How To Shop for a Compost Tumbler
When customers call us asking for more information on our products the first question is usually "How fast does it work?" Most of the competition sells based on speed claims primarily and maybe that is why, but this is something we do not like to emphasize, because quite frankly, speed claims don't mean much.
Compost happens based on a wide variety of factors, many of which have nothing to do with what kind of bin or tumbler you use. For instance ambient temperature, how much direct sunlight the tumbler gets, what you add to it, the mix of what you add to it, and the particulate size of what you add to it.
If you pre-shred or otherwise chop up all material before adding it to the tumbler, if you live in a warm climate with 90 degree weather and place the tumbler in direct full sunlight for the entire day, and if the material you're adding is the right mix of brown and green with the right moisture content, you can get compost really quickly, but there are a lot of "ifs" in this and to say that everyone will experience such results would be a gross exaggeration.
So, when shopping for a compost tumbler, it is best to ignore speed claims, they're meaningless, instead, focus on traits you know will be beneficial to have.
1. Heat - Temperature is one of the most important things that can speed up composting. However, a compost tumbler can do nothing to raise the temperature at your garden. If you live in Minnesota it will go slower than if you lived in Florida. But, a compost tumbler can attract more heat through direct sunlight. You know that high density black plastic will attract and maintain more heat than lower density or lighter colored (brown/green/white) plastic, that is just science, black absorbs more light. So, you know that regardless of how long it actually takes, a black plastic tumbler will work faster in your situation if everything else is equal.
2. Oxygen - Oxygen is required for the composting process, lack of adequate oxygen results in no activity or anaerobic activity (which is smelly and undesirable). Any tumbler will oxygenate your compost through the action of tumbling, but our tumbler also has a core aeration tube to further oxygenate the compost. This tube is patented and exclusive to our tumbler. More aeration means more oxygen, and more oxygen means faster composting. So, you know that regardless of how long it actually takes, a tumbler with additional core aeration will work faster in your situation if everything else is equal.
3. Tumbling Axis - Vertical axis tumblers, those that spin end to end, mix better than horizontal axis tumblers, those that roll on their side. You can prove this with the "coffee can test." Simply take a large metal coffee can and place it on it's side on the counter. Spoon a layer of one type of cereal on the bottom, and then spoon a second type on top. Roll the can along the counter and observe how the mixing occurs. You'll find the material tends to stay put and shuffle while the can rotates around it. This is a poor mixing process. Now, empty the can and place it right side up on the counter, again spoon in two types of cereal in two layers. Put the lid on, and flip it. Open the lid and examine the cereal, much more mixed isn't it? So, you know that regardless of how long it actually takes, a tumbler that flips vertically will mix more and oxygenate more than one that rolls horizontally, thus working faster if all else is equal.
Speed issues aside, you should also look at other aspects of the product before making your purchase.
How big is it? Many of the compost tumblers out there are smaller than ours, and many that are the same size are much more expensive. Figure out how much volume you get for the price. You'll find ours provides good value (and remember, our price includes shipping, something that can be really high if not included).
How durable is it? It is hard for you to tell how durable something is over the Internet, but you know when something looks rickety, prone to tipping over, or has more moving parts that could potentially break. Our tumbler is 100% plastic, there is nothing to rust. It is made of extremely high density plastic, almost automotive quality. The manufacturer backs it with a 10 year warranty, and with our K.I.S.S. design, there is only one moving part.
How easy is it to use? A lot of smaller composters require you to bend over to turn them, and when the compost gets heavy, that can hurt your back. Others require you to turn a crank as if you were starting an automobile from 100 years ago. Our tumbler is big (we want to give you a good value) and smaller people may not be able to handle the size (a smaller version is in the works) but the turning mechanism is simple and allows you to use your whole body or your legs rather than just your arms.
How is it made? Not everyone will care, but we're proud that our tumbler is made from 100% recycled plastic. It may cost a little extra but we're keeping plastic out of landfills, and if for some reason you ever tired of your tumbler and didn't want to give it away, you could take it to any place that accepts #2 HDPE for recycling. Other manufacturers don't always tell you if it is made of recycled material or not, I would think that if they don't tell you, it probably isn't.
Where is it made? Not everyone will care, but we're also proud that our tumbler is made in the USA. And again, other manufacturers won't always tell you where their tumbler is made, and that probably means it isn't something they're proud of.
I think considering all those features you'll agree with us that our tumbler really is the world's best.
So what are you waiting for? Buy our Compost Tumbler today.
| All our products are made in the USA at factories in California & South Carolina. |  |
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