bpr2 wrote:Serious question: after a while, do odors eventually start coming out of this?

We've had one for over a year now, and we haven't noticed any odors while it's closed.

We have a similar model too, and we love it. But it takes a LONG time to put together, even with 2 people. Lots of little parts. But the design is great and we're happy to be able to buy another one.

moxyideas wrote:So, do you have to wait 4-6 weeks to add more stuff? Or can you continuously add kitchen waste? We have a small countertop bin, but it's full/too stinky every few days...can you keep putting stuff in the deathstar? Or does that mean the compost will never be ready to remove?

We fill our counter-top bin every day or two, and my husband takes it out to our composter then. No problem adding new stuff--be sure to spin it around after adding (spin the composter that is).

Some guy putting one of these together with stupid music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7CrqQ9ght8

I snagged this last time it appeared on woot, and we love it. My husband is a compost king and he loves showing the strange ball o steaming crud off to our friends. It was hard to open at times so we just stopped turning the small lid shut. It's not like the 5bajillion pound ball is going to roll over and spill out on our lawn. It holds an incredible amount of compost and has prompted many dumb comments from our neighbors like "Is that a pilates ball?". Why yes, yes it is. The fun never stops!

--

lfcmontana wrote:Is it bear proof? Tested on both black bears and grizzlies?

We got an earlier version because I was concerned about bears (and raccoons, but mostly bears). We know we have bears; we've seen them. We've had it a year now, and *something* knocked it off its stand twice, but nothing has gotten into it. Because it's a pain to find it when it's been knocked off its stand, we now have a chain linked through it and around the nearest tree, so it can't wander too far. However, I don't think anything else has tried to get into it since that first failure.

We don't have grizzlies; we have black bears (NE PA).

urupanther wrote:It HAS to be a pain to get the compost out of that ball with sticks all around...

It is (at least with the previous version); I just did it today. But it's not terrible, especially if you have two people and can shake it a little. We didn't try to get every last bit out.

To solve that problem I bought 2 of them. One is on the ground and one is on the spinner base. It works great.

mrmaint wrote:Some guy putting one of these together with stupid music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7CrqQ9ght8

The first one I put together took a while, but the second one went fast. And yes the top does stick, just keep the grids clean.

melpopp wrote:We fill our counter-top bin every day or two, and my husband takes it out to our composter then. No problem adding new stuff--be sure to spin it around after adding (spin the composter that is).

We use the same method of taking stuff out every day or two. Yes, whenever you empty it, some stuff will not be composted, even if you're good about rolling it around (we are not). However, we're trying the "lasagna gardening" method, which means that I've just made layers of newspaper, peat moss, compost/stuff from the composter, and leaves, and I'm letting the snow cover them. We'll see how much more has decomposed by the time spring rolls around. I know someone who regularly puts rotten produce discarded by the grocery store directly on her garden to enrich the soil, so I figure some more stuff will decay, at least. It's got to be better than the rocks and thin soil we have now.

themann00 wrote:Christmas shopping for wife- done. *Everytime we're at Sam's- she wants to get one of these. Do I still need to get her something pretty though?

Yes.

bpr2 wrote:Serious question: after a while, do odors eventually start coming out of this?

We don't roll it regularly like you're supposed to, and it really only smells when you open it. I suppose it would smell if you put your nose at one of the air holes, too, but who would do that? If we were using it right, it wouldn't smell.

What do we do with this thing int he winter here in MN? If we order it now, do we just let it sit, or can we put stuff in it over the winter (letting it freeze) then when it starts to warm up (in july) we can start to see results?

Will this ball work for composting humanure? Maybe would need 2 or 3, so the first one filled can just be rolled around for awhile to let it cure. Movin' towards making a sawdust toilet, and wondering how one or more of these would/could fit in such a system. Anybody tried composting humanure with these? [def. Humanure: Humane feces and urine composted for agricultural purposes. from; the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins)

macarletta wrote:We use the same method of taking stuff out every day or two. Yes, whenever you empty it, some stuff will not be composted, even if you're good about rolling it around (we are not). However, we're trying the "lasagna gardening" method, which means that I've just made layers of newspaper, peat moss, compost/stuff from the composter, and leaves, and I'm letting the snow cover them. We'll see how much more has decomposed by the time spring rolls around. I know someone who regularly puts rotten produce discarded by the grocery store directly on her garden to enrich the soil, so I figure some more stuff will decay, at least. It's got to be better than the rocks and thin soil we have now.

you will love that type of gardening! It gives the nicest soil easy to plant in and weeding what little there is just a quick pull with two fingers. I like to use those water crystals whatever they are around tomatos etc. and that cuts way down on watering needs too.

cbs2208 wrote:I have one of these that I bought in August last year.

(6) At this price, it's a great buy. I paid about $20 more for mine. Then again, I got the cool spider leg base.

