FCMP Outdoor IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter Canadian-Made, 100% Recycled Resin - Outdoor Rotating Compost Tumbler Bin for Garden, Kitchen, and Yard Waste, Black (37 Gallon)

I bought this unit as "used, in very good condition" from Amazon Warehouse. As far as I can tell when received, it was never actually used. Someone appears to have taken it out of the box and then returned. All the parts were in there, although as I was assembling it, I discovered that two panels were broken. More on this later. The unit is reasonably easy to assemble once you figure out the somewhat cryptic instructions. To be fair, the skimpy instruction manual refers you to a video on the web site which I assume shows the assembly process in greater detail. I didn't look at it, and after a short while, I figured out the right way to put it together. Be warned that there are lots of screws to place. Lots! Also, it is very easy to assemble the supporting bars in the wrong order, and again the instructions are not terribly clear in the manual. Other than that the assembly process itself is not too hard. Once I got the unit together, I found that the composter stands sturdily enough,and seems to be working. Mine will probably need at least two to four weeks more before it produces anything recognizable as soil, but there's certainly activity taking place in there. It's also a lot less messy than my original standing square-box composter. Now, regarding the pannels, I wrote to the manufacture's support address explaining the situation, and asking whether they could send replacement panels. Remember that I got the unit as "used" from Amazon Warehouse, and so I thought there might be a chance that they could refuse to honor the warranty, in which case I more than half expected that I would have to return the whole thing back to Amazon. I was very happily surprised when they replied within a day, letting me know they were shipping the replacement panels. However, I was then further happily shocked when the panels arrived (plus the whole set of screws as well!) within two days, to Puerto Rico! (normal shipping for most of the stuff I buy only usually takes at lest 5-7 business days! I am happy with the composter, and I am extremely happy with the customer service. The instructions could definitely used some improvement.

Needed to find a more accessible compost bin. Our large compost bin will still be used for yard waste, etc but it's too hard to turn the materials deep down. Have been interested in compost tumblers that meet these criteria: made in America or Canada, tough enough for northern winters, discourages wildlife access, large enough to heat up the materials to form compost, easy to fill and empty, not too heavy for a senior to move. This composter is Canadian which I trust much more than a Chinese built unit. Canadians know winter and this composter appears solid. First, ignore the reviews stating this compost tumbler is difficult to put together. 68+ lady here, and it's not hard at all. Just takes time. As others suggest, watch a few videos on the assembly and you are good to go. I used a Phillips screwdriver, pliers. The assembly took about an hour but I took my time. Hint: if you assemble this indoors as I did, use the box to cover your floor/carpet. The support stand width is about 28" across at the bottom, not 24". Be careful to assemble the stand pieces correctly. There are two longer bolts...set these aside as they are for securing the main bar to the stand, one on each end. The black plastic tube covering the main steel bar comes in one piece, not two as shown in some assembly videos. After placing the two end pieces with the separator in-between onto the bar (they flop all over and slide during this step), secure the bar onto the stand with the two longest bolts. Then you are ready to place and attach the panels, one at a time, securing each panel as you go. The company provided a few extra bolts and nuts which is appreciated. Be sure to watch a couple videos as you need to have the end panels with the vents exactly the same, ie be sure the vents are in line. If the vents are not lined up the same, panels assembly will not work. Each panel fits only one way and snaps into place, but you must bolt them into place securely. They snap into place as an assistance with assembly. Be careful to tighten the bolts snug but don't over tighten as you may crack the panel. Panels are secured with the included nuts and bolts. Fit the separation panel into the slots built into the panels as you go. This takes a little work but I did fine even with arthritic hands. One big plus is the large sliding cover. It slides either way and can easily be taken off for access to the interior. This is much better than two separate small covers. Plenty of room to dump a pail of vegetable waste without spillage. Seems like a well built composter. The plastic is heavy duty, thick. More manageable than the giant bin we've used for decades. We don't have bears in our area, just the regular curious wildlife. Likely, the critters won't be interested in the composter. Even if they are, it will take work to chew it or open it. We are looking forward to years of composting with this tumbler.

Very sturdy and nice design. But it takes so long to put together. There are 50+ screws to put in.

Quality is solid, but I wish they would have used galvanized hardware and nylon lock nuts for ALL the hardware. The black oxide screws are sure to eventually rust. Assembly tips: 1. Watch YouTube videos and go to the product website before starting. Study "composting tips" in the provided instructions. Fill the composting tumbler 50-60% full for optimum performance. 2. Have a medium size flat-bladed or box-ended screwdriver, 3/8"/10mm box end wrench, and small 3/8"/10mm socket wrench available (3/8" fits tighter). 3. Optionally, wear a headlamp so you can see clearly inside the unit 4. Optionally, put Teflon or silicone grease on the metal axle tube before putting the plastic tube over it - this will help the unit rotate easier 5. When starting to put on the 8 panels, have the 2 end octagons lined up with their 7-hole side straight up. This is absolutely critical. 6. Constantly verify that the center divider is positioned into the slots on all the assembled panels. You can easily knock it loose while installing the next panel 7. Double check that you tightened every screw and got the 2 tabs on each panel fully snapped into the square holes on the next panel. The panel join line should appear straight and flat, with no humps where the tabs are. 8. The sliding door panel is the last one to be installed and goes on the 7-hole side of the octagons mentioned above. Tucking its bottom edge under the first panel you installed and making sure all 4 tabs involved are snapped into the square holes requires special care. I removed two screws on the first panel I installed and then deformed that panel outward so I could tuck the last panel underneath it. This seemed to work well and all tabs and square holes were snapped together. 9. Optionally, run a 21.5 inch bead of black silicone sealer along the joints between the 8 panels. This may keep out rainwater, which helps keep the weight down and thus makes turning the unit easier. I also put silicone sealer inside every joint while I was assembling it - which makes a mess and is probably overkill. After assembly I put a sheet of thick plastic underneath the composter and added 8 gallons of compost material to each side and sprinkled on 2 gallons of water and tumbled it. I noticed that about half the water leaked out of the weep slots in the end octagons. So the concern above about rainwater entry may be overblown, since it would drain out anyway. I suppose it might wash away nutrients, though, so water intrusion is probably best controlled.

