Good Ideas Compost Wizard Jr. Tumbler, 7 Cubic Foot Capacity

I purchased this product at the end of January and today was the end of my first cycle of composting so I feel that I'm at a good place to review this product. Overall I give this very high marks for it's durability and value for its money. The composter arrives in a single, large box. It's bulky but can be picked up by a single person. The composter comes fully assembled with three pieces: the base and the container with lid. Following the instructions, I placed the base on a firm piece of ground near my garden and the container fits right on the base. It's all as simple as you would expect it to be. I filled the composter with a mixture of "brown" and "green" materials until it was pretty packed and full. I then watered it until water started coming out of the holes that were drilled into the sides (which are perfectly spaced and sufficient). Every other day or so, I rolled the composter on the base. Even full, it was quite easy to roll; many times I was able to do it with just one hand, or even one foot (hey, I'm lazy). Depending on the environment, you may need to add water throughout the cycle. I added water maybe two or three times. The lid fits quite securely and I never had any problems that some of the other people had with material getting stuck in it. Something else that I noticed was that as the material was decomposing, any smell was kept in the composter, and you couldn't smell anything decomposing while it was sealed. Flies also were kept to a minimum. When the time came to empty it, I rolled it off of the base and to my garden. Emptying it is super easy. I really have nothing to complain about with this product. If you're looking for an entry level composter or something for a small garden. I'm considering purchasing a second one.

I used our first one so often that I needed to get a second one. It really is easy to use - but that is not to say that I haven't had any difficulty. It isn't always as easy to spin as it used to be because it can get heavy. That is why I got the 2nd one - to have a more reasonable spinning experience (when it is half full, not an issue. Couldn't be easier. When it gets to about 3/4 full, it is just soooo heavy!) And um - lesson learned - in the heat of summer, only go near this thing in the morning. I came back after a trip - and my family had not emptied the compost-container in the kitchen while I was gone. It was a little smelly even with the filter, so in the heat of day, I decided to empty the small kitchen bin to this outdoor composter. IT WAS SO HOT. (Which makes complete sense - but apparently, I wasn't thinking straight.). (I also tried to spin it when it was that hot which makes me just a little bit dumber) Also - the lid isn't always the easiest to get back on track, but a few spins in the wrong direction will get it right where it needs to be so that you can easily spin it correctly to get it closed. In winter when there is ice involved, that is when I have had the toughest time with the lid - I love these composters!!!

For months I read reviews and searched for a composter that would meet my gardening needs. I have a small backyard and we are a family of three. I wanted to reduce the quantity of garbage we created while also having a good organic compost for our small veggie garden. I also wanted to stay at a price point of about $100. The Good Ideas 7-Cubic-Foot Compost Wizard Jr. fit all of my needs. The bouns: it didn't require ANY assembly! I found many similar compost containers that came in small boxes of 100 pieces. I don't have time to assemble things with a three year old at my side. This composter arrived in one large box. Opened, it slid out and was ready to be filled. I've been using it for about a month now and have been able to decrease our waste by adding our kitchen scraps to it daily, along with the dried out leaves and plants in the garden. I even added a few worms to help! My three year old likes turning the drum around to mix up the contents. Once the heat of the summer hits, I hope to have some great compost for the garden. It is about the size of a garbage can on it's side and sits in a tray that allows it to rotate to mix up the contents. It is easy to open and spin. It is sturdy and not very heavy, but has survived a few storms without moving. Love it so far, just waiting to see if it really does make good compost in a short time. I used the book Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides) to learn about how to compost.

I consider these items, in general, to be a little pricey, but I still bought a second one after buying one last year. They are a great way to keep pests away from the compost, work much faster than a "pile", are clean and keep the flies down, and roll very well on the stand even when getting heavy and full. It is a little tough to get all the finished compost out button the other hand the"lid" fits in place well and is easy to put on and off and to fill the bin through. Since you need to let the bin sit for several weeks after adding the last of the material I found it best to buy a second one to keep them both in "rotation". I do sort my compost materials and put the slow to rot stuff in a pile while putting the "softer, faster" materials in the bin. Since people often ask: these don't compost the material at or below freezing but you can still ad material to them to have it ready when the weather warms.

I have had this for about two weeks and I love many things about it: the ease of use, the fact that no assembly was required, and the easy-to-open lid. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to exchange it for another as the front, right seam next to the door is a glued-together joint and there is already a small gap where the seam is separating. And the composter hasn't even been exposed to a Texas summer yet. If it's already splitting like this in February it makes me nervous to think what the heat of July will bring! I am hoping I just got a defective one and think I am going to exchange it for another just like it because there are so many "pluses" with the product. But, then again...the heat of July...hummmm.... UPDATE ~ Nov. 2014: I'm still sticking with the 3-stars I gave it previously, but wanted to add that now I understand what people in other reviews were talking about when it comes to turning it. When it's empty it rolls like a charm. Even with some stuff in there it still rolls well. However, after having this nearly a year now I have a lot of trouble turning it because it's 3/4ths full and, thus, heavy. When you go to roll it the whole thing moves -- base and all -- and you end up fighting with it, using your knee to hold the base in place. The result? I don't turn it as much as I should because I don't want to hassle with it. And, the replacement seems to have weathered the July heat of Texas well. Fingers crossed now that we're starting to have our winter freezes.

This doesn’t seem to be offered by Amazon anymore but I wanted to write a review about how great it’s been! It’s been very sturdy and held up despite hot, scorching intense sun exposure. I didn’t have any issue with the riveted cover and I use the tumbler pretty heavily. I’m happy it’s on the ground, this means less components that are load bearing and sometimes wet compost gets really heavy! We have rats in the area so I covered the side vent holes with chicken wire, which has worked well. I really like this style of tumbler that sits on the ground!!!

I’ve had this for 11 years and it work like magic .!!!!!!!

I bought one for myself 5 years ago. It has sat out in the elements under our deck for 5 years with constant use and it's still going strong. Easy to turn, but does take a while for materials to break down.

Esperaba algo un poco mas decente, el plastico venia "parchado", lo cual no me inspira mucha confianza. El plastico de donde viene agarrada la tapa, al parecer fue mal cortado y 2 remaches quedan volando, por que no estan fijados con nada o muy poco, lo cual deja un hueco que no se si vaya a tirar tierra cuando se vaya a girar. El tamaño es decente, pero estos detalles me hacen pensar mucho acerca de su durabilidad.

We love this Composter and how easy it is to turn it, as long is not too full, otherwise you need help. If you buy one make sure to make some holes in the stand, so any rain water will not accumulate, otherwise you will have issues with flies. I wish the manufacturer would have thought of that.

good composter, check out other reviews, it was as I expected.

I would need to have it for longer to write a proper review, so far so good.............