Mantis ComposT-Twin
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The Mantis ComposT-Twin is a very hardy, well-built and well-thought out compost tumbler that sells for about $499.
The Mantis ComposT-Twin has been built with two chambers, which, combined with the price, might initially put off some people who might not see the utility in having a two-chambered compost tumbler.
But having two chambers lets the compost hobbyist "cook" one batch of compost in one chamber while they can still add composting material to the other chamber. Having the cooking compost in a sealed chamber gives the composter the advantage of being able to time their compost production a bit more efficiently and resulting in the producing of more compost more often. And the less often you have to open the door to any compost tumbler, the less of a mess you're going to have to deal with - not to mention you're going to have to deal with less in the way of odor.
The Mantis ComposT-Twin is well-built, with a tubular frame that provides a good, strong base. The two chambers are fully enclosed with four aerator vents. The gear system, when combined with the easy-to-turn handle, makes for easy mixing of composting ingredients. Each chamber on the Mantis ComposT-Twin has a 10-bushel capacity.
From the manufacturer's description:
The Mantis ComposT-Twin holds almost 25 cubic feet of raw material – that's 10 bushels in each chamber! Aerator vents on each door allow oxygen into the chamber while vented end caps assure even air flow and proper drainage. Bin contents are fully enclosed to keep out rodents, pets, and other wildlife. No more messy, unsightly piles, no odors wafting over to your neighbor's porch. Two latches on each door means bin contents are more secure, and less stress on individual latches. The ComposT-Twin frame is a convenient 32” high for easy loading and unloading. The easy-crank handle and gear mechanisms make the drum easy to turn – even when fully loaded!
No mess, no smells, no unsightly bin in your backyard. Contained and elevated to deter pests. No back-breaking work to mix and aerate pile - just turn the gear-driven handle. It's easy to remove your finished compost - the Mantis ComposT-Twin sits a sensible 32 inches off of the ground.
Other items that might be of interest to someone with a Mantis ComposT-Twin would be a matching composter cover or a ComposT-Twin Sifter Screen
Picking up the ComposT-Twin Cover is a good idea because it keeps your Mantis ComposT-Twin secure in just about any weather, preventing weather-related damage and just keeping your compost tumbler generally looking nice year-round. This particular cover that Mantis sells is dark green and the weather-resistant vinyl is reportedly easy to clean.
3 Comments
November 1st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I’ve had a compost-twin for 5 1/2 years, and I love it.
I’m a lazy-gardener type with a large garden. I throw anything I want into one side of the composter, and it’s amazing how quickly the volume goes down. Eventually (and it is eventually) one side fills up, and then I close it up and forget about it while I fill the other side. I turn the composter when I feel like it — 30 turns, but rarely more than once a week or so. By the time the second bin is full, the first is ready to empty.
The compost-twin is *easy* to empty.
The doors are a the weak point. They feel flimsy, and a hinge recently broke off one of my doors. But that was after 5 1/2 years of steady, constant use and no protection from the New England weather. A new door costs $50 including postage. This doesn’t seem so bad to me.
It took me a little while to get the knack of taking the doors on and off easily, when I went to unload the composter, but now I find it very easy indeed — I’d forgotten that I ever had any difficulty.
So yes — this is a composter for people who are willing to do some advance investment (both the money and an hour to set up the thing) in order to have years of easy and high-quality compost.
One more note: Don’t worry about using compost starters, and don’t clean out your composter between uses, as the directions instruct. Instead, leave a little bit of finished or semi-finished compost in the bin as a “starter” for the next load. In the spring (if you’re in a winter-freeze area like I am), find some good soil in your garden and throw it in the composter to start the process going. Cheap and easy!
November 10th, 2008 at 3:08 am
I bought this for my parents last year. It took me about an hour or so to put together by myself. The cylindrical body is constructed by flat sheet metal rectangles that you wrap around the circular disk that make up the ends and middle divider. I am sure if I had help, construction would have been quicker and easier.
The doors are my biggest compliant. They are made of sheet metal material and make for a flimsy door. Also, the door hinges are not of rugged quality. They are merely bent tabs on the door that slide into slots of the cylinder housing. The paint quickly chips off the hinged area. Additionally, the springiness of the sheet metal door compounded with the hinge design makes the door clumsy to open and close. On top of this, if you want easy unloading of the composter, you will need to remove the doors. This is no big deal, but reattaching the doors is cumbersome.
What I do like about this composter is that it is raised off the ground just high enough for my dad to roll his “luv cart” electric wheel barrow underneath and the compost dumps into it. This makes for easy unloading into the cart. This is imports for the following reason: Unloading the composters requires the most physical effort of composting. Loading the composter requires the least effort because you usually only load a little bit each day. This composter was designed to make unloading easy. Most other composters are on the ground which requires lifting of the heavy load into a wheel barrow or lots of shoveling into the wheel barrow. This is the main reason I bought this product for my parents.
This composter is not bad, but for $500 I would expect a more user friendly design for assembly and usage.
November 15th, 2008 at 2:57 am
I am a pretty lazy gardener.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to spend time in the garden but I hate to spend it doing something that could be done easier.
What does that have to do with making compost? Everything!
I let the worms look after it for me, but they don’t seem to be the fastest employees. It takes a year for me to get a bunch of compost. But, I have always thought a tumbler would be the way to go. I could crank it everyday, so long as I don’t forget, and compost would come out every fortnight.
It became to me in less than a week in the heavy Xmas mailing season. Steel support and the barrel is well designed. Just pull a wheel barrel under it and turn the crank. Did I tell you I was lazy? Maybe I don’t grind things up enough or perhaps my recipe isn’t perfect, I’m not sure.
What I know is it speeds up the entire process with tiny effort on my part. In two days the mix is really warm.
By the end of two or 3 weeks the mix is cool again, moist, and about half finished. Good for putting in my old bins for a month or 2 of seasoning. You can notice I haven’t debated the $500. I just know that I am going to get good compost, much quicker, and with a lot less work than previously. Did I’m saying I am having difficulty feeding it?