up on the "spider legs" stands). You don't need to pop out the rubber plug in the small lid: the tea just leaks out between panels. (Replacing the rubber plug was nasty.) And I bought tarps to lash over the spheres if we're going to have days of heavy rain.
One reviewer said that he couldn't get a compost turner gadget into the sphere to turn the compost. If it isn't overloaded, you get good mixing by rotating the sphere. No device needed. The air tubes DO get in the way when you're unloading a batch, but not terribly. The air tubes also serve to break up the compost, which helps with aeration. They must also contribute to the interesting appearance of the compost: it clumps into balls as it matures. Looks like a large horse visited....

This is a repeat of my review of this same unit by a different name. The only difference is the holder on the ground.

I can't believe any good review for this, unless people didn't use it for very long.

The assembly was no problem for me. The instructions were good and everything fit.

The use of it is another pile of stinking garbage entirely.

- It is hard to turn as it gets full, as others have pointed out.
- It is impossible to open without the included tool, and sometimes very hard to open with the tool. If the unit isn't very full the whole unit turns instead of the top opening.
- Even when the top is in open position, it is hard to grab and lift the top up. There's nothing to grab onto except some shallow indentations in the plastic.
- There is no drainage hole. If the contents you add are a little too moist, what is essentially sewage water collects on the bottom.
- Ventilation is very poor with the included air tubes. Unlike my other compost bins, the contents stink and rot anaerobically as opposed the the sweet smelling and rapid composting that occurs if the contents are well aerated and properly moist. Most kitchen vegetable and fruit waste is too moist, so good ventilation and drainage is mandatory in a compost bin.
- The ventilation tubes get in the way of using a tool to turn the contents. Since there's nothing to grab onto if the top is closed, it's impossible to turn and tumble the contents without use of a compost turning tool such as the Yard Butler CA-36 Compost Aerator (the brand I own).

I have removed the rotting contents and placed the stinking drippy mess in one of my other compost bins for proper composting. I wouldn't take this unit for free to have to do that filthy stinking job again! My other compost bins' contents are never stinky, and never filthy.

I removed the 20 or so useless ventilation tubes and the rubber plug at the bottom so hopefully the contents will drain excess moisture and will get enough air to properly compost. That means flies and possibly mice can get in (the holes are too small for rats), but that's better than the rotting mess of before. If a compost heap is working properly, the heat it generates will kill most fly larvae. Completed compost isn't really edible or attractive for flies or rodents.

Even if the drainage and improved ventilation work, the most I'd give this unit is two stars because it is so hard to empty and turn, and the top is so difficult to open. If my untested changes don't work, I'll throw this in the garbage bin where it belongs.

Update 6/5/10
I changed the star rating from 1 to 2. Removing all the ventilation tubes and rubber plug has made all the difference. I keep the unit at least 1/2 full (back loading what WAS stinking garbage that is now composting beautifully in my old composter to the ECOmposter), properly moist, and about the recommend mix of garden trimmings, newspaper strips, and vegetable waste from the kitchen. While it's composting slower that my old, much bigger, composter, it is working as it should with a wonderful earthy aroma. I don't even try to turn it, instead using the Butler compost turner every day or two.

Many reviewers have carped about the number of pieces for assembly, and the supposed difficulty or tediousness of completing the globe. All I can say is, I have rarely encountered a such a complex assembly which exhibits so much care and thought behind the design.

The instructions are extremely detailed and crystal clear; ALL plastic parts are completely labeled with a code stamp; the individual types of parts are packaged in separate, labeled containers, complete with a parts ID AND an inventory count of how many pieces are supplied and how many extras are included. Most of the small plastic pieces necessary to rivet the plastic panels together number in the hundreds, and there are dozens of small nuts and bolts, all completely accounted for in the inventory.

The basic method of construction involves joining adjacent panel pieces with straps anchored by plastic split rivets, which split when thin plastic nails are inserted in their centers. Once the upper and lower halves of the sphere are completed, they are joined top and botton by more straps and more rivets.

