RSI MCT-MC Maze Compost Tumbler, Black

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.

To be fair, I have only had this composter for a week, so I can't comment on long term function and use; however, I wanted to speak about assembly and initial function. I was slightly concerned about putting this together after reading some of the reviews, but overall it went quite well for me so thought I would add my two cents.ASSEMBLY: The 2-4 hour time window for assembly is spot on, if you're doing it by yourself. My husband and I put the unit together in just under 90 minutes with no issues, although if I were to do it by myself I can totally see it taking me the better part of 2 hours. It's also obvious that some engineering went into helping this be an easier, although time consuming, assembly. Contrary to a few reviews on here (maybe they've updated the instructions since then), it came with the required tools (allen key and wrench/spanner thing) and the instructions were quite clear on which direction the pieces face and how they fit together. We took a few moments on each step to review what was happening and gather the necessary pieces, and we didn't have to go back and fix anything. Overall the instructions were clear, they gave you actual size of the screws needed for each step (that was nice, as there are five different length screws), and the process went quite well for us .INITIAL FUNCTION: Having only been using it for a week, I can't speak to any longevity, quality of compost, or how fast it works. However, so far it's been great. The openings for adding materials are large and easy to access, and I love the turn handle and lock to hold the barrel in place. Materials seem good and so far the unit appears to be quite sturdy. The centerpiece used to divide the unit into two separate areas is a rigid plastic disc, which can be left out if one large composting area is desired. If you set it up as two compartments, once one side is full all you have to do is switch the sliding covers so the "+" sign is now on the empty side - no manual switching of compost needed!OTHER THOUGHTS:The cart came in a separate box and assembly was as expected; had to work a little to get the metal aligned with the tub to work the screws in, but overall it wasn't a huge issue. Cart is plastic and handles are metal, it's not fancy but that's okay.I'm looking forward to seeing how this unit works over the next year or so!

Designwise, the RSI Maze two-compartment composter is superior to virtually all the others, in my opinion. Dual chambers allow you to process two batches at different stages. Tumbling makes composting easier for those who have limited space or are worried about attracting vermin or the emission of strong odors. It contains odors surprisingly well and has a solid construction, once assembled.Speaking of assembly, thank goodness you have to put this together only once! It is a beast to assemble, though the manufacturers are upfront and tell you to expect it to take 2-4 hours. It was not intuitive, even for my handy dad. We were often stumped by the directions and had to correct several of our mistakes along the way. While the illustrations are well done, the paucity of text and absence of details within some of the steps renders the process quite bewildering at times. The video they provide the link for is not much more helpful than the instruction manual; it provides as few words and goes very quickly. The cart, surprisingly, was also a headache to assemble because of the confusing directions regarding the two tubes used for hammering the ends onto the axles (only one is needed, and only as a tool).My main concern with this tumbler is the drainage slots. While it is useful to have them to regulate the moisture level, they are large enough to introduce pests if your mixture is not already hot enough. Being a novice at composting, I didn't have enough browns added to my mixture to heat it up sufficiently, and after opening the vents to let the contents dry, I noticed a couple days later that my compost was teeming with maggots. I'm not sure the tumbler is entirely sealed even with the vents closed, as I've seen maggots crawling along the outside as well. I ended up purchasing a roll of fine mesh to cut and attach to the insides of the vents to keep the larger bugs out.If you purchase this model, I strongly recommend you buy some fine mesh and glue squares of it along the edges of the vents, then reinforce each panel with some string by weaving through the slots, BEFORE ASSEMBLING. Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to do this and now have to hose mine down and disassemble it after my first batch is done. Gross!My final word of advice so that you're not just adding materials aimlessly and losing time trying to get your batch to the thermophilic stage: Invest in a good compost thermometer. I wish I'd done this from the beginning. It would've saved me time and effort and curtailed the maggot issue.