I posted an earlier comment regarding the composter offered last year. My understanding is that the model you have is quite a bit larger than this model and also came with the spider stand - probably well worth the extra $20 you paid. Your model is 40% larger which can make all the difference in the world in the way the composter performs and its overall usability. Most, if not all of the reviews here, are probably for the larger unit. So this smaller unit might be for some if you have limited space, do not plan to cram it full quickly, and don't need or want the spider stand. But I would not expect to be as happy with the smaller model if you plan medium to heavy use and/or do not mind emptying it out more frequently (more work). I've also seen reviews on this smaller model that suggest that it is just too small to do a good job. I'm still holding out for the larger model hopefully available again on Woot some time in the not to distant future. And the larger unit does look so much cooler on the spider stand (but is probably actually hotter on the inside due to it not resting so close to the ground - another reason to wait for the larger model with spider stand).

this is the worst composter ever. We have had one for a year now and the lid became so stuck we had to saw the thing open and it is being returned, after a hosing off of course. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

watched for one of these all spring/summer and eventually just bought one from costco

bad timing woot

crossingpatoka wrote:Will this ball work for composting humanure? Maybe would need 2 or 3, so the first one filled can just be rolled around for awhile to let it cure. Movin' towards making a sawdust toilet, and wondering how one or more of these would/could fit in such a system. Anybody tried composting humanure with these? [def. Humanure: Humane feces and urine composted for agricultural purposes. from; the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins)

it's called "night soil" and it's disgusting

hguffman wrote:this is the worst composter ever. We have had one for a year now and the lid became so stuck we had to saw the thing open and it is being returned, after a hosing off of course. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Now that's too funny. Did you use a chain saw? Was compost flying all over the place as you split it open? Did you make a video? Could have gone viral - made some extra money.

AlienZulu wrote:it's called "night soil" and it's disgusting

not disgusting at all, when it is properly composted. quite fantastic actually. ask your garden what it thinks.

crossingpatoka wrote:not disgusting at all, when it is properly composted. quite fantastic actually. ask your garden what it thinks.

it is disgusting. human waste also makes horrible fertilizer. it's also a great way to spread disease.

i would never grow food in composted human waste

AlienZulu wrote:it is disgusting. human waste also makes horrible fertilizer. it's also a great way to spread disease.

i would never grow food in composted human waste

Ever hear of Milorganite?:
http://www.milorganite.com/home/

Here's a video of how it's "made":
http://www.milorganite.com/videos/20060921_milorganite.wmv

But they usually didn't recommend it for a vegetable garden. But that was because of the heavy metals in the waste stream from the heavy industries in Milwaukee. Those industries are gone now.

crossingpatoka wrote:Will this ball work for composting humanure? Maybe would need 2 or 3, so the first one filled can just be rolled around for awhile to let it cure. Movin' towards making a sawdust toilet, and wondering how one or more of these would/could fit in such a system. Anybody tried composting humanure with these? [def. Humanure: Humane feces and urine composted for agricultural purposes. from; the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins)

Great idea! Just rip out the indoor plumbing and squat on one of these!

Then just roll out to the yard when full.

Just make sure you're not my neighbor, and make sure you're not even in the same state.

Yuch!

I thought that this was a large hamster ball. Big enough for a capybara.

Just purchased one for my sister, as a christmas gift. She has a small back yard, so this should fit in just fine.

She also has several cats. I may put them in there and roll them around for fun!!

themann00 wrote:Christmas shopping for wife- done. *Everytime we're at Sam's- she wants to get one of these. Do I still need to get her something pretty though?

Yes, you do. I suggest getting a second one of these, and telling her they're a pair of big earrings. She'll love you. More.

Just got mine today. That was the quickest I've ever gotten an item from Woot!

Got mine today. The piece that the lid attaches to was broken so there's no point in assembling it since it won't seal. About to contact the manufacturer for a replacement. Still, what a pain.


Edit: Filled out their "contact us" form, clicked "submit", got "System Error." Great.

Got mine Saturday. This will be a christmas gift, but I guess I should open it to see if everything is OK. Those of you that have one, what should I look for? I don't want to assemble it.

Received mine on Saturday as well. Been reading online about the sticky lid, and sure enough it does indeed seem a little sticky. The tabs on the lid appear to be adjustable, so I'll play around with those to see if that helps (crosses fingers). I'll report back with the results, good or bad. Good luck fellow composters!

EDIT: Just read the instructions again, it said to adjust the pegs for smooth operation. I gotta pay more attention!

Just got mine today woo hoo. Took about 20 minutes to assemble. Threw a bunch of leaves and grass, lettuce, and coffee grounds in it to start. We'll see how it goes. I wish my inconsiderate neighbors would get one or two. Right now they just have compost piles all over their yard. The piles are full of food and other stuff the parents make the kdis put in there. The animals in the neighborhood along with the crows pick through it almost all day long. My dog got out the other day and I found her grazing in one of the piles at the neighbors.

Oooh, my ball smells, here smell my ball, no smell your own ball.

There are only about 10,000 parts to this thing and NO INSTRUCTIONS. I can't even get it together, let alone know how to use it.

bobrader wrote:There are only about 10,000 parts to this thing and NO INSTRUCTIONS. I can't even get it together, let alone know how to use it.

Here are the instructions... http://www.stcny.com/Composter/MANUALS/CS_33371.pdf

And their website... http://www.ecomposter.net/Lang1/Default.aspx

Good luck to you!