The entire enterprise is a good 3-4 hour job, and longer if you want to truly revel in the elegance of the design. There are 4 oversights in the instructions, which the consumer should note:

1. The recommended tool list mentions using a rubber mallet, but does not insist on it. In fact, it is critical - and easier - to use a rubber mallet for most of the assembly as the head is easier to control for gently tapping in both the rivets and their cenetered nails. A regular hammer should only be used for finish work, to drive the rivets and nails all the way into their seats.
2. You will need a 5/16" socket to hold the nuts when fastening the leg brackets together on the optional base (the one with casters that permit the sphere to roll in its stand).
3 Likewise, you will need a 10 mm socket to hold the nuts for the caster assemblies on the same base.
4. The step involing joining the upper and lower halves together can be frustrating until you study the pictures and realize that the seams of the panels forming the upper and lower halves of the sphere are offset by half from one another. In other words, the upper and lower seams should NOT line up. If you offset them by 50% the assembly is a snap (no pun intended).

One final piece of advice - go slow and tap the rivets and centering nails in gently, and you will have no breakage. If you do break a nail, you can use a thin screw to hammer the bottom broken part in deeper, and then tap in the upper part separately for a better cosmetic finish.

I will be the first to admit that I have no idea how well this will work, but it's got to be a big improvement over the jerry-rigged system I was using before.

As a composter, this Ecomposter works great. The spherical shape doesn't have any corners to trap anything, while the internal air tubes break up any clumps as the composter rolls around. As long as you turn it regularly, the result is a well mixed, rapidly composting bundle of yard waste.

Incidentally, this STC Ecomposter is not recommended for the following uses:
Fusion Reaction Chamber (see-Lawrence Livermore Shiva Project for details and pictures)
Dog Toy (unless you have a very large dog)
Soccer Ball
Christmas Tree Ornament
A birthday pinata
Lunar Lander and/or UFO.

I do want to compliment STC on the assembly instructions. The instruction booklet is clearly written and well illustrated. Each type of part comes in its own labeled bag. Spares are included for the parts most likely to get lost. Assembly takes a while, but if you can follow instructions, you'll put this together in a couple of hours...or days... I recommend wearing some lightweight gloves while assembling the sphere. I pinched my skin a couple of times between various plastic pieces and gloves definitely helped once I put some on. And, as one other reviewer pointed out, don't assemble it inside. Only half a sphere will fit through a door. Trust me.

November 24, 2010 update: After using the Ecomposter for a summer and change, I'm downgrading my original five stars to three. I have three different composters: this one, a Lifetime 60021 75-Gallon Compost Tumbler, Black and a Earth Machine Compost Bin. Of the three, the Lifetime 60021 has proven to be my favorite. The Ecomposter has a few problems. First, as the contents decompose, they pack down. The weight in the bottom of the sphere makes it difficult to turn. Being a sphere, there's nothing to grab hold of and putting my fingers in the holes only works if the contents aren't too heavy...I ended up using an old screwdriver stuck into the aeration holes to get some leverage. Second, the top is not particularly easy to remove and reattach. Dirt and (I assume) a bit of warpage add together and I need to brush off the track before I can turn the top back to the locked position. On the other hand, the Lifetime composter rotates around a center shaft. It opens and locks easily and seems to work just as well. It just doesn't look as cool. There's not much to say about the Earth Machine. It's simply a plastic cylinder (although technically it's a truncated cone) that you fill up with yard and kitchen waste. You let it sit and occasionally stick in something to mix it up. Of the three, I'd rank the Lifetime first, this second and the Earth Machine third...the latter just because it's boring.

This fit our composting needs best. I just wanted a place to dump kitchen waste that wasn't a big welcome sign for the racoons and this works spectacularly. I bought the book Let it Rot so I could put the correct mix of items in here. Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides)I have a larger fenced in area for yard waste too.

this wasnt too challenging to put together
It looks super cool in my backyard, especially since i bought a nissan Cube.
It is working much faster than I would have thought.
I bought some things to make a good mix like dried blood and chicken manure and i bring home coffee grounds from the office. I have this little compost bin i keep on the counter at home and next to the coffee machine at work, plastic grocery store vegetable bags fit perfectly into it. Norpro Red Ceramic Compost Keeper