This took FOREVER to put together! But at that price, it was worth it. Seriously, get a stool, have a beer, and all your tools (Yes, ratcheting screwdriver is highly recommended) Ive had it a month? Or two? Dunno, but it works exactly as stated. AND there was a leftover screw and nut. Thank the gods, because I ALMOST lost one of the ones I was assembling with. So I really appreciated that! It’s really sturdy, easy to compost in. Of course, it is far too soon, for it to be usable, but I am so happy to not have to throw out kitchen waste, and food, and I use dried cut grass for the brown part. Totally worth it. Especially since with my back now, I cannot turn over a pile with a pitch fork, as I used to do.

This is a product that’s actually worth spending the time to write a review. The FCMP IM4000 arrived yesterday in a relatively small box considering the final size of the composter. It was very well packed and all the components were there and in good shape. The plastic panels are not incredibly robust but are well designed and fit together easily. The metal stand appears to use tubing just a wee bit thicker than what was used with beach-chairs of old and may be the eventual weak point, but for the next few years it should be fine. I might put a base underneath to secure the bottom tubes and prevent their anticipated spread and therefore weakening of the structure. If FCMP offered a reasonably priced plastic base to both secure the base tubes and keep them off the dirt, I’d buy it. For a moderately capable DYI’er, assembly was easy and obvious. A 10mm box wrench, a small adjustable wrench, or even basic plyers and a flat screwdriver are all one needs; however, the screws also have a square (Robertson) recess and a SQ1 bit with a ¼” hex-driver makes assembly much easier. The serrated bases on the flanged nuts mean that, with finger tightening of the screw to the nut, there’s probably no need for a wrench or plyers when tightening those screws – the serrations bite into the plastic and the screws easily tighten with possibly just a little pressure applied with your fingers to the nut. The only exception is with the nuts and screws that attach the axel bar to the stand – for those you’ll want wrench or pliers. I did find the on-line instructions to be significantly better than those provided with the product. Just remember that the panel with the slide is the last one to be installed and it attaches to the end cap edges that have 7 vice 4 holes. Also, the chamber divider panel needs to fit within the side panels’ inner slot. The first few panels may be problematic in making sure that the center divider remains in the slots, but as more panels are added, everything lines up and assembly becomes easier. All of this will make much more sense as you look at the parts and start putting things together. Anticipating that grit will eventually make its way into the space between the axel bar and its outer plastic sleeve/tube, I applied a layer of silicone grease (that I happened to have on hand) along the entire length of the axel. I figured that, while the container was empty, this easy bit of pre-maintenance would likely save me some frustration in the future and allow the tumbler to spin much easier. I fumbled and bungled a bit, but it was all together in under an hour. In fact, writing this review is taking longer than putting together the tumbler. The final product could be higher off the ground, making it easier to empty the chambers. Putting a plastic sheet underneath and dumping the contents on that, which is what FCMP recommends, seems lame. I’d much rather put a small wheelbarrow or big bucket underneath. Those are something else that FCMP should market. I did consider the much better built Jora tumbler, but couldn’t justify the significant price difference. I also purchased a compost thermometer and some composter starter. Theoretically, in 2-8 weeks, I'll know if this works as hoped. If so, in the end, the FCMP IM4000 will be good enough.

Semi easy to put together- just very tedious. Not sealed the best as yellow jackets made their way inside within a month. Luckily it’s getting colder day by day so we are going to wait them out. Other than that it seems to be a good product. Easy to turn and easy to add compost to.

First and foremost, all the reviews saying it is hard to put together are either lazy or just in too big of a hurry. It does take a bit, but it is not hard at all, so don't let that dissuade you. I put the entire thing together by myself in roughly an hour. It does the intended job well. Things are breaking down quickly, and it seems to keep a fairly consistent temperature suitable for composting. It is also much less noticeable than having a large pile of decaying material sitting in the yard. However, it would be great if it had some sort of crank on the side to make rotating it easier, and the door could use some redesigning to be a bit larger and to allow better access when you need to get inside the bin. Overall, this is a good starter option for a compost bin. It has taken in all the organic kitchen waste we have produced for the last 5 months or so and still has plenty of room for more. It also feels better to be able to throw old/moldy/rotten fruit and vegetables, as well as used paper towels, napkins and some cardboard in the bin, rather than the trash, so they aren't just going to waste. It does drip some liquid on occasion, so do not put it on a deck or anything you don't want stained.