Mantis Back Porch ComposTumbler

This is my first tumbler and I’m surprised it went together so easily thanks to the Mantis.com video online. It was loaded today and with attention to tumbling every day I look forward to compost in the near future.

We had one that finally gave up the ghost after a quarter of a century in the punishing Arizona desert. So we bought another one just like it but new! 🤩

The concept was great but the execution is very poor. The first item I ordered came with one of the essential pieces broken. I tried to make do but in the end, it was a waste. I ordered again (and the darn thing is not cheap!) because conceptually it is great. Again, the thing came with the same kind of thing broken. AND missing all the hardware - nuts, bolts, screws, etc. This time I got through to customer service and am waiting for them to send me replacement parts. A total disappointment. And a waste of time. The idea is so good but the manufacturing and the product is really poor.Mantis Back Porch ComposTumbler CT08002 - Engineered to Make Compost Fast - Holds 37 Gallons - Low Cost Per Gallon - Mobile Rolls Direct to the Garden

We ordered this through amazon due to free shipping. The manufacturer had it for the same price but added around $40 shipping. That decision cost us about a weeks time. We met the UPS delivery vehicle and upon seeing the box we knew it had been opened. The staples that close the top were missing and it had been taped closed with clear tape. The wheels were missing and parts of the frame were missing. As those would have been difficult to fall out on their own, it was obvious to us that someone had taken them out. Not pleased. We called the manufacturer and they were very responsive, sending us the missing parts for free.As to the unit itself; this one replaces one we purchased back in 1998. The old one was finally falling apart. We liked the old one and that's why we went with this one. It is very close to the old one with a few slight changes. The new door latch is an improvement (we hope). The old door could (and sometimes did) open when being turned when there was a lot of compost in it. One change I'm concerned about is the door hinge is now plastic where the old one was steel. I have a feeling it's not going to last as long.Mantis recently bought the company that made the old version we had. I don't know if some of the changes are theirs or if the original company had made the changes over the years.Bottom line, we loved the old one and are looking forward to years of compost from this one. One of the complaints others have made is that the pre-drilled holes for the screws are too small and need to be drilled out more. That is a valid complaint. I didn't have much trouble putting it together but I did have to drill out the holes some.Overall, a good product and if this one lasts as long as the other one, we'll be getting another one in 15-20 years.P.S. I frequently get a review request from amazon about shipping. I was looking forward to getting one this time and it didn't come. I think I know why.

Our son-in-law gave us this excellent compost tumbler. And we love it so much that we have purchased a second one. One is full of delicious compost ready to go in the garden, while the other is compost-in-the-making. It took a bit to construct it, but it's worth it!

It had clear instructions on how to put together but I think I made it more complicated than I should have. After I finally put it together I thought how did I not know this. But it might have been easier if the end of each middle section had been marked A B C and then matched up to end pieces that were marked A B C. Anyway it is really wonderful to use.

I bought this in May. I was looking forward to using it. It is now September. It has been 4 months and the sides are already breaking. I took these pictures at the end of August. Just now getting to this review. I have used it successfully for 1 full composting cycle, about 2-3 months. After I used all the compost out of the 1st cycle, when I went to use it again for a new application of food scraps and waste, I noticed the sides were breaking after about 2 weeks. I am aware of the gallon size and how much to put in. I am disappointed in the life span of this bin. I really liked it, but it does not compare to the Lifetime bin with metal latches and hinges. please see pics after 3-4 month of use. I did get great compost out of it, but to pay money for only a 1 time use is now, not worth the money spent. I would NOT recommend this if you want it to last longer than 3 months.

The price of this model isn’t justified by the quality.The plastic knobs break off easily.I bought a unit, showed up with to many broken screw knobs and one broke key hinge.They replaced the whole unit . Second showed up, had busted off screw knobs as well. Fortunately I was able to build one unit out of both busted units.Mantis makes an 88 gallon metal composter that is far superior to this cheap yet expensive model.Buyer beware