RSI MCT-MC Maze Compost Tumbler, Black

We needed a composter suitable for the garage to keep the action going through long winters in the far north. This is just the ticket in terms of size and operation. Cart and composter are shipped in two separate boxes. I recommend breaking down the boxes to lie on the floor during assembly to prevent scratching up the materials as you shift them around.First, I was impressed with the quality of the design and materials used. The heavy duty poly tumbler and metal frame used are rigid enough to take some serious weight of contents without deforming, but it is light enough to be moved by one person when empty. Assembly is tedious and will take several hours. There is nothing difficult about it, though. The instructions have excellent graphics accompanying the minimalist text, each step well thought out and self-contained. I congratulate the designers on standardizing the screws, nuts, and washers. It's really hard to mess up. The only tools you need - a hex key and a small wrench - are included with the tumbler. (A hammer, not included, is needed to assemble the cart axle.) I recommend checking all parts counts against the list. Also, make sure to sort the screws by length. The screws used for attaching the crank handle are just slightly longer than those used most everywhere else. I was rushing and inadvertently mixed up the two, and had to take extra time to find and replace where I had used the incorrect screws.Use couldn't be simpler. Even most people with limited strength or range of movement should be able to turn the crank, which is low enough to reach from a seated position. You can see from the attached photo the assembled tumbler is not much taller than a chest freezer, and the cart fits conveniently underneath.

I'm an engineer and I have HUGE respect for how well all the parts mated up. The instructions were absolutely magnificent. Truly top notch. It is extremely sturdy and much bigger than I expected. Whoever designed this composter deserves a design award as it is a work of art. Nice powder coating on the metal parts. Nice finish bits... nothing was subpar. The gears and the brake assembly are truly top notch. I can't imagine a better made item at this price point. By the way - it is a great size, and quite large (55 gallon drum kind of size) compared to some of the other very small units. Very well packaged and nothing was damaged. It is possible I was missing one custom rod/nut assembly - but it is also possible it got lost along the way. It wasn't an issue with the sturdiness of the unit. [Edit - it was me, found the screw...]It is a tough assembly as there are many parts and while the instructions are really well drawn, it is going to be highly challenging for some (for instance my liberal arts major wife could NEVER put this together). I am really good with spacial relations and reading instructions - and this still took me 2 full hours to put together - much longer than I would have expected. There is just a lot to put together.The Cart is a nice feature - however I did have to drill out two holes in the handle that were misaligned. No biggie for me - but some would be frustrated.I was worried about all the other mediocre reviews for competitive products, so I was very glad I shelled out the extra money for this one.Provided you can put it together, it is a great unit and you will be pleased with the finished product.

The media could not be loaded. This compost unit seems to be very well constructed, the steel base is a heavy square tube with welded gussets much better than bent round tubing. The bin itself is a very heavy gauge plastic that I don’t see giving us any problems in the future.However you should be prepared to sit down for at least 2 uninterrupted hours, or as I did the entire afternoon outside watching the kids swim and barbecuing but I did get it done in one sitting.You don’t need any tools as it comes with an Allen key and an open box end wrench which are of good quality. If you are a handy person this is not a difficult assembly, however with so many screws it is a bit tedious. If you are not a handy person or get frustrated easily this is not a good project for you. For handy people I would rate this a six on the difficulty level for non-handy people I would rate it and eight.You will need to follow the instructions exactly on this project and by some miracle the instructions are actually clear and easy to read, so surprising and possibly a first. I did find however that the hardware in my particular unit did not match the instructions exactly. The instructions called for a number of nylock nuts and an alternate nut was supplied for much of the assembly.The wheelbarrow is of decent quality and very practical, because if you seriously think you’re going to move a loaded drum around later you’re going to have a big surprise after you try to move a loaded composter across a lawn or dirt. My unit is placed in an unused part of the yard where no one will see it or smell it and it will probably never move from that spot again.The only thing that I can see on this product that I don’t like is the handle on the wheelbarrow I wish it was the same quality as the drum stand but it is not, however the rest of the wheelbarrow assembly is fine and in the future if the handle gives me an issue I will get out my benders and make up a new one.Incidentally I gave it four stars because of the wheelbarrow.