Many good points but a few flaws

I like this composter for the size, appearance, and portability. However it is tricky to assemble - the wheels don't attach easily and occasionally not at all, which detracts from its usefulness. Also it does eventually break in ways that render it useless....the plastic area where the central rod goes through eventually after several years will crack and break so that the whole drum falls and won't rotate. However, at the price it does last for several years. I have bought three of them.

Flimsy given price point, returned

I paid about twice the price of other tumblers b/c a metal Mantis model got well-reviewed by Wirecutter.com, but this plastic model is flimsy, and some hardware missing. But the real failure was the hinging, where obviously most wear and tear will occur when the hatch opens and closes. One of the hinge-rods, which are only thin plastic cleats, sheared off the first time I closed the hatch. Return! Note to Mantis: upgrade all the hardware on this if you expect to fetch a premium price.

Easy assembly. Great directions. Fast delivery. Sturdy construction. Easy to...

Easy assembly. Great directions. Fast delivery. Sturdy construction. Easy to turn. Large access to add material or empty. Vents are good. Easy to move about with strong wheels and great handle. the design is stellar. You get what you pay for. I looked at dozens of composters and reviews. Mantis has a history of excellent products, design and customer service. Very delighted with my purchase. It was only available at the time through Home Depot and included shipping. Higly recommend.

Weak, slow, and Expensive

As I added materials, they got too heavy and the plastic of the bin where the axle goes through gave way. I did turn it every day until compost got so wet it was difficult to do. Then, in winter it froze that way. Perhaps it needs to be in a shed, and only added to until about 1/4th full then emptied. But, doing that when frozen would mean you couldn't use it year around.

Not worth the expense

At first the contents were constantly a sodden, smelly mess no matter how often we tumbled.We built a cover over it to keep it moisture out, added lots of dry leaves, and turned the contents with a garden fork to keep it aerated. The construction is not strong enough to "wheel it next to the garden" so we had to shovel the contents into a wheelbarrow to move it (not a big deal). It has now rusted through and is no longer usable. Our inexpensive top loading, bottomless composter (less than 1/3 the price) works just as well and won't rot away. Sorry we purchased this.

Excellent product, problematic delivery and customer service

This is a great product for my needs.

Great composter!

Nice product! I had to get the tub that goes underneath to catch the drips though. It makes good tea doing that so really no problem. Easy to put together, easy to use. Best of all, when I call with a concern etc it's very personal. Seems like a great company to work with from my perspective.

I've had mine for 15 years and it's still going strong

I ordered my composter in 2005-6 from Gardener's Supply. I don't remember having a problem assembling it. The only downside is that I need another one to have one cooking and one to use over the summer and winter. We live in Oregon's high dessert so our winters are cold with February warm spells.

Wanted to love this composter, but it just doesn't hold up

We purchased this item several years ago and over time both the plastic and steel have broken down. The composter won't spin since the plastic drum and center spindle are broken and it cannot be wheeled as the steel frame has rusted through completely. We have to hire someone to demolish it and drag the parts away. We live in SE Texas so we get lots of heat, sun and rain. Things don't last forever here, but the cost of this item, and the time it took to put it together make it not worth the purchase. Purchase something else if you have any sort of weather that causes plastic or metal to break down.

Will eventually break

I have two of these compost tumblers and have had them for a few years. This summer on both tumblers, the spot where the frame and the tumbler meet stretched open and the tumbler pulled away from the frame. There is no fixing it and so there is no more tumbling. I see on other compost tumblers that they are using a metal piece to strengthen this area probably because this becomes an issue with the weight and the tumbling. I now have two broken tumblers.

Terrific product to do composting.

This composter is low profile so that it blends into the bushes. It is all plastic, so that any metal will not rust out. I can rotate with a foot or with two hands. The sliding top makes it easy to load and to check for proper moisture. I used to place the vegetable waste onto a dirt mound and turn it over with a pitchfork. This is easier and it looks better too.

Easy to Use and pretty fast

This is super easy to use. I just roll it around the yard about once a week and add some water when I water my plants.

Tough to turn: Composts quickly

This composter and its bigger cousin are really tough to turn for aeration.

Quality issue with pre-drilled holes

I have only been using the product for a couple of weeks, so I can't comment on its effectiveness as a composter. However, I was quite frustrated by the poor quality of machining on most of the holes that were pre-drilled in the plastic. They were not large enough to accommodate the screws and other parts, and had to be enlarged using a hand drill.

Compact and convenient

I love my back porch compost tumbler! Actually, I have two! I use them for all my kitchen scraps, leaves, plant trimmings, coffee grounds, etc. They are easy to turn for aeration (no need for turning with pitch fork). When one is filled, I start filling the second one. That way I always have compost for my garden. They are small enough to be unobtrusive but large enough to produce a decent amount of compost. Also, the wheels allow me to roll the compost tumblers closer to where I will be using the finished compost. I highly recommend this compost tumbler.

Perfect for small time composters

I just love the fact that we don't throw away all those kitchen scraps. They go right out to the composter. When I first started, I had trouble with moist, smelly "YUK" for compost, but figured out I wasn't adding enough brown stuff. So I simply started adding in a good amoung of brown leaves every week, and the compost reduces by about 50% in less than a week. It is never smelly now, it is easy to access and easy to turn and mix. When the composter is pretty full, we shovel it out into a pile that we mix with potting soil and aother additives, then start all over in the compost bin. We recommend it. It is a little pricey, but is perfect for a small back yard. We just bought another one for our son who is starting to garden.